Steroids rules trip up players from Latin America

NEW YORK -- Players from Spanish-speaking countries are getting tripped up by baseball's steroids policy at a disproportionate rate, raising concerns that they don't understand the rules on banned substances -- including over-the-counter supplements bought back home.

More than half the players suspended for positive tests at both the major and minor league levels were born in Latin America, according to a review of their birth places by The Associated Press. By comparison, about a quarter of players on opening-day major league rosters were born in Spanish-speaking countries.

"I think it's just lack of communication," said Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Jose Valentin, who was born in Puerto Rico. "You've got a lot of young Latin players who don't understand the language. They probably don't know what's going on and they're not into it, in terms of meetings and stuff like that. I mean, you get some papers in your locker during spring training and during the season, and they're in English."

So what happens?

"They don't even read it," Valentin said. "They just throw it away."

Three of the five players suspended under the big league policy were born outside the United States: Minnesota reliever Juan Rincon (Venezuela), Tampa Bay outfielder Alex Sanchez (Cuba) and Texas pitcher Agustin Montero (Dominican Republic).

At the minor league level, 24 of the 47 players suspended this year (51.1 percent) were born in Latin America, with 11 from Venezuela, 10 from the Dominican Republic, two from Mexico and one from Puerto Rico.

According to statistics compiled by the commissioner's office, 23.5 percent of the 829 major league players on opening-day rosters and disabled lists were born in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or Venezuela. While no minor league statistics are available for this year, as of April 2004 the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Venezuela accounted for 40.4 percent of the 6,117 players signed to minor league contracts.

"I talked to the union and said that you have to have a meeting for the Latin players in our language," said Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. "You could have the meeting over the winter in the Dominican and have a lunch or dinner and tell them everything. My English isn't the best, but I read and write and understand what people say to me and I sometimes have trouble with this stuff, so you can imagine what it is like for the guys who don't understand English as well."

Complicating the matter is that many substances now banned under baseball's program because they are controlled substances in the United States are obtainable over the counter in pharmacies in player's homelands.

They can walk into a drug store at home during the offseason, pop pills until they head to Florida and Arizona in February and then turn up positive at spring training.

"Are there people buying substances in countries where the substances are legal? Yes," said Gene Orza, chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players' Association. "It's hard. It's one of the great problems in this."

Rob Manfred, executive vice president for labor relations in the commissioner's office, says baseball has educational programs on performance-enhancing drugs in both English and Spanish, and that there is a special program in the Dominican Republic rookie league program that provides individualized counseling from Dominicans for players who test positive there.

"The language barrier is not the only issue. If it was that simple, it would be easier to get at," he said. "There are differences in regulation and differences in how readily available these substances are."

Jaime Torres, an agent for many players, says he thinks it's possible that some players have tested positive for what they were told back home were vitamins.