Football
Associated Press 21y

Union head sees changes within a month

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Baseball union head Donald Fehr
thinks the federal government may change the rules for using
ephedra within a month.

The federal Food and Drug Administration last week proposed
strong new warning labels that pills containing the herb ephedra
can cause heart attacks and strokes or even kill. Health and Human
Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said a full ban was still
possible, adding: "This is not the end of the story."

Ephedra was linked by a Florida medical examiner to the death of
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler on Feb. 17, a day after he
collapsed at spring training with heatstroke.

Bechler was a star player at South Medford High School before
going on to the big leagues.

"Given what happened out of HHS on Friday, there may be some
changes in the law or regulatory scheme within the next 30 days,"
Fehr said Tuesday after speaking to the St. Louis Cardinals and New
York Mets, the first Florida stops on his spring training tour of
the 30 teams.

Players last year opposed including ephedra among the substances
banned by their labor agreement, which prohibits drugs of abuse and
certain illegal steroids. Fehr has said the union is awaiting
Bechler's autopsy before re-examining its stance.

"There are new warning labels out -- specific warning labels --
that we will be disseminating to players," Fehr said. "We will
talk to players about it and we will talk to clubs about it. As a
general rule, something is either safe enough to be sold, and
adults have to make responsible decision, or if it isn't the
government ought to prohibit it."

On other topics, Fehr thought it was possible baseball would
launch a World Cup within a few years and said players shouldn't be
taxed differently than others. The union, Sammy Sosa and Albert
Belle sued tax authorities in Illinois, which refused to allow them
to offset Illinois taxes with taxes paid to California and other
states.

"We have been concerned that professional athletes in general
are being singled out to be taxed when they go to places where no
one else is (taxed)," Fehr said. "That's fundamentally an unfair
thing. Most of the time with state taxes at least, all of the taxes
eventually net out with credits, and so what you end up doing for
no particular purpose is filing 15 or 20 income tax returns."

Fehr said the union is in favor of a World Cup.

"We have thought for a very long time that it is something that
needs to happen," he said. "I'm reasonably hopeful that at this
point within the very near future -- maybe a year or two -- we'll be
able to find a way to get a tournament, or a prototype tournament.
Players want to do it, but it's logistically not the easiest thing
in the world to do."

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