11/21/24
June 23, 2006
Feds Identify BALCO Founder as Their Source.:
posted by commander cody to baseball at 01:07 AM - 19 comments
Actually Chico, I was joking.
posted by commander cody at 01:54 AM on June 23, 2006
cody, I think you've got the story wrong. We already knew that Conte had cooperated with the Feds, and he has already been sentenced for his crimes. The news here is that Conte is identified as the source for Fainaru-Wada and Williams, the authors of Game of Shadows. According to the allegations in the article, he's the one who gave them the (supposedly secret) grand jury testimony that formed the basis of their investigation. Conte had nothing to gain from this "cooperation" except (a) money, although the article does not confirm that the Chronicle paid him, and (b) notoriety, which he seems to like quite a lot.
posted by Amateur at 07:45 AM on June 23, 2006
This just in: Victor Conte is an incredible asshole. One of the best. I've often wondered what kind of freedom of mind comes from being ethic-free. But this guy flaunts the law, then sells out his best customers in ways that can't even be justified by the weak excuse of personal profit. Dude - you're a fucking dick.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:20 AM on June 23, 2006
So what's this thread about then? This just in: Victor Conte is an incredible asshole. One of the best. I've often wondered what kind of freedom of mind comes from being ethic-free. But this guy flaunts the law, then sells out his best customers in ways that can't even be justified by the weak excuse of personal profit. Dude - you're a fucking dick. So he's like Spyware in a suit?
posted by jerseygirl at 08:23 AM on June 23, 2006
I second that emotion, Weedy.
posted by yzelda4045 at 08:25 AM on June 23, 2006
But this guy flaunts the law, then sells out his best customers in ways that can't even be justified by the weak excuse of personal profit. One weird thing about this, which I've mentioned before, is that in spite of his willingness to sell out everybody under the sun, Conte explicitly didn't implicate Bonds on 20/20. Then the book come out quoting him saying that he spoke with Bonds, saw him at BALCO, etc. ... and then Conte immediately denied that part again. If he knows more about Bonds, why is he so afraid to say it? I don't get it.
posted by Amateur at 08:39 AM on June 23, 2006
Seems he's afraid to say it publically... But if it's true he's the leaker, it appears he has no problem doing so if he remains anonomous.
posted by SummersEve at 09:02 AM on June 23, 2006
I find it hard to agree he flaunts the law. </pedant>
posted by yerfatma at 09:07 AM on June 23, 2006
Seems he's afraid to say it publically Yes, but this is the same guy who agreed to go on 20/20 while he was still under indictment, and proceeded to claim detailed firsthand knowledge of Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery, and Greg Anderson, among others, on national TV. I find it hard to believe that he's shy of the spotlight.
posted by Amateur at 09:11 AM on June 23, 2006
This NY Times article reveals a bit more about the technology accident that led to the leak of this information ... by the government.
posted by Amateur at 09:48 AM on June 23, 2006
I was hoping the writers would refuse to give up their sources and would do a little jail time...but with this info out, they have no real reason to keep it secret anymore. Hopefully he(conte) will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It always bothered me that the entire public opinion evidence against Bonds and Giambi was from illegally leaked grand jury testimony. I'd love to see Conte get 20 years for thinking he doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else.
posted by bdaddy at 10:18 AM on June 23, 2006
This NY Times article reveals a bit more about the technology accident that led to the leak of this information ... by the government. Actually I think that's my favorite part of the story. Makes me wonder what the bozos in the government are thinking when they screw up like this. Doesn't make me a lot more comfortable that they can keep anything they know about me secret. cody, I think you've got the story wrong. We already knew that Conte had cooperated with the Feds, and he has already been sentenced for his crimes. The news here is that Conte is identified as the source for Fainaru-Wada and Williams, the authors of Game of Shadows. According to the allegations in the article, he's the one who gave them the (supposedly secret) grand jury testimony that formed the basis of their investigation. Conte had nothing to gain from this "cooperation" except (a) money, although the article does not confirm that the Chronicle paid him, and (b) notoriety, which he seems to like quite a lot. That's true, but isn't it a new and seperate crime to leak Grand Jury Transcripts?
posted by commander cody at 12:21 PM on June 23, 2006
Yes, they could now go after Conte for the leak, if they have enough real evidence.
posted by Amateur at 12:35 PM on June 23, 2006
The PDF is available here from SFgate.com Select the redacted parts (which begin around page 6), then copy and paste into your favorite word processing program... Not really any new info on the involved athletes, but it is interesting to read how they work Conte and to hear his "off the record" opinions. Also, i'm no law expert, but i watched a LOT of Law & Order in college... It sounds like they know Conte was the leak, but they just can't quite prove it. Which is why they're pressuring the reporters. At keast that's what McCoy would have done. And i wonder if Ms. Debra Wong Yang is one of the ones responsible for not properly redacting this.
posted by SummersEve at 02:49 PM on June 23, 2006
More on the steroids issue...why doesn't MLB act further on this. Bud Selig continues to hide like the pussy he is (I give all the credit for our tougher steroid policies to the NFL and NBA and especially my good friends on Capital Hill in Congress). The game of baseball continues to lose credibility. All we need now is for one of our young stars to come out 'dirty' and we're back to 1994 when Baseball was considered nearly dead. Baseball needs new leadership...one where the commissioner actually is the firm leader who's not afraid to step on a few toes along the way in order to solve what is going on in the league. Its abysmal how far the game is sinking. Sorry, random tangent...but I hope this steroids issue is resolved one of these days.
posted by chemwizBsquared at 05:39 PM on June 23, 2006
Let's nip that one before it starts... This really has no new info on any athletes or ball players. It only points at Conte as the source for The Chronicle.
posted by SummersEve at 06:13 PM on June 23, 2006
More on the steroids issue...why doesn't MLB act further on this. What would you have them do that wouldn't involve them getting sued by the MLBPA or individual players? Collective bargaining agreements hold a lot of weight with the courts. You can't just make an end-run around them to do what you think is "right".
posted by grum@work at 10:44 PM on June 23, 2006
I'm a hypocrite for saying "nip this" then posting a response, but i'm over-caffinated. Sorry... Grum, what MLB needs to do is wage a massive PR war against the MLBPA about how they won't allow a more effective testing program. Every day Selig should be saying something to anyone who will print or broadcast it about how the union uses it as a bargaining chip and it's ruining the game, blah, blah, blah. This current plan was added to a CBA that was already in place.
posted by SummersEve at 11:12 AM on June 24, 2006
The way you've worded it, this has less to do with BALCO, and more about you feeling persecuted. That's really not cool, and I would think that'd be obvious, especially for someone who's been here long enough to know better. Daring the mods to delete your post, on the front page of that post, is not the best way to show how interested you are in being a productive part of this community.