According to reports, Manny Ramirez is applying for reinstatement after retiring in April when he tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
The offense earned him a 100-game suspension, but Major League Baseball and the players union agreed to whittle it down to 50 games. His change of heart is a far cry from his composed attitude last year.
“I’m at ease,” Ramirez told ESPNdeportes.com back then. “God knows what’s best [for me]. I’m now an officially retired baseball player. I’ll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man.”
He should’ve just stayed away. By glancing at his 1-for-17 slump to start the 2011 season, it’s clear the 39-year-old’s skills are dwindling. Off the field, Ramirez brings way too much baggage for clubs to take a risk.
Just look at prolific NFL receiver Terrell Owens. Despite his potential –– which outweighs Ramirez’s in baseball by a mile –– he can’t entice a general manager to sign him after his antics marred stints in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas.
Although these are two different sports, nobody wants a head case. Based on Ramirez’s history, he is one and a little more.
In Boston, he squabbled with teammates and elderly secretaries. In Los Angeles, he violated baseball’s drug policy by taking a women’s fertility drug. In Tampa, he failed another test and bolted away, leaving manager Joe Maddon to pick up the pieces.
Sure, Ramirez has hammered 555 homers and 1,831 RBIs in his career. Steroids or not, he still was a phenomenal talent. That’s why Maddon still offered the Ramirez the benefit of the doubt during a news conference on Monday.
“It does not surprise me that he would like to come back and do this,” Maddon said. “I got to know him a little bit this past year and he really does have a passion for the game. I think that gets overlooked sometimes. There’s all the Manny-being-Manny items, but we did well together.”
But even in retirement, Ramirez snagged headlines for the wrong reasons. In September, he was charged with domestic violence charges with his wife, a charge that drastically hurts his marketability with any fan base.
“Manny is always interesting and he’s never predictable, but I don’t know too much about the mechanics of what we would have to do or if we could do it,” Orioles general manager Dan Duquette said.
For those reasons, Ramirez should’ve just walked away quietly.
