# Manny Ramirez to Get 50-Game Suspension for Drugs, L.A. Times Says **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 7, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661 "2009-05-07T15:52:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/21 "2009-05-07T18:15:41Z")
You do not get a 50 day suspension for aspirin. This is a normal pattern. I didn’t do it. I did it but I did not know it. It was someone else’s fault ,My doctor, trainer,wife or friends. Funny how professional athletes are not responsible for their own actions or what they put into their bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/22 "2009-05-07T18:22:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What? It’s been repeatedly stated that he did. The LA Times and Sports Illustrated both start their articles by stating planly, “Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.” Sorry, source [The Daily Prospectus: Your Mileage May Vary | Baseball Prospectus](http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1256) Will claims he failed a test in update 2, but walks back from that in update 3, so it is best unclear. There are other ways of being caught, and the commissioner’s office has the power to suspend if these enough evidence even without the test. > [@](#): > > HGH isn’t a steroid, and neither are masking agents. Well, HGH isn’t testable, so if that is what it was, it wasn’t a failed test. Regardless not all banned substances are the same, so I’d like to know what he took before forming an opinion. Taking greenies isn’t the same as taking anabolic steroids. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/23 "2009-05-07T18:23:51Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > You do not get a 50 day suspension for aspirin. This is a normal pattern. I didn’t do it. I did it but I did not know it. It was someone else’s fault ,My doctor, trainer,wife or friends. Funny how professional athletes are not responsible for their own actions or what they put into their bodies. When did Manny claim not to be responsible for this? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/24 "2009-05-07T18:39:56Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Now all we need is Pujols to test positive and we can effectively call it a generation. And hopefully get a huge Pujols (and the team in genreal) fan on another board I frequent to finally STFU. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/25 "2009-05-07T18:48:45Z")
The story now is that he took [HCG](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin), a pregnancy hormone that also restarts the body’s natural testosterone production if it is shut down by steroid use, or can be used in lieu of steroids themselves. Or maybe he’s trying to have a child and his sperm count is low. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/26 "2009-05-07T19:01:26Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > When did Manny claim not to be responsible for this? He claimed his doctor gave it to him. While he said I have to be punished for it, because a banned substance was in my body, the response suggests it was not his fault. He was just taking what the doc ordered. Saying I accept the punishment is irrelevant, he was getting penalized and he knew it. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/27 "2009-05-07T19:08:50Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > The story now is that he took [HCG](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin), a pregnancy hormone that also restarts the body’s natural testosterone production if it is shut down by steroid use, or can be used in lieu of steroids themselves. > > Or maybe he’s trying to have a child and his sperm count is low. Indeed… one has to wonder what “personal health issue” would cause a physician to prescribe a women’s fertility drug? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/28 "2009-05-07T19:25:28Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > Indeed… one has to wonder what “personal health issue” would cause a physician to prescribe a women’s fertility drug? He wants to have babies. And he wants you to call him Loretta. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/29 "2009-05-07T19:31:33Z")
Manny’s going through… changes in his personal life. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/30 "2009-05-07T19:56:57Z")
Wo-Manny? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/31 "2009-05-07T20:11:33Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Right - there aren’t any previous PED users whose bodies broke down suddenly and had their game decline… Junior can attribute all of that to playing on the green concrete at Riverfront. Same for Andre Dawson and Olympic. Still, it’s probably best to assume that most players of the era were using, like it or not. So, Manny is using the “never tested positive” line, huh? That’s good evidence right there. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/32 "2009-05-07T20:13:25Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > The story now is that he took [HCG](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin), a pregnancy hormone that also restarts the body’s natural testosterone production if it is shut down by steroid use, or can be used in lieu of steroids themselves. > > Or maybe he’s trying to have a child and his sperm count is low. No Sale. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/33 "2009-05-07T20:14:49Z")
> [@drm](#): > > Now all we need is Pujols to test positive and we can effectively call it a generation. Bluntly, what are the chances of that not happening? I used to be confident that Rodriguez was clean, and even more so about Palmeiro. I’ve learned to accept that anybody who hasn’t tested dirty just hasn’t done so _yet_. The fact that PED’s were so widely used makes it easier to accept, oddly and perhaps sadly. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/34 "2009-05-07T20:20:47Z")
This why the NFl is so much better than baseball, there are no problems with banned substance in footbal. I said “NO PROBLEMS”! EOS. Shush… La la la la la… ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/35 "2009-05-07T20:25:28Z")
The default position has to be that any successful power hitter is using. It is too bad but that is the truth. We have to broom them all from the Hall of Fame voting or just pretend it never happened. What a mess. Nobody can be happy with this. Baseball front offices will never accept the responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/36 "2009-05-07T20:54:31Z")
I’m just glad he was completely clean as a beloved member of the storied Red Sox and that all of his accomplishments in Beantown are completely free of any sort of scandalous taint. And just look what LA did to him. Took a wholesome, strapping young lad and turned him into a … a… DRUG USER! This post brought to you by Boston Red Sox Fandom Two-Facededness[sup]TM[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/37 "2009-05-07T21:19:55Z")
I loved LaRussa’s second reaction: > [@](#): > > St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was talking to reporters before Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh when a clubhouse attendant stuck his head in and said: “Manny Ramirez, 50 games.” > > La Russa’s first reaction: “You’re kidding me.” > > Then he checked the schedule to see whether the Cardinals would be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers while Ramirez is out. Heh. And as a Cardinals fan, there is no way Pujols cheats, b/c he’s a Christian with a down syndrome child. And because, as a Cardinal, he wouldn’t cheat b/c Cardinals players don’t cheat. Thus settling this argument once and for all. ONCE AND FOR ALL!!! ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/38 "2009-05-07T21:31:55Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Bluntly, what are the chances of that not happening? > > I used to be confident that Rodriguez was clean, and even more so about Palmeiro. I’ve learned to accept that anybody who hasn’t tested dirty just hasn’t done so _yet_. The fact that PED’s were so widely used makes it easier to accept, oddly and perhaps sadly. Pretty slim and it’s completely unfair to Pujols either way. My whole issue with steroids is what happens to the one superstar who kept his nose clean and avoided steroids. I believe there is one even though i have no idea who it is - my heart says Frank Thomas. That poor guy is going to be viewed with suspicion just because of the generation he plays in and will never get his due. I know it’s stupid, but whatever. I really have no moral obligation to steroids, my problem is I just don’t know who’s on them and i feel I should get a choice as to whether or not I cheer for someone with steroids or not. Being a cycling fan is a heck of a lot easier than baseball. At least this way I KNOW they are all on some PEDs. It takes all of the guesswork out. (the difference of course is that you can’t really compare cycling stats between generations as there really are no stats). ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/39 "2009-05-07T21:36:21Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > I loved LaRussa’s second reaction: > > Heh. > > And as a Cardinals fan, there is no way Pujols cheats, b/c he’s a Christian with a down syndrome child. And because, as a Cardinal, he wouldn’t cheat b/c Cardinals players don’t cheat. Thus settling this argument once and for all. ONCE AND FOR ALL!!! _cough_ Rick Ankiel _cough_ ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661/40 "2009-05-07T21:42:10Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Right - there aren’t any previous PED users whose bodies broke down suddenly and had their game decline… Griffey’s body started breaking down after _he ran into a wall head first_ to run down a flyball. Nothing short of a reporter walking in on a needle being shoved in his ass would make me believe he was using. I’m also convinced that Frank Thomas is clean as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manny-ramirez-to-get-50-game-suspension-for-drugs-l-a-times-says/495661.md?page=3)