Bechler

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The medical examiner who performed Steve Bechler's autopsy revealed some new evidence yesterday that reinforces why he is so confident ephedrine played a role in Bechler's death. Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward County's chief medical examiner, said medical reports provided by the Orioles show Bechler's ephedrine use dated about two years. Perper also said that a blood sample drawn soon after Bechler reached the hospital will give toxicologists a better chance of finding traces of ephedrine in Bechler's system than any blood taken after a long, laborious struggle in the intensive care unit.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - One week from the day her husband collapsed on an Orioles practice field, Kiley Bechler flew home to Oregon yesterday after taking a few moments to publicly thank people who supported her through a trying week. Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old Orioles pitching prospect, died last Monday from heatstroke, with Kiley Bechler at his bedside. She was driving cross-country when the Orioles delivered news of her husband's collapse, and they put her on a plane to Fort Lauderdale from Salt Lake City.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It has been two years since Orioles shortstop Deivi Cruz reported to spring training with his entire focus on baseball. Two years since he has gone through a camp without grieving the loss of a teammate he never knew. On Feb. 15, 2002, while home in the Dominican Republic, Cruz received a phone call from his agent, Elliott Vallin. The news wasn't good: San Diego Padres outfielder Mike Darr had been killed in an automobile accident. Cruz had signed as a free agent after five seasons in the American League and was waiting to report with the other position players.

It is always sad when someone as young as Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler dies, but the reaction to his death is surprising in that blame is being assigned to Major League Baseball, the Orioles, the Food and Drug Administration; in short, to anything and everyone except Mr. Bechler. Organizations do not need to try to forestall every bad judgment that could be made by their employees. Mr. Bechler knew, or should have known, the risks of taking ephedra; he also knew, or should have known, that he was over his proper weight before he went to training camp.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- With Steve Bechler's memory in their hearts and his number on their sleeves, the Orioles stepped back into Fort Lauderdale Stadium yesterday, with the American flag waving high above center field, no longer at half-staff. The first week of spring training robbed the Orioles of the normal joys that accompany a new season because it took the life of Bechler, a fun-loving, 23-year-old pitching prospect from Medford, Ore. Bechler made just three appearances with the Orioles last season and was likely headed to Triple-A Ottawa this year, but veteran players who barely knew him were deeply saddened Monday upon learning he had died of heatstroke.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Hired as director of minor-league operations in January, the Orioles' Darrell "Doc" Rodgers knew Steve Bechler only by name. It hung on a magnetic board in his office, along with every other pitcher and position player in the organization. Eager to meet as many prospects as he could, Rodgers never had the chance with Bechler, who died Monday from complications related to heatstroke. "I got a lot of insight about him at the memorial service," Rodgers said. "The words that I hear are `bulldog' and `competitor.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Momentum continues to build in a wide-ranging effort to restrict the use of weight-loss supplements containing the herbal stimulant that may have contributed to the death of Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig released a statement yesterday calling for talks with the Major League Baseball Players Association aimed at placing ephedrine and other potentially dangerous - but legal - supplements on Major League Baseball's list of banned substances.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Steve Bechler's widow might have a hard time collecting a large premium from Major League Baseball's life insurance policy, but she will get a significant contribution from Orioles owner Peter Angelos, Jim Beattie, the club's executive vice president, said yesterday. Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old Orioles pitching prospect, died Monday after collapsing at Sunday's practice and suffering heatstroke. His widow, Kiley Bechler, 22, is expecting the couple's child in April.

Representatives of the makers of an herbal supplement linked to the death of Orioles prospect Steve Bechler fought back yesterday against allegations that the supplement - ephedra - contributed to his fatal heatstroke. Bechler, 23, died Monday after collapsing during workouts the day before at Orioles spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Pills of a product containing ephedra were found in his locker, and the local medical examiner said the substance almost certainly played a role in the death and should be banned by Major League Baseball.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - They talked about baseball. They talked about life. They laughed, they cried and they hugged. For a few hours early Monday morning, when she wasn't sure if her husband would live or die, Kiley Bechler had someone she could turn to: Orioles vice president of baseball operations Mike Flanagan. Steve Bechler, a 23-year-old Orioles pitching prospect, collapsed during Sunday's practice and suffered heatstroke, with his body temperature rising to 108 degrees. Kiley Bechler, who is 7 1/2 months pregnant, was driving cross-country when she got the news.