On CSNNE's Cinco with Cinco, Jonathan Papelbon is asked what his reaction would be if Pedroia charged the mound. He laughed at the idea but when asked about Manny Ramirez he seemed to be up to the challenge. Watch below:
Are we really supposed to take Manny's apology seriously? The guy can't take off his sunglasses inside to address the media, his body language gives off a giant f-you and he has Scott Boras sitting next to him showing that it was all scripted. How did the suspension impact Manny emotionally? It was great according to Ramirez because of all of the support he got; sounds like a tough punishment. Fox joined the apologist bandwagon yesterday by showing his AB's.
Here was Major League Baseball's chance to get tough on PED users and once again they failed. When Manny Ramirez became the first big star to be given a 50 game suspension, MLB touted how their policies were working and that everyone would be treated equally. When Manny violated his suspension by being in the clubhouse and speaking to reporters MLB simply gave him a warning. Now Manny has begun his rehab in the minor leagues which doesn't seem like much of a suspension at all. He has been given a huge spotlight where he can ignore the reasons for being suspended with statements like:
He is acting like he is coming back from an injury and even showed that the suspension did nothing to his reputation:
"I don't want to talk about that," Ramirez told the AP. "I'm not talking about it anymore. I already said what I'm going to say. I'm here to do my rehab, you know ... get a couple at-bats and get back to the big league team."
Was he concerned that after all the work he did repairing his image since his trade to Los Angeles last July, Dodgers fans would still be in love with him?
"They still are," he said. "People love me everywhere I go. I'm excited to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people here."
MLB Network (which is owned by Major League Baseball) showed his at bats live last night. After the game they interviewed the Isotopes manager about how Manny is progressing. The network was actively promoting Manny during his suspension. How is that a punishment? The game was played in front of a record crowd. If a player is suspended for 50 games they should be out of baseball for 50 games. Players should not be allowed to rehab and enjoy the spotlight during their suspension; that goes against the purpose of the suspension. If fans want to forgive Manny that is fine but let him finish his punishment before he gets to bask in the glory of cheering fans and shame on MLB for being part of this glorification of a cheater during his suspension. Why is this happening? Because guys like Donald Fehr and Bug Selig wanted to look tough without actually being tough.
Only Bud Selig could find a way to come up with an answer as bad as this:
He manages to discount the fans by saying I'd like to honor the fans but.... He also shows how clueless he is by saying "it bothers me that someone would cheat at this stage in the game. " Does Selig really believe that the game is clean now and that Manny was just an anomaly? Removing Manny from the All-Star Game would have to be a punishment that was negotiated with the MLBPA. So no matter how long Bud thinks this one over, if Manny is voted in he is going to play. (Unless his grandmother dies again.) Read more...
"I'm going to think about that," Selig said. "He doesn't come back till July 3. Normally, I'm sensitive to the wishes of the fans. If the fans choose someone, I'd like to honor that. But we've been testing players for a long time, and it bothers me that someone would [cheat] at this stage in the game. I've got some time to think about this one."
There is trouble brewing for Bud Selig as the Midsummer Classic draws nearer. Now there's a movement to vote Manny Ramirez as the starting left fielder for the NL All-Star team. The goal according to the website Vote for Manny is:
To highlight the silliness that are the MLB rules towards PED users as well as their "head in the sand" approach to this situation. Rather than confront it head-on, MLB is choosing to do nothing and simply hope there are three higher vote getters in the NL OF.
As seen in a small Red Sox discussion group: Was it Manny being Womanny?
The SF Chronicle has put the pieces together to show why Manny was caught:
Ramirez's test was of concern because his ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, another naturally occurring hormone, exceeded 4 to 1, a source familiar with the case told The Chronicle. Under baseball's testing rules, that result is proof of steroid use.
The human body produces testosterone and another substance, epitestosterone, in a ratio of roughly 1 to 1, scientific studies have shown.
Baseball's testers later obtained documents showing that Ramirez had been using HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, ESPN reported, citing confidential sources. It is a female fertility drug that male steroid users sometimes take to stimulate their body's natural testosterone production, which usually is retarded by steroid users.
All of Manny's excuses that he didn't know what he was taking was banned is pure BS. This is not an accident that he is getting punished for; it is getting caught for trying to coceal his steroid use.
Bill Simmons: Confronting my worst nightmare.
Buster Olney: No tolerance policy must be put in place.
Tom Verducci: Manny Ramirez's suspension sends clear message to fans, players.
Bob Ryan: Just another act in the Manny sideshow.
Tony Mazz: Just Manny being shady.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers responds to questions about Manny Ramirez. Watch below:
UPDATE: Manny's drug choice linked to steroids:
However, two sources told ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada that the drug used by Ramirez is HCG -- human chorionic gonadotropin. 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.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that outfielder Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games for a violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Ramirez is effective immediately.
“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. “I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.” – Manny RamirezRead more...
Since you can't analyze Josh Beckett's performance today, you are stuck with these stories:
Canseco thinks Manny is on the roid list.
Joba's mugshot goes public.
The tricycle is gone...now for some Cricket
Manny Being Manny: Cricket Edition from Big League Stew on Vimeo.
Yes, I know it is time to move on from the Manny stories but we still have not heard from many of the players on their opinion of what went down. Papelbon told Esquire Magazine what he thought:
"He was on a different train!" Paplebon said. "And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him. That comes from the manager, and it comes from guys like Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz.
"So Manny was tough for us. You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ball game, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man!"
Paps seems to say the entire team was behind the move, which is what the press had been saying at the time. Some people thought the press pushed Manny out of town but that does not seem to be the case.
Think Manny Ramirez is in a major jam right now? Think again. Manny left Boston because he wanted more than the $20 million he would be getting for each of the next two years. He has already had offers for more than that and turned them down. If Ramirez would accept a 2 year deal at $27 mil per year he could be playing tomorrow but he is doing what he wants now. He gets to miss spring training, play hours of video games, go to a few car shows and arrive at camp when he is ready. Ramirez will sign with a team before opening day with a deal better than what he would have had if he stayed in Boston. Everyone who thinks Manny is crazy for not taking the last Dodger's offer doesn't realize that Manny is still being Manny and doing exactly what he wants.
Lucchino also had comments about Teixiera, Lowell, Ortiz, and the Yankees & Sox in 2009. Read more..."No, we will not sign Manny. His moment has passed with the Red Sox," said Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.
Lucchino went so far as to mock Manny. Appearing at a fundraiser for the Boston College baseball team on Tuesday, Lucchino handed out some prizes to the audience. A Jonathan Papelbon jersey; a Terry Francona autographed ball. When he gave out a DVD of the Red Sox' 2007 World Series win over the Rockies, Lucchino said, "If you look closely you can see Manny hustle."
Thanks to Sports Illustrated (12/29/08) for this nugget from Tito:
TERRY FRANCONA, RED SOX MANAGER, when asked who was tougher to handle, his 14-year-old daughter, or petulent slugger Manny Ramirez: "I plead the eighth." (Aug. 4)
Manny Ramirez is busy playing video games and buying cars while Scott Boras continues to try to sell his client. So far there has been 1 offer (no longer on the table) from the Dodgers for two years. Boras tried to make it seem as if the Giants were interested but that has been discredited. Today the Mets said they want pitching so they are not interested in Ramirez. The Nats seem content to suck for the near future and the Angels have said they will not sign Manny now nor in the future. That leaves Manny with the choice of signing with LA if they put their offer back on the table or look for a deal elsewhere. The one team that still has the money and desire to sign Manny at a contract that would be acceptalbe to him is the New York Yankees. Boras knows how to play them and Hank loves Manny. Teams are dropping quick for Scotty boy so look for him to turn to the Bronx soon to sign his biggest client.
A newspaper in the Dominican Republic is reporting that Manny Ramirez is close to signing a three year $75 million contract with the Yankees. According to the report he could sign as early as today.
UPDATE: Brian Cashman has said the report is not true in a text message.
A person close to Manny Ramirez told the Daily News that he thinks the Yankees will be offering him at least a three year contract. Three years might be all it takes to land Manny. Are you prepared to see Manny in pinstripes? This would certainly make the rivalry even more interesting.
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