Manny's Drug Excuses Don't Wash

The only Hall of Fame that Manny Ramirez is now likely to find himself in is the one for lame excuses, Phil Rogers writes in the Chicago Tribune. Unless Ramirez, who says he flunked a drug test because of "a personal health issue," wanted to get pregnant or had some other legitimate reason for taking a female fertility drug, he looks certain to join the ranks of baseball's fallen stars, Rogers writes.

Even the loyal fans in the "Mannywood" bleachers at Dodger Stadium are going to find Ramirez's story hard to swallow, Rogers writes. The slugger's 50-game suspension is going to hit the team hard, but the Dodgers will still be able to win the National League West, notes the writer. "The lasting damage will be to Ramirez's reputation, not the 2009 Dodgers," Rogers concludes.
(More Manny Ramirez stories.)