Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

For First Time Ever, MLBPA Players Agree to be Tested for Steroids

Aired August 08, 2002 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We'll start this hour with baseball, and the last-ditch effort to avert another strike. It's way too early to celebrate, but the players union has made a concession. For the first time ever, the players have agreed to be tested for steroids, and the owners' expect a counterproposal could come as soon as today.
Joining us now to talk more about this, one of the country's noted baseball writers, Mel Antonin of "USA Today."

Thanks for joining us, Mel. Good to see you.

MEL ANTONIN, "USA TODAY": Well, thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: So the players union have agreed, is it in principle, to steroid testing, or do they still have some concerns about how the testing would be administered?

ANTONIN: I think they still have some concerns about how the testing would be administered. But the key point here is that they're negotiating. I was with the Twins last night, the Minnesota Twins last night, and those players were very excited that the union had come back with a counterproposal. The owners had made a proposal in February, the union sent a counterproposal, and now we're waiting to see. But negotiations, they've started negotiating, and that's a good thing.

WHITFIELD: How different are those proposals?

ANTONIN: They're hugely different. The owners want three tests, three random tests for steroids, and one random test for recreational drugs, and the players are saying, wait a second, no, we don't want that, we will agree to test next year and the year after, one test and if more than 5 percent of the players in any of those tests -- if more than 5 percent in either of those tests test then we will agree to steroid testing for 2005 and 2006.

So it's kind of wait-and-see approach by the players.

WHITFIELD: Now is the charge, in your view, that steroid use is new against baseball, or is that it's just most recently come to light, with players Caminiti and Conseco, both chiming in saying that there is rampant use of steroids.

ANTONIN: Steroids have always been a part of baseball. There's a lot of discussion on how big it is. Some people say -- you know, Caminiti said 50 percent. A lot of players say maybe 10-15 percent. Others players say 5 or 6 percent. But the key is that until there's a steroid testing program in place, that's always going to be the issue. And it will be good for baseball from a public relations standpoint and a credibility standpoint to get a program. Nobody knows for sure. Anybody who speculates on what percentage of players use steroids in baseball is only speculating. But it's fair to say that there are steroids in baseball.

WHITFIELD: Now there's some express concern among some players who worry about how these tests will be administered, primarily because they're afraid that certain athletes will be targeted, because of potential random drug testing. Do you believe that's an issue to be concerned about?

ANTONIN: I think it is an issue to be concerned about. I think the union has every right to fight for that. They're worried about privacy issue. They're worried about penalty issues. And they're worried about if some player has a $30 million contract and the owner doesn't like him and wants to get rid of the contract, they will do it by manipulating drug tests. The players don't trust owners on this issue. The players overall want drug testing. They just want to make sure that their civil rights and their privacy are not violated, and so it is an issue. But it's something I think that that can and will be resolved.

The real answer to all of this is independent testing. If they can -- if both sides can agree to some kind of independent testing, that's when the credibility goes through the roof, and that's when the problem is solved.

WHITFIELD: Credibility is certainly an issue not just among the players, but among the players and owners from the fan's point of view. A lot of fan expressing an awful lot of disappointment right now because of the potential player's strike and the hardships that seem to be going on between the players' union and the owners coming to some agreement.

ANTONIN: Well they've got a lot of issues to discuss. This drug testing proposal, and these negotiations that are going on in this aspect are a positive sign, but they still have a long way to go on revenue sharing, luxury taxes and salary caps.

The union representatives and leaders are meeting Monday in Chicago to determine if they should set a strike date or not. No one knows for sure, but it's a key weekend. They have a lot of issues. They're a million miles apart. But this little counterproposal on drug testing is a positive sign, even though there's a long way to go.

WHIFIELD: Let's talk about some potentially good news for today, too, involving Barry Bonds. He may be joining the 600 club, joining the ranks of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. But at the same time, there are some rumblings, they are some who are speculating perhaps his dabbling in any kind of steroid use.

ANTONIN: Barry bonds has been accused of using steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. He says that just -- he says that he doesn't use them and he says that whenever a testing program is in place and negotiated, he will prove it to the world he's never used a steroid, and that he doesn't use steroids. Whether he does or doesn't, it's too bad that that has to become the issue on a day when Barry Bonds has a chance to make major league history by becoming the fourth player in the history of the game to have 600 career home runs.

People should be discussing -- baseball fans should be discussing whether Barry Bonds has a chance to catch godfather Willie Mays, at 660 home runs, whether -- as opposed to whether or not Barry Bonds is taking steroids or not.

WHITFIELD: It is a sad commentary.

ANTONIN: This is snapshot of the problem.

WHITFIELD: Yes, well, hopefully for him, he makes the 600 club later on today. I think it's nice and I think it would be nice for baseball. It seems as though a lot of fans would believe that.

Mel Antonin of "USA Today," thank you very much. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com