Steroid clinic precedes Giants game, By: Dylan Hernandez

July 28, 2007

Barry Bonds' breaking or tying of Hank Aaron's all-time home run record could fall on the same day that the Dodgers host a steroid awareness clinic.

Around 100 local Little League players will attend the clinic on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, which will precede the final game of the Dodgers' three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

That the clinic will take place on a day when Bonds is in town is a coincidence, according to the Dodgers. Bonds, who is on the doorstep of Aaron's record, has been suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The clinic was originally scheduled for June 29, when the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres. But the Taylor Hooton Foundation, which is running the clinic with the Dodgers, had to postpone the event. The late Taylor Hooton, a high school player whose 2003 suicide was tied to steroid use, is the cousin of former Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton.

"This has nothing to do with who we're playing," Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch said. "It's the date that was the best fit for us and the Hooton Foundation." Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre, hitting coach Bill Mueller and former outfielder Lou Johnson will participate in the clinic.