THE BIONIC BASEBALL HERO

If the sulking Albert Belle of the Chicago White Sox were closing in on
Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs, blasting him for taking
a performance-enhancing pill that is banned in most other sports would be
easy.

Mr. Belle, facing battery charges for hitting a woman, also has made
obscene gestures at fans, chased children on Halloween in his car and
admits to betting heavily on sporting events.

But the man at the center of the latest baseball contretemps is St. Louis
Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire, whose pure-as-the-driven- snow image
has revived interest in the game.

Mr. McGwire, 34, is bearing down on the Maris record more than a month
before the end of the season, far earlier than any previous player.
Students of the game put him on pace to hit about 65 home runs by the final
out of the season. Ballparks overflow with fans whenever Mark McGwire is in
town. Young fans want to grow up to be just like him.

That's why the news of Mr. McGwire's admission of taking a
performance-enhancing supplement called androstenedione is disheartening.
The drug is a legal, over-the-counter testosterone booster that many sports
doctors consider dangerous. They warn that it could have the same side
effects as prescribed steroids - among them, liver cancer, ligament damage
and sterility.

Androstenedione has been banned by the National Football League, the NCAA
and the International Olympic Committee. But the drug is legal in Major
League Baseball. Baseball and the National Basketball Association only
prohibit illegal drugs.

Mr. McGwire's use of androstenedione sets a poor example for young
athletes. Prior to this month's admission, he repeatedly denied using the
substance. He had claimed that he built body mass and muscle through
intensive weight-room work.

None of his colleagues have endorsed androstenedione or admitted using it.
Some, like Mo Vaughn of the Boston Red Sox, said they wouldn't go near it.
Mr. McGwire's rival for the home run crown, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs,
takes creatine to build muscles, an over-the-counter amino acid that is
more accepted among athletes.

In Mr. McGwire's defense, he has been a slugger his entire career, ripping
49 round-trippers in his rookie year of 1987. Regrettably, his achievements
and those of Mr. Sosa are in danger of being eclipsed by a debate about
whether pills or natural abilities are providing the power to threaten the
Maris record.

Baseball, which has never addressed the issue of steroids and other
chemical enhancements, has now ordered a study. Better late and under
pressure than never. The study must lead to a firm policy on all forms of
substance use.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski