November 16, 2005|By DAN CONNOLLY | DAN CONNOLLY,SUN REPORTER
"It's basically like a two-month injury, and not only that, but you ruin your relationship with your teammates. And to me, that's a more important thing. ... Only a person that doesn't care about his career would get into it now," Perlozzo said. "I would think this should pretty much take care of the problem."
Dr. Gary Wadler, an associate professor at New York University School of Medicine and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, isn't so sure. While commending baseball and the players union for "a move in the right direction," he said, "beyond that I can't go, absent of seeing the details."
Among the important components missing in the released report, Wadler said, are a list of banned drugs, specifics on the independent tester and provisions for blood testing.
Manfred said the banned drug list would be released publicly after both parties officially ratify the policy. According to Selig, team owners could approve it this week at their meetings in Milwaukee. It will take longer for the information to be disseminated to union members, but Gibbons said he does not expect a problem.
"I'm sure there will be guys who will think it's too strong, but [steroids are] illegal and that's the bottom line," Gibbons said. "And I don't think anybody is about to fight it."
Manfred said an independent administrator had not yet been named. He also said the specific drug discovered during a positive test would not be released, but its category (either steroid, amphetamine/stimulant or drug of abuse) would be reported.
Under the new policy, there are no provisions for blood tests, which Wadler suggested are necessary to effectively detect human growth hormone.
Selig said he does not believe there is now a sufficiently reliable blood test for growth hormone, and that "we will continue to deal with all of these things and try to stay ahead of the technology curve."
dan.connolly@baltsun.com
