Manny was taking a sexual enhancer?

Um, OK:

A source close to Manny Ramirez said Thursday that the illegal substance for which the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger tested positive was not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing.”

At least not on the baseball diamond. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the substance is supposed to boost sex drive. It is not Viagra, but a substance that treats the cause rather providing a temporary boost in sexual performance, the source said.

  • UPDATE:
  • Before we start to feel like Manny is being persecuted here, let us remember that sexual enhancers are on banned lists in most sports for a reason. Specificially, they are often used to compensate for and/or recover from the side effects of performance enhancing drugs, and are thus suspect. It’s too soon to tell if that’s the case with Manny, but it’s worth throwing out there.

    (link via MLB Trade Rumors)


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    Zach Sanders
    14 years ago

    Why could this be banned then?

    Is it cause they both enhance your ability to handle the wood?

    J.W.
    14 years ago

    Told you it would be INTERESTING to find out what the substance was!

    Aarcraft
    14 years ago

    This explains the vague “personal health issue.” I wouldn’t want to be more specific, either.

    MooseinOhio
    14 years ago

    Talk about corking a bat.

    hermitfool
    14 years ago

    The poor little guy must have stopped hitting home runs in the bedroom and been settling for a few bunt singles.

    J.W.
    14 years ago

    From River Ave. Blues: ESPN reports that the fertility drug Manny was using is a steroid booster. The Worldwide Leader writes, “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.”

    So apparently Manny’s designer ‘roid was good enough to avoid detection, but he got caught with this one. ‘Fraid that somewhat undermines your “if Manny got caught, anyone can” point, Craig. Though you could still argue that if one of the best paid, best advised players gets caught then anyone can get caught. If Boras really were a super-duper-uber agent, he would pull out his old, tell the client to throw him under the bus trick that he used when A-Rod opting out blew up on him. Boras should have Manny come out and say “yes I used a steroid. The lengthy off-season process that was mismanaged by my representation left me feeling that I owed it to the Dodger’s to perform to the very best of my abilities and since I hadn’t had enough time to prepare with the team, I felt this was one way I could overcome the injuries and ineffectiveness that inevitably appear early in the year.”

    Maxwell
    14 years ago

    Okay, I call first on this one, late-nite comedians:

    “So today uber-slugger Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers was suspended 50 games for taking a performance enhancing drug…a sexual performance enhancing drug.

    “Wow, right? Gives new meaning to the term MannyWOOD…”

    TJ
    14 years ago

    the full ESPN quote…

    “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.”

    Rob
    14 years ago

    This still doesn’t explain the suspension being under Section 8.G.2. If Manny was taking hCG, that hormone is specifically listed on the PED list in the MLB drug policy. There wouldn’t be any need to suspend him for just cause at that point. Section 8.B of the policy handles positive tests for PEDs. That’s a clear cut 50 game suspension without any need for “just cause”, which is the clause under which they actually suspended him.

    Richard in Dallas
    14 years ago

    I sure hope David doesn’t find this.  He’ll have you all pegged as gay….  I’M not going to comment on the drug taken, or it’s potential purpose.  I’m just glad they aren’t handing out any free passes…..

    Jon
    14 years ago

    A drug women usually take?

    Just “Manny being WoManny”.

    Rob
    14 years ago

    The other thing that doesn’t make sense to me about the drug being hCG is Manny’s statement. Presumably, he didn’t write that thing himself. Scott Boras and his pr team were clearly all over that thing, carefully crafting it. After what’s just happened with A-Rod and the demolishing of all of his prior statements on steroids, wouldn’t they be super careful in what they said in this statement?

    If Manny was taking a drug that is directly listed as a PED under the program, why would they give the “doctor excuse”? That makes no sense. I can’t believe that Boras and his team are that dumb…

    Vin
    14 years ago

    Damn, I was really hoping that Manny was on Viagra.

    Beanster
    14 years ago

    Everyone needs to settle down and give Manny the benefit of the doubt.  He’s in his late 30’s and probably thought this was his last chance to get pregnant.

    Chad
    14 years ago

    First Bar-Roid Bonds, then Roid-ger Clemens, The A-Roid.  Now we have Man-Roid.

    I know that if clomid or hcg isn’t taken after a steroid cycle, much of the gains can be lost, and the user can be hit with an influx of estrogen and a decline in natural testosterone production, thus producing “man-boobs” or “bitchtits”.

    Coming to a diamond near you, Man-Boob Ramirez!

    Sara K
    14 years ago

    Beanster – I damn near ruined my laptop with a spit-take reading that.  😀