Bad sports, good sports: Manny Ramirez takes the coward’s way out

Posted on April 11th, 2011 by Alan Spoll

Once a cheater, always a cheater. Right, Manny? In 2009, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. This week, a mere two years later, it was announced that he again tested positive during Spring Training. Rather than face the 100-game suspension that comes with a second positive test, Ramirez announced his retirement on Friday, effective immediately.

I was never a Manny fan, but I always had respect for his hitting ability. Since the beginning of his career, he was a pure hitter who could hit for both average and power. That respect was greatly diminished after Ramirez tested positive for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), which is on the league’s list of Performance Enhancing Drugs because it is used to get the taker’s testosterone production back in gear after a round of steroids. Amusingly, the drug’s primary use is as a female fertility drug. Ramirez was always known as a free spirit, often flouting league and team rules on a whim, wearing a uniform so large it looked like pajamas on him, and saying anything that came to mind. Like many extraordinary athletes, he got away with that because of his incredible skill. Despite his reputation, I was surprised when he failed the drug test in 2009. I am not sure why, but he did not strike me as someone who would take the easy way out. Once the failed test was revealed, he became just another cheater in my book. Now, with this second failure and his choice to retire, he became something even worse than that. He became a coward.

It is tough to imagine why Ramirez, at this point in his career, and having already been suspended once, would do this again. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays during this offseason, and I guess he was trying to extend his career for as long as he could. He had a poor, injury-plagued season in 2010, and only managed a two million dollar contract with the Rays for 2011, a dramatic reduction from the two-year, 45 million dollar deal he had with the Los Angeles Dodgers through the 2010 season. With that kind of money in play, I imagine it was difficult to resist the temptation to do anything possible to keep that paycheck coming. As a sports fan, I like to think that most of these guys have enough honor to do things the right way. I am probably very foolish and naive to think that, though. Regardless, I am glad Manny Ramirez chose the coward’s way out and quit before any more could come of it. Baseball is better off not having “Manny being Manny” on its fields anymore.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Mike Vrabel, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the leaders of the NFL Players Association, was arrested on Monday for theft after apparently stealing some beers from a deli in Las Vegas. He claims there was some sort of misunderstanding.

3) Rory McIlroy had a collapse for the ages on Sunday, the final day of the Masters. The 21-year-old golfer entered the day with a four stroke lead, making him a heavy favorite to win his first major tournament. Instead, he shot an 8-over par 80 and finished 15th, ten strokes off the lead.

4) South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Stephen Garcia has been suspended yet again, the fifth suspension of his college career. The offense that got him suspended has not been revealed.

5) Ben Roethlisberger is getting married. He stated that he and his fiance will not live together until they get married due to their religious beliefs. Yes, you read that correctly. Ben Roethlisberger has religious beliefs that will prevent him from living with someone. I hardly even know what to say about that.

6) While being interviewed about not being drafted until the 6th round of the 2000 NFL draft, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady decided it would be a good time to cry in public. Awesome.

Good sports:

1) Enabled in large part to the Rory McIlroy collapse I mentioned above, the final day of the Masters was pretty spectacular, with a large number of players vying for the lead throughout the day. In the end, South African golfer Charl Schwartzel came from four shots back to win his first major.

2) Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson hit his first ten three-point attempts on Saturday night in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, setting a record for the most consecutive threes without a miss to start a game.

3) In what has to be considered an upset, VCU head coach Shaka Smart is staying at the Colonial Athletic Association school after their Final Four run, turning down an offer from North Carolina State and spurning the other offers that were likely coming his way.

Bad sports, good sports appears every Monday.

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02