My dad called me from Florida this afternoon and asked me if I heard the news. At first I thought some terrible disaster had happened. Then he gave me the news.
Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by MLB for failing a drug test. Harold Reynolds on the MLB Network said today he was watching the Dodgers game last night and it appeared Ramirez appeared down and wasn't enjoying last night's game. And there were rumors in the press box in LA last night that a positive drug test was about to be announced in the next 24 hours.
And it was Manny. Holy mackerel. More from ESPN.
He says he took a drug from a doctor for a "personal issue" that has been identified as the drug HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). It boosts testosterone and is prescribed for fertility treatment and also to treat hypogonadism, which is sometimes a by-product of anabolic steroid use.
Yikes.
Ramirez will now sit for 50 games, and barring rainouts, he will not be eligible to return until July 3rd, when the Dodgers play the Padres. He will also lose approximately $7.7 million in salary. What will this do to his Hall of Fame credentials? It will take a big hit no doubt.
When I heard that Manny got nailed my first reaction was that I was glad this didn't happen while he was in a Red Sox uniform. (And I wonder how big the smile was on Theo Epstein's face was when he got the news about Manny today?)
And thankfully Jason Bay is in one.
1 comment:
The suspicion around steroids takes down someone else. Don't know if I was surprised-more bemused. The ugly stains of the past continue to appear.
One day, the times comes when you cannot outrun the choices you have made. At least Manny has not pulled a Roger Clemens or Rafael Palmiero.
Manny had better come clean and disclose if he had a medication condition or whatever it was.
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