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*Barry Bonds isn’t the only athlete called out for knowingly using steroids in the book “Game of Shadows,” which finally arrived in book stores yesterday. According to the authors - San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams – New York Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield knew all along he was doping, which puts doubt on his earlier claims that he took steroids unwittingly. The book, based on a two-year investigation by the authors, claims Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, put Sheffield on injectable testosterone and a human growth hormone in 2002, and later sold him designer steroids known as the "cream" and the "clear." On Wednesday, Sheffield denied using any drugs mentioned in the book, stating: "What can I do? I'm not going to defend myself my whole life," he said. "It doesn't matter to me. I don't have anything to say. No need to. It is what it is." The book also claims track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery used performance-enhancing drugs.
*Barry Bonds, meanwhile, has decided to break his silence on the steroids allegations and address the issue on his new ESPN reality show, “Bonds on Bonds.” In "Game of Shadows,” the authors claim Bonds was jealous of the 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and resolved to take steroids after seeing the attention those athletes received during that season. "Anyone who knows me knows I'm not jealous of anybody," Bonds says on his show. "I'm proud of what Mark McGwire did; I'm proud of what Sammy did. They lifted the game." ESPN will air 10 hours of "Bonds on Bonds" in 10 half-hour episodes and five hourlong specials. The series premieres on April 3, the first full day of the baseball season.
*One week after Serena Williams announced her withdrawal from the Nasdaq-100 Open due to injuries, her big sis, Venus Williams, has also decided to pull out of the tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida because of a ligament sprain in her right elbow. "It has always been a thrill to play near my home," Williams said in a statement, "and I deeply regret that I will not have the opportunity to compete at the Nasdaq-100 Open this year. My rehabilitation continues to progress, and I look forward to returning to competition in the very near future."
Meanwhile, alleged gang member Robert Edward Maxfield pleaded no contest Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter in the 2003 shooting death of their older half-sister, Yetunde Price. Maxfield, 25, was accused of shooting Price in the back of the head as she sat in an SUV driven by her boyfriend. His sentencing is scheduled for April 6. Prosecutors said Maxfield was a member of the Southside Crips and in the midst of seeking revenge on another gang at a crack house when he seized an assault weapon and took aim at the approaching SUV. Price, 31, had three children, owned a beauty salon and was also a personal assistant to her sisters.
*Former Minnesota Vikings teammates Daunte Culpepper and Moe Williams were in a Minnesota courtroom Wednesday seeking to get their “Love Boat” charges dismissed on grounds of discrimination by prosecutors. The players, both black, claim that prosecutor Steve Tallen chose not to charge two white men connected with the boat party sex scandal. At a hearing Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court, Tallen said he opted not to charge the men because evidence against them was flimsy. Tallen told the judge: "I'm allowed to make that decision, and it has nothing to do with the race of these defendants." Judge Kevin Burke replied: "It looks bad, though." Culpepper and Williams are accused of touching a naked woman during lap dances. Bryant McKinnie and Fred Smoot, who weren’t part of Wednesday’s hearing, are accused of other alleged lewd acts. They've all pleaded not guilty. Trials for the four are set for April and May.
*Dressed in jailhouse orange and accompanied by family members, former baseball legend Dwight Gooden admitted in court Wednesday that he violated his probation by using cocaine, and will likely go to prison when he is sentenced next month. The 41-year-old former pitcher answered "yes, sir," when state Circuit Judge Anthony K. Black asked him if he had violated his probation. He will remain in custody and faces up to five years in prison after a hearing April 5. "We are seeking prison," prosecutor Pam Bondi said afterward, but it hasn't been determined how long of a sentence her office will request. As previously reported, Gooden confessed to his probation officer last week that he had used cocaine. He was serving a three-year probation for speeding away from a police officer during a DUI stop last year.
*Tiger Woods missed the final practice round Wednesday at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL because he wanted to check on his ailing father in California. Earl Woods, who still lives in Cypress where he raised his son, has been battling prostate cancer the last two years. Earl Woods was first diagnosed in 1998, but the cancer returned in 2004 and spread to other parts of his body. He has not seen his son play since Woods won his Target World Challenge in December 2004 at Sherwood Country Club. Woods, winner of the 2001 Players Championship, was scheduled to tee off at 12:33 p.m. local time in Thursday's opening round.
--- World's Largest Electric Slide Line ---
Families for Children (www.familiesforchildren.org), will hold its 3rd Annual Child Abuse Prevention Walk & Family Festival (CAP Walk) at The Forum, located at 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood (CA) on Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. until 3 pm. Thousands are expected to participate in the event, which raises funds and increases awareness about child abuse and prevention. This years event will be more exciting than ever with additional events planned; A Peanut Carnival, A Story Telling Tent, and the featured event: THE WORLDS LARGEST ELECTRIC SLIDE LINE. (04-07)