Manny Ramirez: A talented but tainted player retires – Part 1
It is very typical of baseball players to try to steer clear of their retirement for as long as possible. Maybe it’s the money, or the fame or both that make on wish to stay around for as long as possible. Who would want to give up earning millions of dollars
yearly by choice? So it comes as a big shocker to the World of Baseball as Manny Ramirez decided to retire on his own terms.
Well, maybe not his terms. It was in 2009 that Ramirez was first informed about his violation of the Performance Enhancing Drugs or PED act. For this he had to serve a fifty game suspension, because that is what you got for violating the terms of the drug
policy in 2009. One would have thought that one suspension would be enough to teach a lifetimes worth of lesson to the player, but no. The slugger for the Tampa Blue Rays whose career was already going towards a slump was once again tested positive for a drug
the enhanced an athlete’s performance.
To baseball, Manny was many things. He was part of two explosive Boston Red Sox teams that took home the World Series Championship. His off the field issues were always in the spotlight. Many critics called his commitment to his team and to the sport in
question due to his string of one controversy after another. What one didn’t know was the sooner than anyone expected, Ramirez would be adding the title of former Major League player to his list. Many people have voiced their opinion on the matter, but Manny
himself said, "I'm at ease. God knows what's best [for me]. I'm now an officially retired baseball player. I'll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man."
The penalty for a second time offender is to be suspended for double the amount the next time. And so that is what Ramirez would have been forced to do had he chosen not to retire. If that were to happen, Ramirez would have been the first player to be suspended
for the second time for failing to pass the drug test in Major League Baseball history. Neifi Perez was the only other player to have been suspended twice when his test results came out to be positive for amphetamine tests in 2007.
When Manny found out about his first violation, he started to go with an appeal, but then dropped it and accepted his suspension like a man. This time however, it seems that when he was informed of his 100 game suspensions, he took the easy way out. He retired.
Retiring seems easier in the face of a hundred match ban. It really is the best option given that if he were to do otherwise he would’ve been brought down by fans and critics.
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