Barry Bonds's Flimsy Excuse

The trial of Barry Bonds has kicked into high gear.

The retired Giants slugger is being tried in federal court in San Francisco on four counts of giving false statements to a grand jury in 2003 when he testified that he never knowingly used steroids, and one count of obstruction of justice.

Allen Ruby, Bonds's attorney, has said every word Bonds uttered in grand jury testimony in late 2003 was true.

But what had many people scratching their heads was reiteration of Bonds's testimony that he believed his trainer was giving him flaxseed oil and arthritis cream.

Does Bonds and his legal team expect a jury to believe that?

Nobody knew what it was, Ruby said. I know it doesn't make a good story ... or made-for-TV movie.

There will be plenty of prosecutable evidence to support that Bonds knowingly took steroids, but just the idea that the I didn't know what I was taking defense is still being used might be enough evidence.

Bonds got much bigger and stronger because of flaxseed oil and arthritis cream? Who is going to believe that?

Like the viewers who watched him play, Bonds was aware of his physical growth.

Now he needs a jury to buy the story that most baseball fans weren't buying since Jose Canseco told the world about rampant steroid use in baseball.

Bonds could have at least gone down with dignity.

Too bad for him that he decided to run with the same tired excuse others have.