http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2224832 This should of been agreed to earlier but I guess better late than never. WASHINGTON -- Major League Baseball players and owners agreed to toughen penalties for steroid use to a 50-game suspension for a first failed test and a lifetime ban for a third, The Associated Press learned. New steroids testing agreement at a glance A glance at Tuesday's drug-testing agreement between baseball players and owners, described to The Associated Press by two congressional aides: Steroid Penalties • First positive test -- 50-game suspension, up from 10 days. • Second positive test -- 100-game suspension, up from 30 days. • Third positive test -- Lifetime ban, with player having right to apply for reinstatement after two years and an arbitrator being able to review reinstatement decision. Under the previous agreement, the earliest a player could be suspended for life was for a fifth positive test. Amphetamine Penalties (There was no testing for amphetamines in previous agreement) • First positive test -- Mandatory additional testing. • Second postitive -- 25-game suspension. • Third positive -- 80-game suspension. • Fourth positive -- Commissioner's discretion, with an arbitrator being able to review. Testing frequency A player will be tested during spring training physicals and at least once during the regular season, with additional random testing. Under the previous agreement, each player was tested once from the start of spring training through the end of the regular season, with additional random testing. Both the new agreement and the previous deal provided for offseason testing. Independent Administrator A person not connected to management or the union will schedule and supervise the tests, which currently are administered by a join management-union committee. -- The Associated Press The deal, which also adds testing for amphetamines, was described to the AP by two congressional aides on condition of anonymity because it had not been officially announced. A formal announcement was planned for later Tuesday, a baseball official told the AP. Baseball's current steroid penalties are a 10-day suspension for a first offense, 30 days for a second offense, and 60 days for a third. The earliest a player could be banned for life is a fifth offense. The sport's second new steroids agreement in 10 months came after lengthy negotiations prompted by urging from Congress -- including the threat of legislation that would require higher penalties and stricter testing standards. Representatives of the owners and players were on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va. He's one of a handful of lawmakers who have introduced steroids bills _ and it was his panel that held the March 17 hearing with Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. At that hearing, commissioner Bud Selig and union head Donald Fehr were scolded for what congressmen called a weak penalty system for drug testing. The next month, Selig made a 50-100-lifetime proposal. In September, Fehr countered with 20 games, 75 games and, for a third offense, a penalty set by the commissioner. At a Sept. 28 hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., scolded Fehr in particular for not having reached a deal on a new steroids policy. "We're at the end here, and I don't want to do it, but we need an agreement soon. It's not complicated. It's not complicated. All sports fans understand it," McCain said at the hearing. "I suggest you act -- and act soon." Last week, McCain and Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., revised their proposed legislation to soften the penalties from two years for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second. The bill now calls for a half-season ban for a first positive test, one season for a second and a lifetime penalty for a third. Their bill would apply to the major leagues, the NFL, NBA, NHL and baseball's minor leagues.
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Well that's definitely better, but I think there needs to be a little flexibility with the first test. You've got a guy like Palmeiro who tested positive from what might be a B-12 shot. So he never "intentionally" took steroids, but yes, he should have known better. However, with regards with the new policy, I think there are two things that an arbitrator should be able to consider: The amount of steroids in a player's system. Under the past and current policy, the discipline is the same whether a trace is found versus a substantial amount. Sure, it doesn't mean much and if anything, it could be deduced that the usage of a masking agent is present, but it could also point to "unintentional usage". There has got to be a level at which steroids will do practically nothing with regards to an advantage. The other is the outside chance a player had his food/drink/supplements/blood or urine sample tainted or "spiked". There is no leeway there even though it would be nearly impossible to ever be "acquitted" in the media or society. Obviously the tougher testing was meant to appease Congress, but also to scare players into never wanting to do anything that might lead to a positive test. I don't entirely like the solution MLB was forced into, but it's much much better than it was. Adequate? Definitely. Now who will be the first to be suspended?
I'm sure other organizations deal with these issues as well; the Olympics for example. There are always going to be these types of considerations when drug-testing.
If steroids are illegal anyway without a prescription then I don't see how anyone can complain that this is too harsh. Yes, unkowingly taking steroids is a different story, and likely hard to detect. Which justifies the 3 strike format. But if you have somehow unkowngly taken steroids even once through something like a B-12 shot and therefor failed a test, stop doing those kind of "enhancing" things.
