Dodger Thoughts has Manny Ramirez’s statement:
“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue,” Ramirez said in the statement. “He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay 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.”
The list of drugs isn’t kept in a Mayonnaise jar on the porch of Funk and Wagnall’s. When you are about to medicate a major league baseball player, don’t you go to the list and see if the drug is there? If you have a question, don’t you call the union? Players can get exemptions for certain drugs for medical reasons, why didn’t Manny or his doctor check? This smells fishy. Can MLB suspend you if you take a drug before it becomes banned, yet test positive afterward? That’s the only logical explanation in my mind.
No, MLB won’t suspend you after the fact for taking a banned drug before it was banned. That’s why Ankiel wasn’t punished for taking HGH—he took it before it became a banned substance.
Perhaps it was just a matter of Manny’s doc being Manny? You know, spacey, not really paying attention…
If this is true, I don’t understand why Ramirez doesn’t specify the medical condition he experienced and the drug he was prescribed. The lack of specifics makes his explanation sound unconvincing, to put it mildly. He’s either inventing a cover story or he has a real bad sense for public relations.
But nobody ever accused Manny of being brilliant.
I was a lowly student assistant trainer at a D1 NCAA school and I had access to the NCAA list of banned substances. Surely any doctor treating Manny would have the MLB list.
The “personal health issue” is an attempt to head off questions before they are asked. It won’t work.
With Manny being so good for so long, it might appear that he either:
1. Has always been taking something
2. Is telling the truth and this is like JC Romero
Is Viagra or any of those other “helpers” on the banned list or can they metabolize into a banned substance? That would make sense as to why Manny wouldn’t want to delve further into the “personal issue.” It’d give opposing players and fans a reason to razz him.
Either that or have the dr. come forward and admit his error.
I do have some sympathy for younger players, especially Latin ones, who come from places where certain substances are legal, yet would fall under the ban here. But at this stage in the steroid era, and given that Manny’s been a long time ML’er, he has to show more common sense.
I think there is about an equal chance that Manny’s story is essentially correct, and that he was dealing with a doctor inexperienced and careless with MLB’s substance policy, or that Manny’s story is the usual obfuscation to cover the use of a ped after being caught. I do think it possible that a doctor could screw up this way — one sees it most often in the Olympics — and so far, it seems that most sources agree it wasn’t steroids or hgh. I don’t find the wish to keep the medical condition private suspicious. I would expect some corroboration in the coming days if Manny’s story is true. But I don’t feel the need to form my own opinion prior to then.
“I don’t find the wish to keep the medical condition private suspicious. I would expect some corroboration in the coming days if Manny’s story is true.”
No comprende. If you have no problems with the alleged medical condition (assuming it exists at all) remaining private, how do you expect corroboration of Ramirez’ story? His story is the medical condition.
Anyway, there’s some hilarity on the web that Manny was having, er, erectile not-so-function and that his magic pills for the “medical condition” triggered the positive test. Well, that’s one way of enhancing performance.
Oh, I shouldn’t be so flip. Halfway seriously, if I’m Manny and there really is a “medical condition,” I get all the facts out immediately: complete details of the condition, the drug(s) prescribed, the doctor(s) involved, the whole nine yards.
Sorry, but “I’ve been advised not to say any more” doesn’t cut it.
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