Iris
May 08, 2009, 06:35 AM
Manny Ramirez banished 50 games for drug violation
AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_dodgers_ramirez_drugs
Fri May 8, 7:14 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Mannywood is gone and so is its chief resident. Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension left both the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball reeling at the news the sport's second highest-paid player was banished for a drug violation.
The dreadlocked outfielder was suspended by Major League Baseball on Thursday, adding another chapter to what will forever be known as the Steroids Era.
"The worst thing I think a person can be is a disappointment to somebody else and Manny feels like a disappointment," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.
Ramirez said he did not take steroids and was given medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance. A person familiar with the details of the suspension said Ramirez used the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the banned substance wasn't announced.
"As tough as it is for us, it's pretty tough for Manny, too," Torre said. "I know he's the one that did the wrong thing and nobody is trying to cover that up, but it's still something that I know he's sorry about."
HCG is popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs. The body may stop producing testosterone when users go off steroids, which can cause sperm counts to decrease and testicles to shrink.
Ramirez's suspension was based not on a spring training urine test result but rather evidence obtained afterward, a second person familiar with the suspension said, speaking on condition of anonymity because those details also were not released. MLB had concluded the spring test was positive, but the person said the players' association would have challenged the result because of "testing issues."
"It's a dark day for baseball and certainly for this organization," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "This organization will never condone anything that isn't clean."
AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbn_dodgers_ramirez_drugs
Fri May 8, 7:14 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Mannywood is gone and so is its chief resident. Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension left both the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball reeling at the news the sport's second highest-paid player was banished for a drug violation.
The dreadlocked outfielder was suspended by Major League Baseball on Thursday, adding another chapter to what will forever be known as the Steroids Era.
"The worst thing I think a person can be is a disappointment to somebody else and Manny feels like a disappointment," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.
Ramirez said he did not take steroids and was given medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance. A person familiar with the details of the suspension said Ramirez used the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the banned substance wasn't announced.
"As tough as it is for us, it's pretty tough for Manny, too," Torre said. "I know he's the one that did the wrong thing and nobody is trying to cover that up, but it's still something that I know he's sorry about."
HCG is popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs. The body may stop producing testosterone when users go off steroids, which can cause sperm counts to decrease and testicles to shrink.
Ramirez's suspension was based not on a spring training urine test result but rather evidence obtained afterward, a second person familiar with the suspension said, speaking on condition of anonymity because those details also were not released. MLB had concluded the spring test was positive, but the person said the players' association would have challenged the result because of "testing issues."
"It's a dark day for baseball and certainly for this organization," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "This organization will never condone anything that isn't clean."