I came home from work today and my roommate, Mike, informed me of the news: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez had been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for failing a drug test.
Ramirez joins the list of players that cheated the game, jointly headlined by super slugger Alex Rodriguez. At the height of the whirlwind of steroid accusations, there were some names (which, at that time, included Ramirez and Rodriguez) that nobody suspected as cheaters.
Rodriguez was added to that list this past offseason. Now Ramirez, considered by some as one of the top five right-handed hitters in baseball history, has joined him.
The immediate and obvious impact is that the hottest team in baseball is without their best hitter. Looking deeper, the Dodgers' fan base isn't the only one the ramifications may affect.
2004 marked the end of a long-standing stretch of pain and suffering for the Boston Red Sox and their fans. After 86 years, the infamous Curse of the Bambino was shattered in the biggest comeback in MLB playoff history, which was topped only a week later by Boston's first world title since 1918.
At the forefront of that World Series title was Ramirez, who was named the World Series' Most Valuable Player. And now, Red Sox fans worldwide have to ask the unthinkable: Was 2004's world title tainted?
Ramirez has already tested positive for banned substances. How many other players on the 2004 roster were—or still are—cheating?
The most notable name to question is Ramirez's partner in crime (on the diamond), designated hitter David Ortiz. After arriving in Boston via a trade with Minnesota, Ortiz lit the world on fire and became one of the best clutch hitters on the planet.
Fast forward to 2008.
Ortiz falls victim to a lingering wrist tendon injury that takes the blame for his fall in power numbers and average. This year, Ortiz has had nearly six weeks to adjust to big-league pitching and still hasn't hit a home run. Ortiz is batting .229 with an on-base percentage of .336—surely not Big Papi-type numbers.
Mark Bellhorn, who struck out more than anyone in the American League, suddenly became a dangerous hitter at the bottom of the Boston lineup. After 2004, he disappeared into pro baseball oblivion once again.
The same can be said for outfielder Trot Nixon. Neither player could stay healthy and neither could stay amongst the list of relevant players in the majors.
Even Johnny Damon, the unofficial leader of the "Idiots," suddenly became a semi-significant power hitter after arriving in Boston.
Every one of the players mentioned above could simply be a victim of circumstance and may never have touched any illegal substances during their Major League career. But in an age where nearly every big name in Major League Baseball is testing positive, it isn't out of the question to say Ortiz, Nixon, Bellhorn, and Damon were also cheating.
Ramirez also may have been the catalyst to the finger-pointing at every other relevant slugger in the league. Now, nobody is safe.
And thanks to Ramirez, the sanctity of Boston's 2004 World Series victory may not be pristine anymore.
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