A-Rod and Manny were supposed to be the two "natural" talents that weren't juicing. Baseball gets another black eye. All the major stars of the era are frauds.The commissioner's office didn't announce the specific violation by Ramirez, who will lose about one-third of his $25 million salary.
Ramirez's test result was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Scott Boras, Ramirez's agent, told ESPN's Peter Gammons that his client did not test positive for steroids, but for a drug that was prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition.(...)
The report of a Ramirez positive test is the second to rock the sport in three months. In February, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted that he used steroids from 2001-2003 while with the Texas Rangers.
UPDATE: I've been waiting all day for Red Sox fan and Manny defender Bill Simmons to comment, and he didn't disappoint with this column on ESPN:
We look at the 2004 banner again. I always thought that, for the rest of my life, I would look at that banner and think only good thoughts. Now, there's a mental asterisk that won't go away. I wish I could take a pill to shake it from my brain. I see 2004 and 2007, and think of Manny and Papi first and foremost. The modern-day Ruth and Gehrig. One of the great one-two punches in sports history. Were they cheating the whole time? Was Pedro cheating, too? That 2004 banner makes me think of these things now. I wish it didn't, but it does. This makes me sad. This makes me profoundly sad.
My son can read it in my face. I am sad. He can see it.
"That's OK, Dad," he says, rubbing my shoulder. "Everyone cheated back then."
