Still pitching around the problem

Baseball made a step in the right direction Tuesday.

But it was more like Barry Bonds, one step out of the batter's box, admiring one of his own home runs.

Players and owners have agreed to a new tougher, broader steroids policy. The new policy calls for a 50-game ban for first-time offenders, 100 games for failing a test a second time, and a lifetime ban for anyone who fails a third test.

Congress, I suspect, is going to like certain aspects of the announced agreement -- namely, the increased penalties and, for the first time, the testing for amphetamines. But the suspensions still aren't enough.

A second-time steroids cheat can fail a test in spring training, and still be back in the lineup for his team's August-September playoff run.

Also, there isn't enough in-season testing in the new policy. Players should be tested randomly at least once every 60 games. One player from each team, chosen at random, should be called to submit to urine tests after each game. The idea isn't necessarily to catch people, but to deter them from using steriods. One test per season isn't going to scare anybody.

What Congress seems to want -- and what baseball seemingly is too stupid (or arrogant) to understand -- is for all professional sports to turn over administration of their drug programs to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the same group that the U.S. Olympic Committee uses.