Lawmakers basked in their victory over baseball's players and executives, who had ranged from vague to defiant during the March hearing. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, said in an interview that both chambers were ready to pass tough testing legislation, which he believes pushed the union and owners to agree.
"This is appropriate oversight," said Davis, who met with several legislators to review the deal and spoke by phone with Selig. "What we did is the right thing. We were vindicated by the result."
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), a former pitcher and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, said he would keep alive his bill, co-sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), that would base penalties on the Olympic model, with a two-year suspension for a first positive test and a lifetime ban for a second. He is doing this, he said, to be sure yesterday's agreement will be ratified.
"I know that sometimes agreements that you were told were written in stone can somehow change and become open for interpretation," Bunning said. "So I and my colleagues will be watching very closely, and if things unravel we still have tough legislation we can move through Congress."
A key provision of the deal is the addition of amphetamines -- long a staple in baseball's clubhouses -- to the list of baseball's banned substances. Selig said yesterday that he didn't think the deal would have gotten done without provisions for amphetamine testing. Under the deal, a first positive test for amphetamines would require additional mandatory testing. A second offense would draw a 25-game suspension, a third offense would result in an 80-game suspension, and the penalty for a fourth would be at the commissioner's discretion.
Baseball officials said they will follow current government lists of banned steroids and amphetamines, but added they would fall short of World Anti-Doping Agency mandates that include substances such as nasal decongestants and allergy medications. This past season, under a toughened steroid policy, 12 players tested positive.
The new policy, if approved, will give baseball the toughest penalties for positive steroid tests among the country's four major professional sports leagues. Davis left open the option to pressure the others for similarly strict standards.
"I don't know how we can get it better than where we are right now," said Gene Upshaw, the executive director of the National Football League Players Association.
"A first-time offender in our program loses four games, and that's a quarter of the season. And we've never had anyone test positive for it twice. Only two players did test positive, and they both quit the game. Our policy has worked. Is it effective? Yes. I don't think Congress can do it any tougher than we already have it."
Staff writers Jorge Arangure Jr. and Leonard Shapiro contributed to this report.
