Baseball

MLB can't satisfy Congress

WASHINGTON - The change baseball made to its drug-testing program is "backpedaling," a leading Republican congressman claimed Monday, asserting that it shows the sport's leaders are trying to mislead Congress.

Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, the No.2 Republican on the House committee that held Thursday's steroids hearing, said he hopes baseball's decision to drop a provision allowing for fines instead of suspensions "is just the beginning of a number of changes."

But he also said he was disappointed by the way baseball dealt with the Government Reform Committee, which subpoenaed players and executives to testify last week and subpoenaed the draft of the drug policy agreed to in January.

Several congressmen were critical of that policy, particularly the possibility of fines instead of bans.

Commissioner Bud Selig said during the hearing that his intent was to suspend players for all positive tests. Baseball officials also referred to the provision as a drafting error; they said Sunday the language would be eliminated.

"That's backpedaling. I think they came before the committee and did not tell us the truth," Shays said. "They are certainly conflicted about what they are saying to us. They said fines are not part of the agreement; now they say they're going to take out the fines."

Meanwhile, former White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey is urging Major League Baseball to adopt Olympic standards for drug testing and punishment.

"You cannot have the chickens guarding the coop. Baseball always has and still does," McCaffrey said. "Baseball and all professional sports need to adopt the same anti-drug principles we pressed for in the Olympics: outside year-round random testing with accountability, openness and independence."

Though the Olympic model is frequently cited, it's unknown if its standards are any more effective. In the 2004 Olympics, 24 athletes tested positive for doping, double the high in 1984. Meanwhile, the number of baseball players who tested positive dropped from 96 in 2003, with 13 appealing, to 12 in 2004, suggesting that the program is discouraging steroid use.

HELTON IRATE: Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is threatening to sue Cardinals radio broadcaster Wayne Hagin, claiming he implied that Helton used steroids.

Hagin, who said in a radio interview Saturday that ex-Rockies manager Don Baylor told him Helton was on "the juice," said Helton misunderstood him, claiming "juice" meant the legal performance-enhancing supplement creatine.

BONDS BACK TO WORK: Giants outfielder Barry Bonds is expected to return to camp today to begin a rehabilitation program less than a week after a second operation on his right knee.

"I've heard the same rumors everybody has," Giants head trainer Stan Conte said. "I've heard he's coming back to Arizona, but it would be fine with me if he stayed at home another day."

SCHILLING PITCHES: Right-hander Curt Schilling made his first game appearance of the spring, allowing two runs and three hits over three innings against Red Sox minor-leaguers.

Schilling, recovering from ankle surgery, already knows he won't be ready for the opener at the Yankees on April 3.

"Today, to me, was a very big day," he said. "I guess you could call it a breakthrough day, in a sense. Everything that I was hoping kind of would happen happened from a physical standpoint."

MARINERS: Right-hander Joel Pineiro returned to the mound for the first time in more than two weeks, pitching two innings of a minor-league game against Kansas City and feeling no pain. Pineiro developed shoulder stiffness after his first spring start.

MARLINS: Right-hander Josh Beckett will be the team's opening-day starter for the third straight season.

NATIONALS: Left-hander Mike Hinckley, the team's top pitching prospect, has a strained left shoulder, an MRI exam showed. He'll begin an exercise program and resume throwing in two weeks.

WHITE SOX: Left-hander Mark Buehrle is expected to miss at least one spring start after tests showed he injured his left foot while shagging fly balls Sunday.

[Last modified March 22, 2005, 01:22:12]