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Manny Ramirez is a man of great courage. He has retired from baseball rather than allow Major League Baseball to unjustly suspend him for 100 games.



Major League Baseball announced on April 8, 2011 that Ramirez has been forced to retire in order to avoid addressing a drug "issue" raised by the league. In its usual fashion, MLB has refused to identify the substance it has accused Ramirez of using.



Manny is no dummy. By retiring, he avoided having MLB formally announce that he'd violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.



The greatest offensive player of his era tested positive for a female fertility drug that is used to restore testosterone production to normal levels during spring training in 2009. The substance, human chorionic gonadotropin, had been banned by MLB. In May of that year, Ramirez was suspended for 50 games.



The banning of human chorionic gonadotropin, which is used to trigger testosterone production in individuals whose testes no longer are functional, assumes that the cause of the testes not working properly is steroid use. Of course, there are other causes. What arrogance by MLB.



Ramirez followed his doctor's orders. He acquired a prescription for luteinizing hormone (LH) and human chorionic gonadotropin, He did not know that MLB had banned the hormones, which explains why he never applied for a therapeutic exemption.



This is not a case of, as those who enforce the laws claim, "ignorance is no excuse." In this instance, it is an accurate explanation.



In his statement to the media when he learned about the suspension, Manny stated:



"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."



The Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is a joke from a scientific perspective.



The human pituitary gland produces human growth hormone (HGH), which affects growth in youngsters and muscle development. It is, and this cannot be emphasized enough, a naturally occurring substance that is essential.



At about the age of 30, the production of HGH starts to decline, which is part of the aging process.



The first biosynthetic growth hormone, which is produced using recombinant DNA technology was approved as safe and effective for use in growth hormone deficient children by the Food and Drug Administration in October of 1985. What could be better than FDA approval?



There are many negative psychosocial results of children being "too short." Without elaborating, it suffices to state that many of those children are treated with HGH.



If an adult, with a physician's approval, takes HGH, it is her right and it is nobody's business except for the doctor and her patient.



Yes, MLB is a private cartel and can dictate rules that are not based on science or common sense.



We don't know what banned substance Ramirez allegedly used this past spring. According to MLB, he violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.



Forget Manny for a second. The fact that MLB has banned a hormone that the human pituitary gland produces is as inconsistent as it gets.



Research studies have concluded that in young people, exercising increases HGH production, but its effectiveness decreases with age. MLB approves wholeheartedly of exercising.



Ah, if Manny and others had only exercised more.



References:



Manny Ramirez Retires



Manny Ramirez Suspended for 50 Games



Human Growth Hormone