McCain demands that baseball toughen tests or be regulated

WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain demanded immediate action by representatives of Major League Baseball’s players and owners to tighten the sport’s drug-testing policy “to restore the integrity of baseball” or face possible congressional action.

“I warned them a long time ago that we needed to fix this problem,” McCain told reporters Saturday after attending the Army-Navy football game with President Bush. “It’s time for them to sit down together and act. And that’s what they should do. If not, clearly, we have to act legislatively, which we don’t want to do.”

Expressing dismay about recurring reports of steroid abuse by some of baseball’s top stars, he threatened to legislate stricter rules if the sport fails to police itself.

“I’ll introduce legislation in January, but I hope I don’t have to do that,” he said in Washington.