Union Might Agree to Testing

The baseball players’ union might agree to drug testing along Olympic guidelines for a World Cup, which could lead to an agreement within a week to start a tournament before the 2005 season.

Gene Orza, the union’s chief operating officer, met Sunday in Tokyo with Rob Manfred, management’s top labor lawyer. Orza has been critical of Olympic drug-testing rules, repeatedly saying they were a byproduct of the athletes’ lack of collective-bargaining rights.

Aldo Notari, the president of the International Baseball Federation, says his organization cannot endorse a tournament unless there is testing along Olympic guidelines. Some countries, such as Cuba, have said they would not participate without the IBAF’s endorsement.

“I think we can accomplish something that is acceptable to the IBAF,” Orza said. “There is a different level of voluntariness in participating in the World Cup over playing in the regular season. No one is forced to play in the World Cup. No one is forced to play in the Olympics.”

Commissioner Bud Selig, speaking before the New York Yankees played the Yomiuri Giants in an exhibition game, said “there’s no latitude” on the issue and said he was hopeful a deal could be struck soon between Major League Baseball and the union.

“You either have a policy that bans steroids or you don’t. To have a World Cup, you need that policy in place,” Selig said. “To get a World Cup, we have to have the same drug policy that the Olympics has and everyone else, and that’s step one.”

Baseball hopes to hold the first World Cup next March, playing in North America with eight to 16 national teams.

Olympic guidelines call for more frequent drug testing and harsher penalties than the rules in baseball’s labor contract.

Selig has asked players to discuss strengthening the rules that were agreed to in August 2002, and union head Donald Fehr said last week he had not ruled that out.

Because drug-testing is covered by collective bargaining, Selig can’t change the rules unilaterally.

Orza planned to continue meetings with Manfred this week, when top baseball officials are in Tokyo for the season-opening series between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

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San Francisco Giant Manager Felipe Alou said he expects closer Robb Nen to start the season on the disabled list -- and ace right-hander Jason Schmidt probably will join him.

Nen, trying to recover from three shoulder surgeries that forced him to sit out the 2003 season, hasn’t thrown from the mound in a week, while Schmidt hasn’t pitched, because of shoulder soreness, since going four innings against the Chicago Cubs on March 14.

“I figure he will [be on the DL],” Alou said of Nen after Sunday’s 3-0 exhibition loss to the Angels at Scottsdale, Ariz. “He hasn’t pitched. We haven’t made that official.”

Nen, a three-time All-Star who had 43 saves and a 2.20 earned-run average in 2002, played catch on the side Sunday. There’s no timetable for when he will pitch from a mound. Nen’s workload was cut back last week because of discomfort in his shoulder.

Schmidt’s problem is unrelated to his off-season elbow surgery to remove scar tissue and repair a torn tendon. He threw on flat ground Sunday and experienced no discomfort. Trainer Stan Conte hopes that Schmidt will be ready to throw a full bullpen session Tuesday.

Reliever Scott Eyre aggravated a lower back injury during an 8-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

The left-hander, who said he believes he has a bulging disk, received an epidural to reduce inflammation.

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Right-hander Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs hasn’t thrown from a mound since last Monday, and it appears doubtful that he’ll be ready to pitch by the middle of April because of an inflamed right Achilles’ tendon. The Cubs may start the season with a rotation of Kerry Wood, Greg Maddux, Matt Clement, Carlos Zambrano and rookie Sergio Mitre.... The Colorado Rockies gave utility player Damian Jackson his unconditional release. A nonroster invitee to spring training, he batted .143 (six for 42) in 14 games.