Back on April 13, before the Dodgers suffered a home loss -- oh, that's right, they still haven't lost at home! -- Orlando Hudson accomplished what appeared to be a rare event: a cycle. Tony Jackson, then of the Daily News, reported on the reponse of Wes Parker, at the time believed to be the last Dodger to cycle:
A lot of friends become aware of it over the years and now people realize how difficult it is to accomplish. Congratulations to Orlando. I hope he appreciates he's in a very unique club. I can't believe only two people in 51 years. It's great fun to have a game like that. He'll be on a high for two weeks.
It turns out, if some of the reports are to be believed, that Hudson wasn't the only current Dodger to cycle. Dodger fans have been on a high ever since last July 31, when Manny Ramirez landed in our laps. However, thanks to something called "human chorionic gonadotropin", or hCG, we have reached our low point of the season, at least emotionally. Per ESPN:
Testing showed Ramirez had used hCG, which is typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle.
We can't change the past. We can only deal with the fact that for the next 50 games, Manny Ramirez will not be a Dodger. Reaction from around the NL West suggests the Dodgers will have a tough road to hoe:
"[H]im being out 50 games is huge for the Dodgers lineup," said Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. "It takes the best player in the division out for 50 games. That gives us a little window of opportunity, so hopefully we can take advantage of it."
The D-backs' Conor Jackson put the 50-game absence of Ramirez more bluntly: "That's a third of a season, that's enough to win or lose a pennant."
Dodgers coach Larry Bowa conceded Ramirez's suspension will force "some of our young kids to grow up now."
"We don't have Manny for 50 games," Bowa said, "so they're going to have to go out there and play. ... It's going to be a challenge for them."
The Dodgers will hold a press conference at 4:30pm. You can watch online here.
Who would have thought that Derek Fisher's suspension would get buried under the tidal wave that is the Manny Ramirez suspension? Perhaps this is a Dodger town, if not Dodgertown, after all!
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com deals with his grief over the Manny Ramirez situation here.
When Manny Ramirez comes back from his suspension, will you root for him?