Drug Cheat finally hits the end of the road

So we have the news that Ramirez has chosen to retire instead of face the 100 game suspension he was about to get. what is shocking about this, he hit well in spring training, maybe not boffo, but enough to convince the rays they spent good money on the right guy, and it seemed like Manny had something to prove to all 29 teams that took a pass. That he was not washed up, and he could garner another 20 million dollar deal. Well I guess he had us fooled, again.

Manny has himself to blame for having walk away, nay skulk off into obscurity, maybe heading to the great Raphael Palmeiro cheat squad on the sidelines. Mark confessed, Arod danced around the subject, so did Giambi, " I did something bad, and I am sorry for it ".  Manny cheated us once, he parlayed that 20 million dollar Dodger deal for year one, then got sniffed out. Sorry Manny, fool me once , fool me twice, we will never play the role of fool again.  You own that role now, you leave the game with your name tarnished worse than 30 year discarded silverware. You disgraced yourself, and put your team in a real pickle. The Rays took you in when no one else would have you. 

The old clubhouse comedian act has been booed off stage, the class clown has been expelled, the ability to slough this stuff off has ended, with a whimper, and no bang.  It was ironic that whatever he was caught taking, and I have no knowledge of what it was, it had not helped him start the season off, he was 1-17 and leaves the field with poor memories.

Now the Rays must deal with the backlash, the aftermath, while Ramirez is likely holed up in a Brooklyn condo, or Florida hideaway waiting for Tiger Woods or Roger Clemens to say or do something stupid to divert attention. C'mon Charlie Sheen !!!

He was in his hey day, thee most feared American League hitter, I think even more than Arod, or Vladdy. He was just capable of so much damage, a quick strike and bam, gone, 3 runs later, the Sox were back in a game, or the outcome was out of reach.  He was born in the Bronx, but never wore the pinstripes, his career started in Cleveland, and it was when he moved to Beantown that things flourished.  2 World Series titles and many playoff appearances. It had been a long time between post season success, really not much with the Dodgers.

But that half season when he joined LA was some of the best ball he had ever played. Hell they created Mannywood and Mannyworld sections. There were some epic moments on a large Hollywood stage.

Vin Scully though always a bit hesitate to engulf the "full Manny", and perhaps he sensed there was somnething that was not quite true, but nothing you could point to, and Vin, you were right.

ESPN's Dan Schulman ( now star of Sunday Night Baseball ) thought that after his 50 game suspension, that he should have retired after that season, that it proved too hard to miss that amount of time and come back strong. Without the wonder drugs, being clean meant playing with less gas in the tank. Less bounce, and less juice.

Can't say I was ever a huge Manny fan, he was a bad ball hitter, a horrible fielder, a malcontent, and a distraction in his own clubhouse, but you wanted his potent bat on your team, because the explosion was imminent. The RBI production was consistant, and the ability to poke fun at himself was infectous. 

But all acts at some point when the numbers dry up wear thin, and the curtain pulls back and you see it's not the Wizard of Oz, but a cheap imitation. 

A drug cheat at the end, and that's what he leaves behind. The smile is gone, and the sour taste of another drug cheat hitting the skids.

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out Manny.