George Mitchell's recommendation that baseball and the union turn over most aspects of its drug program to an independent body, a proposal that would require collective bargaining, was met during the hearing with substantial resistance from both Bud Selig and Donald Fehr.

This is not a surprise, and the topic – introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes North – drifted by without too much acrimony.

It appears that independent testing will be among the few Mitchell recommendations Selig will not embrace. Already, Selig has acted unilaterally to tighten several aspects of the program, including adding an investigative body and ensuring there is no prior notice for drug tests. Earlier in the hearing, he said he hoped to conclude negotiations on alterations to the current agreement by the start of spring training.

The current program falls under the authority of an independent program administrator, whose authority Mitchell, in his report, determined to be, "limited."

Mitchell advocated that the independent administrator serve a fixed term, that MLB and the union establish a corporation that is unaffiliated with either, and that it would "hold exclusive authority over all aspects of the formulation and administration of the program."

It appears that won't happen.

Fehr said he supports the current format, though with some prodding added he would consider any proposals from MLB concerning a more independent program.

Asked if he would consider a true independent program, complete with full transparency (another of Mitchell's recommendations that would require negotiations), Selig said, "I really believe … that the program is working independently. But, it is a very fair question and it's one we will closely evaluate, because we need to be totally and completely independent."

As a follow-up to his earlier questions to George Mitchell regarding baseball's therapeutic use exemptions, Rep. John Tierney dropped these numbers, which could explain why so many players missed signs from their third-base coaches prior to 2007.

In 2006, 35 TUE's were granted among 1,356 players, 28 of those exemptions for ADD or ADHD.

Hello, loophole.

In 2007, of 1,354 players, there were 111 TUE's granted, 103 for ADD or ADHD.

"This is one that needs to be dissected," Selig said.

Don Fehr, again.

This hardly ever goes well, and his portion of the hearing began with a request he pull the microphone closer to his face. Congressmen leaned in.

Fehr immediately took a conciliatory tack.

"We cannot change, but we can learn from the past," he told the committee members. "Baseball's problem with performance-enhancing substances was bigger than I realized. … In retrospect, action should have been taken and probably could have been taken sooner. The Players' Assn. accepts its share of responsibility for what happened … and so do I."

In his statement, Fehr later added that if a reliable blood test for HGH becomes available, "We will consider it in good faith."

Fehr also attempted to get out on the front end of Mitchell's assessment that the union was uncooperative during his investigation. He told the committee the union was acting as "unions are required to act by federal law," considering the investigation held potential disciplinary action.

Commissioner Bud Selig took his turn before the House Government Reform Committee and immediately issued his strongest condemnation yet of the players targeted in Mitchell's report.

"As a lifelong baseball fan, I am deeply saddened and disappointed by the conduct of the players and many other individuals described by the Senator in his report," Selig said, reading from a prepared statement.

Only Frank Thomas, who was not named in the report, met willingly and without law-enforcement prodding with Mitchell or his staff. Those players not compelled to meet with Mitchell declined.

Still, Selig said, he remained optimistic the report would be "a milestone step" in dealing with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

The winter pitching market continued to work around the existing free agents Saturday, when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Japanese right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to a three-year contract worth $35.3 million.

Kuroda, whom the Dodgers followed for well more than a year with the Hiroshima Carp, will be third or fourth in a rotation with Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Jason Schmidt or Esteban Loaiza.

Pitching in a hitters' park for mostly poor teams, Kuroda impressed the Dodgers with an above-average fastball, breaking ball and straight changeup, along with a competitive streak. Four scouts from the Dodgers saw Kuroda pitch last season, and the consensus was he was not as good as Daisuke Matsuzaka but still would be very effective in the major leagues. The Red Sox spent more than $100 million on Matsuzaka, including the posting fee.

General manager Ned Colletti appears intent on upgrading the Dodgers' bullpen and might consider a move for a third baseman, but the heavy lifting could be over in an offseason that has seen him sign Andruw Jones and now Kuroda while holding onto young, middle-of-the-order hitters Matt Kemp and James Loney.

The Dodgers have minimal interest in available third basemen Brandon Inge and Scott Rolen. Barring a trade, they'll leave third base to Andy LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra.

Meanwhile, trade talks revolving around Johan Santana, Erik Bedard, Dan Haren and Joe Blanton have dominated the market. Haren went to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, and it appears the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox again are vying for Santana.

That still leaves the likes of Kyle Lohse, Carlos Silva, Livan Hernandez and Jason Jennings, considered the best of the free agents. Lohse is considering offers from the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, both of which could go to four years.

Left-hander Glendon Rusch, who sat out all of last season after being diagnosed with a life-threatening blood clot in his right lung in September 2006, agreed Friday to a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres.

After nearly a year on blood thinners and in which he was not allowed physical activity, Rusch was cleared to throw in August and five weeks ago began a series of workouts for interested teams in a facility run by his agent, West Coast Sports Management, in Pasadena, Calif.

The Padres have invited him to spring training as a non-roster player with designs on Rusch competing for the fifth spot on the rotation.

In 17 1/3 career innings at Petco Park, Rusch has allowed one earned run.

Rusch, 33, has a 60-94 record and 5.01 ERA in 296 appearances, 211 of them starts, over 10 seasons with four clubs. He last pitched for the Chicago Cubs, in 2006.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The New York Mets have appeared to operate on the periphery of the Johan Santana trade talks, targeting instead Baltimore Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard, and perhaps leaving themselves open to Dan Haren or Joe Blanton possibilities from the Oakland A's.

A season after piecing together the rotation after Tom Glavine, John Maine and Oliver Perez, the Mets have lost Glavine, presumably return a healthy Pedro Martinez, and hope for major leaps from Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber.

Meantime, manager Willie Randolph clearly is hoping for something bigger.

Like, Santana big.

Speaking of the pitchers available by trade, the ones most discussed in the hallways and lobby of the Opryland Hotel, Randolph said Wednesday, "Santana is going to be the big domino," later adding, "When Santana goes, wherever he goes – hopefully to us – the rest will follow."

Randolph's Mets, of course, collapsed spectacularly in the final few weeks. And while Randolph granted all of the Mets – himself included – still carried some of the residual gloom of that, he insisted a major addition – Santana, Bedard, whomever – was not a necessary balm.

"That's overrated, really," he said. "You have to be patient sometimes. You can't overreact … and end up having to regret that later. … At this point in time I'm not sitting here thinking, 'Wow, we've got to do something right now.'"

In other news, Randolph has brought back his mustache, along with some chin fur.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – By dinnertime Tuesday, Hank Steinbrenner had notified every New York newspaper the New York Yankees would not be trading for Johan Santana, his baseball people apparently unwilling to accessorize their Phil Hughes-Melky Cabrera offer with Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson or Alan Horne.

That left the Boston Red Sox and a lot of silence.

The Red Sox stacked up Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson, handed over Lester's medical records, and apparently had yet to reach a deal.

Meantime, two teams with the prospects to beat the Red Sox deal – the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels – have little or no interest in making the player or financial investment for Santana, leaving the market beyond the Red Sox somewhat bare.

The Seattle Mariners have the means to fight the Red Sox for him, beginning with Adam Jones, Jeff Clement and Brandon Morrow, but so far have not been seriously linked to the Twins. And the New York Mets could empty their farm system for Santana, but appear to be more concentrated on Erik Bedard.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Los Angeles Angels GM Tony Reagins said Tuesday evening that the Angels were not pursuing a trade for Minnesota Twins left-hander Johan Santana and never were.

"We haven't had any discussions about adding starting pitching," Reagins told Los Angeles writers. "Rumors are out there. It's rumor. I've been watching ESPN, seeing things being reported. You wonder where it comes from."

Reagins said he'd met with Twins GM Bill Smith on Monday night but that Santana was not the reason and that he had not spoken with Smith on Tuesday. The Twins are believed to be looking for outfield help, and the Angels have numbers in the outfield.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mid-afternoon Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox began to assume a third team had caught the eye of the Minnesota Twins, perhaps the Los Angeles Angels, leaving the Red Sox and the New York Yankees waiting on a Johan Santana resolution.

The Angels still have all the prospects the Florida Marlins wanted for Miguel Cabrera, along with a few others, and one club official said the Angels "were still strongly inquiring" about Santana.

The Twins are believed to be interested in a package that starts with right-hander Jered Weaver and minor-league shortstop/third baseman Brandon Wood.

New GM Tony Reagins has had a busy first offseason, acquiring right-hander Jon Garland for Orlando Cabrera and center fielder Torii Hunter through free agency. A trade with the Twins would give him a rotation of Santana, John Lackey, Garland, Kelvim Escobar and either Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders, with Nick Adenhart on the way.

The winter meetings slogged through most of another day waiting for the Santana trade – to any team – to break, opening the door for other possible trades.

The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be increasing their interest in free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones. Beyond the need for more production from their outfielders, the Dodgers likely would lose Matt Kemp if their attempts to acquire Baltimore Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard were successful.

Meanwhile, if they were to lose out on Santana, the Red Sox appear unlikely to shift their attention to one of the available Oakland A's right-handers, Dan Haren or Joe Blanton. A Red Sox official said he didn't believe they had a fit with the A's.

Like the Red Sox, the Mets believe they fit better with the Orioles on Bedard than with the A's.