The Which Player Should Hang ‘Em Up Debate… From Mannywood to Mannywon’t

September 20, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Babe Ruthless.

I can still remember sitting at old Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton, OH, on a spring night in 1993 where the former Akron-Canton Indians, a minor-league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, used to play their home games in the Eastern League. At this particular game, a kid that no one had ever heard of named Manny Ramirez stepped up to the plate and crushed not one, but two homeruns, one of which went all the way out of the stadium and into the parking lot.

I was only 14 years old at the time, but I was struck with such a sense of awe and amazement having never seen a display of power so impressive from a Minor League player, that I just knew I was witnessing the very beginnings of what would almost certainly become a special career in baseball.

That was 17 years ago, and for 14 of those years, I was right.

As the 2008 baseball season drew to a close, Manny Ramirez was widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game of baseball. His statistics as they were would have earned him legitimate consideration as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And even at the age of 36, he was turning in remarkable performances, having finished that season with a .332 batting average, on 183 hits, with 37 HRs and 121 RBIs.

As far as career totals are concerned, he was batting .314 lifetime, with 2392 hits, 527 HRs, and 1725 RBIs. When you consider that there are only about 200 players in the history of baseball who can boast a career batting average greater than .300, and only about 75 who hit better than .314, Manny was sitting in some very exclusive company.

Then came the charges of Ramirez having used performance enhancing drugs, and everything changed. And while we can only speculate as to what his numbers would have been had he NOT used PEDs, there is one thing that we can be sure of – Manny Ramirez has played as only a shell of his former self since his return to the game after having served a 50 game suspension.

Ramirez returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 3rd, 2009, from which time to the end of the 2009 season, he recorded 260 at-bats. Of those 260 ABs, though, he only recorded 70 hits for a batting average of .269. That result is a far cry from Ramirez’s career average, and is matched only by his 1994 season as being the worst performance of his career.

And although he still managed to hit 13 HRs and 43 RBIs during that time, it was not enough performance to bring Ramirez any job security. So in 2010, after he suffered a hamstring injury during the middle of the season, the Dodgers placed Ramirez on waivers.

He was simply getting paid too much money for the level of performance he was putting out, and the Dodgers decided they just couldn’t afford to pay him anymore.

Deciding to make a play for the postseason, then, the White Sox claimed Ramirez, and brought him over to the south side of Chicago . Their hope was that Ramirez’s hitting capabilities would provide a jolt to the White Sox lineup, giving them the last push they needed to compete for a postseason spot.

How has that decision worked out for the Sox?

In his 17 games since joining Chicago, Ramirez is a pathetic 13 for 64, with only one HR and one RBI (which came as a token run scored in a 9-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He has, however, struck out 18 times, has gone hitless in more than half of his games since joining the White Sox, and has only been good for five runs.

Corresponding with that very poor performance, the White Sox as a team have played to a record of 7-10, including being swept twice by the Detroit Tigers, and a third time by the Minnesota Twins. And now, the same White Sox team that was hoping to make a push for the postseason (as they were only four games behind the AL Central leading Minnesota Twins when Ramirez arrived on September 1st), are today a full ten games back from the Twins, and have virtually no shot at playing October baseball.

It has been a tale of two Mannys, and the Manny that we see today is doing no one any favors by sticking around, especially himself.

Before the 50-game suspension, Ramirez was a World Series champion, a 12-time All Star outfielder, and a nine-time Silver Slugger. After the 50-game suspension, he has become a financial liability and an injury risk that cannot produce any offense. He WAS a feared hitter who no pitcher wanted to face, especially in a clutch situation. Now, he is a 38 year old player who can’t run, apparently can’t hit, and is in grave danger of further damaging a legacy already marred by scandal.

His Hall of Fame candidacy is already in question, simply from the merits of having admitted to cheating in the game of baseball. But thanks to his decision to hang around still, two years removed from having made any REAL contribution to his team, he sits in danger of destroying what little hope he had remaining.

Perhaps it is sentimentality speaking, but as a longtime fan of Manny Ramirez, I hope for his sake that he retires from the game BEFORE it is too late.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The 2010 MLB Second Half Team to Watch Debate… California Love

July 15, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.

With the All-Star game in the rearview mirror, baseball is about to catch its second wind. Deadline deals, rested players, and renewed spirits are about to breathe new life into the old ball game. It is an exciting time for baseball, especially for fans of the National League. For the first time since 1996 the N.L. has won the All-Star game. This, in itself, is a huge accomplishment for the National League. But it carries even greater importance now because the N.L. has secured home field advantage during the World Series for the first time since the All-Star game started determining the matter. No team should be more excited about this than the L.A. Dodgers, because in my not so humble opinion, the Dodgers are a good bet to win the National League.

Now this may seem a bold prediction to some, but it is just common sense to me. The Dodgers are a great team that has struggled early. Now the Dodgers are in a good position to make a move during the second half. The Dodgers have been held back by a tough schedule thus far, although the team’s record does not really reflect it. The Dodgers are ten games above .500 with the third best win-loss record in the N.L., 49-39. Yet, amazingly, the team remains in third place in the division, trailing the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies.

The Dodgers’ dominance of division rivals has kept them competitive throughout the season, and figures to be a deciding factor in getting them to the post season. L.A. has absolutely destroyed teams within its division, posting a record off 22-6. Where the team has really struggled is interleague play. The A.L. owned L.A. during the first half, taking 11 victories from in just 15 games. I would like to point out, however, that these games were played against tough opponents like the Angels, Red Sox, and baseball’s current best, the Yankees.

The second half should be a different story for the Dodgers as they will face division opponents in more than half of the last 74 games… to say nothing of the added comfort of playing more games in the Pacific Time Zone.

The Dodgers also look to get back more than a few key starters on the way to the postseason. Injuries have hurt the Dodgers both at the plate and on the mound. When Andre Either went out early in the season because of an injury to his fingers, he was leading the N.L. in triple crown categories. That’s an enormous loss for the team’s run production. Should he return to early season form the N.L. should watch out for this hot young hitter. Either has had to take up the power hitting role that Manny Ramirez played upon arriving in Los Angeles. More recently fans watched the free spirited slugger change from a power threat to more of a line drive hitter. But, thanks in no small part to two stints on the disabled list; the Dodgers haven’t even received the full benefit out of ManRam’s bat. Throw in injuries to guys like Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp, and it is clear that the line up has been seriously banged up. If the bats can stay healthy the Dodgers can get back in the swing of things in no time.

The pitching staff has been hit unusually hard as well. During the first half L.A. had 19 different starters toe the rubber. That’s more than three full five man rotations. The fact that the Dodgers have remained near the top of the N.L., and their division, speaks volumes about depth and scrappiness.

They have also battled the injury bug, which seems to have swarmed the team throughout the first half. If all the team stays healthy, and the boys in blue play up to their collective potential, it should be no problem to win the N.L. Wild Card. But I certainly wouldn’t doubt the team’s ability to win the N.L. West outright.

I also think the Boys in Blue have some special motivation moving forward. Manny Ramirez would surely like to prove he’s valuable as he enters the final year on his contract. Or does he? You never really know with Manny. Probably more compelling is the fact that this could be the last season for skipper Joe Torre, and I’m sure there is nothing the team would like more than for them to send him off on a high note.

The Dodgers are in great shape to win a bunch of games down the stretch and figure to be a very exciting team to watch. I would even peg them to challenge the Yankees in October for the World Series. Sure there are a lot of games left, but don’t count the Dodgers out yet. Any team with Manny Ramirez, and a terrific manager like Joe Torre, is sure to surprise.

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Posted by Babe Ruthless

The 2010 Summer’s Best Event Debate… Two Perfect Summer Days

May 10, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan.

Summer has always held a special place in the hearts and minds of Americans. When we were children it offered a retreat from teachers, homework, and the annoyance of school. In our adulthood it provides a similar escape from the stress and rigors of dealing with work, bills, and, in general, adult responsibilities. The magical moments made possible by more daylight and warmer temperatures may not be measureable, but they are very real. For a sports fanatic like me, summer comes to a fevered pitch for two days in July with the pinnacle of all Summer sporting events.

With the patriotism of the Fourth of July still fresh on our minds, Americans turn to their national pastime to be treated to one of the most grandiose displays in all of sports. Two days of clutch hits, eye-popping Web Gems, and jaw dropping long ball blasts that reward the baseball faithful, and convert the nonbelievers. It is two days of, unequivocally, the most anticipated and greatest sporting event of the summer. The two days are the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby.

The marquee event itself, the MLB All-Star Game, is truly fantasy baseball in the real world. Fans get to see what an N.L. infield of Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, David Wright, and Hanley Ramirez is capable of, or the A.L. lineup containing the potent fire power of Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramirez, and Alex Rodriguez. But, the All-Star Game is not just a glorified batting practice. Elite level pitching gets its chance to shine as well. Fans are treated to watching many of their favorites and frontrunners for the Cy Young Award engage in matchups against the best hitters in the game. In the same respect, All-Star rosters contain mind-blowing bullpens that include shutdown closers like Joakim Soria, Jonathan Papelbon, and Mariano Rivera in the AL. and Jonathan Broxton, Francisco Rodriguez, and Trevor Hoffman in the N.L. The All-Star Game is a virtual cavalcade of the best players in baseball. The greatest pitchers and batters converge on that one night creating lasting memories of one unforgettable experience.

Like baseball itself, the All-Star Game has a rich history. The game isn’t just about what might happen, but what already happened. The Great Bambino hit the first home run in All-Star Game history during the 1933 game. Just 16 years later, number 42 continued to break barriers as he and three other African American players integrated the All-Star roster. Some 50 years after the tradition of the All-Star Game began there had never been a grand slam, but the California Angel’s Fred Lynn hit the game’s first. And he did it in Comiskey Park, the same place the game began, and where Babe went yard half a Century before. Even in the modern millennia the game reaches new heights. In 2007 Ichiro hit the first inside the park homerun in the game’s impressive history. As records get broken and history gets written, fans are treated to one of the greatest displays in all of sports. The All-Star game is simply a can’t-miss event.

As exciting as the All-Star Game is, it is preceded by an event of equal magnitude – The Home Run Derby. The Derby is pure excitement. What do people like about baseball more than a home run? Absolutely nothing! The home run is the most exciting aspect of baseball, and the derby puts it on center stage. The shock and awe display of batting firepower leaves fans breath-taken. Players don’t just hit homers at the derby; they perform superhuman feats, smashing balls into the Summer night. In 2002 “Slammin” Sammy Sosa mashed the longest dinger in the history of the Home Run Derby, sending the ball on a 524 foot one way trip. In 2005 Bobby Abreu surprised the fans at Comerica Park in Detroit by shattering records hitting a massive total of 41 homeruns into the Detroit night. It turns players and casual fans alike into children again. Little boys that marvel at the greatest hitters in the game doing what they do best. Grown ball players ask each other to pose for pictures and sign autographs. They even overlook team and divisional rivalries to represent baseball and their league. It is one great night for baseball, and one great night to be a fan.

The best part of the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby are the unexpected storylines. In 2008 the All-Star Game and Derby returned to New York for Yankee Stadium’s swan song. Everyone expected Yankee Stadium itself to steal the show as the Yankees spared no expense to give Baseball’s Cathedral the type of send off the hallowed grounds deserved. But another story dwarfed any story the baseball world was pushing. Josh Hamilton did something special during the 2008 Home Run Derby.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who was once banned from baseball and struggled through multiple stints in rehab, seemed to be living his dream, and America was there to witness every emotional minute of it. On that one night in Yankee Stadium Hamilton let the world see how far he had come. Hamilton’s fight against substance abuse nearly cost him his baseball career, and more importantly, his life. But the world saw him overcome his personal demons one swing at a time. With his old (and I mean old) BP pitcher Claybon Council throwing to him, Hamilton established himself as one of the premier sluggers in the game. He hit an astonishing 28 homers… in one round. Hamilton’s historic shots surpassed the previous benchmark of 24 established by Bobby Abreu in 2005. Hamilton also hit the third longest home run in derby history, a 518 foot blast. The big story of the night was not the incredible number of home runs Hamilton hit, but the unforgettable tale of redemption that it represented.

Completely spent from the first two rounds, and his 71-year-old pitcher Council still somehow hanging on, Hamilton finished in second place overall, but walked away as the peoples champ and clear winner on the night.

Each year’s All-Star Game and Home Run Derby bring the opportunity for stories like these to be written. This year, when the greatest players in baseball converge on Anaheim California, another unscripted, miraculous story will develop. You don’t want to miss it.

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Posted by Babe Ruthless

The Most Hated MLB Team Debate… Beantown Wannabes

May 5, 2010

Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Loyal Homer.

If this debate was ten years ago, my answer to the question of who the most hated team in baseball was would definitively have been the New York Yankees.

The Bronx Bombers of the last 20 years have represented everything about baseball that I despise. Rather than go about winning championships through development of talent, hard work, and long-term strategy, the Yankees would allow other franchises to do all the dirty work. Then, right when all of that hard work by “lesser” franchises was about to pay off because one of their athletes had established himself as a true superstar, the Yankees would swoop in, price almost every other team in the league out of the market for that player (including the very team that had invested so much into his development), and simply acquire an already cultivated superstar.

Admittedly, part of my resentment stems from the fact that the strategy works. From 1996 until 2000 the Yankees pulled off an impressive FOUR World Series championships. George Steinbrenner had monopolized the game of baseball, and it took all of the fun out of the game for fans anywhere else in the country.

Leading the charge for the anti-Yankees bandwagon was the Boston Red Sox, their bitter rivals, whom many had perceived as the yin to the Yankees’ yang. While the Yankees had gone on to purchase one World Series after another, the Red Sox were in the throes of an 80+ year World Series Championship drought. For all of the reasons that the Yankees were despised, the Red Sox loved.

Compounding the pro-Red Sox support was the fact that they, just like every other team in the Majors, fell prey to the big-budget mentality of George Steinbrenner and had to sit back while once revered players from Fenway celebrated World Series championships in pinstripes. Even Red Sox stalwarts like Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens ultimately wound up defecting to the Dark Side, WILLINGLY signing contracts in New York later in their careers, and were perceived by many as having sold their soul for a World Series ring.

Then the Red Sox changed. Like so many of the players that Red Sox fans (and those who vicariously supported Boston through a shared hatred of the Yankees) cursed for having sold out just for the prospect of a World Series championship, the Red Sox themselves hypocritically became sellouts. Under the philosophy of “In order to BEAT the Yankees, we must BECOME the Yankees,” guys like Theo Epstein and Mike Port began to seek out and steal the high-priced talent in the league for themselves, taking players away from other teams… even that team in New York.

Since 2000 the Red Sox have bought talent like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Millar, and Curt Schilling. They have overpaid in bidding wars for guys like Eric Gagne, and have dropped $50M just to reserve the rights to TALK to Daisuke Matsuzaka. Basically, they had become the very thing that they once hated.

In fairness, this new strategy has worked for them, which makes their treachery that much worse! Like the Yankees of the late 1990s, the Red Sox have since won multiple World Series championships, and are now perennial postseason contenders in the AL East (although this year has been anything but a success for Boston thus far). However, that success came at the price of their principles. For the very reason that they once berated the Yankees, they now are guilty of committing the same infractions.

Once perceived as bitter rivals, the New York Yankees almost became role models to the Red Sox, as they graduated Valedictorians from the “George Steinbrenner School of Winning in Baseball.”

The Boston Red Sox are the most despised team in baseball today because they not only bought (rather than earned) their way into the forefront of MLB competition, but more importantly, they did so in hypocritical contrast to all that they once stood against.

At least the Yankees come by it honestly.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The Blood Testing in Non-Unioned Sports Debate – What Are You Hiding?

January 7, 2010

Read the debate intro and the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless that blood testing should not be required in non-union sports.



Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Rodney Harrison, Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Bill Romanowski, Shawne Merriman, Tyler Perry?! Well, you get the picture.

The illusions of fair play, good sportsmanship, and honest athletes have been completely shattered. No more is the innocence of “the boys of summer” or “America’s pastime” preserved. Instead, innocence has been replaced by “Show me the money,” contract athletes, the win-at-all cost mentality, and athletes who are more concerned about off-the-field celebrity status than on-the-field performance.

Being a sentimental sports fan, it pains me to face that harsh reality, but it is a reality nonetheless. Athletes can no longer be taken at their word for being honest and hard working. History has shown us that the billion dollar industry of athletic competition creates too much temptation for athletes who want to make “the big bucks.” Athletes today have proven that they are willing to shortcut and cheat the system to gain a competitive edge over opponents, even at the expense of their own physical well-being.

Since the participants can no longer be trusted to train honestly and ethically, it then becomes the responsibility of larger governing bodies to enforce the ideals of pure competition. In order to ensure that sports remain a matchup of people competing based solely on talent (as opposed to a comparison of who got the better injections), it is vital that ALL sports take on a more proactive approach to drug screening. Mandatory blood testing is the most effective method today.

Just because athletes in boxing, cycling, or track and field (for example) are not bound to the governing rules of a player’s union does not mean they should have the right to decline blood testing.

The problem is that athletes who refuse to test give the appearance that they have something to hide. Consider boxer Manny Pacquiao, who has refused to submit to the increased blood testing that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has requested. He claims that his reason is a dislike for the process of having blood drawn. So let me get this straight – Manny Pacquiao has no problem at all with standing in front of another man and getting beaten senseless (or beating him senseless, which is more often the case). He will exchange punches to the head, face, and body, resulting in cuts, tears, and blood. But he cannot stomach a little needle and pin prick to help verify that he is not cheating? I don’t buy it!

It is precisely for that reason that athletes such as Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps already voluntarily submit to a greater number of tests than is currently required. They understand that the feats they have accomplished seem so extraordinary that many will question whether they have legitimately accomplished them, or if they instead have cheated in some way.

Just imagine the backlash if Michael Phelps had not volunteered for the extra testing after winning his eight gold medals in Beijing. It would cast doubt on his accomplishments, because people would think he has something to hide. Consequently, that doubt would radiate into speculation about the sanctioning bodies in which Phelps competes. Just as Major League Baseball has been accused of allowing its players to use steroids, the International Olympic Committee would be challenged and their legitimacy would be diminished.

Why blood testing, though? Simply put, it is harder to “fool” a blood test than it is a urine test. Blood testing seems to bring with it the confidence necessary to ensure fairness and quell speculation, which are the purposes of drug testing. Athletes, and the sanctioning organizations they compete under, should be clamoring to ensure their reputations remain unquestioned and untarnished, and the best way to do that is through mandatory blood testing.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The Best League of 2009 Debate – MLB Had a Strong 2009

December 28, 2009

Read the arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan about which league they believe has the best 2009.



Personally, I think it has been a banner year in sports. There have been sports stories galore that have fascinated us throughout the year, and that’s something we will discuss in depth on Thursday here on The Sports Debates. For today, I believe Major League Baseball had the best league out of them all.

Two thousand and nine did not start out to be the greatest year with the whole Alex Rodriguez saga. We all know what it is, so I won’t rehash it. Surprisingly, though, that story just kind of faded away as the season and year progressed. Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games and allegations surfaced against Big Papi. Those were big stories throughout the year, but as I reflect back, those are not the first things that come to mind. What comes to mind for me is the great pennant race in the American League Central and the postseason.

The Minnesota Twins, playing in the Metrodome for the last time, rallied to catch the Chicago White Sox in the last few days of the season. After 162 games, the two teams were tied with records of 86-76. That forced a one game playoff, and that game is one of the best games I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching, considering the circumstances. (In fact, this game may be mentioned in a debate later this week.) It was a see-saw battle that the Twins won in dramatic fashion, earning a shot at the pennant.

The postseason ended with six teams (the Phillies, Dodgers, Cardinals, Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels) from big markets, a fact that is always a key to drive up television ratings.

The World Series between the Phillies and the Yankees averaged 19.4 million viewers, and the postseason as a whole was up 30 percent from last year, no doubt due in large part to the presence of the Yankees.

Ahh, those Yankees! Love them or hate them (and Babe Ruthless loves them, for some reason), the Yankees, playing in the new Yankee Stadium, won with the best team money can buy (a $220 million payroll) earning a record 27th championship. The fact that the team was hit with nearly a $26 million luxury tax was a small price to pay to finally win a championship, the Yankees’ first since 2000. Like it or not, having the Yankees do well is good for baseball. Just like the NFL is better off when the Cowboys do well and the NBA needs the Lakers to do well. Big teams bring in a lot of interest from casual fans, and that is what happened in 2009 with MLB.

It was just a banner year overall in sports, but with the resurgence of the Yankees, no league had a better 2009 than Major League Baseball.

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Posted by Loyal Homer

The Home Run Derby Relevance Debate – The Derby Is Old and Busted, MLB to Find New Hotness

July 10, 2009

Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that the home run derby is still relevant.



In the late 1990s the home run was at its peak in popularity among fans with Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa chasing the long-held Roger Maris single-season home run record of 61. Home run fever swept the entire country, from housewife to diehard sports fan. It was major national news, even finding its way into the Sunday morning talk shows normally reserved for politics. At the time, MLB was an attention-starved league thanks to a strike in 1994, and the home run race brought many fans back to the game.

But, the entire production was a Trojan horse.

As Bleacher Fan pointed out in the intro, the Home Run Derby has lost so much of its appeal that the players do not even want anything to do with it. Why do the players avoid it? Stigma, for one reason (more on that later). But, it also ruins their swing. This decade, the following winners of the Home Run Derby have hit less homer runs after their participating than before: Luis Gonzalez, Jason Giambi, Garrett Anderson, Bobby Abreu, Vlad Guerrero, and Josh Hamilton. Of the players who actually hit MORE homers after the All-Star break – Sammy Sosa, Miguel Tejada, and Ryan Howard – only Ryan Howard has avoided the use of corked bats and proof of performance-enhancing drug use as reasons for the increase in home run total. And, he only hit two more homers in the second have than he did in the first.

It is impossible to address this topic and not discuss the home run itself. The steroids era has tainted the home run, and Major League Baseball’s insistence on glorifying it with the derby is unhealthy for the game. A recent study from the Associated Press released yesterday noted that attendance across the entire league is down over six percent. And 72% of respondents to the survey said MLB “is not doing enough to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs.” Another 66% said that Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa should not be allowed into Cooperstown if they took steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. The survey results are interesting, but the loudest voice in the crowd is the drop in attendance. Baseball ought to listen. And until the home run is above suspicion, the derby should stay below ground.

The home run is not even the most exciting play in baseball. Ted Keith of Sports Illustrated claims it is stealing home, but there other plays like a close-play triple, an unassisted triple play, or the suicide squeeze that hold equal excitement. The Home Run Derby is not even showcasing baseball’s only interesting element.

Breaking with long-held traditions can be difficult, and finding ways to replace them only makes it harder. However, it only requires some thought. ESPN will cover whatever the new event(s) are because they’re the only major national sporting event happening in the heart of the summer. It’s time to experiment with the formula and think of other ways baseball’s best can be put on display.

The Home Run Derby tradition now does more harm than good to the game of baseball. There are other ways of showcasing player skills that are also exciting such as a stealing home plate contest, a consecutive hits contest, or directional hitting for points (on the derby model). The more baseball continues to build up the merits of the home run, the more they prove their ignorance of how fans really feel about the game and the steroids era, and the murkier the view of the field gets from their ivory tower.

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Posted by Sports Geek

The MLB PED Suspension Debate – The Verdict

July 2, 2009

Read Loyal Homer’s argument that Manny should not be allowed to “rehab” in the minor leagues during a PED suspension, and Sports Geek’s argument that the rehab is necessary.



No time for preambles, I’ve got a season and a half of Entourage to catch up on before the new season begins on July 12th, so let’s get down to brass tax…

The winner is Loyal Homer!!!!!

Sports Geek ALMOST had me. I very much agree with the comment that the Los Angeles Dodgers deserve the right to get their player ready the very day that his suspension ends.

HOWEVER, there is one issue that I have with the argument, and it ultimately determined the outcome. When Sports Geek wrote, “If you’re gone for a week and come back, are you ready for a Monday morning 8 a.m. meeting with your boss to plan and execute the next project or initiative? No! You’ll be rusty and the risk for error is high, considering the information you’re working on is old.”

The implication of the comment is that I, as an employee, deserve some leeway because I spent a week on vacation. My first issue with this is that Manny wasn’t on vacation. He was being punished for violating a very serious rule in baseball. Second, I have come back from vacation with a Monday meeting at 8 a.m., and I assure you that I didn’t get the luxury of a warm-up period (a situation that I am quite confident is shared with many of our hard-working readers.) Instead, I am expected to pick up right where I left off and make sure that I am immediately performing at 100%.

My salary barely constitutes a fraction of the salary that Manny Ramirez takes home, and I have to be on my ‘A’ game every single day – no excuses. For the money that Manny makes, he should be putting forth a massive effort to make sure he is ready to go as soon as his suspension is over. It is HIS responsibility, NOT the Dodgers, to make sure that happens.

It’s not like Ramirez was in a hospital with pneumonia over the last 50-game stretch. He had EVERY opportunity to get himself into game condition, even if it required him to swing in the batting cages at $0.50 for every 20 pitches.

To Loyal Homer’s point, Manny broke the rules and is being punished. It is HIS responsibility to do everything in his power to make amends to the team and the league that he offended. This was the risk that Ramirez took when he used performance enhancing drugs. Likewise, a clear message needs to be sent by the league AND its organizations that PEDs are unacceptable. When a person violates the rules, the league does not owe it to them or to the organization to allow the convenience of a warm-up period.

I want to echo Loyal Homer’s sentiment that the league should consider revising this clause when the collective bargaining agreement is ready to be negotiated again. This is just another example where the team owners and MLB commissioner Bud Selig are more concerned about taking care of their fraternity brothers than they are cleaning up a game that is SUPPOSED to be America’s pastime.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Ari’s yelling again, and I don’t want to miss it!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The MLB PED Suspension Debate – Manny Should Not Be Playing Until His Suspension Is Over

July 1, 2009

Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that Manny should be allowed to go on a rehab assignment.



We at the Sports Debates love Manny Ramirez. At least Loyal Homer does. I love watching him hit. Would I want him on my team? Probably so. Hopefully, I would not grow tired of his “Mannyisms” since I love the energy and swagger he brings to a team. What he did for the Dodgers last year was nothing short of a miracle.

With that being said…

Manny broke the rules and was punished. He was suspended 50 games by MLB. Unfortunately, Major League Baseball really dropped the ball when negotiating the most recent collective bargaining agreement. So, I’m picking the ball up and making it clear. The suspension should include all levels of professional play associated with MLB. The suspension should prevent him from “rehabbing” in the minor league. Sorry, Albuquerque and Inland Empire! He had no business playing there or even being in your cities!

On further review of this case, however, I realize that there is nothing that Major League Baseball can do. In an agreement with the players union, Major League Baseball made a concession that players on suspension for 50 games can play in the minor leagues. The union really pushed for this in order to agree to the 50 game suspension penalty. In my mind, this turns the rule into a 40 game suspension. Yet, players say that it takes awhile to get back into playing shape after sitting out for 50 games. Therefore, they need the time in the minors to get out of “sitting on the couch” shape and into playing shape. Blah blah blah!

We all know there’s one thing players can do to prevent a suspension in the first place!

I think this entire situation is total hogwash and needs to be addressed during negotiations of the next collective bargaining agreement. Yes I know the rules are being followed, but that doesn’t mean I have to like the rules, does it?

This rehab assignment (yes, I am calling it a rehab assignment since there isn’t a better phrase) allows Manny to knock off some of the rust and get back in the flow of things, both physically and mentally. This definitely benefits the Dodgers and only potentially more problems for the National League, especially Dodger opponents in the National League West.

Like I stated at the top, I like Manny. I think he is good for the game. But, he should not be allowed to play in the minor leagues before his suspension is over. I really hope this is dealt with in negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement. It just doesn’t seem fair, and I hope our most esteemed judge, Bleacher Fan, agrees with me, too!

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Posted by Loyal Homer

The MLB PED Suspension Debate – Manny Ramirez Is In a Suspension of Disbelief!

July 1, 2009

Read Loyal Homer’s argument that Manny should not be allowed to “rehab” in the minor leagues during a PED suspension, and Sports Geek’s argument that the rehab is necessary.



I have never in my life seen a man create so much controversy by NOT playing a game! But, somehow, Manny Ramirez is at it once again.

Why, oh why, can’t Manny STOP being Manny?!

Manny’s latest non-playing controversy (or ‘non-troversy’) has to do with his newest assignment, to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ minor league affiliates, first in Albuquerque, then at Inland Empire. Now, if this were a normal rehab assignment there would not be a problem, but nothing with baseball’s version of Johnny Drama ever seems to be normal.

The reason this minor league assignment is causing such controversy? The start date for this assignment was ten days BEFORE he is scheduled return to the majors on July 3 following his 50-game suspension for using banned performance enhancing drugs (PED).

The reason behind this “rehab” assignment is to make sure that Ramirez is ready to play for the Dodgers the moment that his suspension ends. At least, that’s what the Dodgers say.

But what I want to know is… what will the prestigious contributors at The Sports Debates say?!

Is this the right call by Major League Baseball or not? Should Manny Ramirez be allowed to participate in minor league baseball activities while on suspension from Major League play?

Loyal Homer will argue why this is the wrong call. Why should Manny Ramirez (or ANYONE on suspension) have to wait the full length of a suspension before taking part in official baseball activities, Major League or otherwise?

Sports Geek will argue that there is nothing wrong with a rehab assignment for a suspended player. What is the logic behind it. And, more importantly, why this is not just a case of manipulating a loophole so that the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez can shortcut the full extent of the penalty?

Batter-up… let’s play ball!!!

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

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