It happens every spring, at least these days. Pitchers and catchers report to camps, and talk shifts from bats and balls to steroids and syringes.

From Florida to Arizona, the recent disclosures about Alex Rodriguez are topic No. 1.

"Guys that are playing right now, guys that haven't done anything, the younger guys coming up, we have to deal with that cloud," major league home run champion Ryan Howard of the Phillies said Friday. "Everyone who is playing in the present day has to deal with that cloud."

"That's more of the frustrating thing about it. The game is under this cloud," he said at the World Series champions' camp in Clearwater, Fla. "It's just a dark cloud because of the steroid use."

But before stats count, the suspicions will mount.

"I think anybody now who performs well or does anything well, people are going to definitely assume that they're doing something," Yankees newcomer CC Sabathia said in Tampa, Fla.

Sabathia said he was surprised the A-Rod scandal caused so much commotion.

"I didn't think it was going to be that huge of a deal. I mean, I just said it was unfortunate that it had to come out in the way it did," he said.

Another high-priced New York pitcher, A.J. Burnett, said he ran into Rodriguez in the Bahamas a couple of weeks ago. Burnett already has a plan on how he'll try to make the slugger comfortable.

"Just going to mess with him every day, you know, prank him every day. I'm going to be mean to him," Burnett said.