He's back.
Manny Ramirez signed a contract with the Oakland A's yesterday ending his one season retirement/time ducking his second performance enhancing drug suspension.
One tearful "apology" on ESPN later and he's back with a new team.
As someone who grew up a Red Sox fan, Manny was always one of my favorite players, but his act has grown old.
Sure, the man had one of the sweetest swings in baseball history, and was a rare talent at the plate. However, his antics have marred what would have been a stellar Hall of Fame career.
His most recent actions are nothing new. The man has burned bridges everywhere he's been, and every team he's played for said good riddance to him at one point or another.
Going into the green monster to use the bathroom in the middle of an inning was funny.
Getting caught with PED's twice was not.
Over the past few years we've seen a shift in professional sports. Athletes who can't keep themselves out of trouble have been thrown to the scrap heap. Terrell Owens is playing indoor football, while Randy Moss was couching it on Sundays last season.
It'd be nice if Major League Baseball took the NFL's lead.
Don't get me wrong – skill set-wise Manny can still play.
But in the aftermath of the Mitchell Report and numerous embarrassing scandals regarding performance-enhancing drugs, it's about time that baseball rid itself of this problem.
Guys like Manny Ramirez are the problem.
The type of person who tests positive for steroids not once but twice and then retires, rather than serve a suspension, proves that he doesn't belong in the game.
It looks as though Ramirez has no respect for the game, and the A's just gave him another chance.
Ramirez is like a misbehaving child, and Bud Selig is the bad parent that lets him get away with it without consequences.
Yes, Manny will have to serve his suspension upon returning to the majors, but is it enough?
Is there no discipline for Ramirez basically screwing the Rays over by quitting on his team last season?
I don't blame Manny for coming back – hell, he's making boatloads of cash. I blame the A's for giving him another chance, for not having a backbone, and for allowing a man who has absolutely no respect for baseball to represent your team.
Email: tyler.cady@ubspectrum.com
