LA Kings on fire; MLB drug policy needs work

Here are some thoughts on what has been going on in sports as of late:

- First off, the Los Angeles Kings are really tearing through the NHL Playoffs.  I'm not sure when the last time they even made the playoffs was and this year they got in as an 8-seed.  Then, they caught fire, first taking care of the Vancouver Canucks, who had the NHL's best regular season record, 4 games to 1.  Then, they swept the 2-seed in the West, the St. Louis Blues.  And now they hold a 2 games to none lead on the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals.  I'm not sure how it all went down, but I don't ever remember a team dominating the NHL Playoffs like this before, let alone an 8-seed.

- I thought it was interesting that Major League Baseball recently fired the arbitrator who overturned Ryan Braun's 50 game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.  To me, and apparently many other people (as evidenced by the boos Braun has been receiving on the road this year), Braun appeared to get off on a technicality.  I thought baseball was getting to the point of being really effective in their drug penalties, but it appears they still have a ways to go.  It doesn't help that another player, Eliezer Alfonzo, just had a 100-game suspension (read: 2nd time offender here) overturned for what appears to be a similar technicality.

If baseball wants to be taken seriously, stuff like this just can't continue to happen.  If a player tests positive, he should be suspended.  Period.  Players should not be able to get off on technicalities such as the ones we have witnessed where the question is when the sealed urine samples were sent to the lab.  I'm no scientist, but it seems to me if the samples remain sealed, then the tests wouldn't be compromised.  Baseball needs to make sure this sort of thing absolutely never happens again.

Granted, the drug-testing policy is a lot better than it has been in the past, but it still isn't where it needs to be.  Along with the above-mentioned changes, MLB needs to lengthen the suspensions.  In my view, this is such a serious problem that a first positive test should warrant suspension for an entire season.  I'm all for a lifetime ban on a second positive test as well, but I suppose you could go three years for a second test and a lifetime ban for a third test, thus maintaining a three strikes and you're out philosophy in baseball.