Damn it Manny!!

To say I was let down by this is an understatement. When I saw the news that Manny tested positive for a banned substance, my jaw literally dropped and you could see goosebumps on my arms…I’m serious.

My passion for the Dodgers and the Dodgers players has always been a part of who I am. When something like this happens to our organization, it just leaves a pit in the stomachs of fans like myself.

Earlier in the day yesterday I was excited that Manny really didn’t do something bad. I was thinking that he did take something for his “little problem” and it triggered this failed drug test. That was until I talked to some friends and read the reports that what he took is the very same thing that steroid users take to recoup their testoserone levels from previous steroid use.

I know we are grown men, but we still become enamored with our favorite players. We still get excited when they come to bat, and if we see them in a public setting we jump on our cell phones like high school girls calling all of our friends. It’s very disheartening when things like this happen.

I had this same feeling a couple years ago when I found out via the Mitchell Report that Eric Gagne used steroids and that Paul LoDuca was involved with that as well. I was so happy for Paulie when he splashed in the majors after seeing him trudge along the minors for so long. And Gagne, my goodness, this guy was one of my favorite Dodgers of all time. Right up there with Gibby and Hershiser. All the memories he gave us with the stadium entrance and the 80+ save streak means nothing to me because he cheated.

All of these years of hating Bonds for cheating the game. All of us Dodger fans yelling “Barr-roids” from the bleachers. Talk about putting a foot in our mouths.

Manny, you let me down, and you let millions of fans in Los Angeles and around the world down. We embraced you, and you lied to us.

It just makes me sick.