Baseball commissioner Bud Selig says Major League Baseball doesn't need to turn its drug testing over to a third party but should increase the amount of independence of the doctor who currently runs it.
Bryan Smith, MLB's independent program administrator, is best suited to run the program because he understands MLB's intricacies, Selig said on Tuesday before a banquet for fans of the University of Notre Dame baseball team.
"Every sport has different nuances," Selig said. "Comparing our sport to Olympics sometimes in terms of penalties is just not fair because we play every day, every year. But we need to work on independence and transparency. There's no question about that."
The Mitchell Report on doping in MLB recommended the league increase independence and transparency.
"If it doesn't work, I'm so anxious to solve the problem that I won't rule anything out at this point," Selig said.
Players and owners have had a series of meetings on the Mitchell Report, which includes recommendations subject to collective bargaining. WADA wants MLB to get out of the drug-testing business and turn the league's program to outsiders.
Selig did say he wants the sport's top executives, such as executive vice president for labor relations Rob Manfred, out of the process. Selig said they "have better things to do with their time."
Selig's statements came on the eve of the long-awaited US congressional hearing starring Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, his former trainer. McNamee has said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998-2001.
Selig doesn't think the congressional hearings will cause any long-term harm.
"Look, we've broken attendance records for four straight years at the same time with this situation going on, and we'll break one for a fifth year. That doesn't in any way obviate my desire to really strengthen our programs in every way. And we will do that," he said.
Selig spent most of his 20-minute talk during the banquet talking about MLB being in its "golden age," citing the growth in revenues and attendance. He touched briefly on the congressional hearing and the doping controversy, saying MLB has constantly faced challenges.
"We have survived wars, the Great Depression, gambling scandals, strikes, lockouts, and the cocaine trials of the 1980s. And we will survive the current issue, the performance-enhancing substances, because we have, as I said earlier, addressed it aggressively," he said.
In a Q&A afterwards, Selig was asked about the international growth of baseball, particularly about whether there might be some teams based overseas. Selig said it was still a way off, but added: "A decade from now, you won't recognize Major League Baseball the way it is now."
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two