Friday, May 15, 2009

Manny to Emerge, Check for Shadow Today

From "Source: Manny to talk to team" at ESPN.com:

Banned slugger Manny Ramirez will likely meet with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre and the team on Friday when they visit the Florida Marlins, a source told ESPN.

It has not been determined when the meeting will occur, the source said. There had been some speculation Ramirez would meet with the team in Miami, where he maintains an offseason home.

Can we get this out of the way already? The team is just getting its non-Manny legs and the last thing the players need is to be distracted by non-baseball issues. And Manny is a non-baseball issue for another 43 games.

UPDATE:

Thanks to SoSG commenter Tweak68k! for pointing to this very confusing article:

HCG not found in Manny Ramirez drug test (LA Times)

8 comments:

Chappy said...

I really wish Manny would get out of prima donna mode.

He waits to address the team until they come to him and is obviously not even pretending that he would put team before individual.

Plus they just got back on the winning track the past two games and now he'll probably just be a distraction again!

Chappy said...

And if the test didn't reveal what was first reported, this man has some splainin' to do!

rbnlaw said...

LOL at the "confidentiality" of the testing and the security of the labs. Now "sources" claim no HcG in his system, but elevated test, likely synthetic, at 4 times the normal levels.
What the hell is up with the people in these labs that they leak this info? If it's the "people" around Manny, then so be it, but I think the testing lab has just as much 'splanin to do.

I do agree with you, Chappy; The Mountain came to Muhammad in this case.

rbnlaw said...

Alright, so I google, "Manny Ramirez steroids" and I get this: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/04/06/jose-canseco-says-90-chance-manny-ramirez-is-on-steroids-list/

Note the dateline: April 6, 2009.
Quote: Canseco asked questions as to the status of Ramirez receiving a long-term contract and why owners were so hesitant to sign him as "evidence" as to why Ramirez used steroids, but admitted he had "no way of knowing" whether Ramirez was guilty of using PEDs.

And that, in my mind, makes this allegation seem pretty silly: Ramirez didn't get a long-term deal because there was no chance of receiving the money he wanted over the course of a long-term contract. Additionally, he's 36, so it's not like every team out there should have been scrambling to lock him up in a 12-year uber-deal anyway. Oh, and perhaps Canseco missed it, but the economy collapsed while Ramirez was trying to get paid.
Hindsight is so 20/20.

Chappy said...

Just heard on ESPN radio that Manny just met with the team.

Chappy said...

You know what else RBNLAW if I were Frank McCourt I would be trying to rescind the entire contract with him and get back any money paid out already.

In your expert legal opinion is something like that even possible or are the drug testing procedures (50 games, 100 games, then lifetime ban) in the Collective agreement the only punishment possible for a player who does this?

The only thing I know for sure is I wish I'd picked Casey Blake bobblehead night for my kids instead of this dickhead's.

Chappy said...

Here's a good off season move for the Dodgers I guess:

Red Sox could be shopping
Brad Penny by June.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/features/rumors

rbnlaw said...

Chappy,
I'd say there would be grounds for rescission based on fraud, but that's an awfully hard row to hoe. You'd have to prove there was active concealment of the fact he was on steroids and that they signed him based on his steroid-enhanced performance.

The argument against would be that the Dodgers didn't do their due diligence before signing him. I believe the Dodgers would also have to prove that they had no way of knowing he was on the juice. So, in other words, ain't gonna happen. The players' union would argue a violation of his rights to cancel the contract after he was suspended for a "drug violation"

Could be why Selig has been so quiet. Doesn't want to give the Dodgers ammo to give Manny the axe. Just think; what would Al Davis do?