Hold onto your hats, sports fans, as Victor Conte, the mad scientist in charge of the BALCO labs is all set to go on the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 this week and name names. Or so says the already churning publicity mill about ABC's big "get" this week. The story, reported by Martin Bashir -- the very same reporter who got that awesome interview of Michael Jackson in which Jacko admitted he liked to sleep with children -- is supposedly about doping in track and field, but now that Conte is naming names, who knows where it will end up? As of this date, ABC is being quiet on what's being reported, stating that the story is "still being worked on" but speculation is already up and running that the story is more about Marion Jones than certain record breaking left-fielders. This all comes at a rather strange time as yesterday, the judge in the BALCO case refused to throw out the case despite defense attorney's claims that the case has been tarnished due to pre-trial publicity. And nothing says avoiding pre-trial publicity like going on a TV newsmagazine to give an exclusive interview. The judge, Susan Illston, did schedule a hearing to determine whether government agents used illegal means to get evidence. The Giants, meanwhile, have to be a bit on edge as nothing puts a damper on the excitement of big free-agent signings like a steroid scandal.

And speaking of pre-trial publicity, that oh-so-leaky Grand Jury investigating the case sprung yet another leak and brought forth today's big Chronicle story that Jason Giambi, he of the big-bopping A's and big-money Yankees, testified that he took steroids as recently as last year. As did his brother, whose steroid use never helped him learn to slide. Giambi has publicly denied taking them, but, according to the testimony, admitted to taking them even before he got mixed up with the BALCO gang, giving fairly gruesome testimony as to how he took them (in the ass). Giambi said that Gary Anderson, Barry's personal trainer, never mentioned names of other players who were taking steroids, but did say that his connection to BALCO started when Bonds brought Anderson along on a barn-storming tour of Japan and Giambi asked Anderson if he could do what Barry was doing to stay in shape. Giambi has been dogged with rumours about steroid use all season as he showed up for spring training noticeably thinner (he claimed he only lost "four pounds") and then missed most of the season with a mysterious "stomach parasite" and benign tumour.