The drug Ramirez test positive for was Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or hCG.
hCG is used primarily by women who are trying to maintain a pregnancy in the early stages.
However hCG is also very commonly used in steroid cycles, and it's the only possible use for the drug that I could find, unless Ramirez has practically no testosterone in his system, or is trying a new weight loss program which hCG is also used for. Both of these cases I would think are very unlikely scenairos.
I dont want to make a quick judgement but it does sound like he was using, if he wasnt these players have to be more careful and do endless research as to what they put in their bodies and if will trigger a positive test. It seems as if Manny using is the only logical explanation but if he wasnt I find it inexcuseable since all he has to do is pick up a phone and call a MLB sanctioned hotline.
-- Edited by WallyGator on Thursday 7th of May 2009 02:06:58 PM
I'm so sick of hearing about steroids. Who's next? Who is gonna be the next star destroyed by steroids? Is it gonna be Pujols? He fits the model: Big, Strong, hits for power, from the Dominican, and has had a history of injuries. Will be Griffey Jr.? All the injuries he's had he has to be a prime suspect for using. What about Ryan Howard? He's big and hits a ton of homers. Maybe Prince Fielder? How is it possible that a vegetarian is that big unless his dinner is a whole tree? Either way, I'm so tired of hearing about the latest players to be struck down by the accusations of taking performance enhancing drugs. Baseball needs to set an ultimatum to the players of 100 or so players that tested positive: Either come out and admit you took them and say you're sorry and still be loved by the public, or have your name leaked to the media and risk a firestorm that will ruin you and your career. This has gotten to a point where I might stop watching baseball as a whole because it's as fake as professional wrestling. The stats of the biggest stars in the game are fake and are fabricated by performance enhancing drugs. Baseball is America's past time but if Bud Selig and the rest of Major League Baseball don't do something to clean it up I'll find something else to pass the time.
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The Cubbies got me, got me questioning, where are the runs??
Compared to the other three major sports I guarantee you that baseball is no worse.
The MLB has the toughest drug policy of any of the big four sports, and have done far more to educated youth about the dangers of steroids then any of the big four.
I know some schools that have entire offensive lines that are on roids or something similar.
We are in a new age of sports. These types of issues are not about to go away.
I'm tired of people talking about good ole' days that never existed where nobody used steroids, they were just raging alcoholics among other things. But the media never talked about it so it was okay for kids to look up to people like Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth. I'd say that sets a far worse example then somebody taking a drug to improve their performance, but that's just me.
Am I for steroids, no absolutely not. Nobody should ever have to make the decision as to whether or not they should have to take a drug in order to compete.
I'm mean I'm not going to sit here and say I'm perfect but there are much bigger issues with sports that are never talked about then steroids.
I don't want to get into why I think steroids are covered much more then they should be, but if I were to right a thesis on why I would say it's because athletes are easy targets.
The best advice for what I can give is to take the problem for what it is and move on. Believe me, there have been far worse problems throughout sports history that haven't even gotten one tenth of the coverage.
All I can say is there were never any good ole days. Athletes and people in general have been cheating since the dawn of time, learn how to deal with it. And for the most part athletes are not very good people and shouldn't be looked up to, nor have they ever been good people on average.
I didn't need a book to tell me that Arod was probably a douchebag, and if you did, you are living in a fantasy world and you need to wake up.
The reason I watch and follow sports is very simple. Their fun. Steroids are not going to change that fact about them.
-- Edited by pmoehrin on Thursday 7th of May 2009 02:55:21 PM
It's a sad story and the world of baseball continues to be brought down by steroids. Hopefully a couple years from now we will be able to look back at this era as something that changed baseball for the better.
It's funny that this came up cause it wasn't long ago on The Wheelhouse when we talked about Canseco saying Manny wasn't clean. Off-air I said to Bower that Canseco is usually right and how long will it be before Manny's name comes up in the news. Weeks later and here we are...yet again.
Another shot today for Baseball. I'm sure we will be discussing tonight on The Wheelhouse in less then 4 hours cause I've been texting back & forth with Bower & Cause all day. If you guys would like to call-in and talk about it yourselves we would love to hear from ya.
Wow I am shocked and kinda sad. Manny is my favorite baseball player with Eric Byrnes. This is a sad day for basebvall as the best and funniest palyer in the MLB is caught takin a banned substance. I am wow trhis comes as a shock to me. Next person to be caught is probay going to be David Ortiz he didnt do much with Minnesota and for a couple of years he had astreak of 40 plus homeruns and now his homeun total has gone down tremendously. I am calling it right now. Manny sad day for baseball and all fans that like Manny Ramirez.
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I think that Jimmy Hendrix was the best guitarist in the world
Well now that Manny has been caught. Now the next is the big question. It could be Albert. could be JR. We don't know. But one guy i want to point out as a possiblity also is Carlos Pena. The way he's started this season he's got like 15 HR's already i believe. I mean it's so hard to tell. Its going to be sho ends up hitting for like 40 Hr's this year after doing nothing last year.
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I believe in Family, I believe in Country, I believe in NASCAR
ITs kinda sad that we now expect people to be named right off the bat. So how about a list of players that we know won't get caught or has done steroids Jose Reyes, Ichiro, and the smaller guys of the MLB.
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I think that Jimmy Hendrix was the best guitarist in the world
