An interesting side note: I noted HLN this morning reported a poll of kids. 80% of them opined that a player caught using illegal substances should be banned from ever being in the Hall of Fame. 27% said such players should be fired and not allowed to play major league ball.

Seems kids are harsher judges than their parents.

Manny could have appealed and kept playing during the appeal, but declined to do so.

From the LA Times:

HCG is one of dozens of substances prohibited under baseball's policy. Players can call a hotline to check the legality of any substance and can get a therapeutic-use exemption for any legitimate medical use of a banned substance.

An appeal hearing was scheduled for Wednesday -- baseball's top lawyer, Rob Manfred, flew from New York to Los Angeles the previous day -- but sources said Ramirez dropped the appeal on the advice of his agent, Scott Boras.  
 

I am also more than happy to answer your next to last question pam; yes, Manny is that stupid.

Baseball is "America's pasttime."  In AMERICA, people are innocent until proven guilty.  So wham, bam  - Manny has a 50-game suspension?  Did anyone talk to the doctor who, Manny claims, prescribed a drug that resulted in the positive drug test?  Suspension first, proof later?  In the day and age when guys can slip date rape drugs into a girls drink, couldn't one of Manny's many enemies paid someone to drug him?  Yeah, maybe that's improbable, but not impossible.  I mean, in our times, with all of the drug testing going on, how stupid does someone have to be to continue with banned substances???  Is Manny that stupid?  The jury is still out...  So why has he been convicted and sentenced already?  I'm sorry, but I'm suspicious... and I'm not even a Dodger fan.

I guess I'm in the minority because  I'm a Dodger fan that would like to see Manny just go away forever. The guy is a great player hitter when motivated. But as he's demonstrated in the past, once his desire wanes for whatever reason, he turns into a big baby that doesn't give a 100-percent effort. Dodger fans may give him a standing ovation when he returns after the 50-game suspension.. But how will they feel when he starts dogging it again because his  chance at signing a huge free agent contract at the end of the season are gone. Manny's contract with LA is for two-years (25 million the first year and 20 million the second)but he can opt out after the first year and become a free agent again. Now that he's been suspended for using a banned substance what team is going to offer him big-time free agent money? That means he'll be stuck on the Dodgers with "nothing" to play for. That's not going to make for a happy or motivated Manny. Bad news for Dodger fans.