Steroids

It's not even because Manny Ramirez wears Los Angeles Dodger blue (OK, that's part of it).

In news I'm sure you'll hear from my fingers first, Ramirez has tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). 

Although his agent, that bastion of credibility and integrity Scott Boras, tried at first to spin it away with a story about a prescribed medication for a personal ailment, I'm beginning to think that might not be the case.

Right off the bat, hCG is a female fertility drug.

While it is hardly surprising anymore that stars are testing positive for steroids, the Manny Ramirez positive test left me questioning the situation as a whole, as well as considering where the blame really should be placed.

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the player to know what is going into his body, and whether he is allowed to take a certain drug. They are all adults—at least in age—and they should have enough sense not to put strange things into their bodies.

When the news broke that everyone's favorite dreadlocked slugger, Manny Ramirez, had been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance, we were immediately greeted with the usual hand-wringing dispatches about preserving "the sanctity of the game" and calls for "zero tolerance" for steroid users.

Well unless Manny Ramirez can come up with another excuse that would show why he took a woman's drug, usually taken by players to end the steroid cycle, I think Ramirez has now been added to the elite class of legends that felt they needed more.

Let's look at the most recognizable steroid cases. Rafael Palmero, Roger Clemons, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettite, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, and now Alex Rodriguez. Those are just some noticeable names that have ruined their legacies with usage of performance enhancing drugs and it is a shame.

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.

With New York Yankees third Basemen Alex Rodriquez exposed a couple months ago for his past steroid use, the issue of steroids has arisen again. As with any major breaking news, ESPN has thrown this story on repeat. They even went so far as playing the same A-Rod interview four times simultaneously. For those players whose steroid use has somehow not brought to light, I have decided to offer a simple guide of how to handle getting caught.

On December 17, 2007, Senator George Mitchell published his 20-month study on Major League Baseball players that used anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (HGH).

Eighty-nine current and former players were named in the Mitchell Report, but there were many unmentioned players that have used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

The report signaled that the MLB was not yet making an attempt to get over the steroid era.

Develop, use, trade, and start over. That's the unofficial Florida Marlins team motto. 

We all know and appreciate that the Florida Marlins consistently have great young talent. But at some point, you have to wonder how the heck they got all this talent.

Sure, when you trade away anyone that gets too expensive for prospects, at least one of those prospects will probably pan out. But what are the chances of one of these guys becoming the top player in the game?