Congressman Tom Davis has threatened to charge any baseball player who fails to appear at a Congressional hearing Thursday on steroid use in baseball with contempt of Congress.

Seven present or former baseball stars have been subpoenaed by the committee including Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Rafael Palmeiro Jason Giambi, Frank Thomas and Jose Canseco. Only Thomas, Canseco and Schilling have indicated they would attend the hearing and testify.

Congressman Davis was angered by the attitude of some of the players when he appeared on NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday. 'These people are not above the law,' Davis said. 'You know, they may fly in private planes and make millions of dollars and be on baseball cards, but a subpoena is exactly what it says it is.'

Representative Davis also indicated that a measure holding the players in contempt of Congress if they don't testify would pass by a 'wide margin.'

Additional pressure seems to be focusing on retired slugger Mark McGwire. The New York Daily News is now reporting that McGwire was part of a steroid investigation by the FBI as early as 1990. McGwire has always denied using steroids.

Stan Brand, an attorney for major league baseball and the players union claims that the Congressional committee has overstepped its authority in asking these players and former players to testify. He appears to be seeking to negotiate some parameters for their testimony and for the committee's questions rather than trying to prevent testimony from taking place at all.

Baseball does not need additional negative publicity about steroids just two weeks before the start of the 2005 season. If its players and representatives refuse to testify, however, the negative publicity will probably go on long after Thursday's scheduled hearing.