US baseball's anti-steroid measures called too narrow in scope

LOS ANGELES, Jan 16 (AFP) - Major League Baseball's anti-steroid policy is being derided by outside experts as being too lenient.
If baseball wants to get serious about riding the sport of substance abuse then, its critics say, it needs to add amphetamines to the list of banned drugs.
"It is unfortunate that they did not address the stimulant issue," said Dick Pound, who is chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency. "I wouldn't call it a great step forward but there is some good aspects."
Noticeably absent from the list of banned drugs are amphetamines which observers contend is widespread in the sport. Amphetamines are banned in baseball's minor leagues.
"Amphetamines, better known as 'greenies,' have a long tradition in baseball," World Anti-Doping Agency physician Gary Wadler. "For them not to ban it, raises questions as to the process by which they derived the list. So that disturbs me in great measure."
Baseball decided to try and beef up its penalties for drug use after scores of players tested positive for steroids in 2003 but no one was suspended.
The new proposed anti-steroid policy includes more frequent testing, harsher penalties and a wider range of banned drugs but it falls drastically short of the stringent World Anti-Doping Agency policy which has been adopted by most Olympic sports.
Nothing is official just yet as the plan, which is to become effective in the 2005 season and extend to 2008, must still be ratified by the 30 clubs and members of the players association.
"I am gratified that we were able to work with the Players Association to address an issue which threatened the confidence of our fans in the game," American baseball commissioner Bud Selig said.
The new anti-steroid policy carries a 10-day suspension without pay for a first offence and a one-year suspension for a fourth offence.
All players will be subjected to at least one unannounced test on a randomly selected date during the playing season, and creates an additional programme of testing randomly selected players.
A first-time offender of an Olympic doping test receives a two-year ban while in baseball's minor leagues it is 15 games. In the National Basketball Association it is five games and in the National Football League it is four games.
A third time offender in the NFL gets a one-year ban compared to baseball's new policy of 60 days.
Baseball's drug policy - considered laughable by anti-doping officials - also came under the microscope as the BALCO steroid distribution probe implicated such superstars as San Francisco surly slugger Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi.
With the revelation that all three had admitted to using - either knowingly or unknowingly - substances now known to be steroids, pressure was intense to beef up the game's anti-doping rules.
No doubt baseball's latest move is the result of pressure from the federal government to clean up the sport.
American Senator John McCain threatened in December to introduce legislation which would force professional sports to introduce or improve drug-testing standards.
"Major League Baseball's proposed agreement in principle on steroids appears to be a significant step in the right direction," said McCain in a statement. "Though at this time I do not believe legislative action is necessary, there remains room for improvement."

01/17/2005 02:52 GMT - AFP