Manny Suspended Fifty Games for Drug Use
Ramirez Suspended 50 Contests for Use of Performance-enhancing Drugs
May 7, 2009
Major League Baseball announced May 7th that superstar outfielder Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended effective Thursday, May 7th, after testing positive for using an unspecified performance-enhancing drug.
Ramirez was suspended for violating MLB's joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, according to a Major League Baseball spokesman.
Manny declined to appeal the suspension instead of running the risk of missing crucial mid-season games. Instead, he ensures that he'll be back in the Dodgers' line-up by July 1. Had he appealed the suspension he could have missed critical contests spanning the dog days of summer. "I think he felt it was better to serve it and get it underway [now]," theorized Peter Gammons of ESPN.
In a prepared statement, Manny acknowledged responsibility for his suspension. "I didn't [specifically] know what [the drug] was," Ramirez said. "It was my mistake for not checking it out ... [and] ... It is my responsibility [to do so] under the Major League Baseball drug policy."
Manny's agent, Scott Boras, declined to identify which perfomance-enhancing drug that Ramirez had been taking. "It was a performance-enhancing drug prescribed by a doctor for a specific medical condition," Boras said.
Gammons, who spoke directly with Boras Thursday morning, said Boras was typically closemouthed about the matter. "He didn't say [specifically what drug it involved]," said Gammons. "He said it was a private matter ... [although] it's [Manny's] responsibility as a player."
Generally speaking, the baseball world appeared stunned at the news. Many baseball reporters and fans simply accepted Ramirez as a hit machine, a batting savant who attained his Hall of Fame numbers through sheer ability and dedication to hitting.
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe said he didn't recall anyone ever asking Ramirez whether or not the slugger had used performance-enhancing drugs. "It was an act of neglect on our part," Massarotti said. "It simply was a failure of the institution on our part."
Although author Howard Bryant agreed with Massarotti, he hammered Ramirez for laying down in 2008. "It was disgusting," Bryant said. "He faked knee injuries to get out of town, and by the time he left [the Red Sox] were glad to see him go."
That said, Gammons asserted he'd spoken with an unnamed Boston official Thursday who discounted the chance that Manny used during his time with the club. "They said there was no way that Manny would knowingly use steroids," said Gammons. Apparently, other types of performance-enhancing drugs were not addressed.
