Senator John McCain and other leading lawmakers say Major League Baseball must enforce stronger rules against steroid abuse by players. He says baseball should make the changes on its own, but that Congress will require changes by law if necessary.
The Senator plans to introduce legislation next month that requires a drug-testing regimen for players, a bill he believes President Bush would sign into law.
However, Senator McCain says he will wait to see what happens at a meeting of the players' union executive board this week before taking any action. The board will be looking at the steroid controversy that was fueled last week when grand jury testimony from star sluggers Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi was leaked to the media.
They testified as part of the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), which the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has named as the source of the designer steroid THG and other drugs.
McCain says the most important issue is not Barry Bonds or other major league stars, but the high school kids all over America who believe taking steroids is the only way they can be successful.
Some information for this story provided by AP and AFP.
