The baseball world was rocked yet again with another bombshell yesterday. Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance. But, NO it wasn't steroids. And it was in fact a performance enhancer. Manny just wanted to swing his stick better so he turned to HCG or Human Chorionic Gonodrotopin. Of course the stick I'm talking about isn't made by Louisville and was a crude attempt at an erectile dysfunction joke, but I'm not the one in question here.
I'm still not sold on his guilt. That being said that could change within the minute if something new breaks but I am sort of on board with Bob Ryan's opinion. If there is ONE person in this league that could take something and not know its effects Manny would most likely be that guy. He is best known for his on/off-field antics and this could just be another one. I am not naïve. I know that any person in baseball could be taking steroids or PED's but how about a few facts that can at least attempt to support my theory.
Steroids DON'T make you a better hitter, BOTTOM LINE. What they do is make you a more powerful hitter IF you make contact.
Steroids DON'T enhance your hand-eye coordination. That's god-given and Manny has probably the best knowledge of the strike zone.
Manny has passed approximately 15 drug tests over recent seasons.
I know what you're thinking. This doesn't really prove anything. Ya know what? You're right. But how about this, when someone that knows baseball thinks Manny Ramirez what do they think of. Right-Center field gap power. That is the easiest way to tell if someone is a slugger or if they are a pure hitter, by their ability to hit to the opposite field with authority. Manny's spray chart shows that he has more opposite field home runs than ANYONE in Major League Baseball over his career. Go find McGwire, Palmiero, and Sosa's charts and you will see 75% or more of their home runs were to Center and Left. This means that Manny stands alone in seeing the baseball deeper into the hitting zone to hit the ball the other way. The knack of a true hitter.
I heard an asinine comment from Mike Felger (total shocker) from Thursday's Dale and Holley show on WEEI. His exact words were, "Surprise, Surprise, another Dominican player tested positive for steroids." As ignorant and as racist as that is, I'm not sure that it's that far from the truth. With the esteemed Angel Presinal being from the Dominican and Manny having a home in Miami he very easily could have made the excursion to the home land.
There is the alternative though that he did do steroids and HCG would be the PERFECT chemical to cycle off your PED's with. It is a known fact that after excessive Steroid use your testicles shrink. Which, one, leads me to believe that Jose Canseco may look castrated, and two this would cause Manny's impotency and therefore his need for something to spike his sex drive. If I'm not mistaken Viagra is legal for MLB players and if he would have taken that he would have been in the clear. Canseco has went on record saying that he would give it a 90% certainty that Manny was on that list of the unnamed test that leaded A-Rod's name to the public. The prophet strikes again!
If MLB is still looking into this, which they should be, and it comes back that the doctor prescribed it to him unknowingly that would now be two suspensions for players that would not have been warranted. The other being Phillies reliever JC Romero. Something will need to be done because ball players don't have the normal tenure of "the working man" they work for approximately 20 years (if they're lucky) and that's it. If people are getting suspended for unjust causes, that's money, time and passion that they are losing and that's probably the most unethical part of all.
One of the more concerning things to me was the reaction of David Ortiz. A staunch supporter of the drug testing policy and anti-steroids he said, "It's confusing man, some things are on the list and some things, aren't. You just have to be careful." Playing like someone who is clearly on the decline (or off of steroids for the first time) it sounds as if he's changing his stance because a friend was nabbed. We already have flip floppers in Washington Papi, we don't need them in Boston as well. Ortiz who was surprisingly upbeat earlier in the week despite being mired in his season long slump was very sullen in that interview. Whether it be because a friend is in pain or he feels in danger that he might be caught this may open floodgates.
Maybe, Manny is taking this whole thing in stride by not saying a word and taking responsibility for his actions or inactions for that matter. But if it were me and I know for sure that I was not taking anything to enhance my performance (outside of the bedroom) I would be in Bud Selig's office right now pleading my case and filing appeal after appeal after appeal.
The major difference for me between this fiasco and the A-Rod debacle for me, is that he wasn't so anti-doping prior to and didn't call attention to himself (Katie Couric interview) to try to boldface lie in order to deflect the negative PR that comes with being a steroid abuser. I'm still not sure if Manny did it, and hopefully for his sake, and baseball's it comes back that it was a 50 game misunderstanding. But right now, like the Magic 8-Ball says, "All signs point to yes."
Stay Tuned
Ryan
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