STEROIDS IN SPORTS

STERN PROPOSES HARSHER DRUG PENALTIES IN WASHINGTON

The NBA wants to kick players out of the league for a third failed steroid test and double the punishment for a first offense, Commissioner David Stern told a House panel yesterday. In a rare gathering of some of the most powerful people in American sports, Stern joined fellow commissioners Bud Selig of Major League Baseball, Gary Bettman of the NHL, and Don Garber of Major League Soccer in testifying before the House Commerce trade and consumer protection subcommittee about steroid use and testing.

The heads of those leagues’ player unions and a former chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Association also appeared at a hearing to discuss the Drug Free Sports Act. The legislation proposed last month by subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, would govern drug testing across American professional sports, aiming to bring them in line with the Olympics. Not surprisingly, nearly all of the witnesses – the most glaring exception was Selig – objected to the bipartisan bill.

“A policy that is the product of agreement between management and labor will always be superior to one that is imposed from the outside,” Stern wrote in his prepared testimony, echoing his union counterpart, Billy Hunter.

Stern revealed proposals the NBA made to its players during ongoing negotiations to replace a labor deal that expires June 30.A first steroid offense would draw a 10-game suspension, a second would draw 25 games, and a third would result in a player being “dismissed and disqualified from the NBA,” with the possibility of reinstatement after two years under “exceptional circumstances.” Currently, a first offense gets a five-game ban, a second gets 10 games, and a third gets 25.

BASEBALL

REPORT: BONDS FIGHTING POST-OPERATION INFECTION

The signs just seem to be getting worse for the possible return of Barry Bonds. Bonds, who has not played this season as he tries to recover from multiple knee surgeries, is reportedly attached to an I.V. full of antibiotics 24 hours a day, ESPN reported last night.

There appears to be no timeline on a return for Bonds because his recovery has taken such a serious turn, leaving him immobilized due to a post-operation infection. He can’t begin work on his recovery until the infection is taken care of.

According to ESPN, Bonds is being treated by Dr. Robert Armstrong, who specializes in infectious diseases. Infections to the knee are particularly dangerous because of the risk if infection to the bone, the report said.

BASKETBALL

NBA LABOR TALKS BREAK DOWN

Labor talks between the NBA and the players’ union broke off yesterday, increasing the chance of a lockout starting in the offseason. In a statement, the NBA accused the union of backtracking on several items that the sides had agreed upon.

“Since we are at a loss as to how we can possibly reach a new deal that is in any way consistent with the principal terms that we have been discussing for many months, there are no further meetings scheduled at this time,” deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. The union did not immediately respond. If no new agreement is reached, a lockout could begin as early as July 1 – three days after the draft.

SOCCER

CSKA MOSCOW DOWNS SPORTING LISBON FOR UEFA CUP TITLE CSKA

Moscow Yuri Zhirkov scored the deciding goal and Daniel Carvalho had three assists to help CSKA Moscow beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 and capture the UEFA Cup yesterday in Lisbon. Alexei Berezutskiy and Vagner Love also scored for CSKA, which became the first Russian club to win the European title.

Trailing 1-0, Carvalho sent a free kick to Berezutskiy for the tying goal in the 57th minute. CSKA took the lead in the 66th when Carvalho sent a through ball to Zhirkov, who ran into the area and shot the ball through the legs of Sporting goalie Ricardo. Love made it 3-1 in the 75th, scoring into an open net after a pass from Carvalho on the counterattack.

The small section of about 4,000 red-and-blue-clad CSKA fans let off flares in the stands in celebration. The UEFA Cup is the no. 2 tournament in Europe behind the Champions Cup.

-Associated Press