Which would make it the longest home winning streak in Dodger history, start of the season or otherwise.

I'm 99% certain there is only one thing that can end this streak...I'll be at the game Friday.

Yup, that should do it.

Oh FVCK!!

The LA Times article

It's unclear form the article whether the suspension is based on a recent positive test, or his alleged test in 2003.

Oh well. However, unlike with Barry, the question, "Do you think he doesn't know every last thing that he's putting into his body?" could easily be answered, "Yeah."

An ESPN blurb makes it sound like a recent test. He's apparently going to claim it was the result of prescription meds from his private doctor for a medical issue. Dubious.

That's just Manny being Manny.

Manny Ramirez Suspended Following Positive Drug Test -- KTLA

Putting aside the obvious ethical questions for a moment, looking at it from a purely competitive angle, this stands to either completely undo the Dodger season...or be the best thing that could have happened.

The road to disaster is obvious. With Manny gone, they lose their highest batting average, highest on base percentage, and their biggest longball threat. They also lose the intimidation factor that causes pitchers to overextend themselves trying to keep the batters in front of him off the bases leading to mistakes. And they lose the intangible clubhouse leadership he's shown, seemingly instantly transforming last year's loose bunch of inexperience kids with "potential" into a potent disciplined team. You can't overestimate how important all of that is, plus anything that results in more field time for Juan "oh sh*t, a fly ball, what do I do?!" Pierre can't be good.

On the other hand, there are a few factors that give me some confidence. First off, they've got a 6 1/2 game cushion right now. They can afford a bit of a stumble and still right themselves. And they should have the ability to do just that. Manny's good, but he was hardly carrying the team. 7 of their 8 regular starters have 13 or more RBI, and Manny is only #2 on the list. Ethier (the RBI leader) has matched Manny's 6 homers, with Blake just one behind. Ethier's also scored as many runs as Manny, Hudson scoring one more than both. So it's hardly an impotent offense without him.


And then there's the time off. Manny's old. He's already got a gimpy hamstring this season. I was pretty much expecting him to hit the DL at some point this season,at least once. Now, instead of stringing that injury along until he inevitably does something more serious, only to be hurried back without fully recovering from THAT, he's now got 2 months to let that little bit of a strain heal properly and then get back closer to 100%.

If Mannyless Dodgers can remain competitive until July, they'll be in position to really punish the league once he does return. And getting some experience winning without Manny can only improve an offense that's already proven far better than they were last year.

It will still be a big hurdle to get along without the cornerstone piece of the offense, but there's a pretty serious upside if they pull it off.