THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: With much more strident testing policies in Major League Baseball now, and with all the negative publicity and fan backlash that comes with being exposed as a user of an illegal substance, what do you think would compel a player today to keep using performance enhancers? And what could possibly make them think they are not going to get caught?

JOE STRAUSS

The discussion shouldn’t be limited to the use of PEDs themselves but also to masking agents, such as what Manny Ramirez attempted. Anyone who believes MLB is on top of cutting edge PEDs is naive. For example, there is no testing for HGH, which has benefits of its own. (HGH users have only been caught via federal investigators tracking mailed substances by quacks and outlaw pharmaceutical firms. Discipline has been virtually non-existent.) Manny likely was told a substance would slip detection and either abused it or plain got unlucky. There are all kinds of reasons for continued use. Greed and stupidity top the list. At least outing Ramirez punctures the argument that MLB will hold back on disciplining a superstar 50 games.

QUESTION: “Speaking of PED’s, would you be surprised if….”

ANSWER: “Don’t even finish the question. The answer is no.”

RICK HUMMEL

I don’t know if there is all that much fan backlash. Certainly there is from the media but I think the fans want production and tend to forgive and almost forget if a player produces. Why a player uses may, in some cases, be as simple as trying to keep up with — and get ahead — of his peers. As to the last point, historically, athletes have deemed themselves invisible.

JEFF GORDON

This is a big step forward for baseball. It discourages players from experimenting with the stuff. It warns owners and GMs to stay away from suspected juicers. It reassures fans that MLB is serious about this issue. World-class athletes have stayed a step ahead of testing technology for decades. So the cat-and-mouse game will continue. After Ben Johnson went down hard after the Seoul Olympics, track and field stars continued to juice. Even he resumed juicing, after serving a two-year ban. So, no, the ManRam suspension won’t totally clean up baseball. If a player is really committing to juicing, this suspension just makes him be more careful.

DAN O’NEILL

Let’s see now, what would compel a major league baseball player to use performance-enhancing drugs. Hmmmm? Could it be the $24 million a year Manny Ramirez signed for, or maybe the $275 million Alex Rodriguez plays for, or is it maybe the $72 million Miguel Tejada got a few years ago? Players are going to do whatever it takes because one good season, or one good stretch can result in a lifetime of wealth. Players have been trying to find an edge throughout the history of the game, from spitballs, to corked bats, to steroids. And some will continue to try because there will always be that enticement of a giant payoff. Yes, some have been caught. Most likely, many more have not.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)

Two things compel the guys who are willing to cheat to succeed: money and fame.

To them, the risk is worth the reward. Even if they get caught all they have to do is serve a 50-game suspension and give up 50 game checks, which isn’t all that big a deal if your performance has already netted you more than $150 million over the years. They deal with the shame by cruising around South Beach in their $150,000 sports cars.

What makes them think they won’t get caught? People cheat on their taxes, cheat on their spouses, steal from their companies and flat out just take what they want all the time. What makes anyone think they’ll get away with it?

There are four possible explanations — too stupid to realize they’ll get caught, too arrogant to think anyone could outsmart them, plain old crazy or they just don’t care about getting caught.

Take your pick with Manny…