Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games this season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Manny countered that the positive test result came about from prescribed medicine from a doctor (sounds familiar; what was that, something about your cream Mr. Bonds?).
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. 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. I want to apologize to [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, [manager Joe] Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.
I’ve felt for a few years that Manny was one of baseball’s cheaters that used performance-enhancing drugs. Manny played for the Red Sox when I first decided he juiced. I was a big fan of Manny Ramirez and all his home runs so I kept my mouth shut.
Studying For the Test?
My question now becomes, how do they decide who to test and when? Supposedly, it’s random testing, but why does it seem biased to me? Mark McGwire, Andy Petite and Jason Giambi all got off the hook and had everything swept under the rug. Meanwhile, Barry Bonds was indicted! There’s also the fact that people who admitted it got better treatment than those who tried to lie and say they didn’t (Ex: Roger Clemens).
The Dodgers are having a great year, Manny is having a great season and all of a sudden he gets suspended for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. What about the freakish number of saves that K-Rod put up last season, why hasn’t he been tested? Albert Pujols is just mashing the ball and has veins popping out of his neck, why hasn’t he been tested? Wake up baseball officials! Everyone needs to be tested at least once a year or it will never end. If players get away with it one year, they’re not going to stop because one other guy was unlucky enough to get caught.
Since the tests are private, unless someone is suspended, how do you know those players weren’t tested?
All players should be tested so we can finally get to the truth and put all this buzz about who is and who isn’t juicing behind us. Baseball tradition deserves better.
Not only should all players be tested, but they should be tested often enough that they can not be cycling in between tests if they are in fact using performance enhancing drugs.
I think it’s very sad that players have resorted to using PED’s to try to bring their game to the next level. This subject makes me very upset.