Phil Sheridan: Romero's suspension should be reduced

CLEARWATER, Fla. - This is probably not the best time to suggest this to baseball commissioner Bud Selig. In the wake of Alex Rodriguez's admission that he used steroids, Selig is being criticized for being too soft for too long on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs.

Nevertheless, the commissioner can show a different kind of strength by reducing the 50-game suspension slapped on Phillies lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero. It might not help Selig look tough on steroids. It would just be the right thing to do.

Romero sat on a picnic table outside the Phillies' clubhouse yesterday morning and discussed "the longest and most frustrating off-season that I had in my career." He was told in December that an arbitrator had ruled him "negligent" for taking an over-the-counter supplement that produced a positive test for the banned substance androstenedione - even though andro was not on the list of ingredients.

Romero was formally suspended by Major League Baseball in early January. A week later, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided the laboratory and offices of ErgoPharm, the company that produced the supplement in question. Results of the raid are under seal pending investigation, according to reports.

Clearly, Romero made a mistake by not following the letter of the MLB Players Association procedure for checking out supplements. But it was not a 50-game mistake. That's the penalty a player would receive if he tested positive for the most hard-core injectable steroid on the market.

Oh, and it's 50 games more than Rodriguez, Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens ever served or will serve.

"I didn't cheat the game of baseball," Romero said. "It doesn't make any sense to me. I guess they have some rules they have to follow. It's unfortunate I'm the one paying the price. In my mind, I think it's insane. I think it's unfair. I'm being accused as somebody that took steroids. That doesn't play too well with me."

Romero said he was considering a lawsuit against ErgoPharm.

"It's still in a holding pattern," he said. "We're trying to be smart on the whole situation. I think that's the reason why the feds went after ErgoPharm and closed the company down like a week after my situation. They found out what's going on."

The supplement industry is poorly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. New products are constantly being developed and introduced. They promise results as close to anabolic steroids as possible without crossing the line into illegal or banned substances.