Tougher Penalties for Steroids in Baseball

Over the weekend, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced a proposal for tougher penalties for steroid use in baseball. The program essentially slaps longer penalties for each offense and adopts a "three strikes and you're out" stance on steroids. The players union was cautious in its remarks about the program and is taking a "wait and see" attitude on whether the proposal should be adopted.

Here's my guess: both sides will eventually agree on a "three strikes and you're out" policy. The players union cannot afford to appear to be soft on the issue of steroid use. However, there will probably be some negotiating on the length of the suspensions for the first two offenses (proposed at 50 and 100 games respectively).

Commissioner Selig has taken a step in the right direction on the steroid issue. Whether it was due to the recent congressional hearings is anybody's guess. But it's about time something was done about it.