MLB 'Roid Rage

Baseball players agreed to more frequent drug tests yesterday and gave more clout to the drug program's independent administrator, the AP reports. The tougher guidelines follow recommendations made in the Mitchell Report and mark the third time the league has toughened its doping policy since 2002—each time under the threat of congressional action, the Calgary Herald notes. Owners approved the changes last week. More »

After over a decade of chemical-fueled insanity, baseball is back to normal, writes Thomas Boswell in the Washington Post. Home run totals are down 10.4% this spring, after an 8% drop last year. The sport is on pace to return to the century-old statistical norms ripped to shreds by the steroid era. “I think this is a good thing,” said Orioles prez Andy MacPhail. “It’s more like baseball.” More »

The feds filed a new indictment against Barry Bonds today, charging him with 14 counts of perjury for allegedly lying when he told a grand jury that he never used performance-enhancing drugs and one count of obstructing the government's investigation, ESPN reports. The charges are essentially the same ones lodged against baseball's home-run king in November, before a judge ordered prosecutors to rewrite the original five-count indictment. More »

It can happen to the rich and famous, too: Jose Canseco's mansion is in foreclosure, and he's had to move into more modest digs, Inside Edition reports. Canseco owed more than $2.5 million on the California property his neighbors called the "hotel." He made $30 million in baseball and wrote two best-sellers, but it wasn't enough to save him from becoming a high-profile statistic of the housing collapse. More »

A personal trainer says he's the man portrayed in Jose Canseco’s latest tell-all as pushing steroids on Alex Rodriguez; but Joseph Dion—called "Max" in Vindicated —denies any juicing ever happened and says he’s “hurt in every way” by the insinuation. The trainer maintains that throughout their relationship, he and A-Rod were both decidedly anti-steroids, Sports Illustrated reports. More »

Clubs and players agreed yesterday to toughen Major League Baseball's anti-doping policy, the AP reports. Players will be tested more frequently without notice, and the game's outside administrator—a position created in 2005 to oversee testing—will get more authority. As part of the deal, all of the players named in the Mitchell Report have been given amnesty. More »

Federal authorities unsealed an indictment yesterday that charges Dr. Ramon Scruggs and two associates with illegally prescribing performance-enhancing drugs to MLB players. One assertion made in the indictment is that players’ agents referred them to Scruggs, though no agents are named. The doctor, along with associates Allan Danto and Heidi Macpherson, faces 11 charges relating to the illegal distribution of the drugs. More »

Shane Mosley was perfectly aware he had taken steroids before defeating Oscar de la Hoya in 2003, claims convicted steroid dealer Victor Conte. "He knew what he was taking and I told him that before he took it," BALCO founder Conte said. The prizefighter says he never knowingly took steroids and is suing for libel, the LA Times reports. More »

Opening Day has come and gone and Barry Bonds remains without a baseball home. But the home-run king isn't likely to stay on the sidelines for an entire season. Three MLB executives speculate—albeit anonymously—to Jayson Stark of ESPN about why he hasn't been signed. First, to get Bonds means you take on the baggage that comes with him, including the constant media interruptions and a high dose of drama. More »

If Roger Clemens wants to get any of his stuff back from ex-trainer Brian McNamee, all he has to do is log on to eBay. McNamee, who split with Clemens in the great steroids war, is putting up everything from autographed baseballs to hats to photographs of "all the steroid guys"—Clemens, Canseco, and Pettitte, the AP reports. He's donating the proceeds to his juvenile diabetes charity. More »

Former Bash Brother Jose Canseco has backed down from charges that Roger Clemens used more than workouts to pump his pitching arm. Contradicting what's written in his own books, "Juiced" and the upcoming "Vindicated," Canseco said in a TV interview that he now doesn't believe the Rocket used steroids, Newsday reports. More »

Jose Canseco, baseball’s most outspoken steroid user, suggests that reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez used performance-enhancing drugs in his new book Vindicated, reports the New York Post. This according to a Massachusetts-based writer, who found a copy yesterday in a local store, although it's not due for release until April 1. "I really have absolutely no reaction," was the Yankee slugger's response. More »

Human growth hormone certainly builds muscles, but it may not make athletes faster or stronger. "What we found suggested that it didn't help—and at some point, it might hurt," said the lead investigator on the Stanford research study. So why, the San Jose Mercury News wonders, do sports stars risk their careers by turning to HGH? More »

In the wake of Judge Susan Illston's order that Bonds' 2003 grand jury testimony be unsealed, following her critical deconstruction of the government's case, the Feds will be forced to rebuild their indictment against him. One thing they may reveal when they do is their claim of a second positive drug test, in addition the the previous one which from 2000 which they say they have, sources have told ESPN. More »

The government’s case against Barry Bonds hit a snag today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, with a judge ruling that it included multiple offenses in four of the counts of perjury in the indictment of baseball's home-run king. The feds must rewrite or re-file the indictment, Judge Susan Illston said in calling them "duplicitous." More »

The FBI today began investigating whether Roger Clemens committed perjury when he told Congress that he never used performance-enhancing drugs, Bloomberg reports. The agency opened a preliminary review one day after a House panel told the Justice Department it suspected Clemens of lying. The pitcher insists he never took steroids or human growth hormone, but his former trainer says otherwise. More »

A congressional committee today asked the Justice Department to examine Roger Clemens’ denials under oath that he used performance-enhancing drugs and determine if they constitute perjury, the AP reports. In the letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Reps. Henry Waxman and Tom Davis cite the pitcher's statements contradicting those of his former trainer and a teammate. More »

Roger Clemens arrived at the Houston Astros’ training camp determined to avoid questions about his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. “Everything’s been said that needs to be said on that. We’re moving forward. It’s baseball time. We’re going to enjoy that,” the hurler said. It was the first time Clemens spoke with the press since his Feb. 13 congressional hearing, reports the Houston Chronicle . More »

The congressional panel that questioned Roger Clemens about steroids has drafted a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate whether he committed perjury, the New York Times reports. The letter doesn't name his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who testified the same day and insisted Clemens is lying, but that could change before the letter is submitted. More »

An 11-year-old fan's photo of Roger Clemens could mean trouble for the scandal-battered pitcher, especially if the congressional committee pursuing the steroids investigation refers the case to the Justice Department, the New York Daily News reports. The image is allegedly of Clemens at a 1988 party given by Jose Canseco, which he and Canseco have both testified he didn't attend. More »