Manny Ramirez SUSPENDED 50 games for pos drug test

[TedBallgame]

I guess the Manny being Manny thing finally caught up with him. He will lose approx. 1/3 of his $25m salary. I was glad when the Red Sox dumped him and even happier now. Let's see what kinda attitude he comes back with in June or July...I suspect he'll just shrug it off.

How dumb can a person be???

[Doug]

These guys must be pretty dumb to keep getting busted.

[canjond]

Who is really surprised by this? This just adds more fuel to the fire that there should be two separate home run lists!

[Anthony S.]

Yo soy juiced.

[J.McMurry]

no need for separate HR lists.

Aaron and Maris are still the kings.:D

[kmac32]

Doing time at a good spay neuter clinic would be appropriate for Manny in my opinion. He could be a patient!!!

[Merrillstoys]

no need for separate HR lists.

Aaron and Maris are still the kings.:D

What about Mantle ?
How much better would he have been
if he didn't drink ?

[calvindog]

Look, the fact is so many guys were doing it that I almost can understand the mentality of players feeling that they needed to juice in order to keep up. That being said, it is still wrong even if others were doing it and Manny is an utter disgrace. When he was lazy in the field and disruptive in the clubhouse everyone looked the other way just because Manny could hit. Now that he's been exposed, what is the point of his continued existence in baseball? Same goes with Plaxico Burress. The wreckage that these players have caused to their teams is just totally inexcusable.

[packs]

hearing that it was a sexual enhancer. throws a cog into everyone's opinion so far.

[chaddurbin]

being a dodgers fan, i'm glad he's in la. up to this point he's done more good than harm for the team/city. i'm not that surprised at the name(s) testing positive anymore...steroids, PEDs, doctor's prescription whatever. maybe i'd feel better if it was some meds from a doctor and not steroids/enhancer, but it wouldn't necessarily change my perception of him.

[rhettyeakley]

Well, there goes my Fantasy team!

Not surprising, but what an idiot!

-Rhett

[Griffins]

Quan- you think Manny's been bad for the team?
I think he's been great since he got here- just the merch sales alone last August and September were thru the roof. And he was the best player in baseball those 2 months. This year he's been the key to the teams phenominal start, so I've got to disagree he's been bad for the team.
With the economy though attendance has been down this year, despite a record 13 straight home wins. They've still got a lot of talent, but this will hurt, both on the field and at the box office.

[slidekellyslide]

Schadenfreude! :D

[chaddurbin]

No T...just the opposite he's been a godsend. this does bring some clouds to the 80 degree day but can't say i'm totally shocked. whatever my bigger worry is the team sustaining until july.

edit: oh i see now where i messed up and confused you...i mixed up my "harm" and "good"

[slidekellyslide]

My friend Malcolm is going to be highly disappointed to hear this news as he just purchased a plane ticket to LA specifically to see the Dodgers.

[autograf]

I find it interesting...........if you go to a new doctor and they prescribe a medicine....wouldn't you check the banned substances list to see if that medicine was on it? Is it much more complicated than that? I mean, is it some derivative or component of the medicine that causes the hit or is he full of crap and on the juice? My vote is the latter................

[rdwyer]

Once again, what does this teach our children? It's OK to cheat. (?) Manny and others should be banned forever. To let them play again only tells children that it's OK. If he does return, the Dodgers should have an asterisk next to their team name.

[packs]

i'm reading now that Manny tested positive for the substance HCG, which is a women's fertility drug. from what i understand it seems like the drug HCG is used by serious steroid users who are looking to start back up the natural testosterone production in their body. if that's true then it looks like Manny is a committed and repeated user.

[Mark]

I find it interesting...........if you go to a new doctor and they prescribe a medicine....wouldn't you check the banned substances list to see if that medicine was on it? Is it much more complicated than that? I mean, is it some derivative or component of the medicine that causes the hit or is he full of crap and on the juice? My vote is the latter................


If his official account of things were true, his representatives would be hurling accusations of malpractice and launching $100 million lawsuits against the doctor who slipped him the stuff.

[Anthony S.]

Update from Espn:

According to the story: "HCG is a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Bonds, Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO." According to the story, male athletes usually use HCG after a cycle of steroids "because steroids often shut down the testosterone-making ability of the testicles. HCG restores their capacity to make testosterone." HCG may be used by some males in lieu of steroids, according to the source. Ramirez reportedly will not appeal the suspension.

[whycough]

He got nailed for a female fertility drug, HCG, used to restart a man's natural testosterone level after coming off a steroid cycle: a masking agent. Gammons is already enabling by crowing that the positive test was not steroids. Peter Gammon's usual.
Last great (non pitcher) player: Mantle.

[danc]

The truth of the matter is that it would not come to surprise if anyone tested positive anymore. To be caught today just shows pure stupidity. The drug that was found in his system was a female hormone drug used to create testosterone and usually found it's way in an athlete's cabinet to assist in the production and to help build the body back after steroid use. Canseco was right once again and another career ruined.

Dan

[barrysloate]

Are there any home run hitters left who haven't been accused of taking steroids? It really became a matter of if you didn't take them you would fall behind the other players. You almost had to follow suit just to survive.

[autograf]

I don't know Barry but don't succumb to the pressure of the other auctioneers.....we can't afford to lose you to the juice!

[barrysloate]

In order to compete with the big auction houses I might have to take steroids.

[calvindog]

Are there any home run hitters left who haven't been accused of taking steroids? It really became a matter of if you didn't take them you would fall behind the other players. You almost had to follow suit just to survive.

Sadly, I agree.

As for the remaining few clean HR hitters: Griffey, Jr. and Jim Thome. Anyone else?

[Rich Klein]

Jeff:

Thome's build and power stroke is very similar to many of the other known "cheaters" and with the way his game evolved; I'm instinctively not so sure

Griffey's career followed a normal arc and I believe he is cleaner than most.

And in something almost forgotten; Manny Alexander once took the rap for steroids found in Manny's car. Something now tells me with more certainty; that was a pre-arranged guilt trip for Manny A,

Regards
Rich

[Peter_Spaeth]

Frank Thomas.

[Rich Klein]

And I'll take my chances on him being a clean player

[canjond]

Griffey and Thomas... Thome is still questionable.

Oops - see Peter beat me to Thomas.

[canjond]

And we should also not forget Fred McGriff - while I wasn't a fan of his, the guy belted 493 HR's in his career and was (and continues to be) completely overlooked.

[Cat]

Cecil Fielder hit over 50 homers one year, but I am sure he was mainlining cheeseburgers...and pizzas...and more cheeseburgers.

[Rich Klein]

And to me; he'll be the victim of the 1994 strike; for without that break; he probably would have hit 500 homers and be enshrined ASAP into Cooperstown.

And he's another one; that I've never heard whispers on

Rich

[insidethewrapper]

I see that MLB players with ADHD increased from 28 to 103 from 2006 to 2007. Ritalin can really improve performance, so can eye surgury increase vision to 20/10 like Tiger Woods. Can steroids increase eye hand coordination and vision ? Some day the whole league will be on ADHD medication and have eye lasik surgury etc.

[slidekellyslide]

I once watched the Indians take batting practice from the right field overhang in Detroit....some guys were hitting the ball up there and the fans were catching what they could...Thome got up and was hitting line drive blasts up there so hard that people were hesitant to event try catching them. I'm not saying that's proof he was roiding, but man can that guy hit the ball hard.

[triwak]

So far, pretty sure Pujols has not been linked to anything. I'm a die hard Cardinals fan, so holding my breath!

[slidekellyslide]

edited out my post as I've further looked into the allegations against Pujols trainer and they turned out to be false. I guess I only remember the accusation and not the retraction.

[ullmandds]

pujols is huugggeee!

[donmuth]

Have any of the board members been to a vintage baseball league game?

I live in Alabama, so I am not aware of any vintage baseball teams around here. I need to check some more and see though.

All this junk about steroids in MLB though (e.g. Manny as the latest example) sure makes me wish vintage baseball would catch on and somehow compete with MLB for Americans' hard earned relaxation time and entertainment dollars.

[fkw]

Dont forget....

Mantle lived on "Greenies"


Manny is one of the greatest of all time, same with Bonds and A-Rod.

Blame the numbers on the million dollar home gyms, not 'roids.

PS. These modern guys workout 100X more than a Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Aaron, Mantle, etc........ and drink & smoke 100X less. They better have good numbers.