Doping News by New York Times

Baseball Suspends Two Pitchers for Drug Use

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

The Phillies’ J.C. Romero was suspended 50 games for using a supplement created by a former Balco chemist. A Yankees minor league pitcher was also suspended for using a banned substance.

New York Unveils Steroid-Free Racing

By BILL FINLEY

A new set of racing regulations banning the use of anabolic steroids went into effect Thursday at New York State’s racetracks, ending a decades-old practice.

Selig’s and Fehr’s Answers Satisfy House Committee

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said it was satisfied with explanations about the accuracy of testimony from high-ranking baseball officials.

Inquiry Finds Rangers Prospect Who Died ‘Engaged in Doping’

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Alexei Cherepanov, the Rangers prospect who died during a Russian league hockey game in October, took performance-enhancing drugs, investigators in Moscow said.

I.O.C. Strips 2 Medalists for Doping

By JULIET MACUR

The International Olympic Committee stripped two Belarusian hammer throwers of their medals and disqualified a Polish kayaker from the Beijing Games.

Judge Clears the Way for 5 Suspended Players

By KATIE THOMAS

Five N.F.L. players who had been suspended for violating the league’s drug policy will be allowed to continue playing while their case proceeds in court, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Lawyers Point Out Earlier Case That Contradicts Zero-Tolerance Policy

By KATIE THOMAS

Lawyers for the six players suspended by the NFL for testing positive for a diuretic say the league has enforced its drug policy inconsistently.

Top U.S. Teams Hire Same Testing Lab as Armstrong

By JULIET MACUR

The top two professional U.S. road cycling teams announced Monday that they had hired the former chief of the U.C.L.A. antidoping laboratory.

Judge Is Asked to Let Players Finish Up N.F.L. Season

By KATIE THOMAS; JUDY BATTISTA CONTRIBUTED REPORTING.

The players union is seeking to overturn the suspensions of five players who tested positive for a masking agent for steroids that is also found in a weight-loss pill.

Six Players Suspended for Diuretics

By JUDY BATTISTA

Six N.F.L. players were suspended Tuesday for the final four games of the regular season for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

High Schools Take on Doping With No Consensus on Strategy

By JERÉ LONGMAN

Efforts to deter performance-enhancing drug use among high school athletes have had indeterminate success, in tackling a problem that is not always readily apparent.

Baseball Pulls Curtain on Amphetamine Tests

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

The league’s testing administrator will release the number of first-time positive amphetamine tests for 2008, along with other data about the testing program.

Montgomery Admits Using Drugs Before Games

By LYNN ZINSER

The former sprinter Tim Montgomery admitted in a jailhouse interview with HBO’s Bryant Gumbel that he knew he was taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs before the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Some Players Take Part in Education Programs

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Over the last six months, about two dozen of the players named in the Mitchell report have participated in community-service projects tied to drug education.

11 Months Later, Some Praise for Baseball

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

George J. Mitchell said the players and ownership have made substantial improvements in drug-testing policy.