So, we learn today what "That's just Manny being Manny" really means. The putative best hitter in baseball, Manny Ramirez, has been suspended for 50 games, after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Once more, the baseball record book -- the crucial historical piece that has linked one generation of the sport to another in ways that no other sport enjoys -- is being smeared by those most willing to flaunt the rules that exist to maintain competitive equality among players.
Tonight, the Dodgers take on the cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals, with the chance to set a new record for consecutive home wins to start a season. Unlike the Olympics, or college sports there is no official scrubbing of the record books to eliminate the records and triumphs bought with banned performance-enhancing drugs. This development raises the question of whether there should be -- so as to restore the purity of the baseball record book.
Right now, Ramirez has 533 Home Runs to his credit. When he returns, he will have a chance to reach 600 career HRs joining an incredibly elite few (Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Bonds, Sosa -- Mark McGwire fell just short of that landmark number). Like Bonds, Sosa, McGwire and Clemens before him, Ramirez will now be included in a debate about whether these malefactors should be denied admission to the Hall of Fame. Perhaps, the lords of baseball ought to consider a special category for them? Given their numbers, it seems absurd to keep them out of the Hall, when those with lesser achievements are enshrined. On the other hand, it is not right to fully celebrate what they achieved with the aid of illegal drugs.
What's your take?