Leave it to Manny Ramirez to overshadow the first game of the year in baseball's best rivalry.
Today should have been all about the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, all about Phil Hughes versus John Lackey (although both starters were awful). Instead, baseball was rocked by the news that Ramirez retired rather than face the music for testing positive for the second time in his career for performance-enhancing drugs.
I’m not at all surprised by the news. Manny got busted for using a women’s fertility drug the first time around so it’s clear he’s not the sharpest pencil in the bunch. And it was obvious that Ramirez wanted to prove that he could still be one of baseball’s best and most feared hitters so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he got caught cheating again.
This news seals Manny’s fate in terms of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite the reluctance of some writers to vote for anyone even remotely connected with PEDs, there may have been enough writers willing to overlook one positive test, but not two. Absent the PED revelations, his extraordinary career statistics would have earned him a spot in the Hall, but it’s not going to happen now. The only way Manny will be allowed into the Hall is if he buys a ticket.
Even though Manny’s second bust wasn’t a surprise, it’s still a sad end to the career of one of the most pivotal players in the Rivalry’s most recent heyday. The Yankees and Red Sox will go on, but Manny will be Manny no more.
Thanks to Googie man via en.Wikipedia for the photo.
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