Weighing In On Manny

It is now 5 games into Manny’s suspension. I was in a Hawaii last week when I got the news, and I started to blog about it from my hotel room, but I decided to wait. Wanted to get the facts as they slowly trickled in and make sure I wasn’t going to write anything either stupid or naïve. Didn’t want to be an apologist nor a knee jerk reactor. At first, I actually believed for a split second that Manny may be innocent, but quickly I thought better of it. Here’s my conclusion: As far as any thinking that Manny wasn’t caught with a “steroid” and that he’s innocent, you can shove that where the sun don’t shine. Manny, having had a prescription for HCG, a drug widely taken by steroid users following their cycles to replenish or maintain their testosterone levels, is quite obviously guilty. Not only had he just began taking PEDs, but he’s been at it for quite some time. Where Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa decided to put their muscular girths and impressive bulges on display, Manny chose to hide his with baggy uniforms. He was perfectly willing to let fans think he may be fat or out of shape rather than advertise the truth every time he put on his double knits. My guess is he’s been taking roids off and on, mostly on, for quite a few years. But because the players that use are still so far ahead of the game regarding the testing, when to cycle on and off, etc, most of them don’t get caught. When Manny returns, his numbers will likely go down. He may never be the savior we got from Boston at last year’s trade deadline ever again. Should we be angry at him? Yes. He’s an asshole. Do we want and need him back? Sorry, Plaschke, but that’s a yes. Even a clean Manny is better than no Manny.

Should we be angry at the Dodgers? That’s a good question. They knew full well that Manny had been using prior to re-signing him this Spring. That’s the main reason teams were so reluctant to offer him the multi-year big bucks. Not his age nor the alleged Manny being Manny malingering that took place in Boston. Everyone knew he was using and everyone knew there may well be a positive test in his near future. I didn’t. Call me naïve. Call me ignorant. Call me desperate. I really wanted to believe Manny was the real deal. So, why do fans like me who care about the integrity of the game want him back? Because, truth be told, every team has a star that has recently used or is still using performance enhancing drugs. After this debacle, you think I believe Albert Pujols isn’t on something? You can take him out of his St. Louis Cardinals uniform right now and put him in an Arizona Cardinals uniform and he’d fit right where the tight end or the linebackers play. He’s huge, cut, sinewy, and his numbers have been consistently astonishing. In fact, they’re climbing. He’s improving as he ages. No, the era is still ongoing, though dwindling, and players have to be forgiven and teams have to move on. If Manny can still rake when he comes back, then we’ll know that he may be one of the guys who didn’t need the drugs.

Should we be angry at Bud Selig? Most definitely. Selig is responsible for the Steroid Era and, with a wink and a nod, he knowingly allowed it to happen before he finally decided to try to put a stop to it. Especially after the strike of ’94 when he wanted to build up revenue and popularity again. He felt baseball needed the HRs and the Ks. If you ask me, of all the superstar hitters and pitchers in the last 16 years, the only one I can say for certain was not using steroids or HGH is Ken Griffey Jr. Not only did Jr. never look the part, he aged naturally and his performance and numbers waned naturally. Guys who are in their late 30’s and early 40’s simply don’t start seeing and hitting the ball or throwing the ball better than they ever did in their 20’s. Get real, people.

Should Manny’s teammates be angry at Manny? I guess. He certainly let the team down. But I can’t help feeling quite a few guys knew what was going on. The difference between the Dodgers and the Angels is non-disclosure, arrogance, secrecy and entitlement vs. full disclosure, humility, openness and appreciation. The two organizations have gone in completely different directions. You really believe all this so-called outrage McCourt says he’s feeling about Manny? BS. If he didn’t know this exact thing was going to take place – that Manny was going to get a positive test and be suspended for 50 games, he at least knew this was a possibility. He took the gamble and signed him and I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done the same thing. I love the Dodgers, but I do not like McCourt and I don’t like what the Dodger organization has become. Lying to the fans seems to be a pastime for the McCourts, as it was for Fox. This thing with Manny has really given them a black eye from which they may not recover, both publically and on the field.