ANALYSIS: Players may have to face this music

While I am a firm believer that steroid use is cheating, I think this is going too far for the game of baseball, what is done is done, I think the message has been sent to players, move forward.
Are they going to do this with all the other sports?

that is what congress wants uniform drug testing for all pro sports

Nothing of substance will come of this. MLB legalized steroids and baseball's hallowed records will fall by the wayside with no * or any other ramifications for the liars/criminals many fans adore.

Maybe our lawmakers would be better off spending their time trying to lower our multi-trillion $ deficit or finding a way to get food to our nations starving people.
I'd like to have many in Congress answer to how they can justify spending our kids/grandkids future - akin to theft.
A few roidfreaks hitting homeruns should be the least of our countries worries. There will be more criminals asking the questions than answering them.

MLB did not endorsed steriods, it just looked the other way and had a laughable testing program not just for steriods but for all drugs. Remember Steve Howe.

No brainer have the same policy for minor leaguers as at the MLB level. a current minor league told me of how all players were woken up at 3am and told they were being drug tested right then

Not making an act illegal makes it a legal act.

"Not making an act illegal makes it a legal act"

So not spelling out in a players contract that it's illegal for him spoke crack makes it legal? If steroids are considered an illegal substance as determined by our government, then it is illegal despite not being spelled out in a contract.

If congress is truely concerned about the affect of steroids on young H.S. athletes, perhaps the federal government should pressure local authorities to start cracking down on the pushers of these illegal substances as they do with pot, cocaine, xtasy etc...

MTO - talking strictly in the baseball realm here. If something is not listed as a substance that is banned then it is ok to use it.
McGwires andro was banned in nearly every sport but baseball, therefore it was ok for him to use it without any penalty. Same thing with steroids.
Mlb knew of their use and chose not to ban them, therefore it was ok to take them. Pretty simple actually.
MLB and most pro contracts are very specific about what is and is not allowed. Steroids were not banned therefore it was ok (legal) in baseball to take them.

That is why nobody who admitted using or will be found to have been a user will be penalized.

The steriod policy the players and major league baseball came up with is an absolute joke! First offense: 10 days, puhlease. Why not make it like the olympics, and if you found to use "performance enhancing" drugs, it is a 2-year ban. Seriously, if you are found to be using steriods, there should be a minimum of 1-year suspension first offense. If as the ballplayers are claiming is that they are not using them, then the stiffer penalty will not be a problem to them. Why do we treat this so lightly, not only is it a black mark on baseball, it is also a danger to the great ballplayers of our generation. Not only should they seriously be suspended, they should have to do community service by counseling high school athletes on the dangers of steriod use. We will not know who took steriods in the past, we can only speculate. But we will certainly know in the future as these ballplayers get older and start getting sick from all the steriod abuse.

if they suspended all the steriods users, you would not have a MLB baseball season

DRIVEL

You make statements like you have all the facts

Good example, a few years ago, a minor league team was tested for drug use, 1/2 failed it. The team wanted to release All the players on the spot, one problem they did not have enough players to field a team if they did. So they finished out the season and released all the druggies, except for one player. That player got released next spring training, when guess what he failed the drug test again and got released.

Steriods are illegal unless prescribed by a doctor for medical use ONLY. You can go to jail for steriod trafficing or use. can ya say Jose Cancesco

Dibble,

Which minor league team was that? Wouldn't think it would need to be kept a secret. Claims like that have to be substanciated because they really don't do anything good for baseball.

With all the stories, I can see the parents of good baseball prospects being very leery of wanting their sons to sign a professional contract. Perhaps parents of young players will be persuaded to look for a cleaner sport for their children to love.

I don't feel the need to speak about drugs, especially steroids in baseball. It seems even the government is joining that band wagon. I do feel that there are some people who, for some reason, are trying to make it sound even worse than what it is. I know these people don't want to destroy baseball, but it sure does seem that way at times.

This whole steroid thing is a big negative to the game. Everyone has heard a lot about steroids in baseball, it has no longer been swept under the rug. It's time that those who truly love the game start talking about some positive aspects of the game. IMO

I totally disagree. The reason why they have any steriod policy now, is because players said there a big problem, Canseco and The Balco trial
brought so much negative attention. The public demanded something be done.

Steriods have filtered down to HS Level. I watched Don Hooton testified Steriods caused depression which he is convinced made his son kill himself.

A little footnote, I had talked to a teammate of a well know 1st rounder suspended for drug use and he was doing drugs in hs and summer ball. Everyone knew that.

Who was the minor league team you brought up? It wasn't a tough question to answer.

Regarding the first rounder... Couldn't we say, that at least one club (the one that made him a first rounder) didn't have the information that "everyone" else had. After all, the team that drafted him, deserves to be recognized!

I'm not saying there's not a problem... I'm asking for proof of the problem! Who was the minor league team that had half their players on drugs? It's an easy question to answer and everyone should be interested in knowing this.

rut roh...andy's lies are coming out again.

DRIVEL

The steroids prescribed by Docs as meds are not tha same as those being used in sports

Get you facts straight if you are going to make claims

You say a lot of things but never give facts and it sure seems to me that you know a LOT of pro baseball players and their so called "problems"--