Faced with 100 Game Suspension - Manny Quits
This Friday the baseball world was shocked to hear that Manny Ramirez, 38, of the Tampa Bay Rays, told Major League Baseball officials that he would rather retire than participate in the MLB’s drug rehabilitation program.
For Ramirez this would have been the second time he would have been in the league’s drug rehab program. Ramirez first served a 50-game suspension in 2009 for violating the MLB’s drug policy while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
If Ramirez would have participated with the program, he would have been suspended for 100-games. This is MLB’s policy, and would have made Ramirez the first player to server in the drug rehab program, and be suspended twice for performance enhancing drugs.
The Major League Baseball put these policies into effect in 2005, and is disappointed that they still have to reprimand players for using performance enhancing drugs. The MLB insist that it is doing all it can to prevent drug abuse within the players and to rid the game of drug cheats.
Once Ramirez was informed of the violation, he notified the commissioner’s office that rather than an appeal or suspension, he would announce his retirement. By announcing his retirement, Ramirez avoided having the MLB formally announce that he had violated The Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
The announcement led to mixed emotions and reactions amongst other players, coaches, and managers in the league. Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington said "You hate to see greatness all of a sudden just fade." Former Boston and current Tampa teammate Johnny Damon called Ramirez a "great teammate".
"I'm at ease," Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com on Friday. "God knows what's best (for me). I'm now an officially retired baseball player. I'll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man."
Ramirez had a career 555 home runs, and finished as a .312 hitter with 13 seasons of 100-plus RBIs. The Red Sox traded Ramirez to Los Angeles in 2008 and he developed a huge following among Dodger fans until he was suspended by the league. The Dodgers even named one section of the stadium "Mannywood" but then regretted signing him to a two-year $45 million contract after his performance slumped.
Performance-enhancing drugs are considered substances that are used by athletes to improve their performance. This term is most commonly referred as anabolic steroids, but the phrase can be referred to several different classes of drugs.
Human growth hormones (HGH) or lean mass builders are used to amplify growth in muscles. Stimulates such as amphetamine and methamphetamine are used to stimulate and increase focus, energy and aggression. Athletes also use painkillers or blood pressure medication to hide an injury or increase oxygen flow in their blood.
Athletes have also been known to use sedatives such as valium or marijuana to overcome excessive nervousness. Diuretics are also popular with athletes that want to meet weight requirement. When athletes are misusing performance-enhancing drugs, they find another drug to prevent detection. They will use a masking drug like epitestosterone to restore testosterone to normal levels.
To some athletic authorities caffeine is considered a performance enhancer. There are consequences when athletes play with drugs, this is what White Sox closing pitcher Bobby Jenks had to say about the situation “"Once you get caught once…why try again?... I mean, it's a little stupid, but I guess he made his own choices. Now he's got to live with them."
