Court rules against baseball players

Federal investigators can use the names and urine samples of about 100 major league players in their steroids probe, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Wednesday.

The 2-1 ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals could help authorities pinpoint the source of steroids in baseball and could also bolster the perjury case against outfielder Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, who is under investigation for telling a grand jury he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

Investigators seized computer files containing the test results in 2004 during raids of labs involved in the Major League Baseball testing program. The samples had been collected by the league the previous year as part of a survey to gauge the prevalence of steroid use. Baseball players and owners agreed in their labor contract that the results would be confidential, and each player was assigned a code number to be matched with his name.

Quest Diagnostics of Teterboro, N.J., one of the largest drug-testing firms in the nation, analyzed more than 1,400 urine samples from players that season. Comprehensive Drug Testing of Long Beach coordinated the collection of specimens and compiled the data.

With data from both labs, government officials can now match the positive test samples with the players’ names. Those players could then be called before a grand jury and asked where they obtained their steroids. If enough testify that they got the drugs from Bonds’ personal trainer, Greg Anderson, it could undermine Bonds’ claim that he didn’t know Anderson was supplying him with illegal substances.

Anderson is in prison for refusing to testify in the perjury probe. He has been convicted of steroids distribution.

Bonds’ lawyer, Michael Rains, questioned why the government continues to pursue Bonds when he doesn’t believe the outfielder was among those who tested positive in 2003.

“If Barry is one of the players that did not test positive in ’03 for steroids, I would hope that it would cause the government to rethink their continuing harassment they’ve engaged in for years,” Rains said.

Bonds has said he never tested positive for illegal drug use. However, federal investigators demanded to see the 2003 test results for Bonds, Gary Sheffield, who was then with the New York Yankees, the Yankees’ Jason Giambi and seven other players.

The players’ union sued to keep the government from accessing the records, saying the seizures violated the constitutional rights of the players.

Angels outfielder Juan Rivera had surgery in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to repair the left leg he broke last week playing winter ball in Venezuela.

The Angels said Rivera was expected to remain hospitalized for at least three days and begin rehabilitation in six to eight weeks. No timetable has been set for his return to action.

Rivera was injured in the Oriente Caribbeans’ game against the Aragua Tigers in Maracay on Friday when he was running to first base and collided with a pitcher covering the bag.

Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa, 27, and the New York Yankees completed their $20-million, five-year contract, which had been in the works for weeks.

The Yankees last month bid $26 million for the right to negotiate with the left-hander, who last season had a 14-9 record and a 2.97 earned-run average with the Hanshin Tigers.

The Chicago White Sox and infielder Alex Cintron agreed on a one-year, $1.9-million contract and avoided arbitration.

The Colorado Rockies agreed to terms with reliever Danny Graves, who pitched with the Cleveland Indians last year, on a minor league contract.

Graves had a career-high 41 saves with the Cincinnati Reds in 2004, when he was selected for his second All-Star game.

MISCELLANY

UCLA’s Adams receives U.S. Soccer recognition

Junior forward Danesha Adams of UCLA has been selected U.S. Soccer’s young female athlete of the year.

Adams played on the under-20 and under-21 U.S. national teams in 2006 and played on the U.S. national team against Chinese Taipei.

U.S. Soccer selected defender Oguchi Onyewu of the men’s national team and forward Kristine Lilly of the women’s national team as men’s and women’s players of the year, respectively, and Josmer Altidore of the under-20 team and the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer as young male athlete of the year.

Canada beat the U.S., 6-3, in a preliminary-round game of the hockey junior world championship in Mora, Sweden.

Bill Sweatt had a goal and an assist, and Erik Johnson and Mike Carman scored for the U.S.

Wild Oats XI had a lead of 22 nautical miles over Skandia in its effort to defend its title in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race despite heavy seas that sank one vessel and forced eight others to quit.

PASSINGS

Formo, Winter Olympics champion from Norway

Ivar Formo, a cross-country gold medalist for Norway at the 1976 Winter Olympics, drowned after falling through the ice while skating on a lake near Oslo, police said. He was 55.