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CNN Live Today

Some Big League Names Appearing Before Congressional Leaders

Aired June 18, 2002 - 10:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Some big league names are appearing before congressional leaders in Washington this morning. Baseball team owners and managers are among those testifying on Capitol Hill about the use of steroids in their sport.

CNN's Josie Karp joins us now from New York. She's got more on what this could mean to baseball, and I know one thing, it's just another black eye baseball has been carrying with it for a while now Josie.

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, baseball has a number of problems, and steroids right now are really at the top of the list.

This morning on Capitol Hill, there is a hearing going on, a Senate subcommittee is hearing from six witnesses regarding stared use in sports from the professional level on down.

Just last week, the senator from North Dakota, Byron Dorgan, called the hearings, and it is in response almost directly to all of the publicity surrounding stared use in baseball. In a "Sports Illustrated" article recently, former MVP Ken Caminiti came out and said he used steroids in his career, including in 1996, when he was National League MVP. Jose Conseco came out and said there's a steroid problem in baseball and admitted to using steroids himself. He'll talk about that more in a forthcoming book.

But this morning on Capitol Hill, we are going to be hearing from these six witnesses, who range from an owner of the Arizona Diamonbacks, Jerry Coangelo, to an associate high school principal in Oregon, who is a former college football player and also a former steroid user. This morning, in his opening remarks, Senator John McCain of Arizona said on one level, certainly there is interest in the community about the use of steroids in baseball, but on a bigger and greater level, he said the problem is interested by the subcommittee because it has an effect on young people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I'm concerned about baseball. I'm concerned about possibility of a looming strike. I'm concerned about the health of the baseball players themselves. But I'm more concerned about the effect of this recent spade of publicity has on young athletes all over America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARP: We talked at the beginning of this about all the different problems that baseball is going through right now. They are currently undergoing a collective bargaining talks, because they are trying to get a new contract between the players association and the league. Already this morning, Rob Manfred, from the commissioner's office, has talked to the committee. One thing that he points out is that a couple of years ago, the commissioner instituted a committee to investigate what steroid abuse was taking place on what level. He talked to team doctors and the committee came back, and part of the report indicated that there might be a correlation between steroid abuse and the fact that so many players have gone on the disabled list.

And if you are wondering whether or not this is a topic that both sides, the union and the commissioner, are really looking to find common ground on, you might look to the fact that there's a chance, because of the bottom line, because of money, because of the fact that owners have lost so much money paying baseball players who are on the disabled list that maybe this is really an issue that they are going to tackle head only -- Leon.

HARRIS: They are going to have to. They can't run from this thing any more.

All right, Josie Karp, thank you very much. We'll get back to this issue down the road.

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