Way to go Manny Ramirez - DPChallenge Forums

05/07/2009 02:08:50 PM · #1

//mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=4603850&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Talking about it right now on ESPN...

05/07/2009 02:11:46 PM · #2

This sounds like another case where the doctor(s) simply weren't on the ball, leaving the player floundering under a drug policy that is generally shaky at best.

However, because baseball is such a hero-worship type of sport, the poor guy is going to get dragged through the mud as usual and judged unfairly before all the facts are in.

As usual.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

05/07/2009 02:11:59 PM · #3

Geez. It's impossible to know whether his excuse holds any water unless it's released which PED he was positive for.

Come on Edward, do you think Manny is going to your corner family practice doc? I'm sure his doc is well aware of the MLB drug policy. My guess is his excuse holds no water, but I'm withholding complete judgement until (if) we find out what drug it is he took.

Message edited by author 2009-05-07 14:13:35.

05/07/2009 02:13:08 PM · #4

They are saying that he had an elevated testosterone level which caused him to require medical attention. When they did a blood test it came back positive.

Message edited by author 2009-05-07 14:14:40.

05/07/2009 02:18:46 PM · #5

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

There have already been confirmed cases of team doctors et al. dropping the ball here (I don't remember names, though, but I did watch a massive report on it on TSN a few months ago, so a little research can probably provide examples). The list of drugs is by no means complete NOR static, and it can happen. The problem is, when it does happen, it's always the player that pays the price under the policies in place, which are a mess, and the public jumps down their throats.

The whole environment is a disaster, IMO.

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

05/07/2009 02:21:04 PM · #6

So according to ESPN the banned substance is HCG. Looking at the wiki, we can try to judge which scenario is more likely...

In the male, hCG injections are used to stimulate the leydig cells to synthesize testosterone. The intratesticular testosterone is necessary for spermatogenesis from the sertoli cells. Typical uses for hCG in men include hypogonadism and fertility treatment.

or

In males, hCG mimics LH and helps restore and maintain testosterone production in the testes. As such, hCG is commonly used during and after steroid cycles to maintain and restore testicular size as well as endogenous testosterone production.

I'm afraid I have little sympathy for Manny. I wish they could clean up the whole sport though. I doubt he's the only person guilty, just currently the only one punished.

Message edited by author 2009-05-07 14:21:58.

Five_Seat

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

05/07/2009 02:23:04 PM · #7

His statement about the doctor was released through the players union.

I am skeptical to say the least...

RayEthier

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/07/2009 02:25:15 PM · #8

Which brings us back to the old adage "Ignorance of the law is no excuse".

If my doctor prescribed marijuana for medicinal purposes and then sent me to an unlicenced distributor... guess who pays the piper if a NARC happens to catch us in "flagrant delicto"?

Ray

05/07/2009 02:26:44 PM · #9

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

So a wiki page and some medical training now make you his personal doctor and give you an inside track on what was going on eh? ;)

'most likely' situation is a judgement. Fact is, you don't know.

None of us do.

Perhaps he's guilty as sin, perhaps he had a medical issue that went horribly wrong.

I love that on one hand you're all over the media 'railroading' someone that shares a personal point of view with you, but when the sensationalism is on the other side, watch out, the Sneeze Train has left the station! ;)

DrAchoo

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

05/07/2009 02:30:35 PM · #10

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

So a wiki page and some medical training now make you his personal doctor and give you an inside track on what was going on eh? ;)

Pretty well. :) It's easy because the alleged drug (and perhaps here's where I'm being unfair because we're not sure this is the drug in question) has few uses and Manny is unlikely to be dealing with them. His nuts are suddenly small and haven't been small for the last number of years? He's having difficulty getting someone pregnant? I conceded these are possibilities, but on the surface it is far more likely he was using it because he was coming off a cycle and got busted. Just a guess and I agree I could be completely wrong.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

05/07/2009 02:34:23 PM · #11

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

Originally posted by K10DGuy:
So a wiki page and some medical training now make you his personal doctor and give you an inside track on what was going on eh? ;)

Pretty well. :) It's easy because the alleged drug (and perhaps here's where I'm being unfair because we're not sure this is the drug in question) has few uses and Manny is unlikely to be dealing with them. His nuts are suddenly small and haven't been small for the last number of years? He's having difficulty getting someone pregnant? I conceded these are possibilities, but on the surface it is far more likely he was using it because he was coming off a cycle and got busted. Just a guess and I agree I could be completely wrong.

All I'm really saying is that we too easily allow ourselves to let media and our senses of righteousness rule the day too often. It rather steams me most of the time, so I get vocal against it. Doesn't help that I ran across Nancy Grace last night while channel flipping and was suddenly glad that I didn't have the ability to teleport through the TV and duct tape her trap shut.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

05/07/2009 02:35:26 PM · #12

How is using steroids to hit more home runs less ethical (or "medically necessary") than using fake (OK -- "enhanced") boobs to try and win a "beauty" contest?

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

05/07/2009 02:42:53 PM · #13

it's not official The drug that was in his body was hCG, Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a glycoprotein hormone produced in pregnancy that is made by the developing embryo soon after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta). Its role is to prevent the disintegration of the corpus luteum of the ovary and thereby maintain progesterone production that is critical for a pregnancy in humans. hCG may have additional functions; for instance, it is thought that hCG affects the immune tolerance of the pregnancy. Early pregnancy testing, in general, is based on the detection or measurement of hCG. Because hCG is produced also by some kinds of tumor, hCG is an important tumor marker, but it is not known whether this production is a contributing cause or an effect of tumorigenesis.

I personally think it wasn't his fault and he truly didn't know. They need to investigate this deeper.

Message edited by author 2009-05-07 14:44:03.

PapaBob

Sony Alpha a7 IV

05/07/2009 02:43:22 PM · #14

Originally posted by GeneralE:

How is using steroids to hit more home runs less ethical (or "medically necessary") than using fake (OK -- "enhanced") boobs to try and win a "beauty" contest?

LOL, I think one is against the rules and the other encouraged!

As far as the doctor giving him something don't they have doctors on the team that could be consulted when getting a drug they are not sure is within the rules, with 7.7 on the line I think I would ask!

vxpra

Pentax K100D

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

05/07/2009 02:46:10 PM · #15

Originally posted by GeneralE:

How is using steroids to hit more home runs less ethical (or "medically necessary") than using fake (OK -- "enhanced") boobs to try and win a "beauty" contest?

Don't you mean; ....to try and win a scholarship competition? :)