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Baseball must do something — now
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Baseball has run out of excuses on why it shouldn't immediately ban ephedra and other killer substances.
End this ridiculous procrastination and save the life of another player or two. Or more.
Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper confirmed Thursday that the diet supplement ephedra was partly responsible for the heatstroke death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler on Feb. 17.
Long-awaited toxicology reports showed there were "significant amounts" of the over-the-counter supplement Xenadrine in Bechler's blood.
Speculation is over. Ephedra helped kill Bechler. Period.
It's mind-boggling that those who run baseball will let days, weeks, even months pass before doing the right thing.
Why not now? Why wait?
Former Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan, now the team's vice president for baseball operations, spent most of the 23 hours with Bechler in the hospital before he died. He put it best Thursday: "If people witnessed what I witnessed, I don't think there'd be any question which way they'd side on it. There aren't too many gray areas in it."
Players union head Don Fehr repeatedly said he was waiting for the toxicology report before evaluating the situation. In the interim he issued a memo to all major leaguers warning them to be "extremely reluctant to use any products containing ephedra."
Commissioner Bud Selig, who says he's had "significant discussions" with Fehr since Bechler's death, also said it was important to wait for the results of the report. "Then we'll decide how to proceed," he said.
That time has come.
The union obviously is putting up a roadblock because it's philosophically opposed to banning a supplement that teenagers can buy in their neighborhood drugstore. If the federal government passed legislation to ban these killer substances, Fehr and baseball would be off the hook. Ideally, that would be the answer, but Washington doesn't move quickly.
So, for the sake of any major league player who's tempted to pop a pill or two of Xenadrine, the people who run the game shouldn't hesitate. Years from now they'll be happy they made the decision.
If ephedra can be banned by the NFL, the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic Committee, why not baseball?
Fehr is sending a memo to all players Friday discussing the toxicology reports and again warning them. In the memo, Fehr states there appear to be several contributing causes of death but adds, "The medical examiner's report should not be construed as at all inconsistent with, or undermining the importance of, our previous warnings about supplements containing ephedra or ephedrine."
Considering the stand the union has taken on drug testing and related issues, it is encouraging when Fehr states, "Such dietary supplements are currently undergoing a more intensive scrutiny by the federal government. We urge you to avoid supplements containing ephedra pending the results of that effort."
It isn't necessary to wait for government action. The players and owners run the game.
Reading between the lines, I think Fehr and the union are concerned and may be ready to take action.
Baltimore catcher Brook Fordyce says he has taken it in the past (only one pill at a time). "One loss is too many. ... I think the two sides should sit down, union and league, and hammer out some things. Not on the ugly side, but for concern for the players, to get the most information we can."
Amen.
Union chief saying little
Fehr refused comment on that subject Thursday but added, "I'm sure we'll be talking to people about it. That's all I have to say at the moment."
Orioles owner Peter Angelos, after reading Perper's report, said, "I think baseball should do what Commissioner Selig has suggested be done for some time, which is to get all these substances under complete control and that they not be used by athletes engaged in the sport of baseball."
To Rob Manfred, MLB vice president and chief labor attorney, the fact that substances containing ephedra can be bought over the counter shouldn't be an issue. "It's not a good thing that it's legal for everybody," Manfred says.
"You have to ask whether professional athletes aren't unique enough that maybe they need a little more regulation than the housewife who's taking a little ephedra to drop 10 pounds."
Maybe the tragic loss of Steve Bechler will result in something positive.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Baseball has run out of excuses on why it shouldn't immediately ban ephedra and other killer substances.
End this ridiculous procrastination and save the life of another player or two. Or more.
Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper confirmed Thursday that the diet supplement ephedra was partly responsible for the heatstroke death of Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler on Feb. 17.
Long-awaited toxicology reports showed there were "significant amounts" of the over-the-counter supplement Xenadrine in Bechler's blood.
Speculation is over. Ephedra helped kill Bechler. Period.
It's mind-boggling that those who run baseball will let days, weeks, even months pass before doing the right thing.
Why not now? Why wait?
Former Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan, now the team's vice president for baseball operations, spent most of the 23 hours with Bechler in the hospital before he died. He put it best Thursday: "If people witnessed what I witnessed, I don't think there'd be any question which way they'd side on it. There aren't too many gray areas in it."
Players union head Don Fehr repeatedly said he was waiting for the toxicology report before evaluating the situation. In the interim he issued a memo to all major leaguers warning them to be "extremely reluctant to use any products containing ephedra."
Commissioner Bud Selig, who says he's had "significant discussions" with Fehr since Bechler's death, also said it was important to wait for the results of the report. "Then we'll decide how to proceed," he said.
That time has come.
The union obviously is putting up a roadblock because it's philosophically opposed to banning a supplement that teenagers can buy in their neighborhood drugstore. If the federal government passed legislation to ban these killer substances, Fehr and baseball would be off the hook. Ideally, that would be the answer, but Washington doesn't move quickly.
So, for the sake of any major league player who's tempted to pop a pill or two of Xenadrine, the people who run the game shouldn't hesitate. Years from now they'll be happy they made the decision.
If ephedra can be banned by the NFL, the NCAA and the U.S. Olympic Committee, why not baseball?
Fehr is sending a memo to all players Friday discussing the toxicology reports and again warning them. In the memo, Fehr states there appear to be several contributing causes of death but adds, "The medical examiner's report should not be construed as at all inconsistent with, or undermining the importance of, our previous warnings about supplements containing ephedra or ephedrine."
Considering the stand the union has taken on drug testing and related issues, it is encouraging when Fehr states, "Such dietary supplements are currently undergoing a more intensive scrutiny by the federal government. We urge you to avoid supplements containing ephedra pending the results of that effort."
It isn't necessary to wait for government action. The players and owners run the game.
Reading between the lines, I think Fehr and the union are concerned and may be ready to take action.
Baltimore catcher Brook Fordyce says he has taken it in the past (only one pill at a time). "One loss is too many. ... I think the two sides should sit down, union and league, and hammer out some things. Not on the ugly side, but for concern for the players, to get the most information we can."
Amen.
Union chief saying little
Fehr refused comment on that subject Thursday but added, "I'm sure we'll be talking to people about it. That's all I have to say at the moment."
Orioles owner Peter Angelos, after reading Perper's report, said, "I think baseball should do what Commissioner Selig has suggested be done for some time, which is to get all these substances under complete control and that they not be used by athletes engaged in the sport of baseball."
To Rob Manfred, MLB vice president and chief labor attorney, the fact that substances containing ephedra can be bought over the counter shouldn't be an issue. "It's not a good thing that it's legal for everybody," Manfred says.
"You have to ask whether professional athletes aren't unique enough that maybe they need a little more regulation than the housewife who's taking a little ephedra to drop 10 pounds."
Maybe the tragic loss of Steve Bechler will result in something positive.
