Before Bonds’ statement, Axelrod told the AP that his client received a call informing him that his name had come up in regard to the testing.

“He responded at that time ... he did not give anything to anybody and he doesn’t have anything illegal,” Axelrod said. “That was the end of it, as far as we were concerned, until yesterday. We thought it was just a sort of procedural thing.”

A federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds perjured himself when he testified in 2003 in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid distribution case that he hadn’t knowingly taken any performance-enhancing drugs. He told that 2003 grand jury he believed his trainer, Greg Anderson, had given him flaxseed oil and arthritic balm, not steroids.

Bonds, who’s coming off surgery on his troublesome left elbow, played regularly in 2006.

After missing all but 14 games in 2005 following three operations on his right knee, Bonds batted .270 with 26 homers and 77 RBIs in 130 games last year. He passed Babe Ruth to move into second place on the career home run list May 28.

Bonds has spent 14 of his 21 big league seasons with San Francisco and helped the Giants draw 3 million fans in all seven seasons in their waterfront ballpark. The team is counting on him to be part of the hype leading up to its hosting of the All-Star game in July.

Bonds and Sweeney have apparently spoken this offseason.

“This year we had the best chemistry on the team. I felt like the team was clicking,” Vizquel said. “It’s sad a stupid instance like this might rupture something that was going pretty good. I don’t think the players will turn on each other. We are a veteran team. We should know what (substance) is good and what is bad.”

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