Attempt to clean up game begins

By wire services
Published March 4, 2005

TAMPA - On the first day of baseball's new era of drug testing, Steve Howe of all people happened to be in the Yankees clubhouse.

Suspended seven times by baseball in an era when the sport's focus was on cocaine use, Howe supports the new program in order for the sport to clear the cloud. He knows what it is to be in the glare of the spotlight and under suspicion.

"I was one of the first to be fried and tried," he said.

All of baseball seemingly has to prove its innocence, which is why players agreed to the new deal calling for more testing, additional banned performance-enhancing substances and a 10-day suspension for a first offense.

Several Marlins players were tested on the first day, including right-hander Josh Beckett.

"It's something we've got to do to clear our name," said Beckett, the team's union representative.

"I think most guys are relieved something's getting done so the majority don't get thrown into the mud because of the minority," third baseman Mike Lowell said in Jupiter.

Added Carlos Delgado, who like Lowell was not among those asked to provide a sample: "They can test me every day."

As the first tests were being taken, a congressional committee scheduled a hearing for March 17 on the new drug-testing agreement, which hasn't been finalized. Among those invited to testify were Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Frank Thomas, commissioner Bud Selig and players' association head Donald Fehr.

"There's a cloud over baseball, and perhaps a public discussion of the issues, with witnesses testifying under oath, can provide a glimpse of sunlight," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

Robert Saunooke, Canseco's attorney, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his client would appear if given immunity.

Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent criticized the new policy, telling the Chronicle that testing should be supervised by an independent body, that amphetamines should be banned and that penalties should be more along the lines of the Olympic movement, where first offenses generally merit a two-year ban.

"I'm disappointed with Major League Baseball and the association for not implementing a plan that is completely solid," he was quoted as saying. "We need to prove to the fans that there's no question baseball should be clean and is clean, and we're not sending the right message with this policy."

Rob Manfred, executive vice president for labor relations in the commissioner's office, would not say how long it would take for the test results to come back.

PONSON CASE: The assault case against Orioles right-hander Sidney Ponson in Aruba was postponed, and a judge gave both sides until May 10 to reach an out-of-court agreement.

Ponson, 28, is accused of committing violence alone or in the company of others in public, kicking a person in the head and battering a person. Judge Bob Wit said Ponson's livelihood could be jeopardized if he has a criminal record because his U.S. work visa could be taken away.

ANGELS GIVE UP ON TOP PICK: Los Angeles has broken off talks with 2004 first-round pick Jered Weaver and his agent, Scott Boras, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. General manager Bill Stoneman, who was handling negotiations, said he anticipates the Long Beach State right-hander will re-enter the 2005 draft.

According to the Daily News, the Angels' latest offers were a straight $4-million bonus on a minor-league contract or a five-year big-league deal with $5.25-million guaranteed. Boras was reportedly asking for a major-league deal in the $7.5-million to $8-million range.

DODGERS: Outfielder Jayson Werth, hit on the left wrist by a pitch Wednesday, has a small fracture and might not be ready for opening day. ... Right-hander Brad Penny threw fastballs off a bullpen mound. He is trying to come back from a rare nerve injury to his right biceps.

MARLINS: Delgado was forced to postpone his Florida spring training debut because of tendinitis in his left elbow.

ORIOLES: Outfielder Val Majewski, the team's minor-league player of the year in 2004, is scheduled for surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

[Last modified March 4, 2005, 00:31:15]