Dec. 4, 2003 — Barry Bonds testified to a federal grand jury that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by personal trainer Greg Anderson, but didn't know they were steroids, according to transcripts obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Dec. 11, 2003 — Yankees slugger Jason Giambi told the grand jury he used steroids for at least three seasons and injected himself with human growth hormone during 2003, according to the transcripts.

Feb. 12, 2004 — Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson; track coach Remi Korchemny; BALCO president Victor Conte; and BALCO vice president James Valente charged in 42-count federal indictment with running a steroid-distribution ring that provided performance-enhancing drugs to dozens of athletes.

April 12, 2004 — The Food and Drug Administration bans the sale of androstenedione, the steroid precursor used by Mark McGwire while setting the home run record in 1998. The FDA action automatically triggered a ban by baseball.

Jan. 13, 2005 — MLB players and owners reached a new drug-testing agreement calling for more banned substances and a 10-day penalty for first-time offenders.

Feb. 14, 2005 — Former major leaguer Jose Canseco said in a new book that he injected McGwire with steroids and introduced several other players to the drugs.

March 17, 2005 — Testifying before the House Government Reform Committee, McGwire evaded questions about steroid use as he testified alongside Canseco, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, who denies having used steroids. Lawmakers scolded commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Donald Fehr, saying baseball's penalties were too lenient.

April 3, 2005 — Tampa Bay outfielder Alex Sanchez became the first player suspended for steroids under the league's new policy.

April 25, 2005 — Selig asked players to agree to a 50-game suspension for first-time steroid offenders, a 10-game ban for second offenders and a lifetime ban for a third violation. He asked that amphetamines be tested for, that there be more frequent testing and that administration of drug testing be shifted to an independent person from the management-union committee.

July 15, 2005 — Conte and Anderson pleaded guilty to steroid distribution and money laundering, and Valente pleaded guilty to one count of distributing illegal steroids.

July 29, 2005 — Korchemny pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of doling out the sleep-disorder drug modafinil.

Aug. 1, 2005 — Palmeiro was suspended for 10 days for testing positive for stanozolol, becoming the most prominent player to be penalized for steroids. Twelve players in all were suspended in 2005, each for 10 days.

Sept. 26, 2005 — Fehr countered Selig by proposing a 20-game suspension for first offense, a 75-game penalty for second and leaving the penalty for a third positive to the commissioner's discretion. Union said it would agree to test for amphetamines.

Sept. 28, 2005 — Career home run leader Hank Aaron and four other baseball Hall of Famers accompanied Selig to a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, where Sen. John McCain criticizes Fehr for inaction.

Oct. 18, 2005 — Conte was sentenced to four months in prison and four months' home confinement; Anderson sentenced to three months in prison and three months in home confinement; Valente sentenced to probation.

Nov. 15, 2005 — Players and owners agreed, subject to ratification, to Selig's 50-game, 100-game, lifetime structure for penalties, to test for amphetamines and to shift administration of testing to an independent person.

Dec. 1, 2005 — Conte began serving a four-month prison sentence in a minimum security prison in Taft, Calif., about 120 miles from Los Angeles.

Feb. 7, 2006 — Conte settled a $25 million defamation lawsuit brought by track star Marion Jones over allegations that she used banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Feb. 25, 2006 — Korchemny sentenced to a year of probation after a federal judge says she was moved by stories of his tireless coaching of track athletes.

March 7, 2006 — "Game of Shadows," a book by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, said Barry Bonds used a vast array of performance-enhancing drugs, including steroids and human growth hormone, for at least five seasons beginning in 1998.

March 30, 2006 — Conte released from prison and insisted he never gave performance-enhancing drugs to Barry Bonds and that "Game of Shadows" is "full of outright lies."

April 14, 2006 — Sources said a federal grand jury is investigating whether Bonds committed perjury when he testified in 2003 that he never knowingly used steroids.

April 27, 2006 — Patrick Arnold, a noted scientist in the field of sports nutritional supplements, pleaded guilty to supplying BALCO with the performance-enhancing drug known as "the clear."

May 6, 2006 — "Game of Shadows" authors Fainaru-Wada and Williams were called to testify before a federal grand jury investigating who leaked them the secret testimony of Bonds, Giambi and others. They fight the subpoenas.

June 6, 2006 — Federal investigators raided the home of Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Jason Grimsley in Scottsdale, Ariz., as part of their steroids investigation.

July 5, 2006 — Anderson found in contempt of court and ordered back to prison after refusing to testify before the federal grand jury investigating Bonds for perjury.

July 20, 2006 — U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan announced he was postponing decision on whether to indict Bonds after the term of the grand jury investigating Bonds expired.

July 27, 2006 — Anderson appeared before new grand jury investigating Bonds.

Aug. 4, 2006 — Chemist Arnold sentenced to three months in prison and three months home confinement.

Aug. 17, 2006 — Anderson again refused to testify before a grand jury investigating Bonds.

Aug. 28, 2006 — Anderson sent back to jail for not testifying.

Sept. 21, 2006 — A federal judge ordered two San Francisco Chronicle reporters jailed for refusing to testify about who leaked them Bonds' secret grand jury testimony.

Oct. 5, 2006 — Federal judge ordered Anderson released because of a "legal snafu."

Nov. 2, 2006 — Elite track coach Trevor Graham charged with lying to federal agents when he denied distributing steroids. Graham spurred the original BALCO investigation when he mailed a vial of a designer drug called "the clear" to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Nov. 16, 2006 — Graham pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

Nov. 20, 2006 — Anderson back in prison for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Bonds' steroid use.

Dec. 14, 2006 — Former elite cyclist Tammy Thomas indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of hindering the government's steroid probe.

Dec. 27, 2006 — Federal appeals court ruled the names and urine samples of about 100 Major League Baseball players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs three years ago can be used by investigators.

Jan. 16, 2007 — U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan among eight federal prosecutors sacked in what would soon become political tempest for Bush administration.

Jan. 19, 2007 — Tammy Thomas pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges of lying to a grand jury investigating steroid use in sports.

Feb. 14, 2007 — Two San Francisco Chronicle reporters avoided jail time after criminal defense lawyer Troy Ellerman agreed to plead guilty to leaking them secret grand jury documents.

Feb. 20, 2007 — Bonds started spring training with a pointed challenge to prosecutors: "Let them investigate. Let them, they've been doing it this long," Bonds said after his first workout of the year.

March 12, 2007 — Korchemny agreed to permanently stay out of elite-level coaching, marking the first time a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency case has led to a coach being banished for doping violations.

April 30, 2007 — Court records revealed former New York Mets clubhouse worker Kirk Radomski, who admitted selling performance-enhancing drugs to major league players, testified before the same grand jury investigating Bonds.

July 12, 2007 — Ellerman sentenced to two and a half years in prison for leaking grand jury testimony to two reporters.

Aug. 7, 2007 — Bonds hit 756th career home run to break baseball's all-time record held by Hank Aaron for more than three decades.

Sept. 17, 2007 — Fashion designer Marc Ecko revealed himself as winning bidder in the online auction for Bonds' 756th home run ball, announced he was taking votes on whether to give the ball to the Hall of Fame, brand it with an asterisk or blast it into space.

Sept. 20, 2007 — Giants owner Peter Magowan informed Bonds that the slugger would not be signed to the team for the 2008 season.

Sept. 26, 2007 — Bonds played his last game as a San Francisco Giant. Earlier in the day, Ecko said he would brand Bonds' record-breaking ball with an asterisk and send it to the Hall of Fame.

Oct. 5, 2007 — Marion Jones pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators when she denied using performance-enhancing drugs and announced her retirement.

Nov. 1, 2007 — Bonds told MSNBC he would boycott Cooperstown if the Hall of Fame displayed his record-breaking home run ball with an asterisk. "There's no such thing as an asterisk in baseball," Bonds said.