Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games

[Hammer]

Ramirez suspended 50 games for drug violation

By RONALD BLUM, AP
Thu May 7, 12:32 PM EDT
Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile player ensnared in the sport's drug scandals.

The commissioner's office didn't announce the specific violation by the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, who will lose about one-third of his $25 million salary.

``Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,'' Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players' union.

``Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.''

This is the second major drug revelation to hit baseball in the last few months. In February, Alex Rodriguez admitted taking steroids while playing for Texas from 2001-03. But that was before the start of testing with penalties under a program agreed to by players and management. The New York Yankee star doesn't appear likely to be suspended.

Ramirez is the third player suspended this year under the major league program, following Philadelphia reliever J.C. Romero and Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre.

Just two relatively low-profile players were suspended under the major league program last year, San Francisco catcher Elizier Alfonzo and Colorado catcher Humberto Coto.

In the past, the best-known player penalized was Baltimore's Rafael Palmeiro, who received a 10-day suspension in 2005, the first year of penalties for first infractions.

[BluewaterBrad]

WOW!!!! 50 games!!:mickey:

[kakn7294]

Something seems fishy here. If what Manny says is true, if this is a medication prescribed by a doctor, even if it's a banned substance, 50 games seems awfully harsh, especially if he's passed 15 previous tests in the past 5 yrs. I need to hear MLB's stand on this before I pass final judgement but right now, it sounds as if Manny got jobbed.

[Jeff G]

Something seems fishy here. If what Manny says is true, if this is a medication prescribed by a doctor, even if it's a banned substance, 50 games seems awfully harsh, especially if he's passed 15 previous tests in the past 5 yrs. I need to hear MLB's stand on this before I pass final judgement but right now, it sounds as if Manny got jobbed.

I'm not a Manny fan but I was thinking the same thing.

[Ian]

I wonder if this is just more of "Manny being Manny"?? :secret:

I actually can't stand this guy. I'd be perfectly happy if they suspended him forever.

I mean I appreciate his talents, but he's just such an incredible jerk that I could never get behind him in any way, shape, or form.

Buh-bye.

[PirateLover]

Hey, J.C. Romero got suspended 50 games for taking an over the counter supplement that was NOT on the banned list, but apparently contained a banned substance as part of the then unlisted ingredients. I don't think this penalty is unfair keeping that in mind. Manny's excuse sounds shaky at best. What he took was clearly a known banned substance. He got this prescription from a doctor in Florida. It is a drug used in fertility treatments for women that has been associated with steroid use in males. It boosts testosterone when they come off a steroid cycle.

From an article on ESPN.com
In a statement issued Thursday, Ramirez said the substance he tested positive for was prescribed by his physician, though it is generally thought that there are few legitimate medical uses for hCG by an otherwise healthy pro athlete.

"We don't know anything about the case other than what is in the press," Tygart acknowledged. "But I think it is highly unlikely an otherwise healthy athlete would need hCG for a legitimate medical purpose. If this is true, and I don't know that it is, it is frankly a failure on his agent [Scott Boras] and his union's part in not better educating him that there is a process where you can obtain permission to use legitimate medications. And that is flabbergasting to me.

"To my knowledge, there are only a couple rare disorders, [one being] pituitary gland disorder, that are legitimate reasons to be using hCG for an otherwise healthy male.''

[barnaby]

As a Red Sox fan, this news is very disheartening.
Puts a damper on the 2 WS rings when he was on the team. :(

[kakn7294]

Hey, J.C. Romero got suspended 50 games for taking an over the counter supplement that was NOT on the banned list, but apparently contained a banned substance as part of the then unlisted ingredients. I don't think this penalty is unfair keeping that in mind. Manny's excuse sounds shaky at best. What he took was clearly a known banned substance. He got this prescription from a doctor in Florida. It is a drug used in fertility treatments for women that has been associated with steroid use in males. It boosts testosterone when they come off a steroid cycle.MLB has yet to comment on the exact substance that Manny tested positive for. The ESPN article lists the source of the information about the specific banned substance as "two people with knowledge of the case". This could still be incorrect information although I doubt it. I would hope MLB wouldn't just arbitrarily hand down a suspension without solid proof - and Manny reportedly retracted his appeal and accepted the suspension.

That aside, like I said previously, I was withholding judgement until I heard both sides. At the time I posted previously, with only Manny's side out there, it sounded like he was being treated wrongly. From what I'm reading now, his punishment appears to fit the crime, especially if this is the standard punishment for all players who test positive.

As a Red Sox fan, this news is very disheartening.
Puts a damper on the 2 WS rings when he was on the team. :(If he tested negative during his Red Sox years, that shouldn't put a damper on those wins at all. The only span of time in question would have been from his last drug test until this most recent one.

[Ian]

If he tested negative during his Red Sox years, that shouldn't put a damper on those wins at all. The only span of time in question would have been from his last drug test until this most recent one.Not neccessarily. The tests recently have gotten much more robust in terms of what they can detect.

That's why you're seeing a lot of guys get busted all of a sudden, because the substances they've been able to use for years undetected are now showing up.

I'd guess Manny's a juicer and has been for many years. The tests just finally caught up with him.

[barnaby]

Not neccessarily. The tests recently have gotten much more robust in terms of what they can detect.

That's why you're seeing a lot of guys get busted all of a sudden, because the substances they've been able to use for years undetected are now showing up.

I'd guess Manny's a juicer and has been for many years. The tests just finally caught up with him.

The actual steroids have been tested since 2005. What Manny failed for wasn't a steroid but what you do in between cycles. Did players know ways to mask the steroids or take undetectable variations - heck yeah.

Do I think Manny was cheating before the test - Yes. This recent failure is a legit violation, not like Romero's.
But there is no evidence to support he did it before, it is conjecture and assumption. And the fact he passed tests for the 4 years cannot be ignored.

Honestly for me, I don't know what to think.
Could he be using now to prolong his career at the high level he played at? Or did he cheat his whole career?

I took this from a thread on another site I post on. I wrote it up the day the news broke.

1. Look at Manny as a rookie and look at him now. Sure he's put on some weight, but who hasn't. Looking "fatter" is part of aging. Looks like natural aging over 15 years.

2. Look at his numbers. Pretty consistent. And as he has aged, his numbers have dipped and he has missed more games due to injury. His power numbers have shown a natural regression. He never had any 50+ homer seasons and he isn't hitting 70 homers at age 35 and older.

4. In 2002-2003, survey testing was done on MLB players. From this list, big names like A-Rod, Clemens, Bonds, Giambi have leaked. Why hasn't Manny's name leaked if it was on there.

5. In 2005, testing became standard with penalties assessed for violators. Again, no Manny? Why not? He was tested.

6. Not too many rumors or allegations have been made about him. Jose Canseco said this past off-season he thought Manny was on the 2003 list. But Canseco's reason - because owners were shying away from signing him. Canseco forgot to mention the obvious - Manny is 36 and wanted a long-term big $ deal in the middle of the worst economic times in 60 years. Maybe Canseco was referring to the present.

7. Of all the stuff I've read, it has always talked about Manny's work ethic off the field. He is guy who 10 years into his career after averaging about .325/35/10 for that time and he was still at th ballpark early taking hacks in the batting cage.

And I can say I am still on the fence.
I truly thought Manny was clean before. But I also thought A-Rod was legit too.

The whole era is clouded. :(

[Ian]

Of course, there's another way to explain all that which would be that Manny was on the juice before he even hit the majors and that's why you never saw any dramatic changes in his size or on-field performance.

And again ... if you work hard enough masking steroid use isn't that difficult. NFL players do it all the time and don't get caught.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Barnaby, if you are talking about the 2003 test, only A-Rod's name came out, and that is only because someone wrote a book about him... No other player's name has come out as failing that 2003 test... Clemens only got outed due to George Mitchell's investigation, NOT the 2003 testing... Bonds and Giambi, along with Gary Sheffield, were identified through the Balco investigations... We can only ASSUME they failed that test, but, we don't know 100% for sure since they won't release the other 102... I also ASSUME Manny, Dave Ortiz, Jim Thome, and Albert Pujols are on there too... But, I could also be wrong.. :)

[barnaby]

Of course, there's another way to explain all that which would be that Manny was on the juice before he even hit the majors and that's why you never saw any dramatic changes in his size or on-field performance.

And again ... if you work hard enough masking steroid use isn't that difficult. NFL players do it all the time and don't get caught.

Both good points.


Barnaby, if you are talking about the 2003 test, only A-Rod's name came out, and that is only because someone wrote a book about him... No other player's name has come out as failing that 2003 test... Clemens only got outed due to George Mitchell's investigation, NOT the 2003 testing... Bonds and Giambi, along with Gary Sheffield, were identified through the Balco investigations... We can only ASSUME they failed that test, but, we don't know 100% for sure since they won't release the other 102... I also ASSUME Manny, Dave Ortiz, Jim Thome, and Albert Pujols are on there too... But, I could also be wrong.. :)

You are correct. I forgot all about the Balco investigations.

I guess you could almost assume a large amont of players from that era (90s to 2005) were cheating. Its sad because after the strike, it was players like McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds that helped turn thngs around. And they were cheaters.

[GAN]

It's just a case of Manny being A-Rod. Supposedly he passed more than 15 tests with the Red Sox over the last couple years -but as Ian said he was probably masking. Although his use didn't bulk him up significantly -he was drafted out of High School(he had just turned 19) and his body didn't seem to explode like some others. My guess he was using more to stay healthy in his "older" years. This does possibly explain the incident in the Red Sox clubhouse where he assaulted an elderly member of the staff for not having the right amount of tickets set aside(or something like that) -sounds like roid rage. As a Red Sox fan who loved to watch him hit to the opposite field, most of us had seen enough of the "show" and will take Jason Bay any day of the week.

[barnaby]

My guess he was using more to stay healthy in his "older" years. This does possibly explain the incident in the Red Sox clubhouse where he assaulted an elderly member of the staff for not having the right amount of tickets set aside(or something like that) -sounds like roid rage. As a Red Sox fan who loved to watch him hit to the opposite field, most of us had seen enough of the "show" and will take Jason Bay any day of the week.

Thats what I tend to think too - he did it to keep up his power and stay healthy in these recent years.

I got tired of Manny after 2004, but put up with his antics in 2007 because of the 2nd WS ring. Last year, I was glad he was traded.

J-Bay has been a beast. No drama, good fielder, solid on the baspaths, hits in the clutch, and has been carrying the offense with Youk early on this season. I hope the Sox lock him up past this season.

[tjstrike]

It's a shame that steriods is going to keep some of the best players of our era from making the H.O.F

The question is, would they have been some of the best players of our era without steriods ?

Or, if you test positive for these banned substances, should any type of title, record or crown be taken away and given to the 1st legit player next in line ?

[GAN]

The real issue in my mind is how can MLB strip players of these honors when the league, although not forwardly, supported the use of these performance-enhancing drugs for years.

[Scar]

The real issue in my mind is how can MLB strip players of these honors when the league, although not forwardly, supported the use of these performance-enhancing drugs for years.What "honors" is MLB stripping? :confused:

[GAN]

What "honors" is MLB stripping? :confused:

TJ had mentioned that some players will be denied entry into the Hall of Fame, and there is also talk of people wanting to use the dreaded asterisk for things like Bonds' HR record.

[gueli]

The MLB hall of fame includes conduct both onfield and off. That is a major difference between them and the Pro football hall of fame.

Did Manny do something wrong - YUP.
Did he recieve a harsh penality - Yup.
does this take away from all he did - Nope.
IMHO his rep- onfield & off is not going to be defined by one single failed test. Will it cause many people to question all his accomplishments- of course it will. Does it make him a bad person ? Depends on what your opinion of him was/is.

:soapbox:
As I stated with the a-roid affair -
MLB Owners, the League & the players ALL made this era of steroids. In my opinion they ALL share the blame. Some may argue that it was the players- but they couldn't have done it without the Owners, the League & the union protecting them (by not testing for many years, or turning a blind eye), and it wasn't until congress started to question them that they changed their tune. Its a sad state of affairs.
:soapbox::ref:

[Scar]

TJ had mentioned that some players will be denied entry into the Hall of Fame, and there is also talk of people wanting to use the dreaded asterisk for things like Bonds' HR record.Any player that is denied entry into the HoF will be denied because the BBWAA won't vote them in. MLB has no say in the matter. Only players banned from baseball are not eligible. So far nobody is (nor should they be) banned because of drugs. Now, going forward might someone like a repeat offender get banned, maybe.

As far as the asterisk, Selig said something stupid about punishing A-Rod somehow, I don't remember if it had to do with any records or not, but I think he pretty much took it back. Other than that, I haven't heard anyone from MLB say anything.