NEW YORK -- In the wake of the Biogenesis scandal that led to 14 suspensions last summer, Major League Baseball and its players union announced Friday they are toughening penalties and increasing the frequency of testing in the most substantial revisions to their drug agreement in eight years. [url=h

NEW YORK -- In the wake of the Biogenesis scandal that led to 14 suspensions last summer, Major League Baseball and its players union announced Friday they are toughening penalties and increasing the frequency of testing in the most substantial revisions to their drug agreement in eight years. New Orleans Saints Store . Players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that years post-season. In addition, discipline will increase from 50 games to 80 for a first testing violation and from 100 games to a season-long 162 for a second. A third violation remains a lifetime ban. While there were two-to-four major league suspensions annually from 2008-11, the number increased to12 in 2012 and 14 players were penalized following last years investigation of the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic. Among them were former NL MVP Ryan Braun, who agreed to a 65-game ban, and three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, who is suspended for the entire 2014 season. "Obviously, that showed that there was a need for harsher and stiffer penalties -- and this is a very clear and resounding answer for all of that," Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. Detroit shortstop Jhonny Peralta and Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz returned from their 50-game suspensions in time to participate in last falls playoffs. Peralta became a free agent and was given a $53 million, four-year contract by St. Louis during the off-season. "In the past it hasnt been fair that guys, they get popped, they serve their suspension and they come back and play in the playoffs," said Oakland reliever Sean Doolittle, whose team lost to Peralta and the Tigers in the division series. "Then on top of that, guys parlay it into a bigger contract and getting a raise ... it was frustrating, mainly because he did so well against us." Accused of being slow to react to steroids in the 1990s, baseball started testing with penalties in 2004, established a 10-day suspension for an initial testing violation in 2005 and increased discipline to 50 games in 2006. In the last year or two, many players spoke out and said the deterrent wasnt sufficient. "There are 32 states that have the death penalty for murder, and murders happen in those states every single day. Its not going to stop people from committing the crime, even if you have a death penalty," Arizona pitcher Brad Ziegler said. "Youve got to put things in place better to get them caught. Thats the thing. People do it when they think they can get away with it." New union head Tony Clark, a former All-Star himself, said his members wanted to make sure "a player is not coming back and affecting a change in the post-season as a result of the decision that particular player made earlier in the year." "Our hope here is that the adjustments that weve made do inevitably get that number to zero," Clark said. "In the event that that doesnt happen, for whatever reason, well reevaluate and move forward from there. But as I sit here, I am hopeful that players make the right decisions that are best for them, for their careers and for the integrity of the game." Players who serve a PED suspension also will not be eligible for automatic post-season players pool money shares but may be given cash awards at the discretion of their teammates. "There are a lot of guys who havent done it right," San Francisco pitcher Tim Hudson said, "and I think the one thing that puts a bad taste in peoples mouth that are playing are the guys who have messed around with the stuff but then somehow have still benefited contractually and gotten paid more money than they might have done if they had been clean. Those are the things that kind of stick some players." A player serving a season-long suspension will lose all his pay. Under the previous rules, Rodriguez gets 21-183rds of his $25 million salary this year, or $2,868,852. "Although we had the strongest program in professional sports before these changes, I am committed to constantly finding ways to improve the program in order to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs from the game," said baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who had called a year ago for harsher penalties. An arbitrator would be allowed to reduce a suspension for a first or second testing violation by up to 50 per cent if a player proves by "clear and convincing evidence" that a positive test was not caused by his "significant fault or negligence." However, penalties may not be cut for muscle-building substances such as testosterone, human growth hormone, Boldenone, Nandrolone and Stanozolol. In-season random urine tests will increase from 1,400 to 3,200 overall in addition to the minimum two for each player, and off-season tests will rise from 250 to 350. There will be 400 random blood collections used to detect human growth hormone in addition to the mandatory one for each player during spring training. "We want to have a level playing field," Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. Players with PED violations, other than those who penalties are reduced for mitigation, will receive six additional random urine tests and three more blood tests annually for the rest of their careers. Foreign players entering the major leagues and those not subject to the major- or minor-league testing program for at least a year will be required to take urine and blood tests before signing contracts. "There are certain considerations we need to make in an effort to put guys in a position where the guys who are doing it correctly arent being adversely affected any more than necessary," Clark said. AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley and AP freelance writer Mike Cranston contributed to this report Stitched Saints Jerseys .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. Fake Saints Jerseys . On Sunday, hell attempt to become the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide race on Iowas short track. The 20-year-old Blaney wont be the only kid pushing a podium finish. https://www.saintsjerseyssale.com/ . Switzerland faces Belgium or Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals in April. Serbia dropped into the World Group playoffs in September. A confident Chiudinelli and Lammer defeated veteran doubles player Zimonjic and young Krajinovic 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2.PHILADELPHIA - The Devils wasted leads in two straight periods and were rattled on the road, in danger of a season-opening collapse.Cory Schneider settled in at the right time in net to send New Jersey out a winner.Dainus Zubrus scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Michael Cammalleri had two goals, leading the Devils to a 6-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.Michael Ryder, Adam Henrique, and Patrick Elias also scored for the Devils.Claude Giroux had a goal and Wayne Simmonds scored twice to help Philadelphia rally from a three-goal deficit. Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Flyers, who lost 2-1 in their season opener Wednesday night against Boston.The Devils won the first of a four-game road trip, the second-longest stretch to start a season in team history.Schneider won his first game in goal since taking over full-time for Martin Brodeur and signing a $42 million, seven-year contract in the summer.He was good at key times, Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. When we needed some saves in the third, I thought he was really good.Schneider stopped 12 of 13 shots in the third and had 34 saves overall.He played a career-high 45 games last season and now, as the undisputed No. 1 goaltender, might be expected to push that number to 65 or more. Schneider had a 16-15-12 record last season and posted a 1.97 goals-against average, third best in the NHL.My guys bailed me out a couple of times with some big goals, Schneider said. It just seems like that was the kind of game last year that might have gotten away from us.The Devils nearly let this one get away, too. They blew 3-0 and 4-3 leads before taking the lead for good on Zubrus goal early in the third.Elias had snapped a tie game with a goal early in the third to make it 4-3.Much like they did in the second period, the Flyers came storming back with the tying goal. Lecavalier, a disappointment last year in his first season with the Flyers, scored off a 2-on-1 break to make it 4-all.Zubrus, though, wiped out the momentum with the go-ahead goal only 15 seconds later. Moments after the Flyers killed a penalty, Zubrus poked the puck from the right circle off goaltender Steve Masons stick, and the lead heeld this time. Cheap Saints Jerseys. Theres a lot of things we want to clean up, but we did a lot of good things, too, DeBoer said. We still got two points in a tough building.The Devils seemingly had the game in hand after three straight goals on nine shots against Mason.Mason, starting his second game in two nights, was caught up in a pair of deflections that gave the Devils the early edge.Ryder fired one from the circle over Masons right shoulder for a goal in the first.The Devils added two more in the second, both on deflections. Henriques shot went off Flyers defenceman Luke Schenns skate and Cammalleri scored off a similar bounce for a 3-0 lead just 5:33 into the second.With the deflections that are going in, those are tough goals to get past, Mason said.New Jerseys Jaromir Jagr had an assist on the goal for his 1,756th career point, sixth on the NHLs career scoring list. He also assisted on Cammalleris empty-netter in the final seconds.Down by three, the Flyers rallied.Giroux, still rounding into shape after missing part of the preseason with an unspecified injury, cut it to 3-1 on a slapper.Simmonds then scored twice in 57 seconds to tie it at 3. His first goal was pretty much kicked into the net. Simmonds stuck his second one just under the buzzer. His tying goal was reviewed a€” and when the videoboard showed his goal just made it with 0.6 seconds left, the crowd roared.Simmonds has been on a bit of a hot streak at home, although his last two games were separated by about six months. He scored three goals against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of a first-round Eastern Conference playoff game.Mason stopped only 20 shots after posting 31 saves in the opener.We have an opportunity to get back into it this weekend, Mason said.The Flyers are 0-2 for the second straight season. They lost their first games last season en route to a 1-7 start.Its always not the start we want, Giroux said. We have a lot of work to do, we know that.NOTES: Flyers D Braydon Coburn was a late scratch with a lower body injury. He was on crutches during player introductions. ... The Devils and Flyers dont play each other again until Jan. 3. ... The Devils are 19-8-5 in openers since 1982. ' ' '