FOXSports.com :bash:
Gary Sheffield has severed ties with Barry Bonds, but says the San Francisco Giants' slugger is the one who introduced him to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, according to Sports Illustrated.
"He said, 'I got guys here, they can get your urine and blood and prescribe a vitamin specifically for your blood type and what your body needs. And that's what I did," Sheffield reportedly told the magazine for its Oct. 11 issue.
Bonds, the National League batting champion this season, refused to address Sheffield's comments. Through a spokesman, however, Bonds said, "I wish nothing but the best for Gary."
Bonds reportedly invited Sheffield to train with him in 2002, and BALCO gave Sheffield a testosterone-based steroid called "the cream" to be applied to a scar on his right knee.
Sheffield testified before a grand jury in 2003 about the BALCO case. The company's president, Victor Conte, Bonds' trainer and two others were indicted on charges they conspired to distribute performance-enhancing drugs.
Sheffield told the magazine he was shocked when he found out "the cream" and "the clear," another balm supplied by BALCO, were designer steroids.
"That's why I was mad," he reportedly said. "I want everybody to be on an even playing field."