The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig called Friday for new talks with the players' union to ban ephedra, the nutritional supplement that may have contributed to the death of Baltimore pitcher Steve Bechler.

Bechler died Monday, a day after collapsing at spring training with heatstroke. A Florida medical examiner said the death may have been linked to an ephedra-based diet pill, Xenadrine RFA-1.

While ephedra is banned by the NFL, the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee, use of the substance, which is available without prescription, is allowed in baseball.

During labor bargaining last summer, owners talked about banning ephedra, but they did not include a ban in their proposal after the union told management lawyers it would not agree to it.

"Selig and the clubs have been consistent in advocating the ban of and testing for all illegal drugs as well as over-the-counter dietary and nutritional supplements that pose a health risk to players," the commissioner's office said in a statement Friday.

Players have opposed banning any substances that are legal for others to take. The new drug agreement calls for players to be tested for drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, and for illegal anabolic steroids.

Union head Donald Fehr, speaking earlier in the day in Peoria, Ariz., said it was too early to draw any conclusions on ephedra.

"At some point down the road - I'm not personally familiar with how long it takes - we'll have some scientific reports, which will tell us some things," Fehr said. "We may be able to draw conclusions from that. We may not. We'll just have to wait and see. Obviously, it's something you discuss internally. You take another look at things as circumstances warrant."

KOUFAX APOLOGY: The New York Post apologized to Sandy Koufax and retracted a gossip column item that caused the Hall of Fame pitcher to end his 48-year relationship with the Dodgers.

The Post and the Dodgers are both owned by News Corp. The Post published a reference in December to an unidentified "Hall of Fame baseball hero" who is secretly gay.

The paper said the player cooperated on a biography after the book's author, who also wasn't identified, agreed to keep the player's homosexuality private.

"Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" by Jane Leavy was published three months before the Post story appeared.

The Post now says the item was wrong, according to a statement that was to be published in the newspaper today.

"A two-sentence blind item we ran here on Dec. 19 about a 'Hall of Fame baseball hero' has sparked a series of unfortunate consequences for which we are very sorry. ... The author has denied making any deal with Koufax and called our item 'erroneous.' We apologize to both Koufax and Leavy for getting it wrong," the Post said.

EXPOS SALE: Washington, Northern Virginia and Portland, Ore., have been invited to make formal presentations to baseball next month on why the Montreal Expos should be moved to their areas for the 2004 season.

Baseball is meeting first with government and stadium authority officials. Owners prefer that financing for a new ballpark be in place before approving a move.

PADRES: Closer Trevor Hoffman left spring training Friday to fly back to San Diego for an MRI on his ailing right shoulder.

Hoffman has not been able to throw a baseball since Oct. 16 surgery to repair a tear in his rotator cuff and fraying of the labrum.

"This is just a follow-up MRI to see if there have been any changes," Padres assistant trainer Jim Daniel said.

INDIANS: Rookie manager Eric Wedge had a simple message before their full-squad workout Friday: The rebuilding is over.

"This is Major League Baseball," Wedge said. "I expect us to have the mindset, that day in and day out, we're going to win every game."

Wedge met with all 62 players in camp before the workout began.

"The impression you make in spring training lasts the whole season," he said. "It goes far beyond the end of March. We are stressing that our expectations for these players is non-negotiable."

YANKEES: Designated hitter and first baseman Nick Johnson has stopped taking batting practice because of a lingering left wrist injury.

Johnson hurt the wrist Aug. 7 while catching a line drive by Kansas City's Raul Ibanez. Johnson underwent an MRI Thursday, and the team said Friday the results were negative.

"It's a concern because it's something that's lingered," Yankees manager Joe Torre said Friday.

Johnson, 24, hit .243 with 15 homers and 58 RBI in 129 games last season. He was examined by a specialist Friday.

PIRATES: First baseman Randall Simon took a stress test Friday to determine what caused an abnormal reading during an electrocardiogram the previous day.

An observer for the first day of full-squad workouts Thursday, Simon was permitted to play catch and take batting practice in an indoor cage Friday. He left practice early for an exam at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

"We're taking precautions that we think are necessary," Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said.

ATHLETICS: Ron Gant agreed to a minor-league contract, bringing the outfielder back to the team he played for two years ago.

Gant, 38, hit .262 with 18 homers and 59 RBI last season for the Padres.

DODGERS: Kevin Brown threw from a mound Friday for the first time this spring as he tried to come back from back and elbow surgery.

The Dodgers right-hander threw about 30 fastballs in the bullpen session. He said he felt good afterward and would try to mix in more types of pitches the next time.

"I'll get on the mound and turn it up a little bit each time, just like any other spring training," he said.