Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO ó One by one, they walked down the aisle of Courtroom 10 and took a seat on the witness stand for their public day of reckoning.
First Jason Giambi, the 2000 American League MVP. Then his brother Jeremy. And finally Marvin Benard, Barry Bonds’ San Francisco Giants teammate.
In the biggest mass confession to steroids use in baseball history, the trio testified Tuesday at Bonds’ trial. They all said they purchased and used performance-enhancing drugs from Greg Anderson, the trainer who is in jail for his refusal to testify against Bonds.
“I understood what it was. A steroid,” Jeremy Giambi said.
All three had told their stories to a grand jury in 2003, and many details of that testimony were published by the San Francisco Chronicle the following year. And the Mitchell Report in December 2007 detailed the rise of baseball’s Steroids Era.
But that was on paper. On Tuesday, the players were forced to answer questions in public from a federal prosecutor about how, when and why they took performance-enhancing drugs.
NFL
NEW YORK ó Jets backup quarterback Erik Ainge says he is recovering from a lengthy battle with substance abuse that has derailed his NFL career.
Ainge, 24, tells ESPNNewYork.com on Tuesday in a candid first-person account that he is also dealing with bipolar disorder.
Ainge says he has been clean since entering rehabilitation last July, his longest stint of sobriety since he was 11. A fifth-round draft pick in 2008 out of Tennessee, Ainge missed all of last season. His future with the Jets is uncertain.
DALLAS ó In the 18 months before Dez Bryant signed with the Dallas Cowboys, he apparently spent like a superstar.
He bought at least seven men’s watches and two more for women. He paid $65,500 for a diamond cross made of white gold and $60,000 for a custom charm. He ordered a set of dog tags made of white gold and diamonds, and all sorts of other rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces in various shades of gold, nearly all crammed with diamonds.
And finally, according to a pair of Texas lawsuits, Bryant ponied up for tickets to Cowboys and Mavericks playoff games, and to see LeBron James play. He also acquired some cash, at least $35,000.
ALL-AMERICANS
NEW YORK ó Seniors dominated The Associated Press All-America team for the first time in five years.
Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Nolan Smith of Duke and JaJuan Johnson of Purdue, all seniors, were joined on the team by junior Kemba Walker of Connecticut and freshman Jared Sullinger of Ohio State.
It’s the most seniors since four made the 2006 team.
COLLEGE ON FX
NEW YORK ó Cable channel FX will broadcast a weekly college football game during the coming season.
The Fox-owned network said Monday it would air at least 13 games involving teams from the Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA.
FX is available in more than 99 million homes.
BASEBALL
PHILADELPHIA ó Phillies closer Brad Lidge is expected to miss three to six weeks after an MRI exam Tuesday showed he has a strained right shoulder.