Bonds’ attorneys will ask judge to drop case

According to legal experts, Barry Bonds has little chance of having his perjury case dropped, even though his attorneys are preparing to ask a judge to do that today in San Francisco.

Bonds’ attorneys were scheduled to ask U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston to dismiss a federal indictment charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice for his grand jury testimony, in which he denied knowingly using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds argues that prosecutors unfairly asked confusing, vague and ambiguous questions during his grand jury appearance in December 2003.

UC San Francisco law school professor Rory Little, a former federal prosecutor, said, “Bonds has made a very strong case that there is some duplication and some questions aren’t as well-phrased as they could be.”

But Little and other legal experts said they would be shocked if Bonds succeeds in getting the case dismissed.

Juan Gonzalez, trying to make the St. Louis roster, got two hits and drove in a run in the Cardinals’ exhibition win over the New York Mets at Jupiter, Fla. Gonzalez, 38, is a two-time American League most valuable player. He has sat out the last two years and had one at-bat in 2005.

Chicago Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa underwent a procedure in Chicago to correct an irregular heartbeat. He is expected back in Mesa, Ariz., by Sunday.

Closer Manny Corpas agreed to an $8.02-million, four-year contract with the Colorado Rockies.