Boyhood friend turns on Bonds

Steve Hoskins is talking to investigators about the slugger's steroids use.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Barry Bonds and Steve Hoskins were boyhood friends who went into business together and made a lot of money selling autographs of the San Francisco Giants slugger. But the relationship collapsed when Bonds accused Hoskins of stealing from him and took the case to federal prosecutors.
Now, the Redwood City businessman may be getting his revenge by talking to investigators about Bonds' alleged steroid use and the alleged diversion of proceeds from memorabilia sales to Bonds' girlfriends.
A grand jury considering possible perjury charges against Bonds met again Thursday in San Francisco, and Bonds' lawyer, Michael Rains, has identified Hoskins and the player's former girlfriend, Kimberly Bell, as key witnesses in the probe.
Lawyer declined comment
Hoskins' lawyer, Michael Cardoza, declined to say Thursday whether his client had testified before the grand jury, but he discussed the falling out between his client and Bonds and said Hoskins believes the slugger's angry outbursts at the time were caused by steroids.
"It appeared he was in a sort of steroid rage, the way he was acting," Cardoza said. "That's what we thought was causing him to act that way."
Steroid allegations have dogged Bonds since 2003, when he testified before a different federal grand jury about his relationship to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the nutritional supplement lab at the center of doping scandals in both track and field and baseball.
Grew up together
He and Bonds grew up together outside San Francisco and after Bonds signed with the Giants as a free agent in 1993, the ballplayer helped Hoskins go into business selling sports memorabilia bearing Bonds' signature.
Hoskins became a fixture in the Giants clubhouse, but a rift opened during spring training 2003 when Bonds spotted a fan wearing a jersey bearing his autograph that he claimed was a fake, Cardoza said.
He flew into a rage, and Hoskins had to convince him the autograph was authentic, but simmering tensions between the two came to a head, Cardoza said.
"That's what started the big rift," Cardoza said. "And the big rift was already going on, because Barry was demanding more from Steve. He was being even more demanding and abusive of Steve. The chasm between Barry and Steve really started to widen then."
Other witnesses
A grand jury has been meeting in secret for months to consider charges against Bonds. Witnesses known to have testified in the probe include Giants trainer Stan Conte and Bonds' surgeon, Arthur Ting.
With the panel widely expected to deliver its findings soon, the relationship that boiled over between Bonds and Hoskins could play a
If charged with perjury and convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. He could face another five years if charged and convicted of money laundering.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.