Manny Talks God, Ducks Drugs in Pre-Game Presser

Suspended slugger looks set to join baseball's hall of infamy

(NEWSER) - The only Hall of Fame that Manny Ramirez is now likely to find himself in is the one for lame excuses, Phil Rogers writes in the Chicago Tribune. Unless Ramirez, who says he flunked a drug test because of "a personal health issue," wanted to get pregnant or had some other legitimate reason for taking a female fertility drug, he looks certain to join the ranks of baseball's fallen stars, Rogers writes. More»

(NEWSER) - Insiders say both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are on “the list” of baseball players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, the New York Times reports. Ramirez recently finished a 50-game suspension for taking a banned drug; it’s the first time Ortiz—Ramirez’s teammate on two World Series-winning Boston Red Sox squads—has been linked to such substances. More»

Ramirez heads to triple-A Isotopes

(NEWSER) - Manny Ramirez may play for the Albuquerque Isotopes tonight, and droves of locals are planning to be there, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Triple-A team sells 7,715 tickets for a typical game; tonight it expects up to 15,000. Fans aren’t much concerned about the slugger’s suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug. “He’s a cheater,” one told the AP, “but I want to see him play.” More»

Suspended slugger may face team on road trip next week

(NEWSER) - Suspended slugger Manny Ramirez is "embarrassed" and "still beat up" over his failed drug test and 50-game suspension, Joe Torre told the Los Angeles Times. "It's not that he thinks it's unfair," Torre added. The Dodgers skipper talked to Ramirez yesterday. A source said Ramirez may finally face his teammates during their six-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Philadelphia. More»

(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»