Congress: Let’s talk

Former slugger Jose Canseco and several players he has accused of joining him in abusing steroids have been invited to testify before a House committee.

“There’s a cloud over baseball, and perhaps a public discussion of the issues, with witnesses testifying under oath, can provide a glimpse of sunlight,” said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

Davis and the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, announced Thursday that they were inviting Canseco and six other former or active players, including the New York Yankees Jason Giambi and former St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire, to testify at a March 17 hearing.

A spokeswoman for Waxman, who last week wrote Davis to urge hearings on baseball’s response to the steroid scandal, said they don’t know if the players will agree to attend. Commissioner Bud Selig has also been invited.

Canseco, in a recently released book, admits using steroids and alleges that he injected the drugs with McGwire and introduced steroids to other stars, including Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles. Palmeiro and others named by Canseco have denied using the performance-enhancing drugs.

Also on the invitation list are Palmeiro, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, current Baltimore Orioles slugger Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox.

Major League Baseball and the players’ association in January agreed to a tougher steroid-testing program in the wake of allegations that Giambi and Barry Bonds were steroid users. Bonds has also denied knowingly taking the drugs.

Pirates renew contract of Bay

The Pittsburgh Pirates renewed the contracts of former Gonzaga University outfielder Jason Bay and left-hander Oliver Perez on Wednesday after they failed to come to terms on new deals.

Bay will make $355,000, a $50,000 increase over last year, when he was selected the National League rookie of the year. Perez will earn $381,000, a $60,000 raise and the highest one-year salary for a non-arbitration player in team history.

Ponson’s case postponed

The assault case against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson was postponed at Oranjestad, Aruba, and a judge gave both sides until May 10 to reach an out-of-court agreement.

The 28-year-old Ponson is accused of committing violence alone or in the company of others in public, kicking a person in the head and battering a person by hitting him in the face with his fist.

If convicted, Ponson faces a maximum sentence of four years in jail, a fine and community service.

Heredia to undergo tests

Mets reliever Felix Heredia was sent back to New York after experiencing numbness in his pitching hand.

Heredia allowed one run in a shaky inning Wednesday and took the loss in the team’s spring training opener against the Washington Nationals. The left-hander was scheduled for tests today, and manager Willie Randolph acknowledged he was a little bit concerned.

“He had been throwing the ball pretty well most of the spring. I noticed yesterday he was blowing on his hand, and it wasn’t cold or anything. He was a little bit erratic,” Randolph said. “Anytime it’s something to do with possible circulation problems, that’s not good. He was real quiet yesterday, and I didn’t know the magnitude of it until this morning, but now I know why he was solemn yesterday because he was probably pretty scared.”

The Mets got better news about right fielder Mike Cameron, who took his first swings of the spring following off-season wrist surgery.

Delgado sits out with sore elbow

Carlos Delgado was forced to postpone his spring training debut with the Florida Marlins because of tendinitis in his left elbow.