Barry Bonds Trial Excuses Anti-Doping Expert, Finishes First Week

The Barry Bonds trial wrapped up its first week of courtroom activity on Thursday afternoon. Last time we left you, anti-doping expert Larry Bowers was on the stand, and on Thursday afternoon he was subjected to cross-examination.

Allen Ruby came right after Bowers, asking for scientific proof that performance enhancers cause the sorts of side effects he discussed in the morning. Bowers had suggested that steroids and HGH can cause changes like roid rage, bigger heads, and shrunken testicles, and Ruby asked if there was any evidence beyond warnings and suggestions. Bowers repeatedly responded that the limited literature is the result of the fact that humans can’t be experimented on, and that several symptoms of use have been anecdotally reported to be common.

Ruby focused primarily on arguing that no direct link can be drawn between performance enhancers and their alleged side effects. Breaking from that for a little, he also argued that doping agencies weren’t aware of THG - “the clear”, one of the steroids linked to Bonds - until well after Bonds’ grand jury testimony, suggesting that few people really understood what it was and that Bonds therefore could have been telling the truth when he said he didn’t know what he was taking when he was taking it.

Ruby wrapped up his cross-examination by asking Bowers a few more questions about shrunken testicles, and then Bowers was set free. And that’ll do it for the week, as the courtroom is dark on Fridays. On Monday, the government will call a bunch of agents and presumably Bonds’ former mistress Kimberly Bell. Bell will be asked to discuss Bonds’ sexual performance.

Follow along in this StoryStream for updates, and also get more information from SB Nation Bay Area’s Barry Bonds trial coverage, for which David Fucillo will be live-blogging - and live-tweeting - from the courtroom. You can follow on Twitter @SBNBayArea.