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2B – Daily News – Friday, March 25, 2011 Bonds jurors given lessons Ross to miss 3 weeks SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds’ trial was a lot like high school chemistry and biology class Thursday. After former Bonds business part- ner Steve Hoskins finished a cross- examination in which he admitted his previous statements included inconsis- tencies and inaccuracies, Larry Bowers of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency took the witness stand for more than four hours of mind-numbing testimony on the whats, whys and hows of steroids, human growth hormone and changes they cause to the body. Bonds is charged with lying when he told a grand jury in 2003 that he did- n’t knowingly use performance- enhancing drugs. The jury of eight women and four men was treated to an Advanced Placement class in Andro- gen receptors and Acromegaly, a con- dition in which there is too much HGH in the body. Prosecutors allege Bonds’ feet, hands and head grew due to use of HGH, and Bowers testified as an expert witness about scientific studies alleging HGH abuse causes soft tissue swelling. Defense lawyer Allen Ruby tried to make the science sound like mumbo-jumbo. ‘‘If someone abuses human growth hormone, how much does their head grow?’’ Ruby said. ‘‘Does it grow twice as big?’’ Many of the times Ruby asked a pointed question, Bowers answered that there were too many variables to give a single answer. ‘‘You know the difference between theories and proof?’’ Ruby asked sar- castically. Bonds, in a dark suit, light pink shirt and dark pink tie, read through a binder book at his defense table. Jurors atten- tively followed, but they didn’t take as San Francisco Giants ‘‘If someone abuses human growth hormone, how much does their head grow? Does it grow twice as big?’’ Barry Bonds’defense lawyer Allen Ruby many notes as they did during the testi- mony of Hoskins on Wednesday and Thursday morning. The trial hasn’t exactly been must- see drama in the Bay Area, where Bonds set major league season (73) and career (762) records for home runs during a career than ended in 2007. When Bowers began his afternoon testimony, just 27 of the approximately 100 seats in the court room were occu- pied, and eight of those were in the Bonds family row. Having experienced the uncomfortable wood bench earlier in the week, three people in that row brought pillows with them. Only three witnesses testified dur- ing the trial’s first week, and there is no session on Fridays. When the trial resumes Monday, the government intends to call IRS Special Agent Mike Wilson, Bonds’ former girlfriend Kim- berly Bell, former Giants head athletic trainer Stan Conte and former Bonds personal shopper Kathy Hoskins. Bowers, USADA’s chief science officer, described how the organization helped unmask the designer steroid dubbed ‘‘the clear,’’ which turned out to be Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). Bonds admitted taking ‘‘the clear,’’ but told the grand jury that personal trainer Greg Anderson — who is in prison for refusing to testify — informed him it was ‘‘flaxseed oil.’’ Bowers also testified about side effects of steroids use, such an acne breakout and ‘‘bloating.’’ Looking ahead to Bell’s expected testimony, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Nedrow asked Bowers what effect steroid abuse could have on testicles. ‘‘They would shrink,’’ Bowers said. Ruby confronted Bowers with the claim that any of the theories he espoused were ‘‘just speculation.’’ Out of the presence of the jury, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston denied Ruby’s motion to exclude evidence on Acromegaly. Ruby claimed there was insufficient scientific evidence to allow the evidence. Hoskins, his answers halting at times when he was confronted with inconsistencies, testified Wednesday that he suspected Bonds was using steroids from 1999-03, the year he was fired as Bonds’ business partner. Hoskins also testified that Bonds’ shoe and hat size grew — he had been in charge of ordering Bonds’ spikes and keeping his uniforms in order. During cross-examination Thurs- day, Hoskins admitted that he paid about $10,000 in legal fees for Bell, which she repaid after she sold her house. He also couldn’t recall precise- ly the allegations his sister made against Bonds that he passed on to fed- eral investigators. At one point under questioning from Ruby, Hoskins appeared to get confused over which of Bonds’ Bent- leys they were talking about. ‘‘He had so many cars, I don’t remember,’’ Hoskins said. Levin flawless in the wind to lead Bay Hill Arnold Palmer Invitational ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Spencer Levin is atop the leaderboard after the open- ing round for the third time this year, so that’s nothing new. It was his score Thurs- day afternoon at Bay Hill that surprised him and everyone else. In warm, blustery condi- tions on a course that allowed only three rounds in the 60s and the most rounds in the 80s in nearly two decades, Levin had a 6- under 66 and a three-shot lead over Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Tiger Woods and his power group of Dustin Johnson and Gary Wood- land provided the entertain- ment everyone expected, although not this variety. Woodland hit a tee shot onto another golf course, John- son wound up 80 yards over a green and onto the next tee, and Woods’ angrily tossed his wedge after his best shot of the day. Their scores weren’t impressive. Woods missed a 10-foot par putt on the last hole for a 73, his highest opening round since 1999 at Bay Hill, where he is a six-time winner. Johnson and Wood- land, coming off a win last week at Innisbrook, each shot 77. Levin built the largest 18- hole lead of the year on the PGA Tour, but even that doesn’t illustrate how well he played. His 66 was near- ly nine shots better than the average score at Bay Hill, which featured gusts over 20 mph and crusty conditions in the afternoon. Fowler and Mahan played in the morning, as did Phil Mickelson, who opened with a 70. The tough conditions showed them- selves more at the bottom of the leaderboard. U.S. Open champion Graeme McDow- ell had an 80, as did Bob PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational At Bay Hill Club and Lodge Course Orlando, Fla. - TV: Noon, TGC Purse: $6 million Yardage: 7,419; Par: 72 (36-36) First Round Leaders Spencer Levin 33-33— 66 -6 Rickie Fowler 37-32— 69 -3 Hunter Mahan 36-33— 69 -3 Jason Dufner 35-35— 70 -2 Brian Davis Lee Janzen 36-34— 70 -2 37-33— 70 -2 Phil Mickelson 36-34— 70 -2 Martin Laird 36-34— 70 -2 Bubba Watson 35-35— 70 -2 Chris Couch 36-34— 70 -2 Vaughn Taylor 36-34— 70 -2 Hunter Haas 36-34— 70 -2 Daniel Chopra 36-34— 70 -2 Rocco Mediate 36-34— 70 -2 Hope winner Jhonattan Vegas and Brandt Snedeker. Ricky Barnes shot an 82. There were 13 rounds in the 80s, the most at Bay Hill since there were 24 in the second round in 1983. And then there was Levin. ‘‘Six under ... I didn’t really even think about that on the range,’’ Levin said. ‘‘Because I know the course is hard, anyway, and then you 20, 30 mile per hour wind and makes it even more tough. ‘‘I was just kind of hoping anything around par, maybe anything under par, would be a good score in the afternoon for sure.’’ As usual, it came down to putting. Levin, who also had at least a share of the lead in the Honda Classic and Northern Trust Open at Riviera, holed a par putt from just off the green at No. 6 and chipped in for birdie from left of the second green. The finish kept his spirits high. From the right bunker on No. 8, he blasted out across the green and down the slope to 8 feet for par, then atoned for a mediocre bunker shot on No. 9 with a 10-foot putt. ‘‘That was nice,’’ Levin said. ‘‘Obviously, a lot better mood. Parred the last two when I could have bogeyed, so that was good.’’ There wasn’t much good about the feature group. Woods struggled with his tee shots on the front nine and didn’t hit a single fair- way, although he only was in big trouble once off the tee. The bigger problem was the wind, and Woods twice had to back off putts because he couldn’t keep still. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Galaxy 1 0 1 4 2 1 Vancouver 1 0 0 3 4 2 Colorado 1 0 0 3 3 1 Salt Lake 1 0 0 3 1 0 FC Dallas 0 0 1 1 1 1 Chivas USA 0 1 0 0 2 3 QUAKES 01 0 0 0 1 Portland 0 1 0 0 1 3 Seattle 0 2 0 0 0 2 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA D.C. 1 0 0 3 3 1 Kansas City 1 0 0 3 3 2 Philadelphia 1 0 0 3 1 0 New York 1 0 0 3 1 0 Chicago 0 0 1 1 1 1 New England 0 0 1 1 1 1 Houston 0 1 0 0 0 1 Toronto FC 0 1 0 0 2 4 Columbus 0 1 0 0 1 3 ————————————————— Today’s games Houston at Seattle FC, 7 p.m. Saturday’s games San Jose at FC Dallas, 6 p.m. Portland at Toronto FC, 11 a.m. New York at Columbus, 1 p.m. Sporting Kansas City at Chicago, 1 p.m. Vancouver at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. D.C. United at New England, 1:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. Colorado at Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. ‘‘I didn’t drive it well starting out, and then I golf a hold of that,’’ Woods said. ‘‘Hit my irons well all day, and on the green, it was just tough to take the putter back straight because the wind was gusting and it was tough to get the right speed.’’ It looked as though he might not have to putt on the par-5 12th with a wedge that covered the flag. It hit the bottom of the pin and spun back some 25 feet. Woods dropped his club then flung it toward his bag. Johnson and Woodland, two of the biggest hitters, each reached a par 5 in two with the wind straight into them — Woodland on the 560-yard fourth, Johnson on the 557-yard 12th. They also hit shots rarely seen at Bay Hill. In a left-to-right wind on the par-5 sixth, Woodland lost it to the right. It bounced off a cart path, over the fence and wound up in the water on the par-3 ‘‘Charger’’ course at Bay Hill, which is out of bounds. That led to a double bogey. On the eighth, Johnson caught a flyer out of the rough and after a few bounces on the cart path, his ball finally settled 80 yards over the green and toward the front of the tee box on No. 9. Johnson was left with a blind shot over the trees and a TV tower, and it carried all the way into the water, lead- ing to a double bogey. Fowler set the pace in the morning and reached 5 ARENA NATIONALCONFERENCE West Division WL T Pct PF PA Arizona 2 0 0 1.000117 83 CATS 20 0 1.000136 105 Utah 1 0 0 1.000 72 36 Spokane 0 2 0 .000 103 137 Central Division WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 2 0 0 1.000111 69 Dallas Iowa 2 0 0 1.000117 86 0 1 0 .000 28 58 Kansas City 0 2 0 .000 103 113 Tulsa AMERICAN CONFERENCE South Division WL T Pct PF PA Orlando 1 0 0 1.000 47 34 Jacksonville 1 1 0 .500 123 112 Tampa Bay 1 1 0 .500 82 112 Georgia 1 1 0 .500 110 118 New Orleans0 2 0 .000 74 93 Eastern Division WL T Pct PF PA Cleveland 1 0 0 1.000 61 55 Philadelphia 1 1 0 .500 86 114 Pittsburgh 1 1 0 .500 110 86 Milwaukee 0 2 0 .000 72 111 ————————————————— Today’s games San Jose at Chicago, 5:30 p.m., 10 p.m. delay on CSNC Spokane at Iowa, 5:05 p.m., NFLN Saturday’s games New Orleans at Jacksonville, 4 p.m. Utah at Orlando, 4:30 p.m. Sunday’s game Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Monday’s games Arizona at Tulsa, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m. 0 2 0 .000 87 117 under, helped by an eagle on the 16th. He didn’t finish as well as Levin, however, dropping shots on the eighth and ninth hole to end his round at 69. It was enough to lead until Levin warmed up. ‘‘It’s nice to have fresh green the first nine holes, and the greens are still soft,’’ said Fowler, who was in the first group of the day. ‘‘You don’t have to worry about balls bouncing too much.’’ Mickelson didn’t hit it his best, was pleased with his short game, especially on the greens. He took only 26 putts, and like Fowler, said it helped that the greens rolled true except in a cross- wind. ‘‘I was able to salvage par with my short game, and it was a good opening round,’’ Mickelson said. ‘‘I’ll certainly take it.’’ Levin, entering his third year on tour and still looking for his first win, now gets to try to build on his lead Fri- day morning when condi- tions should be a little more tame. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA SHARKS 43 23 8 94 217 194 Phoenix 40 24 11 91 215 208 Kings 41 26 6 88 199 177 Ducks 41 28 5 87 212 216 Dallas 38 25 10 86 206 206 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Detroit 43 22 9 95 238 211 Nashville 40 25 10 90 198 177 Chicago 40 25 8 88 238 202 Columbus 33 29 11 77 199 223 St. Louis 33 32 9 75 206 216 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA y-Vancouver48 17 9 105 240 173 Calgary 37 28 11 85 230 222 Minnesota 35 31 8 78 185 207 Colorado 28 37 8 64 206 258 Edmonton 23 41 10 56 176 244 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Philadelphia 44 19 10 98 233 197 Pittsburgh 43 23 8 94 215 182 N.Y. Rangers40 30 5 85 217 181 New Jersey 34 35 4 72 155 186 N.Y. Islanders29 34 12 70 209 237 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 41 22 10 92 224 176 Montreal 40 28 7 87 200 194 Buffalo 36 28 9 81 216 208 Toronto 34 31 10 78 199 228 Ottawa 28 37 9 65 169 228 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Washington 43 21 10 96 203 180 Tampa Bay 39 23 11 89 216 222 Carolina 34 29 10 78 205 217 Atlanta 31 30 12 74 204 239 Florida 29 35 10 68 182 203 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division ————————————————— Thursday’s results San Jose at Los Angeles, late Atlanta 2, N.Y. Islanders 1 Boston 7, Montreal 0 Nashville 5, Anaheim 4 Ottawa 2, N.Y.Rangers 1, SO Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 1, SO St. Louis 4, Edmonton 0 Toronto 4, Colorado 3 Columbus at Phoenix, late Today’s games New Jersey at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m., NHLN Florida at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Washington at Ottawa, 4:30 p.m. SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — San Francisco Giants out- fielder Cody Ross is expected to miss the next three weeks because of a strained right calf. Ross hurt himself chasing down a flyball in a game Wednesday. The MVP of last year’s NL championship series had an MRI exam Thursday that confirmed the injury. The Giants have several options to replace Ross in right field when the regular season begins next week. Andres Tor- res could shift over from center field or Aubrey Huff could move from first base, leaving rookie Brandon Belt at first. Nate Schierholtz also is a candidate. He was set to start in right Thursday night against Cleveland. Cahill to start opener Oakland Athletics SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Trevor Cahill has been named opening day starter for the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics made the announcement Thursday. Cahill went 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 30 starts last season and was selected for his first All-Star team. He had 118 strikeouts and 63 walks in 196 2-3 innings. Entering his third season in the majors, Cahill has a 5.29 ERA in five games this spring. Oakland opens the season April 1 at home against Seattle. Nader calls for ending athletic scholarships WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is calling for the elimination of college athletic scholarships, saying the move is necessary to ‘‘de-professionalize’’ col- lege athletes. ‘‘As we near the exciting conclusion of ‘March Mad- ness’ — which would more accurately be described as the 2011 NCAA Profession- al Basketball Champi- onships — it’s time we step back and finally address the myth of amateurism sur- rounding big-time college football and basketball in this country,’’ said Nader, whose League of Fans is proposing that the scholar- ships be replaced with need- based financial aid. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposal Thurs- day, ahead of its official release. NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said referring to college athletes as profes- sionals defies logic. “They are students, just like any other student on campus who receives a merit-based scholarship,’’ he said. Nader, a former presi- dential candidate, argued that his plan would also help reduce the ‘‘win-at-all- costs’’ mentality in high schools, by reducing the incentive of college scholar- ships. “An entire industry has developed in the youth sports arena — club teams, personal trainers, etc. — to prey on families’ dreams of NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB y-Lakers 51 20 .718 — Phoenix 36 34 .514 14.5 WARRIORS 30 42 .417 21.5 Clippers 28 44 .389 23.5 KINGS 18 52 .257 32.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB x-S. Antonio 57 14 .803 — x-Dallas 50 21 .704 7 New Orleans41 31 .569 16.5 Memphis 40 32 .556 17.5 Houston 38 34 .528 19.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 46 24 .657 — Denver 43 29 .597 4 Portland 41 30 .577 5.5 Utah Minnesota 17 55 .236 30 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB y-Boston 50 20 .714 — Philadelphia37 34 .521 13.5 New York 35 36 .493 15.5 New Jersey 23 47 .329 27 Toronto 20 51 .282 30.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB x-Miami 49 22 .690 — x-Orlando 46 26 .639 3.5 Atlanta 40 32 .556 9.5 Charlotte 28 42 .400 20.5 Washington 17 53 .243 31.5 Central Division WL Pct GB y-Chicago 51 19 .729 — Indiana 32 40 .444 20 Milwaukee 28 42 .400 23 Detroit 25 46 .352 26.5 Cleveland 13 57 .186 38 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division ————————————————— Thursday’s results Dallas 104, Minnesota 96 New Orleans 121, Utah 117, OT Today’s games Sacramento at Indiana, 4 p.m.,CSNC Toronto at Golden State,7:30 p.m.,CSNB New Jersey at Orlando, 4 p.m. Charlotte at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Detroit at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. Milwaukee at New York, 4:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Chicago, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Washington at Denver, 6 p.m. New Orleans at Phoenix, 7 p.m., NBATV San Antonio at Portland, 7 p.m. L.A. Clippers at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. CBI Semifinals Creighton 82, UCF 64 Oregon 79, Boise State 71 Best-of-3 Championship Series Monday Game 1 Oregon at Creighton, 3 p.m. 36 37 .493 11.5 NIT Quarterfinals Alabama 79, Miami 64 Colorado 81, Kent State 74 Washington State 69, Northwestern 66, OT Wichita State 82, College of Charleston 75 Semifinals At Madison Square Garden New York Tuesday’s games Wichita State vs.Washington State, 4 p.m. Colorado vs. Alabama, 6:30 p.m. an athletic scholarship,” he said. “The lure of the elusive athletic scholarship is the primary — sometimes the only — marketing tool these youth sports entrepreneurs use.” He said he would try to gin up support for his pro- posal from university presi- dents, Capitol Hill and the Education Department. ‘‘We’ll use all the levers,’’ Nader said. ‘‘We’ll use the parents of athletes who’ve been mistreated and sick, and forced to play when they’re injured.’’ Nader added that he had- n’t yet canvassed Capitol Hill, but figured he’d find lawmakers who are con- cerned about the way col- lege athletes are treated. He noted that the Drake Group, a college athletic watchdog organization, has come out in favor of banning athletic scholarships. Nader said that colleges should either integrate athletics into the educational mission by eliminating college scholar- ships, or, “openly acknowl- edge the professionalism in big-time college sports, remove the tax-exempt sta- tus currently given to athlet- ic departments, and make universities operate them as unrelated businesses.” NCAA Regional Semifinals Thursday’s results SOUTHEAST REGIONAL Butler 61, Wisconsin 54 Florida 83, BYU 74, OT WEST REGIONAL Arizona 93, Duke 77 Connecticut 74, San Diego State 67 Today’s games EAST REGIONAL North Carolina vs.Marquette, 4:15 p.m., CBS Ohio State vs.Kentucky, 6:45 p.m., CBS SOUTHWEST REGIONAL Kansas vs. Richmond, 4:27 p.m., TBS Florida St.vs Vir.Common., 6:57 p.m., TBS CIT Quarterfinals East Tennessee State 82, Ohio 73 Iona 78, Buffalo 63 Santa Clara 95, San Francisco 91 SMU 57, Northern Iowa 50 Semifinals Today’s game Santa Clara at SMU, 5 p.m. Saturday’s game Iona at East Tennessee State, 11 a.m.