Jim Bouton's Reply:   "Because the Players Association and the owners have been dragging their feet for so many years on the issue of performance enhancing drugs, they now need to take a big leap forward, beyond the Mitchell Report recommendations. They need to do this not only for the integrity of the game and the health of its players, but also for the health of athletes everywhere who aspire to play in the big leagues.

Here are the two steps they need to take:

1. To avoid a continual race with the chemists, they need to ban performance enhancing drugs not yet invented. How do they do that? Take annual blood samples from the players and keep them for future reference. When the newest performance enhancing drug is discovered, these samples would be tested and players shown to have taken the drug would pay the price. What kind of price?

2. A lifetime ban from baseball. Why not? Far more games have been illegally impacted by drugs than by gambling. Why give suspensions? Do players accidentally inject themselves with steroids? No. It’s a conscious decision to cheat. I say treat performance enhancing drugs just like gambling. One strike and you're out!

Call me Kennesaw Bouton Landis."

(Note: The above also appeared at NYTimes online)

Ask Jim Bouton a question on any topic - from the state of baseball to the state of the union. He's given equal thought to both and is able to say, without hesitation, that they need all the help they can get.

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