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Fehr: Drug Tests In 2003 Don't Taint All

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The Associated Press

Published: February 24, 2009

JUPITER - Baseball union head Donald Fehr began his annual tour of spring training camps Monday with steroids back in the spotlight, even though he says the sport has "fixed the problem" since the 2003 survey that led to a report Alex Rodriguez tested positive.

Fehr said he doesn't think Commissioner Bud Selig will take disciplinary action against Rodriguez, who admitted Feb. 9 that he used a banned substance from 2001-03. Rodriguez made the admission two days after Sports Illustrated reported he was on a list of 104 players who tested positive in the 2003 survey. Selig said Rodriguez shamed the sport.

"The commissioner is entitled to say whatever the commissioner wants to say," Fehr said after meeting with Florida Marlins players. "Everybody understands that there were things which happened in the early part of the decade which we wish hadn't; that's not the case anymore. We fixed the problem and we need to look forward, as Bud has said many times."

Testing in 2003 was to be confidential. Fehr rejected the suggestion all players in 2003 are under suspicion because 104 of them tested positive.

"If that's the judgment, it seems to me that is entirely wrong," Fehr said. "We know what happened in 2003. The number of positives we had was slightly over 5 percent. That means that slightly over 94 percent was negative."

BLUE JAYS: Center fielder Vernon Wells has a left hamstring injury that could sideline him for most of spring training.

CARDINALS: Infielder Brendan Ryan's pursuit of a starting job is being slowed by tendinitis in his right wrist.

NATIONALS: Released disgruntled pitcher Odalis Perez, a day after he failed to show up at spring training by the mandatory reporting deadline.

RED SOX: Right-hander Brad Penny said he felt fine after throwing batting practice for the first time in spring training.

MEDIA: Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley signed a multiyear extension to his contract to serve as an analyst with TBS.

BONDS CASE: A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered Barry Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, to court to disclose whether he intends to testify at the slugger's trial.

WBC: Former major-league third baseman Corey Koskie will play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

LEGAL: A Broward County judge ruled former major-leaguer Jim Leyritz does not have to await his trial on DUI manslaughter charges in jail.

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