Top News:
Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers' Manny Ramirez suspended 50 games after failing drug test — The suspension, for using what a source says is a female fertility drug, begins tonight and will cost him $7.7 million. Ramirez takes responsibility but says a doctor prescribed the drug.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, The Schmuck Stops Here, McCovey Chronicles, San Francisco Chronicle, True Blue LA, Newsvine, Sons of Steve Garvey, The House That Dewey Built, Mets Today, SPORTSbyBROOKS, Blogging Baseball, Bronx Baseball Daily, NESN.com, MLB FanHouse, Full Count, Projo Sox Blog, Sox and Pinstripes, Home Run Derby, FanGraphs Baseball, THE BOOK, Deadspin, Fack Youk, Walkoff Walk, Boston Globe, River Avenue Blues, MetsBlog.com, Yahoo! Sports, El Lefty Malo, Baseball Daily Digest Blog, Bats, Baseball Crank, It is about the money, stupid, Over the Monster, New York Mets Fan Blog, 24 Hours From Suicide, Center Field, Mets Merized Online, LA Times Sports Blog, Seven Train to Shea Mets Blog, The700Level.com, bronxbanterblog.com, My Pinstripes, Lone Star Ball, Halos Heaven, Lady At The Bat, AZ Snakepit, Baseball & The Boogie Down, BBTF's Baseball Primer …, Scott Proctor's Arm and NationalsPride.com
RELATED:
ESPN.com:
Manny Ramirez of Los Angeles Dodgers will serve 50-game suspension for drug violation — Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games for violating its drug policy. — Ramirez — The commissioner's office …
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus, Dodger Thoughts, MLB, NBCSports.com, Newsvine, The LoHud Yankees Blog, True Blue LA, Baseball Insider, Fire Ned Colletti Now, Deadspin, ESPN, The Big Lead, The Yankees Dollar, NESN.com, Big Apple Sports, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, Baseball Reflections, Sliding Into Home, Mariners Insider, MLB FanHouse, DC Pro Sports Report, 3:10 to Joba, yankeesdaily.com, Jersey Hardball, Babes Love Baseball, Jorge Says No! and Camden Chat
Yahoo! Sports:
Source: Ramirez's substance a sexual enhancer — Buzz up! — LOS ANGELES - A source close to Manny Ramirez — said Thursday that the illegal substance for which the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger tested positive was not “an agent customarily used for performance enhancing.”
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Manny suspended for use of PEDs — Ramirez biggest name to be punished by MLB's drug policy — LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball suspended Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez for 50 games on Thursday for use of performance enhancing drugs. — Major League Baseball made an official announcement shortly after noon ET.
Discussion:
Empyreal Environs, Bluebird Banter, Red Reporter, Mostly Mets, Athletics Nation, The Yankee Universe, FanHouse and Yankee GM Blog
Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Manny reportedly used HCG, gets 50-game ban … Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, incurring an immediate 50-game suspension and serving as the highest-profile reminder yet that the use of such drugs in the testing era may have been reduced, but not eradicated.
Andrew Baggarly / Extra Baggs:
Giants react to Manny Ramirez suspension — All the TVs in the visiting clubhouse were tuned to coverage of Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. Other than that, it seemed like an ordinary morning. No agitated conversations, no high fives, no cheering.
MLB:
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez plays in what could be final rehab game — TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez played what could be his final rehab game Thursday, going 0-for-2 with two walks and putting in three innings of defense.
RELATED:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 28: Rays at Yankees (updates with A-Rod news: He'll be back tomorrow) — YANKEES (13-14) — Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (2-1, 3.82). — Notes: I'm off today in advance of the road trip. Thanks to Ernie Palladino for calling in the lineup. ... The Yankees, who have lost four straight …
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
A-ROD ALMOST CERTAIN TO PLAY FRIDAY FOR YANKS — The plan is for Alex Rodriguez to be in the lineup as the third baseman tomorrow night in Baltimore, the Post has learned. — A conference call was scheduled between Rodriguez and members of the Yankee front office for this afternoon …
Frank Fitzpatrick / Philly.com:
Former Phillies manager Danny Ozark dies — Danny Ozark, the Phillies manager whose hound-dog face and penchant for malaprops sometimes obscured the success his teams enjoyed during the 1970s, died today at 85 in Vero Beach, Fla. — Mr. Ozark, who during his 6-plus years at the helm managed …
Discussion:
Phillies Nation
RELATED:
David Waldstein / New York Times:
Phillies' Old Swagger Seen in Mets' New Park — Philadelphia Manager Charlie Manuel sat in the visitors' dugout at Citi Field for the first time late Wednesday afternoon, leaning forward to casually inspect the odd contours of the outfield fence. He noted many of the differences between …
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Bullpen can't fend off Rays in extras — Yankees rally on Teixeira's clutch hit, but it's not enough — NEW YORK — The frustrating part of this loss for Yankees manager Joe Girardi was that his relievers had spent the better part of Wednesday evening vindicating his faith in them.
Discussion:
Bombers Beat
RELATED:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Both doom and gloom — The Yankees have the nicest clubhouse in the game.
Discussion:
iYankees
Michael Vega / Boston Globe:
Remy is battling cancer complications — Before last night's game against the Cleveland Indians, Red Sox play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo stood alone in NESN's broadcast booth at Fenway Park. Orsillo began the telecast with stunning news about the protracted absence of his broadcast partner, Jerry Remy.
RELATED:
Jerry Remy / redsox.trufan.com:Feature Comments: — While Jerry is great in the booth …
Discussion:
MLB.com, Boston Sports Media Watch, NESN.com, Center Field, Watchdog, Deadspin and AwfulAnnouncing
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Sizing up A-Rod's ‘historic’ contract — Clause in deal that'll pay slugger total of $30M for HR milestones now up for debate — As fireworks, book reviews and favorite cousins explode all around him, here's our latest question about Alex Rodriguez: — Is he still someone we can look at as a “historic” player?
Patrick Saunders / Denver Post:
Rockies take Giant step backward — Say this about the 2009 Rockies, they are nothing if not consistent. Consistently maddening, that is. — A day after blasting the Giants and legendary lefty Randy Johnson 11-1, they were silenced 8-3 by the Giants and right-hander Matt Cain on Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.
