NOW BATTING: CONGRESS VS. STEROIDS
by Gintautas Dumcius and Stefan Fatsis.
Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition)
Mar 17, 2005. pg. D.4
WASHINGTON -- When Congress takes up baseball's steroids
issue, fans can likely expect the equivalent of a lot of dugout
chatter but not many runs scored.
The House Government Reform Committee is scheduled to
grill a dozen Major League Baseball executives and former and
current players. Among them: Commissioner Bud Selig, former
home-run king Mark McGwire and outfielder Sammy Sosa of
the Baltimore Orioles. The committee excused Jason Giambi of
the New York Yankees because of his involvement in a federal
steroids investigation in San Francisco.
The panel yesterday refused a request for immunity from
former slugger Jose Canseco, whose claims in a book
triggered the hearing. A person involved in the matter said that
was because Mr. Canseco had spoken about his steroids use
and named others he said had used drugs. Mr. Canseco is
likely to exercise his Fifth Amendment right not to answer
certain questions, said his attorney, Robert Saunooke.
A spokesman for Government Reform Committee Chairman
Tom Davis (R., Va.), said the panel wants to learn about
baseball's steroids policy and the pervasiveness of
performance-enhancing drugs. "At this point," he said, "we
don't have anything in mind legislatively."
Baseball executives say there is little need for the hearings.
MLB and its players' union recently toughened a two-year-old
testing program.
That policy is expected to be a hearing focus. Reps. Davis and
Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) yesterday sent a letter to Mr. Selig
and players' union head Donald Fehr criticizing the scope,
penalties and oversight of the new policy. The congressmen
singled out a provision allowing baseball to suspend testing in
the event of a governmental probe of drug use in the sport,
saying it "appears designed to discourage responsible
independent oversight."
A MLB official said the language was inserted in response to
the seizure last year of baseball's confidential steroids-testing
results by the Justice Department in connection with the San
Francisco federal case.
More articles are available at the Wall Street Journal's website.
by Gintautas Dumcius and Stefan Fatsis.
Wall Street Journal. (Eastern edition)
Mar 17, 2005. pg. D.4
WASHINGTON -- When Congress takes up baseball's steroids
issue, fans can likely expect the equivalent of a lot of dugout
chatter but not many runs scored.
The House Government Reform Committee is scheduled to
grill a dozen Major League Baseball executives and former and
current players. Among them: Commissioner Bud Selig, former
home-run king Mark McGwire and outfielder Sammy Sosa of
the Baltimore Orioles. The committee excused Jason Giambi of
the New York Yankees because of his involvement in a federal
steroids investigation in San Francisco.
The panel yesterday refused a request for immunity from
former slugger Jose Canseco, whose claims in a book
triggered the hearing. A person involved in the matter said that
was because Mr. Canseco had spoken about his steroids use
and named others he said had used drugs. Mr. Canseco is
likely to exercise his Fifth Amendment right not to answer
certain questions, said his attorney, Robert Saunooke.
A spokesman for Government Reform Committee Chairman
Tom Davis (R., Va.), said the panel wants to learn about
baseball's steroids policy and the pervasiveness of
performance-enhancing drugs. "At this point," he said, "we
don't have anything in mind legislatively."
Baseball executives say there is little need for the hearings.
MLB and its players' union recently toughened a two-year-old
testing program.
That policy is expected to be a hearing focus. Reps. Davis and
Henry Waxman (D., Calif.) yesterday sent a letter to Mr. Selig
and players' union head Donald Fehr criticizing the scope,
penalties and oversight of the new policy. The congressmen
singled out a provision allowing baseball to suspend testing in
the event of a governmental probe of drug use in the sport,
saying it "appears designed to discourage responsible
independent oversight."
A MLB official said the language was inserted in response to
the seizure last year of baseball's confidential steroids-testing
results by the Justice Department in connection with the San
Francisco federal case.
More articles are available at the Wall Street Journal's website.
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