Manny Being Manny

Manny Ramirez is at it again.

No he's not going behind the Green Monster to relieve himself in the middle of an inning, he's not climbing the outfield wall to high five a fan in the middle of a play, and he's not attempting to trade himself for Brett Favre, its much worse this time.

Manny Ramirez is quite frankly one of the best hitters of his or any other time. At the age of 36 he is in the top 20 in career Home runs, Runs batted in, and Slugging Percentage, to go along with a career .315 batting average. He entered 2009 with 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI in ten of his last eleven seasons. He has not failed to hit at least 20 home runs since 1994 and was off to a tremendous start this season until.....

Reports came out that he tested positive for a banned substance.
ESPN, MLB, CNN, and Yahoo are all over it.

This revelation just puts another black eye on the face of baseball. The sports' biggest stars continue to disappoint teams, fans, officials, and the history of the sport. Long past are the days of Babe Ruth when hot dogs and beer were the worst things going into the players' bodies. With players seemingly falling under suspicion and testing positive every other month, how far back can we be certain that players were not using? Is Cal Ripken's streak a product of "performance enhancing drugs", can one really expect that a 185 lbs Ken Griffey Jr was really capable of multiple 50+ home run season without a little help? Are the days of Hank Aaron and Willie Mays so far gone that the players will openly risk the game's and their own integrity in order to better themselves? One also has to wonder who else is currently using? Are Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Miguel Cabrera really beyond suspicion any more?

In Manny's defense, he has stated "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". To which I actually believe. You see, Manny has never been seen as the guy to make the best decision. He has always danced to his own little tune. He's always had his own way of doing everything and making the right decision does not seem to come naturally to him. I have always been a fan of Ramirez, and I don't understand how you cannot be. The guy makes baseball fun and despite the quest for the bigger contract, I really think he enjoys the game. He's fun, he's entertaining, and he's good, but now, he also has a fifty game suspension.

Bravo to Major League Baseball for sticking to its guns. You set a precedent, and you followed through despite one of the most marketable players, best team, and biggest markets is involved. Baseball needs to be cleaned up, despite who's expense it is at.


Manny, you're a great asset to the sport, but, make wise decisions, you just received over twenty million dollars to play baseball this season, spare $500,000, and pay someone to check your prescription and compare it to the baseball illegal drug list. Or, don't, after all you are Manny and you're being the only thing you know how to be, yourself.