SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Prosecutors called Barry Bonds’ orthopedic surgeon to the witness stand Thursday at the slugger’s perjury trial.
They may wish they hadn’t.
Dr. Arthur Ting contradicted the testimony of a key prosecution witness, former Bonds business partner Steve Hoskins.
Ting denied speaking about Bonds and performance-enhancing drugs with Hoskins, and also denied telling Hoskins that Bonds’ serious elbow injury in 1999 was caused by steroid use.
Hoskins earlier testified that he had as many as 50 conversations with Ting about his concerns that Bonds’ health was in jeopardy because of steroid use.
Ting also testified that he gave Bonds legal steroids to ease swelling after surgery. Ting said those type of steroids have similar side effects as performance-enhancing steroids _ acne, weight gain, mood swings and loss of libido.
Ting testified that he has operated on Bonds eight times, the last time in 2009.
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