Opinion

In honor of the darkest period in baseball history, I bring to you the All-Steroid team. These guys are the cream of the BALCO crop.

These fine gentlemen have broken records.....and laws thanks to their timely hitting and needle sticking.

So sit back and enjoy the men who helped ruin baseball.

*Honorable mentions to Rafael Palmeiro, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte

I came home from work today and my roommate, Mike, informed me of the news: Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez had been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for failing a drug test.

Ramirez joins the list of players that cheated the game, jointly headlined by super slugger Alex Rodriguez. At the height of the whirlwind of steroid accusations, there were some names (which, at that time, included Ramirez and Rodriguez) that nobody suspected as cheaters.

Manny Ramirez has never been known for his hard work or respect for baseball.

Manny is a great player, but it seemed he just played baseball because he was good at it, instead of a love for the game.

Playing was not enough to keep Manny interested. He had to high-five fans after making a catch. He trotted around the diamond admiring his home run, only to realize he was actually admiring a ball that would hit off the fence.

The Toronto Blue Jays may be at the top of their division, but their bullpen still has yet to peak.

Tested by teams like the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians, the Jays have had a great start to the season and continue to roll along.

With the recent breaking news that shed light on yet another MLB star taking a banned substance, I felt the need to try and stay positive and remind people what they are seeing in Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols is shattering records left and right, and if he remains healthy will undoubtedly set the home run record currently tainted by Barry Bonds.

Doesn't April seem to last an eternity?

For those of us working in the financial services industry, the word April conjures up images of angry and impatient taxpayers. 

Across most of the country, torrential downpours and volatile temperature swings are the norm. For a select few, April is the start of a long and grueling baseball season.

April has never been kind to the Phillies. The inaugural first pitch barely left the hands of ex-GM Pat Gillick and the natives were already sharpening their spears. 

Welp, here we go again.

Another superstar caught with a failed PED test. Another person Jose Canseco has busted before an official leak came out.

By this time today, you've all heard the story.

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for a banned substance and will be suspended for 50 days by Major League Baseball.

I do not like Manny Ramirez.

I think he’s lazy. I don’t like his persona while playing the game. He’s greedy in my opinion. And now, he’s a cheater.

You probably remember him as being one of the league’s top pitching coaches on baseball’s last dynasty. Yet as marvelous a job he did, during the darkest years in New York Yankee’s history he was one of the league’s top hurlers.

So, the Cubs retired number 31 yesterday, worn by Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. As the flags were raised on the left field foul poul, I pondered the same question I’ve been pondering for the past few years: will I ever see Sammy Sosa’s jersey number (21) flying from one of Wrigley’s foul poles?