Bonds has ignored the advice of his lawyer

Going against the advice of his lawyer, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds continues to train with longtime friend Greg Anderson as Bonds rehabs his knee, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Anderson is awaiting trial in the BALCO steroids case on charges of distributing performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes.

In response to The Chronicle report, ESPN's Pedro Gomez approached Bonds as he was watching a college baseball game between Texas and Nebraska in the clubhouse before the Giants/Rockies game.

When Gomez asked Bonds to comment on the story, Bonds said, "I'm not going to answer." Gomez then asked Bonds, "Are you working out with Greg Anderson?" Bonds' reply, "Report what you want."

Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, said he's had several conversations with Bonds, telling the star outfielder to discontinue his training with Anderson.

"In the conservative world of legal advice, I have told Barry that it was probably better that he not have contact with Greg," Rains told the paper Friday in a telephone interview. "But I've had enough discussions with Barry to know what friendship means to him. He values his friendship with Greg and always has, as well as the training regimen Greg has given him."

Frustrated with his health and stressed out from the steroid controversy surrounding him, Bonds is on the 15-day disabled list as he recovers from two operations on his ailing right knee. Once he's healthy, he will resume his chase of Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron for the career home crown.

Two weeks ago, Bonds returned to the Bay Area from the team's Arizona training site and began rehab with a Giants trainer at SBC Park.

Shortly after that return, Bonds also resumed regular, early morning weight training sessions with Anderson at a health club in Burlingame near the offices of BALCO, sources told The Chronicle. A Chronicle photographer witnessed Bonds entering the gym, called Bay Area Fitness, shortly after 7 a.m. Monday, the day before the Giants' season opener.

Asked about the workouts, Anderson's lawyer Anna Ling said, "We don't comment on Greg Anderson's clients, past or present. He is a very private person." The Giants didn't respond to a telephone request for comment.

Anderson and three other men associated with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative were indicted on charges that include illegally distributing steroids, possession of human growth hormone, money laundering and misbranding drugs with intent to defraud. They have pleaded not guilty. A trial is set for Sept. 6.

Since the BALCO scandal broke, Bonds has denied using steroids and has defended Anderson, calling him a "wonderful person, a very, very giving person" and saying, "To me, a man is innocent until proven guilty."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.