Not the Dodgers’ lucky number
The Los Angeles Dodgers just set a modern Major League record when they won their 13th consecutive home game to start the 2009 season. Apparently, 13 is an unlucky number for number 99, Manny Ramirez.
Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times report that Ramirez has “tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs” and will be suspended 50 games beginning immediately. The suspension makes Manny Ramirez the most recognizable star penalized by Major League Baseball’s testing program, which began in 2003.
It will cost him
The missed games will deduct $7.7 million (roughly 31 percent) of Manny’s $25-million salary. He won’t need payday loans or credit cards to pay the bills in an emergency like us non-performance enhancing types sometimes do.
According to a source familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak publicly, Ramirez will likely attribute the positive test results to medication given to him by his personal doctor. Apparently, he’d never had a problem with Dr. Feelgood before.
“Most likely 90 percent”
Someone else who knows the good doctor is Jose Canseco. Recently, the inflated attention-hound said Ramirez’s name “is most likely, 90 percent” on the list of 104 players who failed a drug test in 2003. Those players were promised anonymity by Major League Baseball at the time.
“I got no comment, nothing to say about that,” Ramirez said to the LA Times in response to Canseco’s comment. “What can I say? I don’t even know the guy.”
Is this Manny Being Manny?
To fill the vacant roster slot, the Dodgers called up promising young outfielder Xavier Paul from their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s. If the suspension of Ramirez does indeed take affect today, the colorful designated hitter in an outfielder’s body won’t be eligible to return to the Dodgers until July 3.
Baseball needs some good news, as this is the second drug scandal to hit in the past four months. The other highest-paid player in the game, Alex Rodriguez, has admitted to taking steroids before MLB’s testing policy went into effect in 2003. However, if the ongoing investigation (which will also address allegations of pitch tipping) shows that A-Rod used performance-enhancing drugs during his time with the New York Yankees (during the testing era where suspensions are mandatory), he will also be suspended. It will be yet another dark day for the national game.
“No comment”
As unconfirmed reports circulated around Dodger Stadium during the Dodgers’ 10-3 victory of the Washington Nationals, Scott Boras, the agent for Manny Ramirez, declined comment. Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney also would not comment because he was limited by league policy. An official announcement had yet to be made.
Baseball labor lawyer Rob Manfred and Michael Weiner of the players’ union, also would not return messages left for them regarding the issue.
Dismantling the batting order
As any baseball fan knows, not having Manny Ramirez completely changes the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ lineup. Juan Pierre, a speedy slap hitter who likely won’t hit as many home runs in his career as Ramirez does in one season, will be the likely choice to take over left field duties in Manny’s absence. Pierre brings a better glove to the field, but his bat will not change the way pitchers approach the entire Dodgers lineup the way “Man Ram” does. In the meantime, we’ll see if they can hold onto their lead in the National League West.
For the record, at the time of his suspension, Ramirez paced the Dodgers in batting average (.348), on-base average (.492) and slugging (.641). He was tied with Andre Ethier for the team lead in home runs with six. That’s a lot of offense to miss for 50 games. The kind of offense you can’t buy with payday loans and credit cards.
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If he was prescribed steroids by a physician for a medical condition, then that might be a little unfair. Steroids ARE used to treat a lot of conditions, asthma being one, cancer, AIDS, and Lupus. (Although it’s supposedly never lupus.) That said, if it’s the same doctor that Canseco got his from…something’s up.