The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 18, 2005, Page 11, Image 11
McGwire won H name names; Sosa denies steroid use
GERALD HERBERT/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Former baseball player Mark McGwire testifies at a hearing in Washington on Thursday on the use of
steroids in professional baseball. Three of the top 10 home run hitters of all-time were present.
By HOWARD FENDRICH
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Retired slugger
^ Mark McGwire told Congress at a
hearing Thursday on drugs in
baseball that he would not
"participate in naming names" of
players who used steroids.
McGwire, one of six current or
former stars appearing before the
House Government Reform
Committee, did not say whether
he used steroids. In a forewarning
to lawmakers, he said his lawyers
advised him not to answer certain
questions.
"If a player answers, 'No,' he
simply will not be believed,"
McGwire said. "If he answers,
'Yes,' he risks public scorn and
endless government
investigations."
Two current players, Sammy
Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro, told the
committee they never used
steroids. McGwire and Palmeiro
were accused of using
performance-enhancing drugs by
Jose Canseco in a best-selling book
that helped prompt the hearing.
It was an extraordinary sight —
some of the top names in baseball
history wearing business suits on
Capitol Hill instead of uniforms
on a diamond.
Two top sluggers were not
present because they testified in
2003 to a San Francisco grand jury
investigating a steroid-distribution
ring: Barry Bonds of the San
Francisco Giants, and Jason
Giambi of the New York Yankees.
In a tense scene, Canseco sat at
the same table as the other players
as he told the lawmakers that he
could not fully answer their
questions because of concerns his
testimony could be used against
him.
During a break after the players'
opening statements, five of the
stars gathered in one nearby room,
and Canseco went to another.
Choking back tears, his voice
cracking, McGwire said he knows
that steroid use can be dangerous
and will do whatever he can to
discourage young athletes from
using them.
"What 1 will not do, however, is
participate in naming names and
implicating my friends and
teammates," said McGwire, who
ranks sixth in major league history
with 583 homers.
The hearing came after
committee members accused
baseball of ignoring its steroids
problem for years and then, only
under congressional pressure,
embracing a weak testing
program.
Lawmakers were particularly
critical of the plan's penalties,
including a provision allowing for
fines instead of suspensions. A first
offense could cost a player $10,000
instead of a 10-day suspension.
Baseball commissioner Bud
Selig sat with arms crossed and lips
pursed for much of the hearing.
He craned his neck to get a better
view as the players spoke.
In prepared testimony he
planned to give later in the day,
Selig defended the steroids policy
drawn up in January, saying it's "as
good as any in professional sports"
and adding that he agreed to
shorter bans "on the theory that
behavior modification should be
the most important goal of our
policy."
Baseball had fought attempts
to compel the players to testify,
but committee chairman Tom
Davis, R-Va., and ranking
Democrat Henry Waxman of
California threatened to pursue
contempt charges if they did not
appear.
More than four hours after the
hearing began, the players walked
in one by one as spectators,
lawmakers and media in the
cramped hearing room fell silent.
Curt Schilling, the Boston Red
Sox pitcher who's been outspoken
against steroid use, was the first to
enter. He sat at one end of the
witness table, with Canseco at the
other. Palmeiro, Sosa, McGwire
and the players' lawyers were in
between.
Schilling took a shot at
Canseco, saying the former
slugger's claims "should be seen for
what they are: an atterrjpt to make
money at the expense of others."
All of the players offered
condolences to the parents of two
young baseball players who
committed suicide after using
steroids. The parents testified
earlier, along with medical experts
who talked about the possible
effects of the drugs: heart disease,
cancer, sterility, depression.
"Players that are guilty of taking
steroids are not only cheaters —
you are cowards," said Donald
Hooton of Piano, Texas, whose
son, Taylor, was 17 when he
hanged himself in July 2003.
"You hide behind the skirts of
your union, and with the help of
management and your lawyers,
you've made every effort to resist
■facing the public today," Hooton
said.
The group of players included
three of the top 10 home run
hitters in major league history —
McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro.
McGwire and Sosa were widely
credited with boosting baseball's
popularity in 1998 when they
chased to break Roger Maris'·
season record of 61 homers.
Canseco, the 1988 American
League Most Valuable Player,
wrote that he used steroids and
that he injected McGwire with
them.
But Canseco, who retired in
2001, told Thursday's panel that
"because of my fear of future
prosecution ... I cannot be candid
with this committee."
At the hearing's start, almost all
of the congressmen shared a
personal baseball anecdote or
professed their love for the game
before leveling their harsh
critiques.
The panel's first witness was
Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., a former
pitcher elected to the Baseball Hall
of Fame in 1996. He called the
sport's steroid penalties "really
puny."
Bunning and others said
Congress should impose tougher
rules if baseball doesn't.
There's no pending bill; Davis
and Waxman set out to shed light
on the issue Thursday, but they've
said there could be future hearings.
The House Energy and Commerce
Committee has raised the
possibility of pursuing legislation
down the road.
Swim teams prepare for NCAAs
By BRIAN DAVIS
THE GAMECOCK
Following respectable fifth and
eighth place finishes at the SEC
Swimming and Diving
Championships, the women's and
men's swimming teams will take
their battle-tested skill to the
NCAA Tournament in
Minneapolis, Minn.
The diving regional
tournaments came to a close
Sunday, and senior diver Andy
Bradley was the high finisher on
the men's side, placing fifth in the
1-meter springboard with a score
of666.80.
The top four spots,
unsurprisingly, were all held by
SEC competitors, with Steven
Segerlin of Auburn leading the
way.
In the 3-meter competition,
Bradley was again the leading USC
performer, finishing in 11th at
520.05. Trailing by a little more
than eight points, senior Dean
Emmerton finished 14th in the
competition.
With his performance at the
NCAA Diving Zones, Bradley
qualified for the NCAA
Championships to be among the
top 13 men in the country. An All
American in the one and 3-meter
boards, Bradley will be vying for
the championship after being the
runner-up in the 1-meter last year.
In the women's competition,
senior diver Lauren King finished
first in the 1-meter competition
and battled to earn third place in
the 3-meter the following day.
Following King's lead, junior
Tracey Richardson and senior
Holly Hodges both also received
top-10 finishes, closing with scores
better than 273.70 and 270.65.
The USC men's and women's
performances at the SEC
Championships at the end of
February were respectable,
considering the 11 freshman on
the men's team and 15 on the
women's side.
With traditional SEC powers
Auburn, the SEC men's and
women's champions, as well as
Georgia, the youthful swimming
teams and the experienced divers
hope to have a similar affect on the
three-day event in Minneapolis.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
ψ ■ SPRING
Continued from page 10
appeared to have gotten thinner
through recent altercations
involving the players. At the
moment, only four starters from
the 2004 squad are penciled into
the 2005 depth chart.
Rising sophomore Ko Simpson
will lead the way and is the
projected starter at free safety.
Simpson led the team in
interceptions a year ago with seven,
and he looks to anchor a talented
young secondary. Returning
starters Fred Bennett and Jonathan
Joseph, both rising juniors, will
man the cornerback spots.
These returning starters will
most likely be joined in the
r secondary by redshirt freshman
strong safety Τ rent Usher.
Rising junior Ricardo Hurley
will look to follow up a breakout
season and lead a linebacking
corps that includes senior Orus
Lambert and sophomore signee
Mike West.
The defensive line is a point of
concern for USC entering the
season. With the loss of Moe
Thompson at defensive end, rising
senior De'Adrian Coley will most
likely fill one of the end spots.
Joining Coley will be rising
senior Charles Silas at the
opposite defensive end position.
Silas will serve a one-game
suspension for his part in the
Clemson fight on Nov. 21. A
semi-experienced tandem will
line up at defensive tackle in
2005. Rising sophomore
standout Marque Hall will be
joined by rising sophomore
Stanley Doughty, as both players
saw significant playing time in
2005.
USC will practice basically three
times a week for the next month,
with their first practice being held
this Saturday. The practice will be
open to the public at 11 a.m. in
Williams-Brice Stadium.
For the first time ever, USC's
Garnet and Black Game will be
televised both on ESPN2 and
ESPNU on April 16 at 1 p.m.
SMITH ARRESTED
USC receiver David Smith was
arrested Tuesday night, marking
the ninth player since the end of
the 2004 season to be taken into
custody. Smith was charged with a
number of crimes including first
degree burglary and criminal
domestic violence. Spurrier said
Smith would likely not rejoin the
team.
"I cannot control how they act
off the field," Spurrier said of his
players. "But we do control
whether they put on a Carolina
jersey or not."
STADIUM UNDERGOING
ADJUSTMENTS
Williams Brice Stadium is
undergoing a few additions at the
request of coach Steve Spurrier.
Garnet and black paint is being
applied to areas of the stadium and
the οΓ ball coach said that banners
honoring the 1969 ACC
Championship team and a few all
time great players will be hung
soon. He also mentioned honoring
Joe Morrison, coach of the
Gamecocks during the program's
1984 season, in which it posted its
best record of 10-2.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu
■ FASTENAU
Continued from page 10
while hoping Gamecock faithful
slowly forget that a tenth of the
team has been arrested in the past
six months.
Things will probably start slowly.
The Gamecocks are so thin at the
wide receiver position that Syvelle
Newton has been named No. 1 to
stan the spring. Being a receiver
requires having a quarterback to
throw you the ball, a position Blake
Mitchell will get the first shot at.
Let me give you a quick run
'own of what Mitchell can do for
USC: throw interceptions. He has
yet to demonstrate the ability to do
anything otherwise, but has shown
flashes of brilliance and may be
effective given the extended
chance.
Spurrier said he wul keep the
atmosphere light for the spring.
"We're going to make it fun,"
he said. "We're going to make
spring practice fun. We're not
going to try and beat each other up
so much as we're going to try and
learn what to do."
That being said, fans may be in
for an enjoyable experience if they
stop by and watch Spurrier in
action.
Spurrier expects the learning
curve to be somewhat small. The
quarterbacks will be chucking the
ball, and the running backs will
not have to keep up with the
intricate ground game put in place
by Lou Holtz.
Criminal problems aside, this
has been the most anticipated
spring since Holtz's hiring, and I
think it's with good reason.
Spurrier may not win right away,
but he will make each game
interesting. If USC loses, it will be
"We're going to make
spring practice fun."
STEVE SPURRIER
use FOOTBALL COACH
a 52-51-on-a-late-field-goal type of
game.
In Spurrier's first game as
Florida head coach in 1990, the
Gators put up 50 points against
Oklahoma State in a 50-7 win. It
should not take long for USC
players to buy into the fun 'n' gun
philosophy.
The οΓ ball coach will be on the
sideline in front of a national
television audience soon. There
will likely be no visor tossing, as it
is still months from the time in
which games count. But it will give
a glimpse to fans as to what base
system Spurrier will work from
and what the), can expect in 2005
2006.
Bamafalls in day 1 action
By MIQUELJACOBS
STAFF WRITER
The first day of the NCAA
Tournament got under way
Thursday, and every team put on
its best dancing shoes for the
spodight. In the end, one SEC
team failed to stay on beat, while
the rest of the favorites in the field
of 64 went down to the wire
without major upsets.
Alabama, a legitimate No. 5
seed and co-SEC West
champion, became the first team
to fall prone to an upset, losing an
83-73 setback to No. 12
Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The
Horizon League champion
proceeds to face No. 4 Boston
College in the second round, one
of the few teams that managed to
win easily with an 85-65 victory
against Penn.
Washington, a No. 1 seed in
the Albuquerque regional, used
a strong first half to outlast No.
16 seed Montana, 88-77. The
Huskies advance to play No. 8
Pacific, the victor against No. 9
Pittsburgh in a 79-71 decision.
The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds,
Wake Forest and Gonzaga,
respectively, also ran into
problems with their opening
round opponents. The Demon
Deacons trailed No. 15
Chattanooga 27-24 at the half
before sophomore Chris Paul,
an All-American candidate,
rallied the Deacons after
returning from a one-game
suspension. Paul's 20 points
helped Wake to cruise in the
second half to a 70-54 victory.
Gonzaga had a little more
trouble against No. 14
Winthrop, also trailing at the
half. The Bulldogs responded by
outscoring the Eagles 41-29 in
the second half to claim a 74-64
decision courtesy of senior
Ronny Turiafs 11-of-16
shooting from the charity stripe.
The Chicago regional was also
discourteous to the higher seeds,
as No. 3 Arizona trailed No. 14
Utah State at the half before
using a strong second half to take
the game 66-53. In the other
matchup between No. 9 Nevada
and No. 8 Texas, the Wolf Pack
became just the second lower
seeded team of the day to claim a
victory, squeaking by the
Longhorns, 61-57.
The Austin regional offered
the only other SEC team playing
on the first day of the
tournament, featuring a game
between No. 2 Kentucky and
No. 15 Eastern Kentucky,
schools separated by 30 miles of
road and talent. The Ohio
Valley tournament champion
held its own against the Wildcats
but could not match bodies
inside the paint as Kentucky
powered its way to a 72-64
decision. In the remaining
games, No. 6 Utah (60-54) and
No. 7 Cincinnati (76-54) held
off the opposition thanks to
stronger first halves, while No. 3
Oklahoma bounced back from a
rocky start to shake No. 14
Niagara, 84-67.
Games featuring No. 1 Illinois
and co-SEC West champion No.
6 LSU were played late. The
Fighting Illini played No. 16
Fairfield Dickinson and the
Tigers played No. 11 UAB, the;
culprits of last season's upset
against Kentucky in the second
round.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu
LEARN ONE OF
21 LANGUAGES
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
As a Soldier at the Defense Language Institute in
Monterey, California, you'll learn one of 21
languages. And you don't need to speak a foreign
language to qualify.
> > Call Sgt. 1 st Class Kelly Greene at 777-4812
about college loan repayment and more Army
benefits. And see how you can become AN ARMY
OF ONE.
> > Or talk to a Recruiter at the Lagare College, 902
Sumter Street in Columbia.
Monday through Saturday
8=00 a.m. through 7=00 p.m.
or call toll free 877-264-3876
U.S.ARMY
goarmy.com 02001. Paid for by the U.S. Army. All rights reserved.
i·
AN ARMY OF ONE