FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Surrounded by memories of Steve Bechler, the Baltimore Orioles closed their clubhouse Friday and silently gathered around players' union head Donald Fehr to hear his stark message: Stay away from ephedra.

Fehr personally backed up a one-page memo sent to all major leaguers this week by his office, warning them to "be extremely reluctant to use any products containing ephedra."

The union cited action taken last week by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which cautioned that users of ephedra-based products face "potentially serious risks."

Making his annual tour of spring training camps, Fehr's visit to Fort Lauderdale Stadium took on special significance. Bechler, a 23-year-old Orioles pitching prospect, died of heatstroke on Feb. 17, and a Florida medical examiner linked the death to ephedra, an herbal supplement used by some athletes to lose weight.

"If that's the cause of the guy's death, then I think we need to stop using that, period," Minnesota Twins star Torii Hunter said in Fort Myers.

Commissioner Bud Selig last week banned players with minor league contracts from using ephedra, but that did not cover players on 40-man major league rosters, who all have major league contracts.

Baseball's labor contract prohibits only illegal drugs and certain steroids. Fehr had said the union would await the yet-to-be-released toxicology report from Bechler's autopsy before deciding whether to re-evaluate its position, which is that players should be allowed to use any legal product.

Ephedra is available without prescriptions in diet supplements.

"It's a legal drug available over the counter, so I don't know what we can do. It's up to Don and those guys," said Jason Johnson, the Orioles' player representative.

Fehr talked to the Orioles for 90 minutes and, with no lingering labor issues for the players to discuss, the No. 1 topic clearly was ephedra.

Bechler's No. 51 is posted on an outfield billboard and seven members of the Baltimore organization will attend a memorial service for him Saturday in his hometown of Medford, Ore. And all season long, the Orioles will wear his number on their sleeves.

"When you have a tragic event, it focuses people's attention in a different way," Fehr said. "Baseball's a pretty small family, and I think players everywhere pretty much reacted the same way."

"It may be that Congress is going to take another look at it," he said. "If they decide that it's unreasonably dangerous and should be banned, then that would eliminate any need to have discussion on the issue."

The memo listed the potential side effects of ephedra and stressed that the HHS warning was directed to "athletes and those who engage in strenuous physical activities."

"Just for overall health, people should take a long look at ephedra," Oakland outfielder Chris Singleton said. "I'm a strong believer that players need to be educated instead of telling them what they can do, or else you make it like a forbidden fruit and people will want it more."

Cleveland pitcher Dave Burba echoed that thought.

"As a father of three, I am not about to risk anything, that's for sure. But I think if you try to ban it, there will be guys somehow, someway that will find a way around it and get the stuff,'' he said. "The best thing to do is educate people and let them make the decision."

The topic even caused teammates to disagree.

"If it isn't good for a baseball player or any athlete to put it into his body, then it should be banned," Pittsburgh shortstop Jack Wilson said.

But Pirates outfielder Craig Wilson said, "My personal feeling is if it's a legal supplement then I don't see why it should be banned. If you can go into a health food store or a vitamin center or whatever then how can you say it's illegal? You're taking it at your own risk."

Twins outfielder Dustan Mohr was fine with that.

"I use it. Every once in a while before a day game and you're not feeling so good, you get a little energy," he said. "I think unless they ban it no one's really going to stop using it."