Three strikes rule

Sports | Baseball is starting to sound serious about combating steroid use | John Dawson

Maybe baseball finally got the message. After a book release, congressional hearing, and a slow trickle of steroid suspensions culminating with the outing of an actually decent player, Minnesota reliever Juan Rincon, baseball may be willing to consider even tougher penalties for steroid users.

In a letter to baseball union boss Donald Fehr, commissioner Bud Selig called for 50-game bans for first-time violators of the sport's steroid policy. According to Mr. Selig's proposal, repeat offenders would earn a 100-game suspension and after three strikes, a player would be ousted from the game with a lifetime ban. Mr. Selig said he'd also like baseball to test for amphetamines and even turn over all testing to a professional third-party group.