Manny Ramirez retires

[The Best]

From ESPN Tampa Bay Rays slugger Manny Ramirez has notified Major League Baseball that he is retiring after being notified of an issue under MLB's drug policy.

Ramirez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug during spring training and retired rather than face a 100-game suspension, The New York Times reported on its website.

Major League Baseball announced the move in a statement on Friday but did not say whether Ramirez tested positive for a banned substance. He has previously served a 50-game suspension for violating the drug policy while he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Major League Baseball recently notified Manny Ramirez of an issue under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program," the statement said. "Rather than continue with the process under the Program, Ramirez has informed MLB that he is retiring as an active player. If Ramirez seeks reinstatement in the future, the process under the Drug Program will be completed. MLB will not have any further comment on this matter."

The Rays purchased the contract of Casey Kotchman from Triple-A to replace Ramirez on the roster.

"The Tampa Bay Rays were informed today by the commissioner's office that Manny Ramirez has decided to retire after being informed of an issue under the drug program," the Rays said in a statement. "We are obviously surprised and disappointed by this news. We will have no further comment on this matter, and our fans and organization will carry on."

Ramirez, 38, left the team earlier this week to attend to what the Rays called a family matter. Manager Joe Maddon said on Thursday that he expected Ramirez to be available for Friday night's game at Chicago.

Ramirez was entering his 18th season in the majors. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Dodgers, Chicago White Sox and Rays. He has a .312 career batting average with 1,831 RBIs and 555 homers.

My reaction: Wow, i'm actually shocked right now. Being a Yankee fan, i've grown up to always hate Manny, but I always found the guy very entertaining, and exciting and fun to watch.
Manny's a legend, but you have to wonder if he'll get the Mark McGuire treatment and be ignored for the Hall Of Fame due to his PED use.

Overall, growing up watching Manny, and always rooting against him, i'm shocked by this.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mustang Sally]

There's a guy who has lived his life completely on his own terms, regardless of how much he hurt anyone else.

With the Red Sox, when he felt like taking a week off, he faked a knee injury. Of course, baseball players aren't supposed to have Summer vacations, especially ones who "earn" $20 million dollars for 8 months work a year, but that didn't bother this jerk.

When he was annoyed because he was sent up to pinch hit in a one-run game (against the Yankees, no less), he showed his annoyance by taking three pitches down the heart of the plate without moving a muscle. That his teammates might have wanted to win the game didn't make a bit of difference to Manny.

When the penalties for taking steroids became clear, he took them anyway and got suspended for 50 games, probably never even considering the possibility of suspension until it was dealt to him. Finally, after sitting out 50 games, he wanted to continue taking steroids, so he did. He obviously figured: "If they catch me and suspend me again......I'll quit." Admirable, huh?

Listen to all the tributes that will be coming in now that he's retired. They'll be talking about what a fun-loving guy he is, what a fabulous baseball player and a wonderful person.

Through all this, people supported him.......Why? Because he was performing a valuable service for society?.....because he was giving of himself to help other people?

No, he was supported and forgiven through all his transgressions because he could hit a ball with a wooden stick.

Maybe we should get our priorities straight, no?

 

[Davi323]

his treatment will be much worse than Mark McGuire's. McGuire is only alleged to have taken substances that while they were PEDs, at the time he took them they were not banned by MLB. Wrong, obviously, however he has not been proven to have failed a drug test AFTER MLB implemented one. Timing is everything. McGuire cheated, but Manny got caught. Twice. In three years.

 

[People's Champ]

I don't care what Manny did in his career, how he was one of the most feared right handed hitters of all time, the dude is a coward. He didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. MS said it, he figured he'd take the 'roids again and knew he would just quit if he got caught again. He took them because he had nothing left. If he didn't get caught and had a decent season, another contract would come his way. The dude took the cowards way out and will be remembered for it.

Unlike others, he took steroids when it was not allowed in baseball. And not only did he get caught twice, but was also named in the Mitchell report. So you could call that 3 times this guy has been caught. How do we know that his whole career wasn't built off 'roids? Its a damn shame, and he will never be remembered for anything else but this.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

When did steroids start improving Hand-Eye coordination, and the ability to pick up the seams on a 100mph fastball? Serious question here!?

So much Manny hate, though that's what ESPN is preaching these days so it's not surprising to see the sheep flock in with false facts and personal grudges.

Steroids may add strength, they may make you recover faster; but they don't make you a better hitter, they don't improve your swing, those are all fundamentals that make the player great, not the steroids.

... but enough about the steroids right now, how about a little respect to one of the greatest right handed hitters to ever play the game. A 19 year career filled with memorable moments, milestone homeruns, word series champion ships, and the best hair baseball has ever seen.

Now, something slightly off topic, but in reality, not off topic at all.

The HoF, and entire generation of baseball players is going to be left out of the HoF, the greatest players from the 90's and 00's will be getting snubbed because of steroids. McGwire took em' when they where LEGAL, that's right LEGAL, and he is getting snubbed harder than anyone right now. Barry Bonds breaks the all time records, perhaps the greatest power hitting lefty off all time is going to get blacklisted because of steroids. I hate to break it to the general public, but steroids is not what made these players great, it was years upon years of playing the game of baseball and developing perfect swings and having the ability to recognize a pitch that makes them great. We also have no idea who was taking steroids back in the day, for all I know steroids and baseball have gone hand in hand since the beginning.

So why is it that we only punish this current generation, there's no proof that steroids weren't in baseball when guys like Willy Mays and Hank Aaron where playing, and the government has been trying to rape Barry Bonds for more than 5 fucking years and not even they can get the proof to pass in the court of law, yet we let these old timing sports writers dictate who gets into the HoF, "the times are a changing" Thanks Bob Dylan, they certainly fucking are, so why do we let people stuck in the past make decision for our present day? Good question, I know.

Do we really have a generation off ballplayers in which none of them are worthy off the hall of fame, because that's the direction it's going, and it's the wrong direction.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

Aw. I always thought he was cute. Bit of a douchebag, but cute.

Actually, I am surprised he signed with the Rays this year. When a guy starts boncing around betweens teams this late in their careers, it is usually a sign to hang 'em up. I don't think this is gonna affect the team considering we are only 2 weeks in.

 

[Mustang Sally]

McGwire took em' when they where LEGAL, that's right LEGAL...

They weren't legal. In 1991, MLB added steroids to the list of substances prohibited under sport's drug policy. This was brought about in response to a statute called "Anabolic Steroids Act of 1990" that had been enacted by Congress, reclassifying steroids to a Schedule III controlled substance, subject to increased criminal penalties for illegal usage.

The rub is that Major League Baseball and the Player's Union had not agreed on penalties that could be levied on the players who used them. That would take years..... and tons of pressure by Congress and the public. Penalties were probably discussed back then, but the Union wouldn't allow it.

No one is saying these guys were talentless bums without steroids.....and you're right; steroids probably don't improve hand-to-eye coordination or improve a player's swing.....but isn't that the point? If they had the ability to be great players without using the stuff, why did they have to cheat?

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

They weren't legal. In 1991, MLB added steroids to the list of substances prohibited under sport's drug policy. This was brought about in response to a statute called "Anabolic Steroids Act of 1990" that had been enacted by Congress, reclassifying steroids to a Schedule III controlled substance, subject to increased criminal penalties for illegal usage.

The rub is that Major League Baseball and the Player's Union had not agreed on penalties that could be levied on the players who used them. That would take years..... and tons of pressure by Congress and the public. Penalties were probably discussed back then, but the Union wouldn't allow it.

No one is saying these guys were talentless bums without steroids.....and you're right; steroids probably don't improve hand-to-eye coordination or improve a player's swing.....but isn't that the point? If they had the ability to be great players without using the stuff, why did they have to cheat?

First off, McGwire's "Roid" of choice was Androstenedione, or Andro for short, which wasn't added to the MLB banned substance list until 2004. Making it a perfectly legal drug at the time McGwire was consuming.

As far as why they had to cheat, well, I'll try and lay it out how I see it.

Firstly, how can we call McGwire a cheater when the drug he look was in fact legal at the time?

Secondly, now how is it fair to the current generation who can't use Andro, well it's not fair; but it's also not fair to punish somebody for taking something that was legal, so it becomes a bit of a double edged sword.

Thirdly, If steroids where running wild through pro wrestling in the 80's than why the hell would they not be in pro sports like baseball too? Exactly, they had to be running wild in baseball as well, only problem is nobody really seems to care what happened in the past, and people would rather ride the rainbow high than accept the reality that baseball players have been taking steroids since the beginning of steroids.

We are literally wiping generations of baseball history from the record books, are we supposed to pretend that there where no hall of fame worthy players from the 90's and 00's, because to me it looks more like a bunch of butt hurt old men who aren't willing to adapt with the times, and who definitely aren't willing to accept the fact that steroids aren't new to the game of baseball; and until some of these old timing sports writers die off we're going to be stuck with a Hall of Fame that doesn't truly indicate the real HoF worthy players.

The fact that they are questioning if Manny can even get 5% of the vote to stay on the HoF ballet is an absolute shame. If steroids made everyone such a great ball player then why doesn't everyone who touches the stuff make million upon millions from pro sports.... Right I remember now, it's a little something called talent and skill. My girlfriend said to me during the Yankee/Sox game last night "If I took steroids would I be able to hit homeruns" in such a sexy sarcastic tone I almost blew my load; but don't worry. I regained composure and said why of course NOT, DUH! If it's so obvious to us then why isn't it as clear to all these sports writers who have been following baseball since there talentless dads couldn't hack it in the majors and pushed their dream on to there even more talentless children, who then fall short of the father expectations and are forced into the world of sports writing, where they can successfully grudge against the athletes they couldn't be.

They cheat because it's been going on for at least a good 30+ years now, it's simply the way the game has progressed.

The real question is how you could be one of the all time greatest right handed baseball players, making all the top lists with all the top names and not be considered a HoF caliber player.