Tougher Steroid Penalties Sought in Baseball
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has asked players to agree to a 50-game suspension for a first-time steroid offense and a lifetime ban for a third violation under what he called a "3-strikes-and-you-are-out" approach to doping.
In a letter sent this week to union head Donald Fehr, Selig proposed a 100-game ban for a second offense, the Associated Press reported Saturday. He also asked the union to ban amphetamines, to have more frequent random tests and to appoint an independent person to administer the major league drug-testing program.
"Third offenders should be banned permanently. I recognize the need for progressive discipline, but a third-time offender has no place in the game," Selig wrote to Fehr. "Steroid users cheat the game. After three offenses, they have no place in it."
Under the rules that began this season, a first offense gets a 10-day suspension, with the penalty increasing to 30 days for a second positive test, 60 days for a third and one year for a fourth. For a fifth positive, the penalty is at the commissioner's discretion. 
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