Mandatory drug testing begins Tuesday for all players on 40-man baseball rosters, in the wake of steroid indictments, not-so-whispered allegations against some of the game's stars, and reporters and fans casting skeptical eyes on downsized physiques.
Players will undergo two unannounced tests — an initial test and a follow-up five to seven days later — some time between Tuesday and the end of the regular season. Failing to take the test will count as a positive result, as will attempting to alter a specimen or using a masking agent.
Baseball's anonymous testing of 1,400 samples last season produced more than 5% of positive tests, triggering mandatory testing for at least two years or until less than 2.5% of the tests come up positive for consecutive seasons.
"After last year, having a year to get ready for a test like that, if you're in that situation, you're obviously stupid if you got caught," Colorado veteran reliever Steve Reed said. "You're even stupider if it happens this time. You deserve what you get. You can't have any more of a heads-up than you already have.
"I don't do (illegal drugs) and don't care to. But if you definitely get caught, you're not smart. Quit. It's obvious. You know the test is coming."
During the initial test, the collecting agent must tell the player to cease all nutritional supplements until after the follow-up test.
The warning is meant to prevent disputes about over-the-counter supplements causing positive results.
"I read all these criticisms, but this is an evolving policy," baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said during an interview earlier this month. "We reached an agreement with the (Major League Baseball Players Association) on this. And I think we're accomplishing more, frankly, than what people are giving us credit for and will when time goes on."
The policy has been criticized as outdated and too lenient.
The Basic Agreement lists 27 types of steroids, as well as those banned by the Food and Drug Administration, for which Major League Baseball can test. The most recent addition was THG, the "designer steroid" for which a Bay area lab is under federal investigation.
A player's test results and treatment are supposed to be confidential unless he is flagged for a second infraction, yet no one wants to be identified with the controversy.
"Even though (the testing) was anonymous last year, I don't know if you'd really want to test positive, because somebody has to know you did it if you tested positive," San Francisco pitcher Kirk Rueter said.
Although players were told the results of last year's tests would be confidential, they could become public record as part of the federal grand jury investigation.
A copy of an affidavit accidentally revealed the name of Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield, though the document did not allege Sheffield used illegal substances.
In addition, the grand jury subpoenaed the two companies, Comprehensive Drug Testing of Long Beach, Calif., and Quest Diagnostics of Teterboro, N.J., that conducted Major League Baseball's survey tests.
The issue has become more sensitive in recent weeks, with many players wanting to avoid the subject entirely.
The most prevalent fear among players and fans is that some of the game's biggest names could test positive.
Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas said: "It could be bad. But as a pro athlete, you have to be held accountable, just like any Olympic athlete. They've had doping in the Olympics forever, and people have been called out at times. It's embarrassing. You have a responsibility, and you have to deal with it."
Mark Gonzales, The Arizona Republic
Players will undergo two unannounced tests — an initial test and a follow-up five to seven days later — some time between Tuesday and the end of the regular season. Failing to take the test will count as a positive result, as will attempting to alter a specimen or using a masking agent.
Baseball's anonymous testing of 1,400 samples last season produced more than 5% of positive tests, triggering mandatory testing for at least two years or until less than 2.5% of the tests come up positive for consecutive seasons.
"After last year, having a year to get ready for a test like that, if you're in that situation, you're obviously stupid if you got caught," Colorado veteran reliever Steve Reed said. "You're even stupider if it happens this time. You deserve what you get. You can't have any more of a heads-up than you already have.
"I don't do (illegal drugs) and don't care to. But if you definitely get caught, you're not smart. Quit. It's obvious. You know the test is coming."
During the initial test, the collecting agent must tell the player to cease all nutritional supplements until after the follow-up test.
The warning is meant to prevent disputes about over-the-counter supplements causing positive results.
"I read all these criticisms, but this is an evolving policy," baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said during an interview earlier this month. "We reached an agreement with the (Major League Baseball Players Association) on this. And I think we're accomplishing more, frankly, than what people are giving us credit for and will when time goes on."
The policy has been criticized as outdated and too lenient.
The Basic Agreement lists 27 types of steroids, as well as those banned by the Food and Drug Administration, for which Major League Baseball can test. The most recent addition was THG, the "designer steroid" for which a Bay area lab is under federal investigation.
A player's test results and treatment are supposed to be confidential unless he is flagged for a second infraction, yet no one wants to be identified with the controversy.
"Even though (the testing) was anonymous last year, I don't know if you'd really want to test positive, because somebody has to know you did it if you tested positive," San Francisco pitcher Kirk Rueter said.
Although players were told the results of last year's tests would be confidential, they could become public record as part of the federal grand jury investigation.
A copy of an affidavit accidentally revealed the name of Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield, though the document did not allege Sheffield used illegal substances.
In addition, the grand jury subpoenaed the two companies, Comprehensive Drug Testing of Long Beach, Calif., and Quest Diagnostics of Teterboro, N.J., that conducted Major League Baseball's survey tests.
The issue has become more sensitive in recent weeks, with many players wanting to avoid the subject entirely.
The most prevalent fear among players and fans is that some of the game's biggest names could test positive.
Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas said: "It could be bad. But as a pro athlete, you have to be held accountable, just like any Olympic athlete. They've had doping in the Olympics forever, and people have been called out at times. It's embarrassing. You have a responsibility, and you have to deal with it."
Mark Gonzales, The Arizona Republic
