01:00 AM EST on Sunday, March 5, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For years, decades even, it was baseball's dirty little pharmaceutical secret.

Players short on energy, longing for a boost, could turn to amphetamines -- "greenies" in baseball parlance -- to get ready for the game. It was baseball's cure-all for fatigue -- both mental and physical -- and other strength-sapping maladies.

An hour before game time, it wasn't unusual for veterans to walk through a clubhouse and advise younger teammates to "bean up" or "load up," particularly in the second half of the season when endless travel, weariness and heat would take a collective toll.

But one year after instituting a tougher steroid policy and two years after steroids were officially banned from the game, Major League Baseball is tackling another medicine-cabinet menace.

As part of the game's tougher steroid policy, MLB is also testing for amphetamine usage. The first positive test will result in mandatory evaluations and follow-up testing. A second positive result will earn a 25-game suspension, a third will lead to an 80-game punishment and a fourth could earn a lifetime ban from the commissioner's office.

As far back as the 1950s or before, players routinely used amphetamines to provide an energy boost and help them focus. It didn't matter when after 1970 such stimulants were illegal without a prescription -- they were commonly available on the black market, or provided by some in the medical community who were willing to look the other way.

"For years," said Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy, who enjoyed a 10-year career in the major leagues, "I think they've been a bigger problem than steroids. They were a common practice for as long as I've been around the game."

It's doubtful that even widespread amphetamine use impacted the game the way steroids did. In the steroid era, physiques were transformed, and so were the record books when long-held home run marks fell. Before 1998, only two 60-homer seasons were posted; between 1998 and 2003, the number swelled to eight.

Moreover, steroids bolstered the bottom end of the talent pool just as dramatically, enabling light-hitting middle infielders to post career highs in power categories.

While studies suggest that stimulants can, beyond masking fatigue, improve reaction time and hand-eye coordination, there's little evidence that they create an uneven competitive environment the way steroids clearly did.

But beyond whatever short-term boost they provided, there were potential medical risks associated with amphetamines, including damage to the central nervous system.

"There was no question we had a problem," said commissioner Bud Selig, "that had to be dealt with."

Just as it was impossible to accurately forecast how the steroid ban would manifest itself, a number of people surveyed had widely different expectations for the post-amphetamine era.

One National League manager spent the winter telling friends: "I'll have to manage differently. Players are going to need more rest."

"It's going to change the game," predicted Curt Schilling. "It's going to be different. How and what, I have no idea."

But when told that some believe that the game will be different without the stimulants, Red Sox manager Terry Francona said: "I believe none of that."

In Francona's mind, players are far better equipped to handle the rigors of a 162-game season, reporting to spring training already in shape. They eat better, are better conditioned and know more about their health.

"Back when I first broke in," said catcher John Flaherty, who made his major league debut in 1992, "we didn't have any information on nutrition, we didn't know about weight training -- things like that. Now, we're more educated."

Flaherty said amphetamine use in the early 1990s was "prevalent. It was there. You knew."

But advances in the medical field, along with the ready availability of energy drinks have, to some, made amphetamine use wholly unnecessary.

"I'm 38 years old," said Flaherty, "and (thanks to better nutrition and training) I'm in much better shape now than I was as a rookie."

Still, some will experience difficulty "playing naked" -- without the aid of amphetamines -- now that a testing program is in effect.

"It's different for pitchers," said one longtime major leaguer who asked not to be identified, 'but for position players -- I'm not sure how those guys do it, playing every day, in the heat, for six months. Really, I don't."

Indeed, that thought was echoed in numerous conversations. While starting pitchers can pace themselves for each outing, everyday players have no such luxury.

"It's very different for pitchers than it is for position players," agreed Schilling.

"I think, in some cases, it's more of a mental (crutch) than anything physical," said Remy. "I knew guys who couldn't play without them."

Thanks to cooler weather and more scheduled off days early in the season, most expect that there will be no discernible difference to the first few months of play. But as the season progresses, the ban may manifest itself more.

"I don't think it will be noticeable in the first half," predicted one longtime scout. "But it means the dynamic in August will change. The guys who play on emotion will be affected the most."

Joked one major league executive: "In the middle of the season, you're going to see a lot of guys diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder), so they can get prescriptions for Ritalin (a stimulant given to children with ADD)."

Should players require more rest after the All-Star break, depth will become critical. In day games following night games, some position players previously dependent on illegal stimulants may find it difficult to rebound, requiring a reliable bench.

That, in turn, should favor big-market teams who can more easily afford established players in reserve roles, rather than the unproven prospects who often fill out the rosters of small-market clubs.

"The bottom line," said Flaherty, "is that everyone is waiting to see (what changes occur). In that way, I think it's the same as when (steroid testing) came along. Everybody was speculating. Would homers be down? It's the same here. Are runs going to be down in day games after night games? Everybody has an opinion, I guess, but we just don't know yet."

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340

Amphetamine policy

Under the new program outlined by Major League Baseball in November, players who test positive for amphetamines for the first time will be subject to mandatory evaluation and follow-up testing. A second failed test will come with a 25-game suspension, and a third will trigger an 80-game suspension. A fourth failure will transfer the player's fate to the hands of the commissioner, who could impose a lifetime ban.