Manny on Manny (a Chat About the Steroids Era )

With the return of Manny Ramirez to the LA Dodgers today, I thought it would be appropriate to post a conversation had with a good friend of mine recently about Ramirez' suspension for 'performance enhancing drugs' a few weeks ago.

This is transcript of our conversation:

[14:32] Manny: manny ramirez suspended for 50 games for being so maricon taken enhancement drugs fu** bitch me pissed now
[14:33] Alan: lol... i know!!!
[14:34] Manny: that's why I don't watch the game anymore
[14:34] Manny: lost faith in baseball
[14:34] Alan: but he says it was something his doctor gave him and neither him nor his doctor knew it violated the drug policy
[14:34] Manny: yeah Ok
[14:34] Alan: (and it wasn't confirmed to NOT BE steroids)
[14:34] Manny: like the rest of them
[14:34] Alan: i know... makes the average fan very cynical
[14:34] Alan: it's too bad but good that it's happening...
[14:34] Alan: in about 10 years there will be more confidence in the players as being more "natural" athletes
[14:34] Manny: im done with baseball
[14:34] Manny: long time i have my gloves in the attic
[14:34] Manny: inside a bag inside another bag
[14:35] Alan: haha!
[14:35] Alan: damn man!
[14:35] Manny: in another 10 years there will be another way to cheat the game that's untraceable
[14:36] Alan: that may be true but for as long as there has been sports (of any kind) there has been someone looking to find the one thing that would give them the competitive advantage
[14:36] Manny: credibility is down the toilet - i followed the game but I wont waste my time anymore
[14:36] Alan: nothing new in mankind's history
[14:36] Alan: will you abandon all sports because of this?
[14:37] Manny: credibility - I follow something to be true if it's not true then why follow
[14:37] Manny: it becomes a fictitious game
[14:38] Alan: so my question again is, will you give up on all sports?
[14:38] Alan: b/c they're really all the same no matter what era you talk about
[14:38] Manny: if they are not true yes
[14:38] Manny: i will - then just believe in my game and what I'm capable of
[14:38] Alan: I'm telling you there is no sport immune to the effects of mankind wanting to make themselves just a little better than the rest
[14:38] Alan: the issue is have they been caught or not
[14:40] Alan: the only game you can truly rely on and have 100% confidence in is your own
[14:40] Manny: just like the others - every single big player has something
[14:40] Manny: proven!
[14:42] Alan: true
[14:42] Manny: is like going to school to become a janitor@
[14:42] Alan: but big players and small alike are not immune to trying to find an edge somehow
[14:42] Alan: why don't we get upset at the scrubs that get caught but give up on baseball when manny and a-rod get caught?
[14:43] Manny: if you are a big player you don't need to try anything because you are already BIG
[14:44] Alan: HAHA.... ok so this argument only applies to players you like?
[14:44] Manny: A-Rod is a different case - didn't like the guy from the get go! So I don't care about him
[14:44] Manny: never did - has too much ego going on - But Manny? cmon ? is there a true player out there?
[14:44] Alan: lol... good to know
[14:44] Manny: nooo actually
[14:45] Manny: to all players
[14:45] Alan: i never liked a-rod but i respected his talent
[14:45] Alan: manny i liked and respected (even if he was a bit of a character)
[14:45] Alan: i mean let's be honest... the Rome that baseball built after the players strike in '93 is finally burning
[14:45] Manny: I always thought bout A-Rod using steroids
[14:46] Manny: just like McGuire and Sosa
[14:46] Alan: you know what? i actually NEVER did... i thought alex was clean from the beginning... so it upset me to learn he used steroids
[14:46] Manny: and Bond c'mon? Barry !

[14:47] Alan: dude... barry was obvious.... just like giambi and palmeiro
[14:47] Manny: my question is : What percentage of players you think are dirty?
[14:49] Alan: oh man... define dirty? do you mean based on what is tested for now? or anyone trying to find an edge?
[14:50] Manny: anything that gives you an edge is unfair to the game
[14:50] Manny: therefore dirty
[14:51] Manny: if you use anything on a test that helps you pass that test is consider cheating
[14:51] Manny: unless specified by rules - disclaimer
[14:51] Alan: ok... then i'll say this... other than mechanical adjustments and studying your opponent's behaviors, patterns, etc, focusing simply on injecting, ingesting, or in any way consuming some drug to help your game....
[14:52] Alan: i'd say it is more likely that batters would be dirty than pitchers
[14:52] Manny: watching the game is just like studying for a test so that's fair
[14:53] Alan: pitchers make up approx 33% of MLB rosters so looking only at batters... from the bench players to the stars.... i'd be willing to be roughly half of the batters are "dirty" which would mean about 1/3 of MLB is dirty
[14:53] Manny: injecting, ingesting or any mechanical help is dirty
[14:53] Alan: but i don't think it's more than that
[14:53] Alan: by mechanical i meant body mechanics (adjustments to body motions to be more efficient, etc)
[14:54] Alan: not like cyborg attachments, etc... lol
[14:54] Manny: that's adapting yourself to a movement to improve so that's studying
[14:54] Alan: right...
[14:54] Manny: corked bats falls under mechanical help
[14:55] Manny: bats LOOOL
[14:55] Alan: yes!!!
[14:55] Alan: ugh... i HATE that more than anything else...
[14:55] Manny: yeah that's f-up
[14:55] Alan: they should have one type of wood... and the ONLY difference would be weight/length....
[14:55] Manny: grease balls
[14:55] Manny: that's the worse
[14:56] Manny: or mechanical helps
[14:58] Manny: if I want an unrealistic game - just like the game of baseball we see everyday - then I would just turn my PS3 on and play any MLB game - at the end of the day I know for a fact that the players are going to be the same !
[14:59] Alan: lol... good point...
[14:59] Manny: and not even that -
[14:59] Alan: but you know what? why should we abandon the game when we have players that ARE out there playing the game the "right way"
[14:59] Alan: it's not fair to those players who ARE clean
[14:59] Manny: what makes you think they are playing the right way?
[15:05] Alan: the right way meaning the clean ones...
[15:05] Manny: credibility is an unknown word for the sport of baseball - I guess I go back to playing video games and spending my $50 baseball ticket money on something else
[15:05] Alan: they worked their way up to the majors with hard work, dedication, and love for the game
[15:05] Alan: and now they have to pay for the sins of the cheaters
[15:06] Manny: isn't that what happened when Adam and Eve?
[15:06] Alan: HAHA!
[15:06] Manny: not to be religious or anything
[15:07] Alan: no not at all... i understand
[15:08] Alan: but it's a fair point...

On an added note, I don't feel that Manny should be allowed to play in the All Star Game primarily because he was suspended for "cheating". MLB can always justify the decision to freeze him out of the big game by saying he didn't play that many games in the first part of the season to warrant being selected over other players who did play the majority of games this season.

Until next time, faithful reader......

Back on the East Coast (or Viva Las Vegas)

Helloooooo there,

I got back from Las Vegas late Sunday night. I was exhausted and hated being back. I had a massive headache and didn't even feel like driving home. (Yes, for those of you wondering, I DID park at the airport. It was for a good reason, trust me on that one).

I was in Vegas for three days with some friends and had a great time. Three days wasn't nearly enough time and I need to go back soon.

I also found out they're building a bridge that will replace the roadway over the Hoover Dam! The bridge should be finished in a year or so. No one will be allowed to drive on the Hoover Dam once it's finished. We're on the clock, folks. Pretty soon we won't be able to stop at the Arizona-Nevada border and make a wish over the dam so now's the time to head out there.

AND if you're in the area, boys and girls, be sure to stop by Boulder City to check out the Bootleg Canyon Flightlines (website). Simply amazing! I'm afraid of heights and I can tell you wholeheartedly, this is a MUST for anyone whether you like thrill rides or not. Not a fan of roller coasters? This is soooo much safer and soooo much more fun. Beautiful landscape, great staff, and an exhilarating experience!!!

Here are some other tidbits I'll share from my trip --

Overheard at the Palms:
A guy, who was playing on the same craps table as me about an hour earlier, walks over to some women sitting at the penny slots and says to one of them, "Hey girl, I'll give you $10 if you get up so I can see your ass."
[The girl did not take him up on his offer.]

True story on the roulette table:
A woman was down to her last $8. She didn't know what to play and was convinced by a group of girls to play $8 on 8. Sure enough, 8 comes up on the wheel. She won $280 with that bet. Nice work, ladies! lol.

Last day on the craps table @ Caesar's Palace:
[I had been winning money on a bet I placed on 4-4, a.k.a. "hard eight". It was off the table when this conversation occurred.]
Dealer - Want to play hard eight again?
Me - No thanks. I'll pass this time.
[The next dice roll was 4-4]
Dealer - Told you you should have played hard eight (She smiles as if she knew something I didn't).
Me - Next time I'll get it.
[Yeah! Thanks lady!!! lol]

At McCarran International Airport:
A small boy, no taller than 2.5 feet - a little half pint, walks by me cheesin' with pride because he is pulling his own mini-suitcase by himself. It's a "Cars" Lightning McQueen bag with the #95 emblazoned on it. Too cute!!

Drink of the trip:
Vodka and RedBull - kept me awake long enough to do what I wanted to do each night in Vegas. We can sleep when we're dead, right?

Lesson learned:
NEVER (EVER!) get in a situation where you have to accept a dare from a group of girls. smh. (That's all I'm saying about THAT one!)

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I came across a blog post the other day (click here to read it) and it claims that: "Much like single friends, I think that single bloggers are generally better bloggers."

This made me wonder if the reason this blog is even MILDLY entertaining is because I'm single. Hmmmm... I may not be posting stories of my dating experiences here or any "wild" nights with the guys but I definitely feel there is some truth to the claim. I have time to actually sit and write at the ol' laptop. Otherwise, this time writing blog posts could be spent with a girlfriend. Who knows... We'll see when that day comes.

Until next time, faithful reader......