Manny Being Manny

The announcement today that Manny Ramirez tested positive for performance enhancing drugs didn't shock me. Not that I thought Manny was juicing, just that the shock value in terms of the games brightest stars testing positive for HGH or steroids has worn off.

Twenty four hours ago, Ramirez was considered one of the two best hitters (along with Albert Pujols) in all of baseball and an automatic Hall of Famer. Manny the Hitting Savant with the quirky personality. Manny The Kook who supposedly had uncashed $50,000 checks from the Cleveland Indians in his car's glove compartment for months. Manny The Clown who sat in the dugout and repeatedly petted pitcher Julian Tavarez's buzz cut as if he were petting the head of an Irish Setter and high fived a fan in Baltimore after a running catch.

Today, Manny's in Hall of Fame purgatory with Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmiero. The chances of these players getting in to Cooperstown is slim. No matter what Manny does, his reputation is now tarnished for good, just like these other former stars.

I don't believe Manny's story about the drugs, in which he threw his doctor under the bus, for a minute. How stupid do you have to be to continue using these substances when the microscope is on baseball players like never before? And does anyone think he read a word of his public statement, never mind came up with it?

Lastly, if Manny was doing them, how many other players, particularly members of the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox World Series championship teams have used them? I believe the number is higher than we think.

One thing is for sure; Curt Schilling is running to find the nearest microphone to publicly put in his two cents on the subject.