Manny being chemically enhanced Manny

Turns out the best hitter I've ever seen in an Indians uniform hasn't been playing by the rules. I'm guessing anyone checking this blog right now has already heard, but Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. Reportedly, the drug he took was not a steroid, which raises two questions: What is it, and why is it banned by MLB? Manny says it was a drug a doctor prescribed, but it's the player's responsibility to know what drugs are banned. Raise your hand if you're surprised Manny spaced on that. (Put your hand down, you liar.)

The bigger question is what this will do to Manny's legacy. Based on his numbers, he's a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer if he retires today, but we all know that players of the last 20 years or so are not judged solely on their numbers. Mark McGwire is not within a sniff of the Hall, and we'll soon see players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens suffer similarly. I predict the latter two will eventually get in, but it will take them a long time if they do. If what Manny took was truly not a steroid, maybe it won't hurt him much, but I'm interested to see how this plays out.