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.”
“You’re kidding me,” La Russa said.
Then he checked the schedule to see whether the Cardinals would be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers while Ramirez is out.
Reaction ranged from shock to self-interest across baseball and other sports after Major League Baseball suspended the slugger for 50 games for failing a drug test. The commissioner’s office did not identify the substance; Ramirez said it was not steroids but a medication containing a banned substance that a doctor had given him.
d I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”
At Fenway Park, where Ramirez played through his prime and became Boston’s first World Series MVP, the writer of his authorized biography happened to be giving a lunchtime talk when the news broke. “Innocent until proven guilty, and I don’t have all the facts,” said Jean Rhodes, the author of “Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball’s Most Enigmatic Slugger.”
Rhodes painted Ramirez as a quirky craftsman who gave off an air of apathy but was diligent in his preparations. That’s the assessment of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who played with Ramirez on the 2004 team that ended Boston’s 86-year World Series drought.
“I wouldn’t have been surprised if anybody in the game turned up on anything prior to ’04, but since ’04, I feel like the game’s been pretty clean,” Arroyo said. “It’s kind of shocking that he got caught up in anything, honestly. Manny likes to play stupid, but he’s a pretty bright guy. And he’s definitely aware of a lot of things that he tries to act like he’s completely oblivious to.”
The Red Sox declined to comment on the specifics of Ramirez’s suspension but added: “We staunchly support Major League Baseball’s drug policy and commend the efforts associated with that program.”
house opened Thursday afternoon, TVs were giving the latest developments and few players milled about.
“No comment about Manny,” slugger David Ortiz said, walking past reporters at his locker. “I play for Boston. Manny plays for L.A. Go and ask him.”
In his pregame meeting with the media, manager Terry Francona deflected three attempts for comment on Ramirez. The fourth question was about injuries.
“Bless you,” he told the reporter. “Thank God we’ve got injuries.”
Ramirez’s quirky side made him a fan favorite for his early years in Boston, and it may have helped him become the Hall of Fame-caliber player who seemed unaffected by strikeouts, home runs and paychecks alike. But his uncaring attitude eventually wore thin on his teammates, and he was shipped to Los Angeles last summer.
He batted .396 with the Dodgers with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games and helped propel them to the playoffs.
“He’s a main cog, and he’s not going to be in play for a while,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ll see how that ball club handles that adversity. Can they win without him? I’m sure they feel confident that they can. But I know they’re a different team without him in the lineup.”
Bochy said his biggest surprise was that players continue to push the limits of the game’s drug-testing system.
“These players know they’re getting tested and they’re still getting caught. I don’t understand it,” Bochy said. “I’m not surprised. … It’s disappointing these major league players are getting caught. It’s not good for the game, it’s not good for the kids who look up to players.”
Former teammate Tony Clark, now with the Diamondbacks, agreed.
“Any time you have the superstars in your game find themselves in difficult situations, it can’t help but cast a general cloud over the group as a whole,” he said. “And that’s why someone as respected and appreciated for his ability as Manny is makes it really difficult. As a fan, as a former teammate and obviously now as a competitor, it makes it difficult.”
Reaction spilled into other sports.
Shaquille O’Neal said on Twitter, where Ramirez was the No. 1 search topic for a time: “Dam manny ramirez, come on man Agggggggggh, agggggggh,agggggh.” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he thought players should be more concerned about the health effects of steroids.
“But it doesn’t tarnish my image of them. They’re still great players,” Rivers said. “I just hope it all goes away. I just hate anything that deflects from the game.”
And that’s what Francona was concerned about, too.
“The more you can concentrate on baseball, the better,” he said.
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AP sports writers Howard Ulman in Boston, R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis; Bernie Wilson in San Diego, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Pat Graham in Denver, Tim Reynolds and Steve Wine in Miami contributed to this story.
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