UPDATE: Read the most recent comment (after one of our lengthy back-and-forths) where Sherm has posted an article with more details on the Manny suspension.
Reports are slowly trickling in that Manny Ramirez will be suspended for 50 games for violating the league’s drug policy.
Ramirez has issued the below statement:
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. 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. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.
Now we all know that the first public statement made by a player is usually not the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Many of the players who testified before Congress, most notably the finger-wagging Rafael Palmiero, later changed their stories. Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez have given gradually changing accounts of their steroid/PED use. Therefore, it would be foolish to take Manny’s statement at face value.
We know that a 50 game suspension for one of baseball’s biggest stars is not something the league is going to pull a quick trigger on. A simple misunderstanding with a doctor is not going to lose you half a season without more to the story. I don’t yet know what Manny is accused of taking, and whether it is even considered a performance-enhancing drug. I think it is too early to start drawing concrete conclusions on anything.
What I can say at this point is that I am not surprised. We live in an age of baseball where you are being naive if you are certain that someone did not use steroids or PED. This is especially true of someone with Manny’s pedigree. Statistically, Ramirez is one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. The guy has consistently terrorized pitchers for more than a decade. The guy has 162 game averages of .315, 41 HR, 133 RBI and a 1.006 OPS. A beast at the plate, no question.
Other statistical beasts? Look at the third paragraph. Can one really be shocked any more when a modern-day super slugger is accused of, or found guilty of, using PED? I say no. Would Albert Pujols, who is a mountain of muscle, surprise me? Not anymore. Would David Ortiz, who is following an all-too-familiar pattern of huge numbers followed by a sharp down-turn and nagging injuries that continue to crop up? Would Mark Teixeira, a slugger who has eerie resemblances to Giambi, really catch me off-guard?
I have written here before that I do not agree with rule-breaking steroid use. If some play the game clean, all should play it clean. I can link to the posts and comments where I have done so (for anyone who thinks I have been “cavalier” in the past). What I have taken issue with is those people who seem to hold PED/steroids in a different light than amphetamines, ball-doctoring, sign-stealing…etc. These are different forms of the same crime, cheating. I will not hold one group of cheaters any less accountable.
I don’t like Manny from what I have seen of him as a player and i find it easy to believe what I have read from reputable sources about him as a person. I don’t buy the ”Manny being Manny” crap, I see it as Manny being a preening, self-absorbed ass. I have never denied his talent though. I still believe that many of the game’s notorious cheats are some of the best players ever to play the game. Lots of guys have used steroids and sucked. Bonds, Clemens and Arod were awesome with or without the juice, but most probably better with it.
The Manny case, as much as we know about it to this point, is no worse than any other because its Manny. I can’t say I hate seeing it happen to him, but he hasn’t done worse than many others before him. Maybe I’m numb to it by now, maybe I think people should stop being surprised at this point. For now, I reserve any further judgment until all the facts shake out, if they ever do.
