PORTLAND (AP) - As the offseason is beginning, this reporter has spent a lot of time looking for the truth behind trading young superstar Mel Ott. The Portland Scalpers owner was very tight lipped for the beginning of our interview sessions, however when the question of the Oregon Athletic Commission came up, Wyatt knew that the truth was about to come out.

"With the Oregon A.C.'s strict rules on steroid use, keeping Mel on the roster was unrealistic. It was either lose him to trade, where we would gain something in return or lose him to the suspensions laid down by the Athletic Commission."

Ott's steroid use is not uncommon among professional athletes. Indeed the NFL, MLB, Boxing and Pro Wrestling all avoid Oregon like it's the plague, because of the testing done there. "The fact that the Commission tests all competitors including the visitiing team, simply meant that we had to trade him to a Blizzard League team." That being said, Wyatt was then asked about trading McGwire to the New York Nukes, an Inferno League team. "Mark and I were at odds a lot, and I felt it was his own problem to be able to get through the tests himself. He is a good guy, but some of his opinions on the way I ran my team, were a bit too outspoken in the locker room."

The steroid use problem is one that had to be addressed when they brought in Derek Gibson. "Derek is a big young kid, and we were worried that he was using steroids to enhance his abilities." However, Gibson has passed all of the tests that he has been subjected to, and that makes his blazing speed even that much more impressive. "He swiped over 30 bases this season and we are working to get him more aggressive on the base path. We also want him to learn a bit more command of the strike zone, and we believe that he could be a 40/40 man easily."

All that seem seondary though, now that the truth really comes out about Ott's steroid use. What will this mean for the superstar slugger, since the type of steroids was not disclosed. There will obviously have to be an inquiry, and it may lead to suspension if this league upholds it's clean cut image that it has maintained for years.