The Easier Way Out

It was announced Friday that Manny Ramirez tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs during spring training. This is the second time the slugger has been caught using the drugs and instead of facing the 100-game suspension, he has chosen to retire.

According to ESPN, Ramirez made the decision to retire instead of accepting the suspension as a means to avoid having Major League baseball "formally announce that he'd violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Instead, MLB issued a release stating only that it had informed Ramirez of 'an issue' under that program..." Had Ramirez taken the suspension, he would have been the only player ever to receive two suspensions for a violation under the program that started in 2005.

Some sports analysts and fans are already talking about whether or not Ramirez is a Hall of Fame candidate. Although he did have 555 home runs at the time of his resignation, Ramirez broke the rules of MLB and when he received his consequences, he chose to take the easy way out to avoid stipulation. You have to remember that Ramirez had to have known this was coming when he made the conscious decision to use those performance enhancing drugs. And now when the big guys find out and want to punish him (for his second offense), he decides that he would rather run away from it all and avoid having them say he actually did it at all, by retiring. If using steroids and breaking the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program isn't reason enough to disqualify somebody for a Hall of Fame bid, I certainly think that retiring to avoid punishment is.