Manny Suspended 50 Games

So, whaddaya know?

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned.

The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today. The Dodgers informed triple-A outfielder Xavier Paul this morning that he was being promoted to Los Angeles . . .

. . . With the suspension taking effect with tonight’s game at Dodger Stadium, Ramirez will not be eligible to return to the team until July 3.

Optimist’s take: Well, the Dodgers didn’t have him until July 31st last year, so they’ll be nearly a month ahead of the game this year!


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Rob Moore
14 years ago

Great.  Now I’ll have to avoid all baseball commentary websites for the next two weeks, minimum.

J. McCann
14 years ago

You have to be s**tting me.

I thought this was one of these headlines to suck you in, and then it turned out that Manny Johnson is suspended.

lar
14 years ago

Yeah. I can’t imagine how the writers will work themselves into a fury about this. Will it be more crucifixion, a la A-Rod? Will they ask themselves how they missed it? will we retroactively give the 2004 and 2007 World Series titles to opposing teams (if A-Rod juiced on the 2004 Yanks and Manny on the 2004 Sox, what AL team wins the retroactive-pennant? Will Curt Schilling talk about the guys in his clubhouse? Will they finally start excusing the PEDs because a player that they like has been found using?

What, oh what, will we be reading for the next two weeks? I can’t wait ot find out…

TomG
14 years ago

Oh no, baseball is ruined! Ruined! Yaaarrgh!

Wells
14 years ago

When I first saw this story, I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1. Sad for baseball.

David
14 years ago

Traffic to MLB.com will increase 50%.  The NBA and NHL playoffs and the NFL draft will all take a backseat to this on sports radio.  ‘SportsCenter’ will spend 20% of their airtime arguing about it. 

In short, MLB Inc.‘s revenues will rise substantially from this. 

Bud Selig is loving every second of it.

BillyBeaneismyHero
14 years ago

Great.  This is exactly what we need.  More ranting by the moronic talking heads ala Jay Marriotti and Steven A. Smith; more “The Sky is Falling Articles” by douchebags like Bill Plaschke and Jon Heyman; and best of all, a tell-all book written about Manny by Dan Shaughnessy that’s chock full of anecdotes by anonymous sources.  I’ve been on this ride before, and it’s making me sick…

Wade
14 years ago

I agree with Wells, in that I became the temporary mayor of double-take town.  More of a village, really.
You gotta be kidding me…

Sara K
14 years ago

This is shamefully cynical of me, but at this point I am just waiting around to hear that Pujols has failed a test. I don’t have the mentality that everyone who is successful is automatically a suspect, but this makes the fourth jaw-droppingly awesome player to drop a positive. It has made me wary of having faith in jaw-dropping awesomeness.  I guess the answer to that is that I shouldn’t be emotionally invested in the first place, that its a sport, better-living-through-lower-expectations, etc.

Believing sure was fun, though.  *sigh*

MooseinOhio
14 years ago

Jason Bay is looking better and better every day.

mike in brooklyn
14 years ago

just picked up juan pierre in my fantasy league.  finally, some stolen bases!

T.B.
14 years ago

Come people, isn’t it obvious that this is a greenies suspension?  I would find it incredibly hard to believe that Manny isn’t on some kind of stimulant for ADD or ADHD.

This is up on Deadspin:

“Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly.”

How does “personal medical issue” not mean ADHD?  The question is, would his suspension get reduced or rescinded because of this?

Henry
14 years ago

“Jason Bay is looking better and better every day.”

You know, he is looking better and better—sort of, more muscular, you know, with a hint of some kind of a gigantic-head thing—

OHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

This just in: steroids steroids steroids.  He’s getting 50 games.  Next!

MJ
14 years ago

@ TB, there’s more info up at si.com

Banned substances can only be taken with prior knowledge and medical clearance from baseball’s drug-program administrators. Such exceptions are known as Therapeutic Use Exemptions, or TUEs. The suspension is an indication Ramirez did not have a TUE for the substance.

from Ramirez himself,

Ramirez said in a statement released by the MLBPA: “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.”

Jen
14 years ago

T.B., he already went through the appeals process. I’m assuming this “personal medical issue” was already brought forward (or should have been) and it’s too late to reduce or rescind.

pete
14 years ago

It would be awesome if he got a medical marijuana prescription and tested positive for weed.

How hilarious would that be, especially in light of all the “Manny really feels comfortable in LA” stuff?

Greg Simons
14 years ago

When do we get Selena Roberts next book, “Manny Being Manny: The Many Faces of the Man-Child?”  I’m sure she has sources who state his lazy play on certain balls to the outfield was obviously in exchange for those hitters reciprocating in blowout games.

Seriously, though, this sucks for the game.

Robin Rainer
14 years ago

C’mon guys, lighten up. It’s just another case of Manny being Manny….

So does this mean he was doing something ELSE when he would sneak into the scoreboard at Fenway to supposedly use the restroom? Just curious…(not really.)

Rob
14 years ago

So, here’s what I’ve been able to put together from various sources on this…

Here’s the statement from the MLBPA:

“The Commissioner’s Office announced today that Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. That suspension was issued pursuant to Section 8.G.2 of the Program. Manny, after consultation with the Players Association and his personal representatives, waived his right to challenge that suspension.”

So I looked up the Drug Policy and found the text of 8.G.2 to see exactly what he was suspended for:

“A Player may be subjected to disciplinary action for just cause by the Commissioner for any Player violation of Section 2 above not referenced in Section 8.A through 8.F above.”

Section 2 lists all of the drugs that are banned. Three categories: Drugs of Abuse, PEDs, Stimulants. So a violation of Section 2 means Manny must have tested positive for something in one of those categories.

Sections 8.A through 8.F are (A) failure to comply with the program, (B) positive test for a PED, (C) positive test for a stimulant, (D) conviction for use of a prohibited substance, (E) sale of a prohibited substance, and (F) marijuana use.

So, according to the MLBPA his violation was NOT for any of those reasons. A PED suspension would be under 8.B, which this does not appear to be. This appears to lend credence to his story that a prescription contained something on the banned list.

Rob
14 years ago

By the way, this took me 5 minutes to put together… do you think any baseball writer will put that much time into figuring out what happened before they spout off about the end of baseball?

johonny
14 years ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AglBnhvznzTuy0yEf_IVgS85nYcB?slug=jp-manny050709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

“spout off about the end of baseball”? Jeff Passan only wants lifetime bans for these people.  Yes because nothing excites fans more than banning forever their favorite players.  I always try to work up a huge care for this issue, but I just can’t do it.

Kelly F.
14 years ago

@ mike in brooklyn

You still can’t steal first base.