Selig still in state of steroid denial, By: John Shea
July 12, 2006
Steroid problem? What steroid problem?
"I really think steroid use has been minimized," Commissioner Bud Selig said before Tuesday's All-Star Game.
In the same breath, he called amphetamines more of a concern than steroids, calling them "a serious health hazard."
Delivered at a Baseball Writers' Association of America meeting, Selig's views came five weeks after news that Diamondbacks pitcher Jason Grimsley admitted to federal officials that he used performance-enhancing drugs and perhaps days from a possible indictment against Giants left fielder Barry Bonds, the focus of a grand-jury perjury investigation.
Bonds, a rare non-All-Star -- it's the first time since 1991 he didn't make an All-Star team when he was off the disabled list -- is scheduled to rejoin the Giants for Friday night's second-half opener against the Phillies.
Asked about a possible Bonds indictment, Selig said, "That's gone on a long time. I'm not going to guess anymore. There have been rumors. I hate to participate in it. It's gone on for three years. I'm saddened by the whole thing, but I'm not going to make any judgments until it's done. There needs to be a legal process, and we can't get in the middle of a legal process."
Bonds' attorney, Michael Rains, has gone on record saying if his client is indicted, July would be the month, and Rains said that before Bonds' weight trainer, Greg Anderson, was imprisoned for refusing to testify to the grand jury, which is expected to expire shortly.
Major League Baseball officials acknowledged that they're aware Bonds could be indicted if the grand jury decides he lied when telling a previous grand jury he unknowingly used steroids. The consequences would be damning for a sport that Selig said is in "the golden age."
Selig cited record attendance figures and revenue that has risen from $1.2 billion in 1992 to a projected $5.2 billion this year. "By any yardstick," he said, "this sport has never been more popular," and the ongoing drug scandal hasn't diminished the economic growth.
"I feel good where we are," Selig said. "There will always be problems."
Selig said he was told by doctors and trainers, whom he didn't identify, that amphetamines have surpassed steroids as the biggest drug concern in baseball, though it's widely believed amphetamines have been used by players for decades.
The new testing policy, with stricter penalties for players who test positive for steroids, includes amphetamine testing. First-time offenders aren't suspended; they're sent to counseling.
"Two doctors and two trainers from four different clubs expressed far more concern about amphetamines than steroids," Selig said, "and one of them said, 'If you don't do something about this, someone will die,' that 'You have no idea how serious this is.' As a result of that, we've done what we could do."
Only one player on a 40-man roster, pitcher Yusaku Iriki of the New York Mets' organization, has been suspended this year for testing positive for steroids under the new policy. Last year, 12 players were suspended, less than 1 percent of the rosters.
"It'll be less than that this year," Selig said.
Steroid experts would say the figure is misleading, that MLB's policy still pales in comparison with the Olympic policy, that its list of banned substances is still lacking, that players still could be using undetectable steroids, that human growth hormone remains a popular alternative because it's not part of the testing process.
Through the BALCO case, we learned that even the stricter Olympic policy can be beaten, with the right chemistry and right knowledge. But with Tuesday's comments, Selig is trying to distance himself from the steroid cloud that in truth hasn't gone away.
Not when Bonds, the man who this season passed Babe Ruth on the all-time homers list and is 35 behind leader Hank Aaron, could be indicted. Not when Grimsley told the feds he was a user of steroids, HGH and amphetamines and provided names of other players who also were users.
On Tuesday, all eyes were on the city that was at the center of a previous drug scandal in baseball.
"In the '80s, we had a cocaine problem, the Pittsburgh trials, and yet there was no testing that resulted from it," Selig said. "You can't say that today."
Steroid problem? What steroid problem?
