Sports radio across the nation was abuzz this morning after the New York Daily News published a scoop: Barry Bonds failed a drug tests for amphetamines last season — and, what is even worse in some fans’ eyes — tried to blame utility player Mark Sweeney, saying he had taken the banned substance from Sweeney’s locker.

Sweeney’s agent replied to the allegations by saying Sweeney had never given Bonds anything and had never had any banned substances in his locker.

Analysis after the jump.

The ironic thing about this is that baseball players have had a long history of taking speed in various forms simply to stay awake during dull games over a long season full of all-night travel, rain-outs, endless batting practice and long stretches of standing in the field as a series of relief pitchers fails to get the third out of an inning. Speed in various forms was only banned a few years ago. And it’s not like the sport depends — at least not entirely — on how fast you can run; it’s not like banning speed from track.

So the big deal is not that Bonds may or may not have taken speed. I am much more concerned about steroids than about amphetamines. The big deal is that, for the first time, Bonds fingered another guy, a teammate. And then, according to the story, he tried to weasel out of it, saying he had been “misunderstood” when he mentioned Sweeney as the source of the drug. Insert here one of those Family Circus cartoons about “Not Me.”

Looking forward to another season of joy and warmth in the Giants clubhouse! Unless, of course, the team seizes this opportunity to tell Bonds — whose $16 million one-year contract has still not been finalized — to go jump in the bay.

Here’s the Chronicle’s coverage.