I find myself in total agreement with Tracy Ringolsby on the Manny Ramirez situation:
The minor leagues had a drug policy long before the big leagues. They didn’t have to play games with the Major League Baseball Players Association to attack the issue.
So why should Ramirez be given the privilege of getting to play in minor league games before he has served his full suspension? There are no special privileges for minor-league players, guys who are playing for $25,000 or so a year, not $25 million, like Ramirez. When minor-league players face 50-game suspensions they have to serve their suspensions. Nobody finds a way to get them 10 games of competition before they return to the active roster.
As for the Dodgers:
Not fair to the Dodgers, some say. The Dodgers deserve to have a game-ready Ramirez the day his suspension is ended. Why? Teams should be held accountable for the transgressions of their players. If teams suffer enough they might be more vigilant in dealing with potential violations.
If you’re going to suspend players, make the suspension hurt as much as possible.
Posted by David Pinto at 12:09 pm | Cheating | Permalink | 4 Comments
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June 22nd, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
I don’t get it.
Here are some things MLB could do to make suspensions “hurt” more.
1. Tell the player he cannot take any vitamins during the suspension.
2. Tell him he can’t work out at a gym during the suspension.
3. Tell him he has to sleep on a plywood plank during the suspension.
4. He can’t wear shoes during the fifty game suspension.
Do you advocate all of these? If not, what’s the difference between them and disallowing MiL rehab games?
June 22nd, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
@James: So you think it’s perfectly reasonable for Manny’s suspension to be less than 50 days.
June 22nd, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
David,
No, I think it should be 50 games, which is more than 50 days. But I believe he was (and should have been) banned from MLB for 50 games. I don’t think he was banned from all baseball activity for 50 games. I think banning him from all baseball activity would have been an absurd penalty, much like banning him from wearing shoes.
MiL baseball is training, for Manny Ramirez. If he’s not banned from all kinds of training (which would be absurd), there’s no reason he should be banned from MiL baseball.
June 22nd, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
I agree wi Pinto. If he is suspended for 50 games it should be 50 games- he cam go take BP wi the Dodgers all he wants, but allowing him to play in the minors seems wrong. On another front, I always wonder why teams get to replace a suspended player on the roster-that also seems a bit strange and not quite right.