Baseball Formalizes New, Strong Drug Policy

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed on Friday to enhance the current drug policy, enacting all the recommendations of Sen. George Mitchell in the Mitchell Report. 

This new program, dubbed by Mitchell as "the best in U.S. professional sports," will be turned over to an independent party, Dr. Bryan Smith.  Let's look at the changes.

• The number of tests performed each year will increase. Each player will take approximately three tests. The top 200 amateur players will be tested as well.  An additional 375 tests will be performed in the offseason, almost doubling the current number of tests.
• The list of banned substances was expanded to include insulin-like growth factor, gonadotropins, aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators, and anti-estrogens.
• Major League players, including those named in the Mitchell report, will educate youth about the dangers of steroids.  I can't wait for the first ESPN exclusive where we can see Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi sitting down with a bunch of seventh graders talking about how steroids are bad.
• Uniform certification requirements for each team's full-time strength and conditioning coaches will be required.

Commissioner Bud Selig also said he had no plans to discipline any of those named in the Mitchell Report.  Although as I've said before, it probably doesn't make those players feel a whole lot better.

I've always been the first to criticize Selig about his poor handling of the steroid problem in baseball and I still feel that the Mitchell Report did more harm to the sport than good.

However, I have to congratulate MLB and the Players Association on finally coming together to make the drug policy in baseball somewhat strong.  This new Joint Drug Agreement will hopefully change the way people look at baseball and be the first step towards MLB regaining the trust of the fans - something it desperately needs to do.

Upon announcing the new program, Selig said, "Our testing program will now be more rigorous and independent than ever - with additional in-season and offseason tests.  I will continue to take every step necessary to protect the integrity of this game."

It seems Bud Selig has finally said something I can actually take seriously.