Players speak out.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was talking to reporters before Thursday???s game against Pittsburgh when a clubhouse attendant stuck his head in and said: ???Manny Ramirez(notes), 50 games.???
???You???re kidding me,??? La Russa said.
Then he checked the schedule to see whether the Cardinals would be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers while Ramirez is out.
Reaction ranged from shock to self-interest across the sports world and beyond after Major League Baseball suspended the slugger for 50 games for violating the substance abuse policy. The commissioner???s office did not identify the banned substance; Ramirez said it was not steroids, but a medication that a doctor had given him.
???Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility,??? he said in a statement released by the players??? union. ???L.A. is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I???m sorry about this whole situation.???
NBA star Shaquille O???Neal Tweeted, ???Dam manny ramirez, come on man Agggggggggh, agggggggh,agggggh.??? White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the development a tragedy and a shame.
???I think it???s a disappointment to anybody that???s a sports fan,??? Gibbs said. ???My sense is, it???s a great embarrassment on Major League Baseball. And you hope that each time this happens that others will recognize, if they are doing it, and stop. But, regrettably, it happens over and over again.???
Major league home run leader Carlos Pena(notes) said, ???It hurts me deeply.??? Rays teammate Carl Crawford(notes) said, ???That one touched me a little bit.??? Tampa Bay pitcher Scott Kazmir(notes) wondered, as he watched the coverage on television, ???Who else is going to be popped, you know????
Mariners designated hitter Mike Sweeney(notes) called it ???a sad day for baseball.??? And Seattle first baseman Russell Branyan said, ???Shame on us.???
At Fenway Park, where Ramirez played through his prime and became Boston???s first World Series MVP, the writer of his authorized biography happened to be giving a lunchtime talk when the news broke. Jean Rhodes, the author of ???Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball???s Most Enigmatic Slugger,??? painted Ramirez as a quirky craftsman who gave off an air of apathy but was diligent in his preparations.
That???s also what Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo(notes) saw when he played with Ramirez on the 2004 team that ended Boston???s 86-year World Series drought.
???It???s kind of shocking that he got caught up in anything, honestly,??? Arroyo said. ???Manny likes to play stupid, but he???s a pretty bright guy. And he???s definitely aware of a lot of things that he tries to act like he???s completely oblivious to.???
When Boston???s clubhouse opened Thursday afternoon, TVs were giving the latest developments and few players milled about.
???No comment about Manny,??? slugger David Ortiz(notes) said, walking past reporters at his locker. ???I play for Boston. Manny plays for L.A. Go and ask him.???
In his pregame meeting with the media, manager Terry Francona deflected three attempts for comment on Ramirez, offering only: ???The more you can concentrate on baseball, the better.???
The fourth question was about injuries.
???Bless you,??? he told the reporter. ???Thank God we???ve got injuries.???
Ramirez???s quirky side made him a fan favorite for his early years in Boston, and it may have helped him become the Hall of Fame-caliber player who seemed unaffected by strikeouts, home runs and paychecks alike. But his uncaring attitude eventually wore thin on his teammates, and he was shipped to Los Angeles last summer.
He batted .396 with the Dodgers with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games and helped propel them to the playoffs.
???He???s a main cog, and he???s not going to be in play for a while,??? Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. ???Any distance we might???ve picked up, we lost as an industry. The sad part of it is that for whatever reasons there are individuals that just aren???t getting it. ??? There are so many guys that are clean, but they continue to be thrown under a black cloud for those who are involved. ??? That saddens me, saddens me as a father, it saddens me as a citizen.???
Braves manager Bobby Cox was among those who said he was no longer stunned by any of the revelations. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said his biggest surprise was that players continue to push the limits of the game???s drug-testing system.
???These players know they???re getting tested and they???re still getting caught. I don???t understand it,??? Bochy said. ???I???m not surprised. ??? It???s disappointing these major league players are getting caught. It???s not good for the game, it???s not good for the kids who look up to players.???
Former Ramirez teammate Tony Clark(notes), now with the Diamondbacks, agreed.
???Any time you have the superstars in your game find themselves in difficult situations, it can???t help but cast a general cloud over the group as a whole,??? he said. ???And that???s why someone as respected and appreciated for his ability as Manny is makes it really difficult. As a fan, as a former teammate and obviously now as a competitor, it makes it difficult.???
Reaction spilled into other sports.
Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he thought players should be more concerned about the health effects of steroids.
???But it doesn???t tarnish my image of them. They???re still great players,??? Rivers said. ???I just hope it all goes away. I just hate anything that deflects from the game.???
Tigers manager Jim Leyland went a step further, saying the suspension would soon be forgotten by the fans who cheered on the 1998 home run race and Bonds??? pursuit of Hank Aaron???s all-time homer record.
???I???ll probably get fired for saying this but I???m going to say it anyway,??? Leyland said. ???I don???t really think the fans care.???
AP sports writers Howard Ulman in Boston, R.B. Fallstrom in St. Louis, Dave Skretta in New York, Bernie Wilson in San Diego, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Pat Graham in Denver, Tim Reynolds and Steve Wine in Miami and Associated Press Writer Donna Cassata in Washington contributed to this story.