Attorneys for four men who pleaded innocent Friday to distributing steroids to athletes said it was outrageous that none of those sports stars has been charged.
By Wire services
Published February 14, 2004
The government says that the four illegally supplied performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of athletes in the NFL, baseball and track and field. No athletes were named in the indictments, though dozens testified before a grand jury last year.
Those indicted Thursday were Victor Conte, founder of San Francisco's Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative at the center of the case; James Valente, BALCO's vice president; personal trainer Greg Anderson; and world-class track coach Remi Korchemny, whose sprinters won gold medals but then flunked drug tests.
"It's like going after a fly with a bazooka, and there's a lot of other flies around," Conte's attorney, Robert Holley, said.
TENNIS: Agassi, Roddick win
Andre Agassi outlasted fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in a slugfest in the quarterfinals of the Siebel Open in San Jose, Calif. Both held serve until Agassi broke in the final game of the match.
Top-seeded Andy Roddick advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) victory over Joachim Johansson. Roddick had 27 aces to 14 for Johansson in the first meeting between the two 21-year-old big servers. He plays wild-card entry Robert Kendrick today.
GAZ DE FRANCE: Top-seeded Kim Clijsters narrowly escaped defeat to reach the semifinals in Paris, beating Silvia Farina Elia 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Farina Elia served for victory at 6-3, 5-3 but won only three points in the next four games. "I really made a whole pile of errors today," Clijsters said. She faces Dinara Safina, who beat No. 5 Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. The 17-year-old Russian, sister of Marat Safin, has won six matches this week, three in qualifying rounds and three in the main draw. Mary Pierce plays Ttiana Golvin in the other semifinal.
BELLSOUTH OPEN: Gustavo Kuerten beat Filippo Volandri and plays defending champion David Sanchez in the semifinals in Vina Del Mar, Chile. Kuerten, seeded second, lost a 5-0 lead in the second set but took the match 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4).
MILAN INDOORS: Defending champion Martin Verkerk, who was the second seed, and third-seeded Tommy Robredo lost quarterfinal matches, leaving the event without a seeded player.
ET CETERABOXING: Ex-heavyweight champion Joe Frazier was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman in Philadelphia. The woman was described in police documents as the mother of Frazier's son, department spokesman Cpl. Jim Pauley said. The 44-year-old woman was not seriously injured and refused medical treatment, police said. Frazier, 60, was awaiting arraignment on charges of simple assault and reckless endangerment, police said.
LUGE: The United States finished second behind Germany in the team competition at the world championships in Nagano, Japan. The U.S. team of Mark Grimmette, Brian Martin, Ashley Hayden and Tony Benshoof finished in 2 minutes, 29.169 seconds. Grimmette and Martin, bronze medalists at the 1988 Nagano Olympics, had the best overall doubles time of 49.702.
SAILING: A record 192 boats were present to kick off the National Offshore One Design Regatta series in St. Petersburg, but because of early morning fog and light winds only nine classes completed a race.
SWIMMING: American Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly in 51.84 at the Spring National championships in Orlando. He will try today for a record-tying fifth U.S. national title in his final event, the 200 individual medley. Amanda Beard touched out Staciana Stitts by .15 of a second in the night's best race, the 100-meter breaststroke.
