Can Dodgers survive without Manny Ramirez?
(AP/Gus Ruela)
The news of Manny Ramirez being suspended 50 games for use of performance enhancing drugs may or not be a surprise, depending on your point of view, but baseball has bigger problems to deal with in the future.
The foundation of the sport is built in numbers, 56, 511, 2362, 4256 – Joe Dimaggio’s hit streak, Cy Young’s win total, Cal Ripkin’s consecutive game record and the all-time hit king Pete Rose – but as time goes by they all seem so irrelevant because of the PED Era.
MLB even threw that part of tradition under the bus with their preseason hard sell of the Extra Innings asking “What does a grand slam look like in a box score? Numbers are so soduki.”
Be that as it may, Ramirez has joined the ever growing number of Hall of Fame caliber players who have put themselves on the outside looking in and it begs the question: “Will anyone ever be inducted into the Cooperstown shrine again?”
In a way this is a good thing because Hall voters will now start to re-examine those who have been overlooked for so long like Bert Blyleven, Lee Smith, Jack Morris, Jim Rice and Andre Dawson but where does that leave the players of today?
It is said the positive test on Ramirez is not egregious, similar to that of Phillies’ pitcher J.C. Romero, because it does not fall into the category of an Alex Rodriguez or the allegations against Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens but Major League Baseball has essentially branded Ramirez and Romero as cheaters under the current testing policy.
There are a number of sportswriters who have gone on record vowing to never vote for cheaters and a majority of superstars of this era have been directly or indirectly connected to performance enhancing substances. Rightly or wrongly, Ramirez has now been labeled.
Early this afternoon Ramirez issued the following statement:
“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 out 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 last five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt (Dodgers’ owners), Mr. Torre (Dodgers’ manager), the Dodger organization and to the Dodger fans. L.A. Is a special place for me and I know everyone is disappointed. So am I. I am sorry about the whole situation.”
Once the list runs short for Hall of Fame consideration, a decade or two down the road there may be no more need for a ballot to send to voters. The timing may be right anyway because with all the newspapers on the verge of collapse there might not be many members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) left to receive them.
MORE ON RAMIREZ:
Manny Ramirez suspended for 50 games – rest of the NL West parties
Manny being Manny no longer funny with PED suspension
Manny Ramirez fails drug test and is suspended. Canseco was right again
Manny Ramirez suspended, just another tainted by the Steroids Era
Manny Ramirez tests positive for PEDs; suspended for 50 games
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