Shocker: Manny Ramirez Suspended For 50 Games For Testing Positive For Steroids

This guy was considered one of the most fearsome hitters of our generation. Now, Manny Ramirez is just another statistic of those caught doing steroids.

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned.

The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today. The Dodgers informed triple-A outfielder Xavier Paul this morning that he was being promoted to Los Angeles.

UPDATE:
ESPN has much more on this, including that Ramirez claims that he was taking the medications at the behest of a doctor who was treating an undisclosed medical issue, except that the facts don't quite fix:

However, testing by Major League Baseball showed that Ramirez had testosterone in his body that was not natural and came from an artificial source, two people with knowledge of the case told ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. The sources said that in addition to the artificial testosterone, Ramirez was identified as using the female fertility drug human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG.

The sources said Ramirez was suspended for using hCG because baseball had documentation to prove his use of the drug. A Major League Baseball source said Ramirez's representatives indicated they would fight a suspension for using artificial testosterone.

Ramirez, in a statement issued by the players' union, said: "Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me.

Now, what kind of medical problem would require taking these medications? Ramirez needs to say more about his condition if he wants people to believe what he has to say.

Frankly, I couldn't care less what excuses Ramirez proffers. I don't trust what he, or anyone else in baseball has to say about steroids. I don't trust any players on whether they have been clean during the past decade. How am I to trust them? Their actions, and those of the players union, have been one of obfuscation and doing anything imaginable to thwart testing and to protect those who had been taking steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in the past.

Those who were clean during that time didn't speak out louder against those who were taking steroids - and the reasons are many - from attacking teammates to union loyalties, but the fact remains is that by their silence, everyone is tarnished by the steroid era.

Truly, the sad thing is that the most trustworthy person on the steroid era is Jose Canseco. And when Canseco is the most trustworthy person in baseball, you really have a problem.