Ramirez Suspended 50 Games: Use of Banned Drug
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Back in 1966, legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra recorded his classic tune, “That’s Life”:
That’s life, that’s what all the people say.
You’re riding high in April,
Shot down in May
But I know I’m gonna change that tune,
When I’m back on top, back on top in June.
‘Old Blue Eyes’ and his classic must have occurred to Manny Ramirez and the L.A. Dodgers today after news broke of Ramirez’s 50 Game Suspension for use of a banned drug.
They were riding high, those Dodgers, undefeated in their first 13 home games from April through May 6th beginning the 2009 season, until the news hit today of Manny’s impending suspension. And oh yes, unlike the Sinatra tune, Manny won’t be “back on top in June.” As AP baseball writer Ronald Blum reports:
Barring any postponements he will be able to return to the Dodgers… for the July 3 game at San Diego.
No matter that the drugs in question were reported by Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Steve Henson [who cited two sources] to be allegedly LC HCG;
”commonly used… as fertility drugs… used to trigger testosterone production.”
No matter that it wasn’t a steroid and it wasn’t HGH. If reports are accurate, the drug WAS a substance listed on MLB’s banned substance list — that’s the point of Ramirez’s suspension.
I try to keep this blog baseball purist and as far away from discussions of steroids and banned substances as possible. But this case begs some serious questions of MLB’s ethicacy and veracity. Yahoo’s Brown and Henson point out:
Two sources said the substance Ramirez tested positive for a gonadotropin. Major League baseball’s list of banned substances includes the gonadotropins LH and HCG… Testosterone is depleted by steroid use, and low testosterone can cause erectile dysfunction.
1/ Is the Brown and Henson report a hint as to possible steroid use by Ramirez which was not previously detected in tests? Manny, himself is quoted in the Brown and Henson piece as noting;
“I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
Something seems amiss in that Henson and Brown also report:
Ramirez tested positive for the substance during spring training, then was administered a second test more recently, and it also was positive. Major League Baseball notified Ramirez of the second positive test after Wednesday night’s Dodgers victory over the Washington Nationals.
2/ How is it that Manny was given a second chance whereas in the case of others, such as lefthanded Phillies set-up man J.C. Romero who was similarly suspended for 50 games for use of an allegedly banned substance, there were apparently no reports of second chances?
3/ And how is it that the news of the failed drug test was only announced on the day after the Dodgers made the MLB record books for their season-starting home winning streak?
4/ Finally, considering that Manny is a co-leader of the Dodgers in home runs and leads the team in batting average, can one then assume that the Dodgers record winning string is somewhat tainted in the same way as there is talk of the homer records of Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, etc. being tainted via alleged steroid use?
It seems that Bud Selig and MLB may have quite a bit of explaining to do on this one!
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