Just Manny being Manny

Dan_ed · « **on:** 7 May 2009, 04:43 pm »

"Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games for violating its drug policy."

Gawd, I am soooo glad he is out of Boston!

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 May 2009, 05:40 pm »

Here is what Manny is saying:

Quote

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. 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.

I have to admit that I am shocked by this. Manny has been a model of consistency (from a production standpoint only) and there hasn't been any noticeable physical change.

If he really did pass 15 drug tests and hadn't failed one previously, why is he getting a 50 game suspension? I thought the first violation was 10 games, not 50?

George

TF1216 · « **Reply #2 on:** 7 May 2009, 06:05 pm »

I think congress increased the severity of the penalty for steroid use last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_drug_policy

I am always curious what the testing results revealed.

sts9fan · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 May 2009, 06:13 pm »

its gonna be interesting to see when this failed test occured

Dan_ed · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 May 2009, 06:17 pm »

It doesn't seem to be steroids. Manny is smarter than that. Uh, not by much though. I suspect that statement was written and released by Boras. Manny is doing pretty well in LA, but the market survey these two did over the off-season did not prove fruitful for Boras. So I suspect the idea was to figure out a way to get a little bump in Manny's performance to try to get another team's attention. Looks like this backfired worse than the tirade that got him booted from Beantown.

I don't know if people realize this but Manny pictures himself a something of a revolutionary politically. Che Guevara-kind of revolutionary. I think he looks for ways to poke the noses of the bourgeoise MLB every chance he gets.

Then couple that with Boras and his marketing/negotiation gamesmanship and you get a great season of As Manny's World Turns. But, keep in mind that until Manny signed with LA Boras had never made much on Manny. He was not the agent when Manny got the huge deal in Boston from the previous owners.

Scott says "I's got ta get paid!"

TF1216 · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 May 2009, 06:38 pm »

ED maybe?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AjRXDZuANrQQzYEkokONWSc5nYcB?slug=ys-ramirezsuspension050709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Dan_ed · « **Reply #6 on:** 7 May 2009, 06:43 pm »

Manny is working on swinging his other bat!

Dan_ed · « **Reply #7 on:** 7 May 2009, 07:13 pm »

Ya know. The more I think about this release from a "source" I'm convinced this is Boras using a Cinton-esque approach because it IS Manny. My first reaction was a quip about Manny treating ED. So how much of a pass do you think people will give Manny by virtue of comic relief? The more I think about it, the less funny it gets.

zybar · « **Reply #8 on:** 7 May 2009, 07:20 pm »

I guess I am looking at it from a different viewpoint...why would he fail now when he has passed his previous 15 tests?

George

Dan_ed · « **Reply #9 on:** 7 May 2009, 07:36 pm »

The other 15 tests could have been at anytime over the last 5 seasons. They could have all been in the first two or three while he was still with Boston. The article says he tested positive for this substance in spring training. I'd bet he had everything explained to him completely at that time. Then he tests positive again more recently for the same substance. And this isn't steroids or his career would probably be finished.

Oh, I don't think he has a history if that's what you mean. He is really just a big kid, probably an adolescent on the emotional scale. This time he really messed up and I think he knows it. That's why we see the appearance of a "truly apologetic" Manny.

I wonder why he felt the need? Maybe that's what your thinking?

TF1216 · « **Reply #10 on:** 7 May 2009, 07:38 pm »

I remember hearing that Manny put in extra effort this off-season to improve his physique. One could look this situation now in that he was taking performance enhancers or the added training and diet change could have affected his libido in a negative way.

Dan_ed · « **Reply #11 on:** 7 May 2009, 07:40 pm »

True, but he could also just be feeling the effects of getting older. MAN! Do I know that feeling this year.

The achy, slowing down thing. Not the ED, I'm good to go. I know. TMI, Dan!

And, if Manny does have ED why doesn't he use Viagra like the other folks?

Dan_ed · « **Reply #12 on:** 7 May 2009, 11:08 pm »

OOOOOooo! He is soooooo, screwed! Yes, how long back does this go.

zybar · « **Reply #13 on:** 7 May 2009, 11:12 pm »

Great article on ESPN by Bill Simmons:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090507&sportCat=mlb

George

Dan_ed · « **Reply #14 on:** 8 May 2009, 12:25 pm »

yep, we've lost an entire generation of baseball players and probably won't know the full extent of this for years.

I do think Simmons is applying excessive use of editorial licensing to make his point, but it does make us think.

jermmd · « **Reply #15 on:** 8 May 2009, 12:43 pm »

Quote from: zybar on 7 May 2009, 05:40 pm

I have to admit that I am shocked by this. Manny has been a model of consistency (from a production standpoint only) and there hasn't been any noticeable physical change.

If he really did pass 15 drug tests and hadn't failed one previously, why is he getting a 50 game suspension? I thought the first violation was 10 games, not 50?

George

Are you being sarcastic? I can't believe anybody would be shocked by this. They are all using steroids! Especially the older guys who are still putting up monster power numbers. When Jeter gets busted for using them earlier in his career, I think that everyone will accept this fact that steroids are ubiquitous in pro sports.

Joe

zybar · « **Reply #16 on:** 8 May 2009, 01:16 pm »

Quote from: jermmd on 8 May 2009, 12:43 pm

Quote from: zybar on 7 May 2009, 05:40 pm
I have to admit that I am shocked by this. Manny has been a model of consistency (from a production standpoint only) and there hasn't been any noticeable physical change.

If he really did pass 15 drug tests and hadn't failed one previously, why is he getting a 50 game suspension? I thought the first violation was 10 games, not 50?

George

Are you being sarcastic? I can't believe anybody would be shocked by this. They are all using steroids! Especially the older guys who are still putting up monster power numbers. When Jeter gets busted for using them earlier in his career, I think that everyone will accept this fact that steroids are ubiquitous in pro sports.

Joe

No, I wasn't being sarcastic - I wasn't shocked that a Hall of Fame level player was caught, I was shocked or surprised that it was Manny.

Yesterday when I made some of my other posts, they were based upon the facts available at the time.

In light of further info coming out that showed that Manny is being treated as a fertility challenged woman, I think it is safe to say this was not a simple oversight or mix-up - clearly he was cheating.

As for Jeter...I would be beyond shocked!! I still don't think it is (or was) close to as widespread as you are saying Joe. However, I also don't think it was just 5-10%.

George

TF1216 · « **Reply #17 on:** 8 May 2009, 01:18 pm »

Thank you for the link George. I hate to admit it but I have been waiting for a reputable source to write what was found in the article.

Manny has the right to appeal the suspension if it is truly for medical reasons. I believe Derek Lowe takes the banned substance, adderall, which is allowed by MLB because he needs it for medical reasons.

TF1216 · « **Reply #18 on:** 8 May 2009, 01:25 pm »

Interesting...

From the link below:
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2008/01/16/is-adderall-as-big-a-problem-as-hgh-steroids-in-baseball/

Amid discussion of steroids and human growth hormone, amid an atmosphere more tame than tempestuous, it was Representative John F. Tierney, a Massachusetts Democrat, who caught everyone's attention when he asked why the number of major leaguers claiming therapeutic-use exemptions for attention deficit disorder had mushroomed to 103 this past season from 28 in 2006.

To Mr. Tierney, the implication of the sharp increase was clear. Players were brazenly getting around the ban on amphetamines by making attention deficit disorder claims that allowed them to use stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall. Based on the 2007 numbers, Mr. Tierney said, the use of such stimulants among major leaguers was "almost eight times the adult use in our population.

Dan_ed · « **Reply #19 on:** 8 May 2009, 01:53 pm »

Yes, I do believe there is a waiver process for some substances. But you probably have to disclose more than Manny was willing to. I'm just glad he is gone and that the current Red Sox organization is very pro-active against doping, along with all MLB teams today.

I think Pettitte is a pretty stand up guy and even he admits to doing something once. Jeter is also pretty classy in my opinion. (A-rod is another story.) Might he have also tried the growth hormone once? I don't know. I'd like to think not, but back 5 years and more there were many dabbling. If Jeter ever did also I seriously doubt it was for any length of time.

What do you guys think about the remainder of Manny's career? With the stance that LA is taking I will be surprised if Manny is gets another gig anytime soon. Are any MLB teams that desperate? Didn't seem like it in the last off season and that was before this crap hit the fan.