MLB to Begin HGH Blood Tests

Though it has not yet been formally announced, major- league baseball's owners and players are nearing a collective-bargaining agreement that will require blood testing for human growth hormone, sources told The New York Times. The pact could be announced as early as next week and would make baseball the first North American professional sports league to confront the issue of HGH through the use of blood tests. Under the agreement, players will be tested at the start of spring training and will face a 50-game suspension if they test positive—the same as the first-time penalty for a positive steroid test.