Major League Baseball is supposed to have random, unannounced drug testing of players, but team officials are routinely notified in advance about the arrival of testing experts, the New York Times reported Oct. 31.

The lawyer for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Michael Weiner, said that, under the league's drug-testing program, "our players do not get advance notice about tests." But testing officials call club officials in advance in order to make arrangements such as getting parking passes. One club official said that he knows about testing up to two days in advance, and that trainers are informed so that they can set up for testers in the team's clubhouse.

"This is scandalous that anyone would insert this kind of loophole in a system and not include it in the written regulations," said doping expert John Hoberman. "They are opening the door to serious doubts about the integrity of the program."

Rob Manfred, the league's vice president for labor relations and human resources, said, "We are very confident that no player has ever received advanced notice of a test. Even if a player knew a few hours before, there is precious little that can be done to subvert a test."

But experts said that players using a cream-based steroid or patch could clean their system quickly enough to pass a test if they had even a short warning period. "As soon as you know you are going to be tested, you rip off the patch and take a shower and urinate, and in an hour or two you will get numbers down real fast," said Don Catlin of the Olympic Analytical Laboratory at U.C.L.A.