American Notes Drug Abuse

Even as Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth began his campaign to eliminate illicit drug use from the sport last month, a grand jury in Pittsburgh was hearing testimony from at least eleven players about possible drug dealers in or around the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh clubhouses. Last week the grand jury indicted seven people who had associated with major league players, charging them with more than 160 counts, mainly for distributing cocaine. No players were indicted, although some had reportedly testified under immunity from charges.

Among those indicted were Curtis Strong, who catered food for the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this season, and Jeffrey Mosco, a bartender at a Pittsburgh pub frequented by athletes. Dale Shiffman, whom the FBI described as a gambler in Pittsburgh, was charged with 111 counts of cocaine distribution, more than any other defendant. Ueberroth, who has ordered all employees of the major leagues other than players to submit to drug- screening tests, hopes to persuade the players to take the tests as well. One additional concern: an athlete with an expensive illegal habit might be pressured to fix games.