Amid all the speculation regarding the specifics of Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension–What was he taking? Did he do it with the Red Sox? Is he really that stupid?–no one is asking the question that could perhaps best illustrate baseball’s we’re-not-effing-around stance on so-called “performance enhancement.”

Where will Manny’s eight million dollars go?

Specifically, Manny will lose $7.7 million of the $25 million due to him for this year’s services. But what happens to it? Do the Dodgers keep it? A seven-figure check seems like an odd incentive for signing a player that was allegedly doping during his days with the Red Sox. Seems convenient, especially after the Dodgers and Ramirez haggled over the contract for so long in the offseason. Simply returning Manny’s salary to the Dodgers creates an odd incentive to expose marquee players with hefty contracts, making it appear that baseball is cracking down more than it actually is.

No, that money should go toward either the considerable expense of the testing or some kind of anti-steroid campaign that would satisfy the mothers of the world that insist that society should be raising their children. There’s no point in holding the players accountable if baseball isn’t doing the same with the teams that sign them. Do that and your precious little game will be de-’roided at a much healthier pace.