Stadium parking enforced more strictly than steroids

If you had any doubt that MLB steroid testing was a joke, then this should eliminate it. The New York Times reported yesterday that teams receive advanced notice of testing so that the drug testers can request parking and stadium passes!

Drug testers contracted by the league routinely alert team officials a day or more before their arrival at ballparks for what is supposed to be random, unannounced testing of players. By eliminating the surprise factor, the practice undermines the integrity of the testing program, antidoping experts said.

The night before testers arrive at major league stadiums to take urine samples from players, officials for the home team receive a call from the testing company requesting stadium and parking passes for the drug testers...

Hopefully, these officials will get year round passes like those issued to beat reporters. The article goes on to say how team officials would accompany players as they gave urine samples, which is an even bigger joke. Let's say Miguel Tejada says he can't provide a urine sample immediately. An Orioles employee would accompany him to the bathroom, and there's no chance he's going to demand to see him actually give the sample. If Tejada thinks he's not clean, what's to stop him from asking his coworker to provide the sample himself? But to MLB's credit they fixed that loophole so an independent chaperone now accompanies the player.