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Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez Suspended 50 Games

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2:48pm: ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says he believes the positive test was triggered because of a "personal medical issue," not HGH or steroids. Gammons spoke with a Red Sox official who doesn't believe "for a second" that Manny cheated.

1:30pm: ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada say the drug was HCG – "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."

12:39am: Tim Brown and Steve Henson of Yahoo say Manny tested positive for…drumroll…a sexual enhancer (not Viagra).  Ramirez tested positive in Spring Training, and then again recently.  Manny did not test positive for a steroid or human growth hormone.

11:41am: In a statement, Manny apologized and explained what happened:

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.

10:50am: According to Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, Dodgers star Manny Ramirez "tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended for 50 games starting today."  The journalists have word on Manny's defense:

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 the matter but not authorized to speak publicly.

Manny was hitting .348/.492/.641 in 120 plate appearances and figures to be replaced by Juan Pierre.  Ramirez will be back in July, and the Dodgers are already up 6.5 games in the division.  So they'll probably be fine.  But this certainly throws a wrench into Manny's contract situation.  He has to decide in November whether to opt out of his $20MM 2010 salary.  Also, Manny will lose nearly $8MM in salary.

Odds & Ends: O’s, A’s, Milledge, Manny

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Your links for Tuesday…

  • MASN's Buck Martinez believes the Orioles are headed in the right direction as an organization.  "Sit back, relax and watch the organization grow," he writes.
  • Vlae Kershner of the San Francisco Chronicle summarizes the current standing of the Athletics' bid for a new ballpark.  Would a fancy facility in San Jose, the nation's 10th largest city, help boost the team's payroll?
  • Lastings Milledge, who was demoted to Triple-A Syracuse on April 14, told the Washington Post's Chico Harlan that he hasn't kept in touch with the Nationals' front office, and hasn't been paying attention to the club's day-to-day progress.  Sounds like a bad situation that might only get worse.
  • According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, super agent Scott Boras told Playboy magazine in a recent interview that his client, Manny Ramirez, simply didn't like living in the city of Boston.  That, Boras claims, is the reason Manny wanted out.  "It wasn't like Cleveland," said Boras.  And it's not like L.A., apparently.

Manny Would Like A Second Indians Stint

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According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Manny Ramirez would like to play for the Indians one more time before the end of his career.  He even talked to Jim Thome about reuniting in Cleveland.  Of course, it takes two to tango and the Indians have Travis Hafner locked in at DH through 2012.

Back in the 2000-01 offseason, it seemed that Manny wanted to stay in Cleveland but his agent Jeff Moorad steered him toward the more lucrative Boston offer.  The Indians topped out at $138MM over eight years, but Ramirez received $160MM from the Red Sox.  Manny reportedly regretted his decision by the summer of '01, according to his authorized biography Becoming Manny.

Ken Gurnick and John Schlegel of MLB.com have follow-up comments from Manny and Scott Boras.

Odds & Ends: A’s, Hammel, Manny, McPherson

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Links for Tuesday…

Odds And Ends: Braves, Bernie, Boras

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Links for Saturday…

Frank McCourt Comments

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Dodgers owner Frank McCourt spoke at a Town Hall Los Angeles luncheon yesterday, and Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times was in attendance for the quotes.

  • McCourt expects to sell fewer season tickets and more single game tickets this year due to the economy.  However, Shaikin learned from Dodgers chief operating officer Dennis Mannion that the Dodgers will at least be close to last year's season ticket sales.
  • McCourt wants to "once again have the best player development system in all of baseball."  In his recent minor league organizational rankings, Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein dropped the Dodgers down to 21st.
  • McCourt acknowledged the team's poor free agent signings in recent years, saying, ""We can't do this just by bringing in free agents.  I could put up a slide of some of my big, big mistakes with free agents. You're just not sure."
  • McCourt suggested the team made its offers to Manny Ramirez public to gauge fan feedback.  Fan-influenced GM decisions – good idea?

Odds And Ends: Tejada, Manny, White Sox

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 A few links for Thursday night…

  • Good news for the Astros: The AP (via ESPN) reports that a federal prosecutor recommended that Miguel Tejada get probation, but no prison time for his involvement with PEDs.
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick passes along a memorable Manny Ramirez quote: "No more cricket. I'm not signing to play cricket. Well, I can be a free agent after this year, so we'll see. But don't ask me about cricket."
  • Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald writes that the White Sox need to make a deal for a center fielder who can bat leadoff. He thinks GM Kenny Williams is "probably close" to making a deal. Gregor doesn't like Jim Edmonds or Juan Pierre for the job, but he doesn't rule out Kenny Lofton.
  • This isn't a rumor, but MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has a quirky anecdote. Micah Owings and Norris Hopper hit home runs with the same bat today. I might be more surprised that Hopper hit one.
  • Ivan Rodriguez is looking forward to joining the Astros, according to this article in the Detroit Free Press.
  • Padres CEO Sandy Alderson says it was a huge mistake to let Joakim Soria slip away through the Rule 5 draft in this article by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Heyman On Pedro, Manny, Crede

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The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman sees the Pedro Martinez sweepstakes as between the Dodgers and Mets, but he might have to come down to the $2.5MM range.  The Mets don’t seem thrilled with Tim Redding, who "came to camp with a sore shoulder and 20 pounds overweight."
  • If Manny Ramirez opts out after the ’09 season, he’ll seek a three-year deal.  Heyman suggests Manny may be better off staying in L.A. than signing with a New York team.
  • Heyman spoke to one White Sox person who questioned Joe Crede’s ability to play on the Minnesota turf.

Odds And Ends: Phillies, Manny, Japanese Players

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Here are a few more random notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Todd Zolecki says the Phillies would likely have to trade Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs if they want to add another right-handed bat to the bench, noting that it is not likely for either player to be released after the Phils already ate Adam Eaton’s contract. Zolecki does say that Stair’s $1M salary would be easier to absorb.
  • Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal gives us some quotes from Terry Francona in response to being asked about Jonathon Papelbon calling Manny Ramirez a “cancer.” Francona would not answer the questions directly but did say “The moves we make, I think that speaks volumes enough.”
  • Keith Law scouted the Japanese squad at the World Baseball Classic and gives us the rundown on a few of their better players. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t believe that any of the players mentioned will be eligible to make the jump to MLB anytime soon.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Phillies, Manny, Japanese Players

By | at

Here are a few more random notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Todd Zolecki says the Phillies would likely have to trade Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs if they want to add another right-handed bat to the bench, noting that it is not likely for either player to be released after the Phils already ate Adam Eaton’s contract. Zolecki does say that Stair’s $1MM salary would be easier to absorb.
  • Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal gives us some quotes from Terry Francona in response to being asked about Jonathan Papelbon calling Manny Ramirez a "cancer." Francona would not answer the questions directly but did say "The moves we make, I think that speaks volumes enough."
  • Keith Law scouted the Japanese squad at the World Baseball Classic and gives us the rundown on a few of their better players. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t believe that any of the players mentioned will be eligible to make the jump to MLB anytime soon.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

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