The Marlins came so close to signing Manny Ramirez a year ago, and the fact that we didn't still has some fans mad. Turns out even if we had signed Ramirez, he'd be no good to us for the next fifty games.
Ramirez, a Dodgers player and an off-season resident of Weston, Fl, tested positive for a banned drug as reported earlier today by The LA Times. He'll be suspended for fifty games, and many assumed the dope in question was a steroid.
ESPN.com is reporting that the drug was actually a woman's fertility drug known as human chorionic gonadotropin. The drug is "typicallly used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle."
Ramirez claims ignorance in an official statement:
"Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."
Ramirez originally planned to appeal the suspension, but withdew the motion. Under MLB policy the identity of the drug will not be officially released.
