The Boston Red Sox used a record breaking and record tying 12 run 6th inning to propel themselves past the Cleveland Indians 13-3 last night to gain a split of the brief 2-game set.
But the news of the day wasn’t about the Red Sox record inning. Instead it was about the 50-game suspension of former Red Sox and current Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
It turns out the drug of choice for Manny was a sexual enhancer called gonadotropin which can be used on males with fertility problems. It also used to promote to restart the production of testosterone in anabolic steroid users.
Does this mean Manny was a steroid user? No, it doesn’t but it sure makes him look guilty even though he says it was for a personal medical problem. Ramirez failed two drug tests, one during in spring training and a subsequent follow up that triggered the suspension.
Now the question remains, was Manny’s Red Sox career tainted? And were the two Red Sox World Series titles tainted because of this? Personally, if Manny is telling the truth then no they aren’t tainted. Since he’s passed drug tests in the past, there would be no reason to suspect Manny was ever using performance-enhancing drugs.
The best thing for Manny to do right now is be completely honest with everyone because the witch hunt has already begun. It only took a matter of hours for the media to find out what the drug of choice was. Imagine what a little more time would do.
It is disheartening to know though that one of your all-time favorite baseball players was a performance-enhancing drug user. But unless anything damaging comes out, he’ll still be one of my favorites. And if nothing else does come out, it will be interesting to see what happens to Manny when the Hall of Fame vote comes out because he is/was a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer.
Before we get to today’s links from the local media, just a quick reminder. With the Boston Bruins playing tonight in Game 4 of their NHL Playoffs matchup, the Red Sox game has been relegated to the NESN Plus channel. The Red Sox pregame show will start at 5:30 PM and run until 7 on NESN.
And one other quick thing, Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer will be holding a chat with the fans at 12:30 PM over at Sawxheads.
Links coming up after the jump.
Thank you Jason Bay [38 Pitches]
Sox in good frame of mind [Boston Globe]
Sixth a triumph for Red Sox [Boston Herald]
12-run explosion lifts Red Sox over Indians [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Break 84-Year-Old AL Record [Hartford Courant]
Another distraction from former teammate [Boston Globe]
Ex-mates can’t relate [Boston Herald]
Red Sox journal: Ortiz is out with a stiff neck, but Baldelli returns [Providence Journal]
Sensational Sixth [Hartford Courant]
Lugo a hit with Ortiz sidelined [Boston Globe]
Right on for Jim Rice [Boston Herald]
Manny’s capable of failing IQ test, too [Providence Journal]
Manny Doesn’t Get Benefit Of The Doubt [Hartford Courant]
Big hole in the lineup [Boston Globe]
Red Sox reaction to Ramirez suspension runs the gamut [Providence Journal]
Lugo could be secret weapon [RedSox.com]
Fans at McCoy aren’t shocked by Ramirez suspension [Providence Journal]
Opinion: Manny’s suspension casts a cloud over recent Red Sox history [Projo Sox Blog]
Injury updates [Extra Bases]
Doc on Manny: That’s shocking and disappointing [Green Street]
Why Manny?!?! Seriously, why??? [Batter-up with Bruno]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must check out the enemy sites, you can head over to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal websites.
