Bonds' perjury trial taking shape

Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty to perjury charges, his former personal trainer is facing prison and the admissibility of a trove of evidence hangs in the balance after a pivotal hearing in federal court yesterday, three weeks before the slugger's trial is scheduled to start.

Bonds' renewed plea was a legal technicality made necessary when prosecutors revised the charges for the third time since the initial indictment was unsealed in November 2007. Bonds is charged with four counts of making false statements to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice. There was little doubt what Bonds' plea was going to be and that the case was going to trial March 21 after Bonds' legal team and prosecutors last month told U.S. District Judge Susan Illston that there was little chance of a plea agreement.

Likewise, there was no doubt that Bonds' former personal trainer, Greg Anderson, would tell the judge that he has no intention of taking the stand as a government witness during the trial. Anderson made a similar pledge in 2009 before Bonds' trial was put on hold until a government appeal was resolved in Bonds' favor.

Henry fined for remarks

Red Sox owner John Henry was fined $500,000 by Major League Baseball for publicly criticizing revenue sharing rules . . . Indians outfielder Austin Kearns was arrested in Kentucky last month on suspicion of drunken driving - just days before he reported to training camp . . . A person familiar with the negotiations says the Indians are close to signing Nick Johnson to a contract. - AP