Chris Colabello, who has been suspended 80 games by MLB, says he's at a loss and doesn't understand how an old-fashioned steroid got into his system. I don't know either, but I do know that each time an athlete has been busted and denied knowing how a steroid got into his system, or denied use at all -- hello, Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones -- it has greatly affected the perception of denials that have followed.

Nobody really gets the benefit of the doubt anymore, because the overwhelming majority of the my-dog-ate-my-homework claims turned out to be bunk.

And there's this: With major league players now making an average of $4.5 million annually, the incentive to cheat continues to far outweigh the punishment. A player like Colabello, once a fringe major leaguer, can make tens of millions of dollars by cheating, and if he gets caught -- even in the midst of a multiyear deal -- there's nothing to lose other than the salary lost from time served in suspension.

Melky Cabrera was regarded as a fourth outfielder by the Yankees when he played on their World Series championship team in 2009. Now, at age 31 and having served a 50-game suspension for PEDs, he's in line to make about $70 million in his career.

The union has philosophically opposed any rollback on contracts. Giving a team the option of voiding the entirety of a long-term deal for a player busted for PEDs would be one important way to reduce incentive to cheat. But because of concern about the inadvertent positive test -- like Colabello claims -- the union has not been open to discussing the option of stripping busted players of any future dollars committed.