What does the reaction to Manny Ramirez in Albuquerque say about PEDs in baseball?

June 24, 6:16 PMPerformance Enhancing Drugs Issues ExaminerShaun Murphy

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AP Photo/Craig Fritz

Manny Ramirez can still draw. At his debut with the Albuquerque Isotopes on Tuesday, his appearance drew the largest crowd in that franchise’s history with a standing room only crowd of 15, 321. While he did not knock one out of the yard (he went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and a groundout), he generated enough buzz to make Albuquerque relevant in the sports world. The debate will continue whether or not Ramirez should even be allowed to participate in Minor League games while serving a 50 game suspension, but what does it say about a community and the state of the sport when an athlete still under suspension is able to play and draw record crowds?

Has the sport officially moved away from the nation’s pastime and is no longer morally relevant? Apparently so, since Ramirez violated the league's drug policy for a woman’s fertility drug, human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG. HCG is used by steroid users to regulate their testosterone levels after coming off a steroid cycle.

Yet even with this information, fans in Albuquerque are coming out in droves as if Susan Boyle is making a guest appearance and singing the National Anthem before the first pitch. Reportedly there were scattered boos before Ramirez first at bat, but the cheers grew louder, reaching a crescendo when he approached home plate. This reaction begs the question: do fans care if players cheat and use PEDs?

According to Ramirez, the answer is no. Before the game, Ramirez said, "People love me everywhere I go. I'm excited to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people here. I feel good. I'm happy that I'm here."

Should the people of Albuquerque share in the joy that Ramirez brings? By attending the game, are people implicitly supporting the use of PEDs? Most people in attendance would say they do not support PEDs, but are there to see a Hall of Fame player in their midst. Given the recent voting on suspected users of PEDs, Ramirez will be waiting for along time next to Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. 

Marc Schoder, our Albuquerque Isotopes Examiner has more on the Manny Ramirez debut, here and Heather Shore, our New Mexico Sports Examiner, also covered the debut here.