Medford-native pitcher’s
death linked to ephedrine
Bob Brookover
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A medical
examiner said on Tuesday that a
weight-loss drug containing
ephedrine probably contributed to
the death of Baltimore Orioles pitch
er and Medford native Steve Bechler,
who collapsed from heatstroke Sun
day during a spring-training workout
in Fort Lauderdale and died Monday
morning.
That finding by Dr. Joshua Perper,
Broward County’s chief medical ex
aminer, leaves baseball’s drug policy
open for question from outsiders
once again.
“At this time, I don’t have a com
plete or sufficient degree of toxicolo
gy results that I can say precisely
what was in the blood and at what
levels,” Perper said during a news
briefing. “But it’s very difficult to be
lieve, in view of all the circum
stances, that anything else was really
of importance.”
Ephedrine has been banned by
the NCAA, the NFL and the Interna
tional Olympic Committee, but not
by Major League Baseball.
The drug, which is a stimulant
used for losing weight and minimiz
ing fatigue, was found in the system
of football player Rashidi Wheeler of
Northwestern University after he
collapsed during drills and died in
August 2001.
Korey Stringer of the Minnesota
Vikings, another football player who
collapsed during practice and later
died, tested negative for the stimu
lant. However, a product containing
the substance was found in Stringer’s
locker after his death in July 2001.
While no one will argue that the
death of a 23-year-old man with a
wife who is seven months pregnant
Susan Stockton South Florida Sun-Sentinal (KRT)
Pat Bechler (left) holds son Steve Bechler's jersey as family members surround her.
is tragic, a debate should be opened
about ephedrine’s harmful-causes.
“If that’s the cause, then obviously
some drastic steps need to be taken
to stop this,” Phillies manager Larry
Bowa said. “All I know is what I’ve
read in the papers, but by the way
the doctors are talking, it sounds as
if it is widespread.”
The harmful effects of supple
ments such as creatine and an
drostenedione came to light five
years ago, when the Cardinals’ Mark
McGwire was chasing Roger Maris’
single-season home-run record, but
baseball still has no testing for either
of those substances.
Anabolic steroids have also been
an issue of debate and were finally
addressed last year, when the own
ers negotiated a new collective bar
gaining agreement with the players’
union. Critics believe the agreement
isn’t nearly strong enough.
Phillies trainer Jeff Cooper, who is
avid in educating players about the
damaging effects of smokeless tobac
co, does not believe drug testing is
the answer to baseball’s or society’s
problems.
“I think a lot of guys take things
and they don’t even realize what
they are taking,” he said.
©2003, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services.
Canseco will likely
serve jail time for
violating probation
Lisa Arthur
Knight Ridder Newspapers (KRT)
MIAMI — Former Major League
Baseball most valuable player Jose
Canseco could spend the next
month in a Miami-Dade County jail
after admitting to a judge Tuesday
that he’s guilty of violating proba
tion on assault charges.
When he finally gets back to
court for a sentencing hearing on
March 17, he could face up to 15
years in prison.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge
Leonard Glick dismissed
Canseco’s pleas for mercy and
freedom on bond while awaiting
the sentencing hearing.
Jailing probation violators is
standard procedure. Because of his
celebrity status, Canseco will be
held in an isolation cell for his own
protection, jail spokeswoman
Janelle Hall said.
The former slugger, wearing a
double-breasted dark suit, looked
stunned as he sat in the jury box
with his hands cuffed in front
of him.
His father, Jose Sr., and twin
brother, Osvaldo “Ozzie”
Canseco, looked on in disbelief
from the gallery.
His father said Jose had been
treated unfairly.
“The United States should be
proud to have such a man as Jose
Canseco in this country,” Jose
Canseco Sr. said. “This is very,
very unfair.”
The Canseco twins, 38, grudg
ingly pleaded guilty in November
to aggravated battery and battery
for allegedly breaking the nose of
an Opium Garden patron and
splitting the lip of another during
a 2001 brawl. Jose was also
charged with battery on a bounc
er at the Miami Beach nightclub.
The brothers maintained they
were protecting Jose’s date, who
they said was harassed by two men
from California, Christian Presley
and Alan Cheeks, who were in
town for a business convention.
Lage said the brothers were
accepting the plea deals to get
the case over with and protect
their families, not because they
were guilty.
Glick placed Jose Canseco on
probation for three years and or
dered him to perform 250 hours of
community service and take an
anger management course.
He also ordered Canseco to pay
court costs.
According to an arrest warrant
issued Friday, Jose Canseco failed
to make monthly reports to his
probation officer, failed to begin
the community service hours and .
failed to take the anger manage
ment course.
Another term of the probation
prohibited him from leaving South
Florida for longer than 30 days at a
time. He violated that, too, accord
ing to the warrant.
He’s also behind on court costs
and supervision costs. He owes
#247.91.
© 2003, The Miami Herald. Distributed
by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.
Men's
continued from page 7
After sitting out one game —
against Washington State on Jan. 25
— Jackson returned to the lineup
wearing a special-made glove
against UCLA the next week and
scored a team-high 27 points. Since
"If I can ...justget
healthy, that's the main
thing I'm concerned
with right now. I'm just
going to have to play
through a little pain."
Luke Jackson
Oregon forward
then, though, Jackson has struggled.
In the last two games, he has aver
aged seven points, while shooting a
combined 6-of-22 (27.3 percent).
“He hasn’t gotten back to himself
yet, but this week we’ll hopefully
bring him along a little further,”
Kent said.
Jackson played just 19 minutes
Saturday in the Ducks’ 80-63 win
at Oregon State. He said he will
play this weekend against the
Washington schools, and bring the
glove just in case.
“It’s really weird — I didn’t think it
would be that bad, but it’s tough,”
Jackson said. “If I can sit and just get
healthy, that’s the main thing I’m con
cerned with right now. I’m just going
to have to play through a little pain.”
Bracketology
In this week’s Bracketology,
ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi kept Ore
gon as a projected No. 7 seed in the
NCAA Tournament, with a first
round matchup against lOth-seeded
Michigan State (14-9) in Nashville,
Tenn., on March 21.
Contact the senior sports reporter
at adamjude@dailyemerald.com
G-et tlxo SCOOP!
Log on to www.dailyemerald.com
Luke Ridnour,
a Blaine, Wash.,
native, will head
home this
weekend as
the Ducks face
Washington and
Washington
State.
Adam Amato
Emerald
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