But Wait, A-Rod Wasn't Alone

(NEWSER) - Manny Ramirez has tested positive for a banned substance and will be suspended for 50 games beginning immediately, the Los Angeles Times reports. Reports have identified the substance as HCG, a drug commonly used to treat female infertility but also taken to raise testosterone levels at the end of steroid treatments. The substance is intended to boost sex drive and "is not a steroid and it is not human-growth hormone," a source told Yahoo Sports. The suspension runs through July 3 and will cost Ramirez nearly $8 million. More»

Star to tell more about his steroid use

(NEWSER) - A-Rod faced reporters in New York today to, in his words, “take my medicine.” He said he was injected by his cousin, with a substance that was legal in the Dominican Republic. “It was very amateur hour,” he said. “We probably didn’t even take it right.” He also said he’d taken a drug test before the news conference, and would take another next week. More»

Endorsements dry up as advertisers avoid risky baseball stars

(NEWSER) - A lot of people will pay for Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids—and A-Rod isn’t one of them, writes Jeremy Mullman in Advertising Age. A-Rod’s already shallow pool of endorsements isn’t likely to dry up, but by bringing steroids back into the spotlight, he’s cast a shadow over young, scandal-free superstars who should be getting deals. More»

'Real victims' of performance drugs are those left behind

(NEWSER) - The steroids-in-baseball "shame game" shouldn’t be limited to A-Rod and Barry Bonds, writes Mike Wise in the Washington Post. To keep mum on the others who cheated the game is to ignore the "real victims": The regular players who "chose correctly between right and wrong" and never made it beyond the minors. Officials should release the names of all known users so that we can celebrate those who aren’t on that list. More»

News of drug use 'tarnishes era'

(NEWSER) - President Obama has weighed in on the latest chapter of baseball's burgeoning steroid scandal, condemning Yankees star Alex Rodriguez for his use of performance-enhancing drugs and setting a bad example for children, reports CBS News. In his first prime-time news conference, Obama called confirmation of A-Rod's steroid use "depressing," saying it "tarnishes an entire era." More»