Green: Good for D-backs, bad for baseball

The news about the Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez being suspended for using a banned substance sent a shockwave throughout baseball Thursday. The Dodgers, owners of the best record in baseball, have now lost the player that has led them to that point for just less than 1/3 of the season. This changes everything.

As a Diamondbacks fan, the news is great. Struggling in the desert, the D-backs (along with the rest of the NL West) now feel like they have a chance, given that the team leading the division is sure to take a step or two back without Man Ram. Besides, the guy has just killed Arizona ever since landing in LA, so him being out of the lineup will only help the D-backs’ chances. And, since I pretty much hate all things LA, the misery that this brings to my many Dodger-loving friends is something I can take joy in, given the pain the D-backs have caused me in the early part of the season.

But, as a baseball fan, this is horrible news, and I can’t help but think about just how bad this will be.

Let’s be honest – Manny Ramirez is one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. He’s a career .315 hitter, totaling 533 home runs, 1,745 RBI, 1,238 walks and countless other dropped jaws at his ability to put the bat on the baseball.

Now, only months after Alex Rodriguez was forced to admit to PED use, another one of the greats of this generation is caught cheating. That is not good for baseball, regardless of your team affiliation.

Now the question that we were asking not long ago will be brought up again: who’s next? If Bonds, Rodriguez, Palmeiro, Tejada, Giambi and Ramirez are all linked to steroids or other PEDs, does it not stand to reason that other greats of this generation either are or have probably used? Are the names Pujols or Guerrero next? How about Berkman and Quentin?

Really, what it comes down to is this new era of players getting caught for using performance enhancing drugs is not going to end quickly or quietly. Players will do what they can to get a competitive edge, ensuring their financial future as well as legacy. And until their name comes out we, the fans, are oblivious, going along hoping that our favorite players are clean, but fearing the next bomb that will be dropped on the game.

Ignorance is bliss after all.

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