Rodriguez was not in the starting lineup for Friday or Saturday’s games and it has since been announced that he will begin taking one day a week off to rest, six weeks after returning from the off-season surgery.  The plan was created by Dr. Marc Philippon, the surgeon who operated in A-Rod.  Unfortunately Brian McNamee was not available to give his diagnosis and prescription.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi will be responsible for picking which days Rodriguez will sit out through to the All-Star break.  It will then be determined how he feels at that point and a decision on where to go from there will be made.

It is no secret that many of the sluggers from the ’90s were using steroids or other PEDs.  So why does everyone get so excited when another story like this breaks out?  Manny Ramirez may have come as a bit of a surprise.  A-Rod as well.  But we all knew about Sosa, and the best part is now he can’t even hide behind his poor English-speaking abilities.

Reports came in yesterday from the New York Times stating that Sosa was among the 104 players who tested positive in the MLB’s anonymous 2003 survey.  Sosa is now the fifth player of the top six home run hitters since 1994 to be linked to PEDs.  He joins Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro.  The only one on that list who remains untainted is Jim Thome.

So where does this take us?  Nowhere really.  It seems like just another case of “tell me something I don’t know.”  Sosa can no longer hide behind his lies and it is with great hope that his name never enters the baseball hall of fame.  How sad is it when the only person we can seemingly believe in baseball is Jose Canseco.

[Fox Sports]

It is unfortunate that our dreams have to be dashed like this, but I think we all knew from the start that it was too good to be true.  And now looking at the originals, I don’t know what to think.  After seeing what could have been, is the reality of the situation all that bad?  Not really, but my what a disappointment it still is.

Oh, and there is one more correction that needs to be made.  The sport being played wasn’t cricket, it was polo (that would be the one with the guys on horses hitting the ball with mallets).  That would help explain the boots.

This was the remarkable sight many took in at a cricket game in Panama.  As for the game?  Well who really cares.  I’m more interested in what type of paint was used to put their pants on.  As for the authenticity?  We like to think they are real, but we aren’t particularly convinced that there was no use of PED’s involved.

So let’s not get over excited here and start booking our flights to Panama and buying tickets to their next cricket match.  While some cricket games have been kown for showcasing such talent, we can’t be sure that this is a regularity.  Although the possibility of being able to confirm the presence of ass like this at Panama’s cricket games may be well worth the trip.

H/T Pictures – [NahRight]

With Yankee star Alex Rodriguez coming under fire during the off-season for alleged drug use, the issue that continues to plague the league will no doubt grow larger.  ARod was not suspended for his actions as his test was from his years with the Texas Rangers.  That makes Manny’s case the highest profile suspension, and once again brings attention to steroids and their role in baseball.

Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly. (LA Times)

The suspension will cost the slugger $7.7 million of his salary as suspended players are not paid for time missed.  Manny has now added another line to his long list of media-friendly actions.  How will fans and other players respond to this is anyone’s guess, but don’t expect him to use the excuse that its just another case of “Manny being Manny.”