Side Effects?

Ok, so it has now been 5 days since Manny Ramirez was suspended by MLB for testing positive for a banned substance, which we now know falls under the performance enhancing drug category. Due to my status as a Red Sox fan I have had people ask my opinion of the whole situation, and at first I wasn't going to write anything about it, but after doing some deep thought and reflection I feel as if I need to say this, Ramirez's suspension changes NOTHING!!!

How do I feel about the Red Sox' World Series victories in 2004 and 2007? The same way I felt about them yesterday and the day before that, and the week before that, and the months and years before that...GREAT! Manny Ramirez testing positive for performance doesn't change one thing and if you continue reading you will understand why.

Did it hurt a little bit to know that a guy I followed religiously for almost 8 years on teams that I felt I connected with tested positive for performance enhancing drugs? Of course it does. As a fan, if you invest time, energy and even money into following a team, news like this is always going to hurt, however with the current state of baseball, nothing surprises me anymore. Steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are going to be the iconic symbol for Major League Baseball from 1987 through probably 2015 (or whenever A-rod retires). The talk of steroids will go on even longer as a result of the great Hall of Fame debates that will take place over the next 15-25 years. So while as a fan it did sting for a minute, that was the extent of it.

If anyone wants to bring up the argument that the Red Sox World Series victories are now somehow tainted, then tell that person to read the above paragraph and also let them know that they might be the most ignorant person on the face of the earth. Say Ramirez was using while with the Red Sox (and we'll address that issue in just a moment), are you then saying the only team with steroid users was the Red Sox, HELL NO!!! Every team in MLB had at least one player and in many cases, players plural, juicing at one time or another over the past 20 years, so don't try to tell me that Ramirez was the only person using at that time, which brings me to my next point.....

How do we even know Ramirez was using with the Red Sox? We don't. Before everyone calls out my Red Sox bias hear me out. Manny came up with the Indians in 1994 and hit 17 home runs in 91 games. That was his last partial season in the big leagues. His home run totals since then have been in order, 31, 33, 26, 45, 44, 38, 41, 33, 37, 43, 45, 35, 20, 37 (20 in Boston, 17 in L.A.) What jumps out at me there is the relative consistency up until the end of his time in Boston. Unlike most juicers Manny never had that breakout, "this year is so much better then any year we have ever seen from him" year. He wasn't Brett Boone going from years of 63 and 74 RBI to 141. He wasn't Brady Anderson going from a 50 steals guy to 50 home run hitter. The point is Manny was always one of the most well rounded hitters in the game, and what his overall numbers tell me is one of two things, A) He has always been on steroids, how else could you explain his consistency, or B) After his down year in 2007, he realized with that kind of production the Red Sox would not pick up his option years and no team would come close to the 20 million those years were worth, so in an attempt to conjure Vintage Manny Ramirez he began to cycle steroids eventually becoming the modern day Babe Ruth in 2 months with the Dodgers. Agree with those assessments or not, one thing I do know is Manny has been and probably will always be the best right handed hitter of our generation, (although Pujols might have something to say about that). Just look at the numbers. Every suspected juicer has a huge spike in production for a 2-4 year period, Manny's only spike is 2008. The numbers don't lie.


Still not enough for you guys to look passed my Red Sox bias, ok, how bout this one. I already know that members of the Red Sox were juicing during the 2004 World Series. Am I 100 % sure? No, but are there signs that point me in that direction? Yes. I have already relegated myself to the fact that Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Bill Mueller, possibly Keith Foulke, and sadly even Nomar were all juicing at some point while they were with the Sox. The eye test is too strong to think otherwise. So what if Ramirez was juicing? The point is so was everyone else in MLB. It doesn't take anything away from a moment that brought myself, my grandfather and millions of other Red Sox fans to tears.


Staying on the subject of steroids, Roger Clemens was back in the news today, and I don't even want to give this jackass the time of day but he spoke so "eloquently" once again that I have to comment. First of all EVERYONE knows Roger Clemens took some type of performance enhancing drug, as I mentioned earlier THE EYE TEST is going crazy. So today on Mike and Mike in the Morning Roger Clemens addressed a tell all book written by four New York Daily News writers set to be released tomorrow. My recollection of the interview may not be verbatim, but it's pretty damn close. When asked about his "alleged"use of PED's, Clemens rattled off this beauty, "...why would I take steroids when we have a history of heart problems in my family. My father had a heart attack, my stepfather had a heart attack..." Let that sink in for a minute....do you know whats wrong with that statement? Hey Roger, your stepfather has no bearing on your personal health. But wait it gets better, when asked about Andy Petitte's sworn testimony, Clemens said, "...my answer to that is the same as it has always been, Andy misremembers..." Now clearly Roger watches the news and reads the newspapers because I watch Sportscenter everyday and I had no idea this book was being released, so he has to know by now that "misremembers" isnt even a word...hold on....yep spell check just confirmed for me that misremembers is in fact NOT a word. I want to villify Clemens but when he says some of the things that he does as regularly as he does you almost have to feel sorry for him........almost.