Barry Bonds' Trial Gets Personal

As the perjury trial of former baseball player Barry Bonds continues this week, prosecutors are pushing the limits of comfort in the courtroom. A Major Leaguer from 1986-2007, Bonds broke the single season home run record with the San Francisco Giants in 2001, a statistic that currently stands amidst a swarm of controversy. Bonds is currently being tried for lying before a grand jury in 2003 when questioned about his alleged steroid use, and prosecutors are calling upon ghosts from his past to share personal information about the embattled athlete.

Kimberly Bell, Bonds former mistress who dated the slugger from 1994 to 2003, revealed intimate details from their relationship and Bonds’ physical transformation on Monday, The New York Times reports. “He developed acne on his upper shoulders and back; his hair was falling out quickly, and he ended shaving it all off,” Bell said of Bonds to the jury during her nearly six hour testimony. “He changed sexually, in his testicles and performance and that.” Mike Murphy, former San Francisco Giants equipment manager, also commented on noticeable changes to Bonds' body, explaining that his hat size when from 7 1/4 to 7 3/8, which prosecution used as further evidence of human growth hormone use.

Bell recounted conversations she had with Bonds about his steroid use, which she was first aware of in 1999. "He mentioned that other players do it and that’s how they got ahead,” she said. “That’s how they achieved.” Bell previously testified against Bonds before a federal grand jury in 2005. Bonds' trial continues today, with expected testimony from former baseball players and admitted performance-enhancing drug users Jason and Jeremy Giambi. —EMILY EXTON