Stiff penalties for drug cheaters
Baseball raises minimum to 50 games Jays say they will scrutinize free agents
Awhole new set of pressures descended upon major league baseball teams with yesterday’s implementation of a minimum 50- game ban for those caught using anabolic steroids. The most obvious is that a team’s entire season risks being derailed by the loss for nearly a third of the schedule of any player caught under the sport’s new agreement on drug testing. But just as intriguing as the 50game suspension for first- time offenders, climbing to 100 games for two- time cheats and a lifetime ban for third- timers is that an “ independent administrator” will be in charge of scheduling, supervising and validating all drug tests.
Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said yesterday that “ due diligence” will obviously have to be practised by teams seeking out free agents, or looking to build their clubs around one or two star players. But Godfrey couldn’t say whether the Jays will be implementing more rigorous checks of the players they plan to have on the payroll in future seasons.
“ You can only go by degrees of suspicions,” said Godfrey, who flies to Milwaukee today for baseball owners meetings at which he expects to learn more about how the new drug rules apply to the collective bargaining agreement. “How do you keep your eye on somebody 24 hours a day?
“ You go by goodwill, honesty and past experience.”
Players will now be tested at least twice a year and face further unlimited random screening after that. The independent administrator has not yet been named, but will be separate from Major League Baseball or its players’ association.
“ I think that independence . . . and transparency were very important issues to us,” said Rob Manfred, an MLB senior vicepresident in charge of its drugtesting program. The transparency of the program came into question this season when only 12 players tested positive out of hundreds screened. There were also questions about the length of time
the appeals process took as well as unconfirmed rumours that MLB was suppressing the positive test results of a star pitcher and outfielder. The new rules also call for screening for amphetamines. First- time offenders would be subject to follow-up testing, with suspensions of 25 games, 80 games and then a possible lifetime ban for repeat violators. Commissioner Bud Selig called it “ an historic day in baseball” and predicted the deal would “ eradicate steroid use in baseball.” But the move was also a response to widespread public and U. S. Congress criticism that baseball’s drug- testing plan lacked teeth.
“ It’s just another step for the public to see that we’re serious about getting rid of performanceenhancing drugs in our sport,” Jays player representative Vernon Wells said yesterday. “Over the last couple of years that we’ve been testing, the number of players using steroids has gone down.”
Several former “ star” players saw their numbers drop off last season, or suffered through nagging injuries, in the first year of the revamped testing program. Both pitchers and hitters alike were said to be experiencing “ steroid hangovers” in a season full of surprises both individually and in team standings.
Jays general manager J. P. Ricciardi said in recent weeks that he has been extra careful in deciding which free agents to pursue.
“ Obviously, if there’s a guy who you aren’t sure of, or you hear rumours about, you’ll probably opt to stay on the safe side and take a pass on him,” he said. The Orioles didn’t follow that path last season when they opted to sign free agent Sammy Sosa, who has been dogged for years by whispers of steroid use. Sosa was released by the O’s last week after he hit only .221 with 14 homers.