http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654 Manny Ramirez, the man-child hero to so many Dodger fans, starts his 50-game suspension today after a blood test showed a banned substance. Here's a prediction:&nbsp;When Manny plays his first game in Dodger Stadium after his 50-game suspension (on July 16, vs. Houston), the Dodger faithful will shower him with a standing ovation. I've believed this from the start of baseball's steroids era:&nbsp;If the &quot;offender&quot; is on a team you hate, you want to ban him for life; if he's on a team you don't care about, ban him for life or give him a long suspension. If he plays for YOUR&nbsp;team, it's OK, because HE'S&nbsp;HELPING&nbsp;US&nbsp;WIN. The Giants fans were criticized for their love of Barry Bonds, and much of that criticism came from L.A. media and Dodger fans. But watch:&nbsp;the Dodger fans will do the same with Manny. Recently, Jason Giambi, now with Oakland, had a hero's welcome to new Yankee Stadium when the A's visited there. A friend of mine who is a Yankee fan told me years ago that all drug test failures should lead to permanent bans from baseball. Giambi was then a Yankee having a poor year. One year later, Giambi was on his way to a 30-plus home run season with New York. I&nbsp;asked that same fan about what should be done with Giambi. &quot;He's having a pretty good year, isn't he?&quot;&nbsp;was the response. A longtime Cubs fan I&nbsp;knew thought that Bonds should have been banned for life. This was years ago, when Sammy Sosa was in the midst of three straight 60-plus home run seasons. &quot;If Bonds goes, what about Sosa?&quot;&nbsp;I&nbsp;asked. &quot;Oh, Sammy's clean,&quot;&nbsp;was the response. And he was serious. I&nbsp;say again:&nbsp;If a failed drug test happens to a player on your team, the vast majority will look the other way. Bank on it. And look for the reaction when Manny takes the field on July 16. &nbsp; Manny Ramirez, the man-child hero to so many Dodger fans, starts his 50-game suspension today after a blood test showed a banned substance. Here's a prediction:&nbsp;When Manny plays his first game in Dodger Stadium after his 50-game suspension (on July 16, vs. Houston), the Dodger faithful will shower him with a standing ovation. I've believed this from the start of baseball's steroids era:&nbsp;If the &quot;offender&quot; is on a team you hate, you want to ban him for life; if he's on a team you don't care about, ban him for life or give him a long suspension. If he plays for YOUR&nbsp;team, it's OK, because HE'S&nbsp;HELPING&nbsp;US&nbsp;WIN. The Giants fans were criticized for their love of Barry Bonds, and much of that criticism came from L.A. media and Dodger fans. But watch:&nbsp;the Dodger fans will do the same with Manny. Recently, Jason Giambi, now with Oakland, had a hero's welcome to new Yankee Stadium when the A's visited there. A friend of mine who is a Yankee fan told me years ago that all drug test failures should lead to permanent bans from baseball. Giambi was then a Yankee having a poor year. One year later, Giambi was on his way to a 30-plus home run season with New York. I&nbsp;asked that same fan about what should be done with Giambi. &quot;He's having a pretty good year, isn't he?&quot;&nbsp;was the response. A longtime Cubs fan I&nbsp;knew thought that Bonds should have been banned for life. This was years ago, when Sammy Sosa was in the midst of three straight 60-plus home run seasons. &quot;If Bonds goes, what about Sosa?&quot;&nbsp;I&nbsp;asked. &quot;Oh, Sammy's clean,&quot;&nbsp;was the response. And he was serious. I&nbsp;say again:&nbsp;If a failed drug test happens to a player on your team, the vast majority will look the other way. Bank on it. And look for the reaction when Manny takes the field on July 16. &nbsp; en-us Thu, 07 May 2009 16:03:36 PDT <p>I guess I'm in the minority because &nbsp;I'm a Dodger fan that would like to see Manny just go away forever. The guy is a great <strike>player</strike> hitter when motivated. But as he's demonstrated in the past, once his desire wanes for whatever reason, he&nbsp;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&nbsp;his &nbsp;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&nbsp;on the Dodgers with &quot;nothing&quot; to play for. That's not going to make for a happy or motivated Manny. Bad news for Dodger fans.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399508 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399508 <p>I guess I'm in the minority because &nbsp;I'm a Dodger fan that would like to see Manny just go away forever. The guy is a great <strike>player</strike> hitter when motivated. But as he's demonstrated in the past, once his desire wanes for whatever reason, he&nbsp;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&nbsp;his &nbsp;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&nbsp;on the Dodgers with &quot;nothing&quot; to play for. That's not going to make for a happy or motivated Manny. Bad news for Dodger fans.</p> <p>Baseball is &quot;America's pasttime.&quot; &nbsp;In AMERICA, people are innocent until proven guilty. &nbsp;So wham, bam &nbsp;- Manny has a 50-game suspension? &nbsp;Did anyone talk to the doctor who, Manny claims, prescribed a drug that resulted in the positive drug test? &nbsp;Suspension first, proof later? &nbsp;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? &nbsp;Yeah, maybe that's improbable, but not impossible. &nbsp;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??? &nbsp;Is Manny that stupid? &nbsp;The jury is still out... &nbsp;So why has he been convicted and sentenced already? &nbsp;I'm sorry, but I'm suspicious... and I'm not even a Dodger fan.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399785 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399785 <p>Baseball is &quot;America's pasttime.&quot; &nbsp;In AMERICA, people are innocent until proven guilty. &nbsp;So wham, bam &nbsp;- Manny has a 50-game suspension? &nbsp;Did anyone talk to the doctor who, Manny claims, prescribed a drug that resulted in the positive drug test? &nbsp;Suspension first, proof later? &nbsp;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? &nbsp;Yeah, maybe that's improbable, but not impossible. &nbsp;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??? &nbsp;Is Manny that stupid? &nbsp;The jury is still out... &nbsp;So why has he been convicted and sentenced already? &nbsp;I'm sorry, but I'm suspicious... and I'm not even a Dodger fan.</p> <p>Manny could have appealed and kept playing during the appeal, but declined to do so.</p> <p>From the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-manny-ramirez8-2009may08,0,6324894.story">LA Times:</a></p> <p><em>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.<br /> <br /> 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.&nbsp;&nbsp; </em><br /> &nbsp;</p> <p>I am also more than happy to answer your next to last question pam; yes, Manny is that stupid.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399793 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399793 <p>Manny could have appealed and kept playing during the appeal, but declined to do so.</p> <p>From the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-manny-ramirez8-2009may08,0,6324894.story">LA Times:</a></p> <p><em>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.<br /> <br /> 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.&nbsp;&nbsp; </em><br /> &nbsp;</p> <p>I am also more than happy to answer your next to last question pam; yes, Manny is that stupid.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Seems kids are harsher judges than their parents.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399860 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/EvansOnSports/44654/#c_399860 <p>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.</p> <p>Seems kids are harsher judges than their parents.</p>