Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games

[Taco]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-manny-ramirez8-2009may08,0,6324894.story

Manny Ramirez will be suspended 50 games for positive drug test
The suspension makes Ramirez the biggest star penalized under baseball's testing program that started in 2003.
By Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez Times Staff Writers

8:35 AM PDT, May 7, 2009

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.

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.

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.

Ramirez would become the biggest star suspended under an oft-criticized major league testing program that started in 2003. He had been a model citizen since arriving in Los Angeles last August, following a stormy tenure with the Boston Red Sox.

This is the second drug scandal to rock baseball within four months. In a year in which baseball officials hoped their greatest concern would be the slumping economy, the two highest-paid players in the game have been revealed to have failed a drug test.

Alex Rodriguez, the game's highest-paid player, acknowledged during a February news conference that he used steroids from 2001 to 2003. The admission followed a Sports Illustrated report that he failed a drug test in 2003, when players were not subject to suspension.

Ramirez did not appear in the clubhouse after the Dodgers' 10-3 victory over the Washington Nationals Wednesday night. After the game, Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Joe Torre said they were unaware of any failed test or pending suspension.

As unconfirmed reports circulated around Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, declined to comment.

Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said he could not comment, citing the limitations stipulated in baseball's drug policy.

Rob Manfred, baseball's top labor lawyer, and Michael Weiner, general counsel for the players' union, did not return multiple messages.

The loss of Ramirez would leave a gaping hole in the Dodgers' lineup. Juan Pierre, the likely replacement for Ramirez in left field, has batted ninth in two of his five starts this season.

Ramirez doubled and drove in two runs on Wednesday, as the Dodgers set a major league record with their 13th consecutive home victory at the start of the season. The Dodgers have the best record in the major leagues, at 21-8, and the biggest division lead in the majors, at 6 1/2 games in the National League West.

Ramirez leads the Dodgers in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.492) and slugging percentage (.641), and he is tied for the team lead in home runs with six.

He signed a two-year, $45-million contract with the Dodgers in March, with the first year guaranteed at $25 million and the second year at his option at $20 million.

In an appearance at USC last month, Jose Canseco said Ramirez's name "is most likely, 90%" on a list of 104 players that failed a drug test in 2003. The players were promised anonymity for taking tests in 2003; Rodriguez is the only player that has been identified among that group.

Ramirez laughed when Times columnist Kurt Streeter relayed Canseco's allegation to him.

"I got no comment, nothing to say about that," Ramirez told Streeter. "What can I say? I don't even know the guy."

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[sribb43]

:lmao...well atleast the Dodgers will save some $. Manny just lost $7+ mil

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4148907

[TheMACHINE]

oh man...whos next?

[sribb43]

oh man...whos next?

Puljos

[sribb43]

Well I'm glad i didnt buy tickets for the Dodgers/Rangers game when LA games to Arlington for a 3 game series in mid June

[Thunder Dan]

oh man...whos next?

probably Brady Anderson

[BRHornet45]

sons I love it ... good for that selfish piece of shit. Manny Rameriz is the best example of what is wrong with professional sports today.

[Yuushi12]

sons I love it ... good for that selfish piece of shit. Manny Rameriz is the best example of what is wrong with professional sports today.

Damn. i gotta say i really missed your threads.

going back with the topic.

just a question. does the nba also conduct drug testing for their players from time to time?

[JoeChalupa]

What an idiot.

[DDS4]

If Griffey tests positive, I'm done with baseball. He's the lone beacon of hope left.

[dbreiden83080]

He's a major tool

But at least it gives you some faith in the system when someone, as rich and well known as Manny gets busted..

[JamStone]

The Nation has a collective celebration out of pure mockery and spite.

[JamStone]

oh man...whos next?

Carlos Pena?

[Cry Havoc]

Manny should be done for the season.

At what point is baseball going to stand up and actually punish players for this stuff? Ohhhh noooo 50 games, ohhhh no $8 mil in pay. Big deal. He'll be back for the playoffs, and in the meantime baseball's reputation goes even further into the toilet than it has been.

[Cry Havoc]

If Griffey tests positive, I'm done with baseball. He's the lone beacon of hope left.

How about Jamie Moyer?

[ATRAIN]

Stupid ass Manny

[LnGrrrR]

I bet it was weed, knowing Manny :lol

[LnGrrrR]

Also, as a Sox homer, I loved watching Manny play. I loved his clutch hitting. I loved the fact that I could count on him. I even loved his propensity to wear ridiculously long pants.

Sucks to hear he's most likely on the steroid list, but honestly, I expected it.

[dirk4mvp]

I won't believe it's steroids until it's proven.

[dbreiden83080]

I won't believe it's steroids until it's proven.

You his agent??

[dirk4mvp]

You his agent??

No. But fuck yourself.


lol yankees

[IronMexican]

Holy fucking shit!

[jack sommerset]

Sounds innocent of steroids to me.....lol

[jag]

Peter gammons just said its not steroids. It's apparently "some personal medical pills". Extenze?

[IronMexican]

That puts a new spin on Mannywood. I hear it was something for sex drive too.

[dbreiden83080]

No. But fuck yourself.


lol yankees

:lmao

Ahh always great chatting with you.. :rolleyes

[dirk4mvp]

:lmao

Ahh always great chatting with you.. :rolleyes

Likewise. Although it's hard to catch you at a time when your lips aren't wrapped around Duncan's dick.

lol a-rod

lol texeira

lol sabathia

[dbreiden83080]

it's hard to catch you at a time when your lips aren't wrapped around Duncan's dick.

lol dirk4mvp

lol dirk4mvp

lol dirk4mvp

Well if your gonna suck a dick, make sure you are sucking a winner's..

Supporting Dirk is like Masterbation without the payoff ..

[dirk4mvp]

Well if your gonna suck a dick, make sure you are sucking a winner's..



Does your Phillies cap still have the stickers on it?

[dbreiden83080]

Does your Phillies cap still have the stickers on it?

As does my Miami Heat Cap.. :toast

[dirk4mvp]

neat.

So you haven't been on the yankee's dick in a while.

[dbreiden83080]

neat.

So you haven't been on the yankee's dick in a while.

Oh i'm on it firmly, i just don't go to Red Sox Boards, trolling around like a little baby!!

"There's Duncan Fans on a Spurs board, What not fair"

[Taco]

Peter gammons just said its not steroids. It's apparently "some personal medical pills". Extenze?

A source with intimate knowledge of steroids told ESPN that a male athlete usually uses HCG after a cycle of steroids because steroids often shut down the testosterone-making ability of the testicles. HCG restores their capacity to make testosterone. The source said that some males may use HCG in lieu of steroids also. HCG by itself can provide a substantial boost in the body's own testosterone, and this may provide some performance-enhancement benefits.

[ducks]

does this mean he can not talk to any of the dodger players or use their ballpark for anything

manny has helped the ball club by coaching his teammates..

[703 Spurz]

No. But fuck yourself.


lol yankees

:lol

Idiot

[samikeyp]

Gives a new meaning to the term "Manny being Manny".

Dumbass.

[Heath Ledger]

What a dumb fuck why didnt he just switch over to HGH its undetectable.

[BlackSwordsMan]

it's not roids

[Obstructed_View]

it's not roids

No it isn't. It's a women's fertility drug that escalates testosterone, which steroid users take at the end of a juicing cycle. So unless some of you guys are going to come out here and suggest that Manny was simply trying to get pregnant, the time to stop splitting hairs is now.

[slayermin]

Say it ain't so, Manny. Jose Canseco is right again.

[BlackSwordsMan]

No it isn't. It's a women's fertility drug that escalates testosterone, which steroid users take at the end of a juicing cycle. So unless some of you guys are going to come out here and suggest that Manny was simply trying to get pregnant, the time to stop splitting hairs is now.

manny being manny

[Spurminator]

ARod is so happy right now, I bet he's gonna fuck a tranny hooker tonight.

[FlavoredIcecream]

lol, Manny

[ducks]

does this mean he can not talk to any of the dodger players or use their ballpark for anything

manny has helped the ball club by coaching his teammates..

[KSeal]

lol, the poor Red Sox still haven't won a ring in a million years, the curse lives on sadly for them. If it wasn't for Manny that team never would have came close to winning those two rings, now it comes out the dude has probably been roiding forever, lmao.

[Taco]

No it isn't. It's a women's fertility drug that escalates testosterone, which steroid users take at the end of a juicing cycle. So unless some of you guys are going to come out here and suggest that Manny was simply trying to get pregnant, the time to stop splitting hairs is now.

:lol

[turiaf for president]

only reason im still on board with manny is cuz hes a dodger. but this was a retarded move on his part. hopefully when he comes back, he plays even better to make up for the time he lost in the suspension

[Road House Captain]

lol, the poor Red Sox still haven't won a ring in a million years, the curse lives on sadly for them. If it wasn't for Manny that team never would have came close to winning those two rings, now it comes out the dude has probably been roiding forever, lmao.

You call a million years ago like 3 years ago? Dillweed. Gar is coming for you

[JudynTX]

it's not roids

You're right, it wasn't. :lol


LOS ANGELES – The illegal substance for which Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez(notes)tested positive and was banned 50 games was prescribed to address erectile dysfunction, not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing” a source close Ramirez said Thursday.


However, two sources said the substance Ramirez tested positive for was a gonadotropin. Major League Baseball’s list of banned substances includes the gonadotropins LH and HCG, which are most commonly used by women as fertility drugs. They also can be used to trigger testosterone production. Testosterone is depleted by steroid use, and low testosterone can cause erectile dysfunction.

“Testosterone and similar drugs are effective for erectile dysfunction in that they jazz up your sex drive,” said Charles Yesalis, a professor at Penn State University who has testified before Congress on issues of performance-enhancing drugs. “But far more clinicians accept that affect with Viagra and Cialis. It’s hard for me to understand if it was erectile dysfunction why they would use it.”

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Another physician with experience in international drug-testing said LH and HCG are occasionally prescribed for men “whose testicles have basically stopped functioning.”

The physician, who asked for anonymity because of his standing in the drug-testing community, said HCG is used to re-stimulate the testicles, primarily in men with a history of steroid use.

Ramirez tested positive for the substance during spring training, then had another portion of the same urine – a “B” sample – tested again 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. Ramirez admitted to having taken the substance and declined to appeal. His 50-game suspension begins Thursday.

“The substance is not a steroid and it is not human-growth hormone,” a source close to Ramirez said.

Ramirez, the source said, acquired the substance through a prescription from a doctor in Miami for his medical condition. The source intimated that Ramirez might bring legal action against the physician.

Ramirez released the following statement Thursday morning: “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay 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.

An MLB official said that if Ramirez had a legitimate need for a drug on the banned list, he could have applied for a therapeutic exemption. Ramirez, the official said, did not ask for one.

HCG most recently made news when former major leaguer and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco was caught attempting to smuggle it into the U.S. from Mexico.

The Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement stated that Canseco admitted to bringing it across the border because “he is currently on a hormone therapy plan because his testosterone levels are extremely low due to his past steroid use.”

HCG and LH were added to the banned drug list by MLB a year ago. They have been banned for male athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 1987.

The Dodgers, who have won a Major League record 13 consecutive home games to start the season, will be without Ramirez until July 3. Outfielder Xavier Paul was promoted from Triple-A to take Ramirez’s place on the roster. The suspension will cost Ramirez close to $8 million in lost wages.


Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt released the following statement: “We share the disappointment felt by our fans, our players, and every member of our organization. We support the policies of Major League Baseball, and we will welcome Manny back upon his return.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-ramirezsuspension050709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Taco]

It's a women's fertility drug that escalates testosterone....Manny was simply trying to get pregnant,

on the radio, they were calling ManRam , get this................

Manny the Tranny!!!
:lmao

[pkbpkb81]

Well I'm glad i didnt buy tickets for the Dodgers/Rangers game when LA games to Arlington for a 3 game series in mid June

booooooooooo

i did me and the family are going up

[manufan10]

This will now bring into question the Red Sox 2004/2008 Championships. Who else on that team was cheating?