Major League Baseball
Cactus League notebook: Baker compares steroids hunt in baseball to McCarthyism

By Seattle Times news services

	Dusty Baker
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MESA, Ariz. — Dusty Baker thinks suspicions over which baseball players are using steroids smacks of a McCarthy witch hunt.

"I hate steroids. I knew Lyle Alzado," the Chicago Cubs' manager said yesterday, referring to the NFL star who died of cancer after admitting to several years of steroid use.

While Baker said, "I've got my own ideas about guys around the league," he said all players are being tainted.

"It's like McCarthyism or something. They're looking to see who looks like a communist," he said.

"I'll probably get in trouble for that, too, but that's how I equate it," Baker added.

Baseball has been under a cloud of suspicion for steroid use for years, as players got bigger and offensive numbers skyrocketed. Anonymous survey testing last season showed 5 percent to 7 percent of the tests were positive, and Barry Bonds' personal trainer has told federal agents he gave steroids to several baseball players.

Sammy Sosa brushed aside questions about steroids, saying he doesn't know what other players are doing and can't control anyone but himself.

His only concern is getting the Cubs to the World Series.

"I really don't want to make a comment about that because we've got a beautiful team here," he said. "We've got something else in mind, to come here and play baseball."

Notes
 

• The day before the Texas Rangers' first full-squad workout, Michael Young told manager Buck Showalter that he would move from second base to fill the void created by the trade of Alex Rodriguez. Two-time All-Star Alfonso Soriano, the player Texas got from the New York Yankees in the Rodriguez deal, will remain at second base.

"Rather than just dragging it all out, I wanted to get it over with and consider myself a shortstop and get mentally prepared to do it," Young said. "Now I can get focused on playing shortstop during spring training."

• Magglio Ordonez was kind of surprised to report for spring training with the Chicago White Sox. Entering the final season of a deal that will pay him $14 million in 2004, the outfielder would have been traded to Boston if the Red Sox had acquired Rodriguez from Texas for Manny Ramirez.

"I was relaxing and waiting for something, but nothing happened," Ordonez said. "They trade me, I'll go somewhere else and play hard and do my job."

• Carlos Beltran reported two days early for what could be his final season with the Kansas City Royals. The outfielder will make $9 million in the final year of his contract.

"I've always been a Kansas City Royal," said Beltran, second-round draft pick in 1995. "I want to end my career here like George Brett did and like Mike Sweeney will do. ... But I also understand it is a business."

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