Guest editorial: Major League Baseball

So it comes as no surprise that, tempted with a chemical means to give themselves an edge, a certain number of major league baseball players availed themselves of it. How many did and how serious the problem is are of some dispute.

Two former stars, Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti, admitted that they had used them and that a lot of other players had as well. And two current stars, Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, have been called before a grand jury investigating a company suspected of producing illegal performance-enhancers.

In their first widespread testing for performance-enhancing drugs, baseball officials found that 5 percent to 7 percent of 1,438 random tests of players were positive for steroid use. Major League Baseball called this "low," and suggested that it showed that while steroids are a problem, they aren't much of a problem.

Possibly so, but 5 percent to 7 percent is enough to fully stock the rosters of a couple of clubs. Since the players knew five months in advance the tests were coming, it shows that a surprising number are either reckless, desperate or stupid -- maybe all three.

So for the next two seasons, all players will be tested in a program that falls somewhat short of Olympics-like stringency.

Baseball's drug testing will be sort of a five-strikes deal, with counseling offered to first-time offenders and an escalating series of penalties for subsequent positive tests, culminating in one-year suspension and $100,000 fine for the fifth offense. Five positive tests would seem to indicate a problem.

Baseball for a long time seemed willfully oblivious to steroid use. But it's not good for the game; it's the chemical equivalent of letting some players get away with using metal bats. It's not good for the young fans and athletes who will gullibly emulate their idols. And, ultimately, it's not good for the players themselves because of the long-term health consequences.

So let's everybody report to spring training clean.