• Baseball’s new drug policy Baseball’s new drug policy By the Indianapolis Star January 18, 2005 Under threat of government intervention, not to mention scorn from fans, Major League Baseball and its players’ union finally stepped up to the plate
• Baseball’s new drug policy
Baseball’s new drug policy
By the Indianapolis Star January 18, 2005
Under threat of government intervention, not to mention scorn from fans, Major League Baseball and its players’ union finally stepped up to the plate and swung at a policy dealing with steroid abuse.
It wasn’t exactly a homer. A sacrifice fly would be a better description. But considering the sham of a policy now governing the sport, even a bunt would have been welcome.
The new policy mirrors one used in the minor leagues, where players are tested four times a year, with a 15-game suspension for the first positive test, a one-year ban on the fourth violation, and a lifetime ban from the minors for a subsequent positive result.
Baseball’s new rules leave a lot to be desired. But perhaps younger athletes will get the message that steroids and other drugs aren’t the sole path to athletic advancement.
And the government can focus on dealing with those who illicitly manufacture and supply this market for chemical bodybuilding, instead of standing behind the ump.
