Baseball's soft stance on steroids

[Danny]

Hailed a success by Major League Officials, on further examination I get the feeling something is not quite right. Have a quick read of the basics and see if you agree with my spill at the bottom.

www.mlb.com
The new joint drug policy between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association includes the following highlights:

TESTING
• Every player will undergo at least one unannounced test during the season. Players may be randomly tested additional times, including during the offseason, irrespective of a player's country of residence.
PENALTIES
• The penalty for a first-time offender will be a 10-day suspension; second time, 30 days; third time, 60 days; fourth time, one year. All suspensions will be without pay.
SUBSTANCES
• Coupled with new federal legislation, the list of banned substances will include not only steroids, but steroid precursors and designer steroids such as THG, as well as masking agents and diuretics.

OK, Each player will be tested once a year at least. Sure, they are testing for steroids but the first penalty is only 10 days. When that player gets tested next season (and let assume the results are positive) he has 30 days rest. Another season on he returns another positive result......60 days rest. Now lets come to the fourth season, after three years of non stop steroid use and after recieving a total of 100 days penalties for returning positive samples every year, the penalty this year will be a 12 month ban.

Four strikes then your out for a year. That is what I would call a SOFT stance on drugs.

[injuryupdate]

They are trying to get to the bottom of the baseball steroid taking. But maybe they'll only clean the sport up as much as cycling has 'cleaned up' the Tour de France. See report:

Players face steroid quiz
From correspondents in Washington
March 13, 2005

US Congressmen and Major League Baseball appear set for a St Patrick's Day showdown over steroids.

A House Government Reform Committee hearing could see past and current players asked under oath about whether or not they have taken steroids, which were not banned from the sport until last season.

The committee has subpoenaed former players Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire and current players Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas and Boston Red Sox World Series hero Curt Schilling, an outspoken steroid critic.

Major League Baseball executives are reportedly talking with politicians in an attempt to reach a compromise whereby players would testify without qualms, a deal that could bring immunity from prosecution or make the hearings private.

Committee chairman Tom Davis has said he will pursue contempt charges for anyone who fails to appear. That could mean punishment of up to a year in jail.

"We have a hard time believing anyone would ignore a congressional subpoena," said Robert White, a spokesman for Mr Davis.

Canseco named several players, including McGwire, as steroid takers in his new book Juiced, while Giambi admitted using steroids in grand jury testimony that was to remain private but was obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield, two star players who did not admit knowingly taking steroids in similar leaked testimony, were not issued subpoenas.

Neither was MLB commissioner Bud Selig.

Giambi said he would focus on himself if he testified, knowing that any steroid confession could void the remaining four years on his New York Yankees contract.

"If I'm going to talk about anybody, I'm going to talk about myself," he said. "I'm not going to speak for anybody else or talk about anybody else. I really don't know much about anybody else's business."