MAILBAG: June 3

Q: Do you think MLB officials will push for steroid testing now that the subject is out in the open? Many people went after Mark McGwire for using creatine, which is legal, so why not go after players who use illegal substances? -- Chris, Boston
PWG -- I'm sure they will, but the solution is for players to work out some program, with management. This is not a cops-and-robbers thing. I wouldn't trust the owners, and I know the players won't.

	Bonds

Q: I know this is a longshot, but at the rate Barry Bonds is being walked, do you think he has an outside shot at the elusive Triple Crown? His walks should help elevate his average, and he'll be at the top in homers and RBI. -- Tyler, Philadelphia
PWG -- Certainly it's possible, but batting average is involved, and I think that's close to an irrelevant stat.

Q: With Ken Caminiti recently admitting to using steroids during his 1996 MVP season, do you believe that baseball should consider removing his name from the record books? Do you see other investigations looming on past postseason award winners in relation to steroid use? -- Ryan Nootz, Oxford, Ohio
PWG -- No, I think that's a vast exaggeration. I think Pete Rose's betting on baseball while managing is far more serious. Steroids are a concern, as they also are -- to a far greater degree -- in football and track. But they are not, as the Sports Reporters-types assert, an affront to the integrity of the game. Rather, steroids are part of a larger, more complicated issue that the players have to deal with, not the owners or pop-media types.

Q: How much does the threat of contraction next season affect this year's Minnesota Twins when it comes to making deals? For example, the Twins could probably use a couple of arms in the bullpen, but how can they pull off a trade for anyone when they might not even play next year? -- Tim Chapman, Ames, Iowa
PWG -- I'm told GM Terry Ryan cannot take on payroll and must clear payroll this offseason, moving Jacque Jones, Doug Mientkiewicz or David Ortiz. They need starters. Period.

	Glavine

Q: Could the Boston Red Sox trade for Tom Glavine, given that he'll be a free agent at the end of the year? -- Jim Quigley, Taunton, Ma.
PWG -- No. The Braves believe they can win and the Red Sox have no upper-level prospects.

Q: It's obvious that fans don't care about baseball enough in Montreal or some of the Florida cities, and until as recently as last summer nobody cared in Minnesota. Can you honestly not say that it will be a good thing to let the owners contract and move the teams to places that will support baseball and also boost revenue? -- Dave, Santa Clara, Calif.
PWG -- The antitrust laws in Florida preclude contraction. But if there is no second team, Montreal might move to Washington. After that, I see no markets that could be very profitable.

Q: With the upcoming return of Kyle Farnsworth and Flash Gordon, do you think the Chicago Cubs could have the best pitching staff in baseball? -- Tony Ferraro, Arlington Heights, Ill.
PWG -- I like the Cubs' staff, but they're young. None of their starters are proven stars.

Q: I really would like to know the answer to the question that Jim Rome worded best. Why did Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane trade one of the league's better players in Jeremy Giambi for, as Rome said, a "bench scrub" like John Mabry? -- Sean Brannan, Cleveland, Ohio
PWG -- Because Scott Hatteberg has been a better offensive player and Beane had to clear payroll to sign seven of the first 39 draft picks. No intelligence needed to understand what Beane had to do in a small market.

Q: Who in your opinion is going to be a better pitcher in the long run: the cocky Josh Beckett or the confident Mark Prior? -- Rafael Casillas, San Francisco, Calif.
PWG -- That's an unanswerable question. My guess is Prior, but it's just a guess.

Q: Are the Cincinnati Reds going to deal for a starting pitcher? And who are they going to trade? I've heard that Sean Casey and Juan Encarnacion could be in the mix, and maybe even Ben Broussard. -- Mike Ingarra, Port St. Lucie, Fla.
PWG -- They could deal any of the three, but I don't think they can do better than Sidney Ponson or Esteban Loaiza.

Q: The Seattle Mariners, while they are in first place, don't seem to be playing consistent baseball. Mike Cameron, Bret Boone, Jeff Cirillo? What's up with these guys. Feast or Famine. Is there a possible deal out there for this team? -- Randy, Tacoma, Wash.
PWG -- They miss Edgar Martinez's influence on the rest of the order, and their pitching is not that good. Oh, they also have no bench.

Q: How much longer can the San Francisco Giants hold on to Felix Rodriguez with Robb Nen planted as the closer? -- Jason Poppe, El Paso, Texas
PWG -- Until they can no longer afford Rodriguez, they have to hold him. He is their strikeout reliever.