Bobby is currently the General Manager and Assistant Publisher at the Daily Statesman after serving his term as Managing Editor. He wears many hats in the office, including coordinator of all things online, but his real passion is sports.

More juice, anyone?

Posted Thursday, May 7, 2009, at 9:36 PM

50 game suspension for Manny Ramirez.

Busted!

Manny Ramirez joined a growing lineup of All-Stars linked to drugs Thursday, with the dreadlocked slugger banished for 50 games by a sport that cannot shake free from scandal.

The Dodgers organization is devastated and the city is crushed by Manny Ramirez's suspension. Fans have been crazy about Manny but now feel betrayed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star said he did not take steroids and was prescribed medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance.

The commissioner's office didn't announce the specific violation by the 36-year-old outfielder, who apologized to the Dodgers and fans for "this whole situation."

However, testing by Major League Baseball showed that Ramirez had testosterone in his body that was not natural and came from an artificial source, two people with knowledge of the case told ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. The sources said that in addition to the artificial testosterone, Ramirez was identified as using the female fertility drug human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG.

The sources said Ramirez was suspended for using hCG because baseball had documentation to prove his use of the drug. A Major League Baseball source said Ramirez's representatives indicated they would fight a suspension for using artificial testosterone.

Ramirez, in a statement issued by the players' union, said: "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.

The question is do you believe Ramirez or is he just another A-Rod?

Comments

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Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on dexterstatesman.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

No, I don't believe him, but nor do I care. I'm sick of hearing about A-Rod, Clemens, and Bonds, and all the other knuckle heads that juiced up, including McGwire. MLB either needs to step up and clean it up, or give them all steroids at the start of spring training. Either way, I'll still watch.

-- Posted by BonScott on Fri, May 8, 2009, at 12:59 AM
Nope...don't believe him. His story sounds fishy to me.

-- Posted by fun2teach on Fri, May 8, 2009, at 3:18 PM
I say pump it, shoot it, snort it, rub it....anything goes! NWE meets America's Pasttime!

What a **** joke and like you say Bon, we will all still watch.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Mon, May 11, 2009, at 10:24 AM
I say get rid of all the cheaters in baseball, this scurge on the game I love so much is very disheartening. Bring back the days of Hank Aaron, Willy Mays, George Brett, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson, Ernie Banks and more. Back then players respected the integrity of the game.

-- Posted by chuckd on Tue, May 12, 2009, at 12:00 PM
GREER, are you putting pine tar and 'roids in the same debate? I think you are not, but just checking.

When I think George Brett, I think of Garth Brooks coming out of a piano in Kemper Arena wearing a Brett #5 jersey to open the Fresh Horses tour!!!!!!!! And pine tar. And a big wad of tobacco. And the worst call in WS history, circa 1985. And seeing Bretts final home game in Royals stadium. And getting my first book on hitting written by Brett and hitting coach Charlie Lau when I was 11. I also think about an era when steroids weren't used and the game seemed much more pure.

-- Posted by shannonhoon on Tue, May 12, 2009, at 11:48 PM
The game was pure when the media wasn't allowed in the locker room or the dugout. Baseball is a game of cheats and pushing the envelope to win: stealing signs, vaseline, pine tar, emery boards, corked bats, amphetimines, nicotine...where do you draw the line?

The fact is, MLB turned their heads when the game needed it. Now, make some rules and abide by them, which they are apparently trying to do.

Players like Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, etc., belong in the Hall of Fame b/c they played their career in a time when the game, owners and the players' union tolerated steroid use. So get off your high horse.

-- Posted by layne staley on Thu, May 21, 2009, at 10:16 PM
Well put Layne, I tend to agree with you.

-- Posted by BonScott on Fri, May 22, 2009, at 1:01 AM

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