[Sport] Baseball grows a pair

Listed below are Major League Baseball’s new rules on steroid abuse. Finally we are going to see some ass-kicking (I hope). The Hammer’s resident baseball reporter, Dom, reckons we’ll see a sudden increase in retirements.

Now all we need is for teams to stop buying all the big names. Yes, Yankees that means you. And you too Boston.

By the way, for perspective an MLB team plays 162 games in a season, but players don’t necessarily play every day.

Steroid Penalties

• First positive test -- 50-game suspension, up from 10 days.

• Second positive test -- 100-game suspension, up from 30 days.

• Third positive test -- Lifetime ban, with player having right to apply for reinstatement after two years and an arbitrator being able to review reinstatement decision. Under the previous agreement, the earliest a player could be suspended for life was for a fifth positive test.

• In addition, a conviction for possession carries a 60-to-80 game penalty, while a second offense carries a 120-game to one-year penalty. A third offense nets the offender a lifetime ban. If a player is convicted for distribution, he will be suspended 80-to-100 games, while a second offense equals a lifetime ban.

Amphetamine Penalties

(There was no testing for amphetamines in previous agreement)

• First positive test -- Mandatory additional testing.

• Second positive -- 25-game suspension.

• Third positive -- 80-game suspension.

• Fourth positive -- Commissioner's discretion, with an arbitrator being able to review.

• In addition, a conviction for possession carries a 15-to-30 game penalty, while a second offense carries a 30-to-90 game penalty. A third offense nets the offender a one-year ban, while a fourth offense equals punishment at commissioner's discretion. If a player is convicted for distribution, he will be suspended 60-to-90 games, while a second offense equals a two-year ban and punishment for a third offense is commissioner's discretion.

Testing frequency

A player will be tested during spring training physicals and at least once during the regular season, with additional random testing. Under the previous agreement, each player was tested once from the start of spring training through the end of the regular season, with additional random testing. Both the new agreement and the previous deal provided for offseason testing.

Independent Administrator

A person not connected to management or the union will schedule and supervise the tests, which currently are administered by a join management-union committee.