U.S. Reps Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) in a letter to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and MLBPA Exec Dir Michael Weiner yesterday “asked that HGH testing be a staple of MLB’s drug-testing policy,” according to Red & O’Keeffe of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The letter stated, “The time to begin testing for HGH in baseball has arrived.” MLB “currently tests its minor league players for HGH.” Red & O'Keeffe note HGH testing “has been in the sports forefront throughout the autumn, as the NFL and its union had agreed to test players at the start of the 2011 season after ratifying the new CBA in late July.” The NFLPA “later backtracked on its agreement, citing several concerns, including the efficacy of the test.” Meanwhile, Waxman and Pallone also “urged baseball to ‘address the use of smokeless tobacco’ in its CBA negotiations, and the congressman stated that there is ‘ample precedent for a ban’” (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 11/2). The MLBPA declined to comment on the letter; MLB "did not immediately respond to request for a comment” (AP, 11/2).
WHERE ARE YOU? In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote MLB should make the World Series “a business venue again.” MLB “needs to get back to requiring baseball personnel to be present at the World Series.” More than a decade ago, “owners, general managers, managers, and some players attended baseball’s biggest event.” Since their presence “has not been required, baseball has suffered greatly from a lack of strong news emanating from the World Series.” Cafardo: "Baseball needs to create a reason for such personnel to be on hand. This, after all, is the game’s crowning event, a place where the biggest names in baseball should gather” (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/30).
