MLB to have mandatory steroid testing

Pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed by the players and owners in 2002, there will be mandatory steroid testing if there were greater than 5% positive random tests in 2003.

The results are in. All precincts have reported. The number in 2003 was between five and seven percent. A lot of players that are clean, most notably pitchers and the Chicago White Sox, were willing to intentionally fail the test (by not submitting their sample) in order to trigger this clause in the CBA. Punishment will be moderate: treatment for a first offense, 15 days for the second positive, 25 and 50 days and one year for each subsequent offense.

The embarrassment and stigma attached to a cheating player may be greater than the actual punishment doled out by MLB. Then again, who really remembers and cares that Sammy Sosa used a corked bat last summer? People forgive and forget players they like, such as Sosa. They will lynch players they don't such as Barry Bonds.

Some player who is probably innocent will have an inexplicably horrible year next year. And guess what will be to blame? They don't even need testing. People will judge anyway. Yes, I'm looking at you Rick Reilly.

The pool is open for the first player to be caught with a positive test. I nominate David "Poppy" Ortiz. Or Jason Giambi. Giambi is getting hurt enough now to suggest he may be on the juice. I honestly don't think either Bonds or Sosa is juicing up because they've been relatively durable and healthy, unlike other players rumored or confirmed to have taken steroids such as Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco and (just a guess) Juan Gonzalez.