NEW YORK - Once Rafael Palmeiro got caught, most every big leaguer became a steroids suspect. Or so it sounded, anyway.

Whispers were heard in clubhouses. Rumors floated over the talk-radio airwaves, the Web and in newspapers. Fans wondered out loud.

Who would be next? And more to the point: What huge name would be next?

"It's unfortunate, but that's how society is today," Philadelphia All-Star pitcher Billy Wagner said. "They want to see the big man fall."

So faced with a swell that rapidly became a storm, Major League Baseball and the players' union took what they called an "unusual step" by issuing a joint statement Wednesday, hoping to quash the rampant speculation that began last week when Palmeiro - the Baltimore star with Hall of Fame credentials - was suspended 10 days for using steroids.

"Reports of large numbers of positive tests currently unreported are totally false. Reports of big-name players having the reporting of their test results delayed are totally false," the statement said.

"All drug-testing results are processed in precisely the same manner, and without regard to the identity of any player or to the volume of positives at any given time. These media reports and rumors are totally, and completely inaccurate, and do not deserve further comment," it said.

The statement came from Rob Manfred, executive vice president for labor relations in the commissioner's office, and Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the union.

Eight major leaguers have been suspended for 10 days this season because of steroid use. Another 81 have been banned under the minor league testing program.

Still, many fans figured there would be a lot more - especially after Palmeiro was named.

After all, Palmeiro was the one who sat alongside Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Jose Canseco and pointed his finger at a Congressional panel in March, assuring the members, "I have never used steroids. Period."

Commissioner Bud Selig said Tuesday that a young player - as in, not a star - was currently in the steroids system. Once a player is told he has tested positive, he can appeal before any penalties are announced. The whole process can take several weeks.

"The steroid issue is not quite as big an issue as some people think," Houston star Lance Berkman said Wednesday. "This is a hot-button issue now. People are making a mountain out of a molehill."

Before Palmeiro, the top player penalized was Juan Rincon. He's a valuable reliever for the Minnesota Twins, certainly, but not someone of Palmeiro's stature.

Palmeiro's ban also ratcheted up the debate over whether his lofty numbers would hold up with voters when he's eligible to be elected to the Hall of Fame, five years after he retires. He ranks ninth on the career home run list with 569 and recently got his 3,000th hit.

Palmeiro can return to the Orioles on Thursday, although interim manager Sam Perlozzo is leaning toward leaving him out of the lineup for a day. No matter, teammate David Newhan predicted Palmeiro - a crowd favorite in the past - would get a rough reception from the home fans at Camden Yards.

"I think it's going to be ugly," Newhan said. "It's going to be bad. I can only imagine what they're going to be saying. I'm sure he's going to hear it all."

Wagner was certainly aware of what others were saying about players in general.

"You can't keep going out there and speculating," the Phillies reliever said. "It has to be proven. You can't sit there and say we're all guilty because of association.

"Let the tests come out. If you're positive, you're positive. If you're not, then leave us alone. It's in our best interests just to play baseball and let the tests speak for itself," he said. "But we've brought it on ourselves."