But the main focus on Capitol Hill Thursday was not the budget — but baseball. The House Committee on Government Reform held an 11-hour hearing on steroid use in the Major Leagues. Five retired and active all star players testified, as did Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball. Selig denied steroids was a major problem in baseball. Three of the players–Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmieri–denied ever using steroids and downplayed it as an issue. But the center of attention was on Mark McGwire, one of baseball’s most legendary home run hitters. He repeatedly refused to answer questions on whether he ever used steroids. McGwire’s former teammate, Jose Canseco, recently published a book claiming that he used to personally inject McGwire with steroids when they were teammates. Canseco also wrote in the book that he introduced steroids to the Texas Rangers at a time when the team was owned in part by President Bush. After being traded to the Rangers, Canseco says he helped give the drug to Ranger stars Rafael Palmieri, Juan Gonzales and Pudge Rodriguez. Canseco claims Bush must have known his star players were using steroids. Congress has taken up the issue of steroids in an attempt to force Major League baseball to toughen its policy against the drug which has become very popular among high school athletes.