Baseball murky about plans to implement HGH test

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Amid conflicting reports about Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig‘s interest in installing mandatory HGH blood tests for minor leaguers following this week’s landmark first HGH positive by an athlete, the sport issued a statement that was vague at best about future plans.

The statement, e-mailed to The Times on Thursday, followed news that English rugby player Terry Newton had tested positive for human growth hormone, confessed to using and has been disciplined with a two-year ban from competition.

‘We are well aware of the important news with respect to the HGH blood test in England. We are consulting with our experts concerning immediate steps for our Minor League Drug Program and next steps for our Major League Drug Program. The Commissioner remains committed to the position that we must act aggressively to deal with the issue of HGH,’ the statement read.

MLB also noted that Selig previously told Congress on Jan. 15, 2008, that, ‘When a valid, commercially available and practical test for HGH becomes reality -- regardless of whether the test is based on blood or urine -- baseball will support the utilization of that test.’

The argument centers on the validity of the blood test that caught Newton.

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s director-general, David Howman, admitted to The Times on Wednesday that the test has been applied ‘hundreds’ of times before nabbing Newton, including at the Olympics in Athens, Beijing and Vancouver.

‘The test has been scientifically validated, and that’s the validation we’re content with,’ Howman said.

‘Maybe the test hasn’t been held up to the legal scrutiny it will, but our people have already asked if this will withstand legal scrutiny, and we’ve been told yes.’

A WADA spokesman said 35 accredited labs worldwide are capable of testing for HGH in the blood

But doping authorities like such as BALCO founder Victor Conte and Don Catlin, head of Los Angeles’ Anti-Doping Research, which is working on the creation of a urine test for HGH, say the complexities of testing for HGH and establishing a positive could delay implementation of blood testing across the worldwide sporting landscape.

‘You’ve caught less than one-tenth of 1% of the athletes you’ve tested,’ Conte said. ‘Do you truly believe that’s the amount of total users out there? To me, this says the test is easy to beat.’

Conte claims HGH ‘clears the system very quickly,’ thus fostering an IQ test between the athlete and the testers. Olympic athletes can skip two tests without being disciplined, Conte noted, assessing that if any Olympic-caliber athlete was in Newton’s shoes, they would’ve most likely skipped the test and avoided any discipline.

‘Let’s be truthful here and not say the problem’s been solved,’ Conte said.

The NFL Players’ Assn. has announced it plans to negotiate the point in its next collective bargaining agreement, after the 2010 season.

Nevertheless, the positive blood test should encourage action by U.S. sports organizations, said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart.

‘Good science has confirmed what the athlete has admitted to, and that’s convincing,’ Tygart said. ‘This is another deterrent for those seduced by the temptation to cheat.’

-- Lance Pugmire