A masking agent. Will Carroll says Jeff Novitzky is tied into this.

There goes Manny’s legacy. Griffey and Thomas stand taller with each passing day.

Shoulda stayed with Hanshin …

http://www.observingcasually.com/manny-ramirez-signs-with-tigers/

Two sources told ESPN’s T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada that the drug used by Ramirez is human chorionic gonadotropin.

According to the story: “HCG is a women’s fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body’s natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Bonds, Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO.” According to the story, male athletes usually use HCG after a cycle of steroids “because steroids often shut down the testosterone-making ability of the testicles. HCG restores their capacity to make testosterone.” HCG may be used by some males in lieu of steroids, according to the source. Ramirez reportedly will not appeal the suspension.

….disappointed the suspension happened, but COME ON!

wasn’t everybody expecting this?

he had turned into Bonds by the time he was with the Dodgers in every way, shape and form.

when hitters get BETTER in their mid- to late-30s, they’re almost certainly on steroids.

pretty sure 70-90% of hitters would be better as their careers advance, because they have the max pitch recognition at this point. the obvious downside is that, physically, when not juicing, they’re falling apart, so that they’re not even strong enough to get around on e.g., good high and/or inside fastballs. steroids allow older players to keep producing enough testosterone-mimicking products to continue to metabolically sustain muscle masses similar to men in their normal “peaks.”

(for what it’s worth, i think this at phenomena explains another attribute I’ve noticed about hitting versus pitching prospects.: when hitting prospects first make the majors, they rarely make a splash in their first few at bats. even some great hitters — e.g., Ryan Braun — do better after having been through the league once…..in my opinion, because they’re learning what types of pitches they’re going to have to deal with in the majors, and what they have to do with them. the few hitters who are best in the majors right off the bats — e.g., Matt Kemp, Timo Perez — actually have huge holes in their approach that pitchers WILL exploit once they find them. thus the reason for their immediate success versus the minors IS the unfamiliarity of pitchers, versus their unusual — and not necessarily superior — approaches.

in contrast, when pitching prospects debut, they usually have one or two good starts BEFORE having to adjust to the league, because batters have to learn what types of pitches they throw, and what pitches they should lay off. obviously, pitchers have a learning curve too. but, too me, the biggest part of their learning has to do with physically getting to the point where they realize they have to precisely locate secondary and tertiary pitches, or else major leaguers will handle them. once they get to that point, they’re better the younger and more physically talented they are. in contrast, hitters — who have to react to how they’re pitched — will always do better they can read how opposing how opposing pitchers will try to attack them……so long as they are physically capable of countering that attack. which is where steroids come in. for players like Bonds or ManRam who turn into next-level hitters in their mid-30s.)