Manuel says he sent a strong message to Ruiz
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Manuel says he sent a strong message to Ruiz
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Charlie Manuel spoke for the first time to Carlos Ruiz Tuesday about the catcher's 25-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's substance abuse policy.
"I got on him pretty good and I think he reacted pretty good," Manuel said after his team's first official spring-training workout Wednesday. "I trust him. I don't think he'll ever do it again based on how he reacted and some of the things I said to him. He definitely was shook up and you could tell he felt real bad about what happened."
The suspension was announced in late November and the Inquirer's Matt Gelb reported that Ruiz had tested positive for Adderrall, an amphetatime used to enhance the concentration level of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Players with a medical clearance can use Adderrall or Ritalin, but Ruiz did not have such a clearance and twice failed tests that revealed he had used a banned amphetamine.
After an excruciatingly uncomfortable and repetitive seven-minute session with the media Wednesday just beyond the left-field wall at Bright House Field, Ruiz broke down in tears.
"For me, it's hard, man," Ruiz said as sweat bubbled on his nose. "I lose something for 25 games and I want to be on the field. I want to play. At the same time, I feel like I have the support of my good friends. It'll be great to come back and do my best. I got caught two times and I have to pay for that."
Ruiz, 34, got caught the second time despite the fact he knew after the first failed drug test that he could be tested up to eight times per season.
"It's very difficult having to explain," Ruiz said. "I love baseball. I love my city, Philadelphia and Panama. I want to do my best and show everybody ... I'll do my best."
Manuel said his all-star catcher was distressed during their one-on-one conversation Tuesday.
"When I talked to him, he seemed like he was really hurt over it," Manuel said. "He told me, 'I will never do it no more. That was terrrible and I shouldn't do that.' "
The manager admitted he was upset when he first got the news during the offseason because it meant the Phillies would have to spend the first month without the player who was arguably their MVP last season.
"That's a good argument there because he stood out," Manuel said. "Yeah, I was upset when I first heard that because Chooch is a big part of our team. About the last three years he has developed into one of the best catchers in baseball. I think (Yadier) Molina (of St. Louis) has definitely improved his hitting, but Chooch can play right there with him. He's gotten that good."
Ruiz can participate in spring-training games, but Manuel said he would likely see a lot of action in minor-league games because the Phillies have to get Erik Kratz and other catchers ready for the start of the season. Barring rainouts, Ruiz will be eligible to return April 28 against the Mets in New York. Only then can he truly begin to answer the question about how much, if at all, the Adderrall contributed to his career season last year when he hit .325 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs.
Manuel said he expects Ruiz, who is in the final year of his contract, to remain among the game's elite catchers.
"I definitely think so," the manager said. "I think the last couple years, he's really learned how to hit and take the ball the other way. He can hit a fastball, especially if you double up on a fastball and things like that. Chooch can hurt you."
The manager meant that Ruiz has the ability to punish opposing teams with his bat. For now, however, he is only hurting the Phillies and that was clearly causing an acute heartache for the catcher on the first official day of spring training.
No offense to Charlie...but the suspension spoke the loudest to him.....— nuggett- Disagree, Nuggett. I think the players on this team genuinely respect and love CM. Knowing CM, he's moved on from it and so have I. I expect this is going to make Carlos a better player, more focused at the task at hand.
Why don't you just talk to the man in private, Manuel, instead of calling him out in public trying to prove what a "bad *ss" you want the fans to THINK you are? What you did by making this discussion with Chooch public was something you would NEVER do to your pet Rollins for breaking one of the two rules you hold the rest of the team accountable for.- Dead on, @ghost, every word of it, top to bottom.
Of course, if you read another poster's take on what you wrote (you'll see it in response to another poster several posts down the list), you'll understand that you're really not speaking the truth but, instead, all you wrote was fabricated to support and adhere to the agenda you and I and a few others maintain about Selfish Jimmy Rollins and Happy the Clown Manuel. Dissenting views about Selfish Jimmy and Coddling Charlie are not allowed and are seen to be pure fabrication.
Imagine that we're not allowed to see things differently than some others! A different viewpoint is now seen to be nothing but agenda-driven lies. God Bless America, this is what it's become!
Shame on you for that, @ghost!— advantasux - @Advantasux: I was probably one of the more vocal ones pointing out the Ryan Howard failure to go to left; one who asked who was working with him to get back to the early years when he went to all fields. Ditto for the bench coaching of Mackanin compared to Jimy Williams. I'm not a stats maven like Schmenkman but I know a team that has responded to a manager, no matter how you or your acolytes like to demean and belittle the manager. If you are in such distress over the team, day in, day out, why bother to attend the games, to post one bitter post after another? C'mon man, even in the off season and on the first day of pitchers and catchers? LOL! Why not root for another team if it causes this much angst? Going around with bitterness in ones heart is not good for one's health. I want you around so when the boys take the division or forbid, a wild card this season, you and your followers will be available for all "I told you so's" :)
Not sure if you were a kid scarred in '64 or Black Friday (I was!). Not sure if your life is a happy one or miserable one. Not sure if your handle indicates you were one of those unlucky ones who got hooked by that Advanta ad played out on the financial pages of the Inky a few years back. The one touting a 10% return on investment, which promptly went belly up. Or if you were an Advanta worker who lost a job after it fell. If so, my sincere wishes for a better future. In the meantime, come on over to the fence with me. Rest assured, should the SS pull a stroll to first, I'll be the first to cry out. If RH goes on a streak of ineptitude at the plate, count on me. And if the team looks good, I'll be there, too. This is a better team then you profess it to be. Trust me, my fellow poster, the lean times will come, as they always do, for this is Philadelphia. Enjoy the good times while you can. But call it for what it really is.... - @Riverrat, funny how you posted this the exact time I responded to this useless excuse for a Phillies fan. Thanks man — TexasYankee
- @TexasYankee: Appreciate your support, but we'll be fine. No need to toss names at them, I'd like to think we're better then that! All I ask is for this one to be honest before he posts; things aren't as bad as he thinks they are, but in time, as this team moves on, we may be back in the Baseball Stone Age. He knows that as truth if he is a fan as he purports himself to be. Hope the weather in TX is better then the Philly area. Rain turning into snow. Gloomy, dreary weather. Fitting weather while reading these folk's posts!
They managed to chase some good folks like Bearsfriend, Dudeskins and the like away with some of the most bitter , vile and personal attacks in print. Me? I'm not goin' anywhere. Look forward to your posts this season, should be a good year. - @advantasux, I have read your comments here for a long time, and you are, without a doubt, the biggest hypocrite, anti-phillies fan here, and the competition is tough. Ruiz plays for the Phillies, the Phillies play for the fans and city, the players are public figures and should be called out in public in an attempt to answer questions and concerns and have honesty and disclosure, all the things you cry about, like every single thing, you cry, whine, complain, over and over again. You have never been right, you contradict everything said here by the others and yourself. The people here, the Phillies, and society in general would be better served by you finally moving 890 miles north and rooting for the Mets, right where you belong. You contribute nothing and perpetuate a negative stereotype that most of us good, loyal fans do not deserve. I actually believe you are warbiscuit's other account, although you clearly are not as smart as him, and thats bad. — TexasYankee
- Thank you, my friend. We certainly stirred the s**t pile with the Manuel and Amaro apologists, eh? Like you, none of these homers that look at this team's leadership through rose colored glasses will EVER shut me up. They are indeed entitled to their own opinions, but that goes both ways -- so are we. What these apologists can't apparently wrap their brains around is that Amaro has decimated this team in short order with his ridiculous off-season "low risk, high reward" moves. The only thing Amaro has proven is that he is a LOUSY judge of talent. PERIOD. In addition, Amaro is a lousy judge of what it means to be a COMPETENT manager. Happy the Clown could have won with that 2008 team. But, when it comes to having to actually prove your mettle and MANAGE, Manuel has come up on the short end of the stick against all of his peers. He was horribly schooled by LaRussa and Bochy could manage lights out against our self-proclaimed hitting guru, who was nothing more than a career .198 hitting, Japanese League failed "major" leaguer. I dismiss every Amaro and Manuel apologist as nothing more than people who don't mind being made jerks of by the management of a team that obviously is not serious about winning it all. You, I, and others will continue to post what we believe to be true and the rest of the apologists, like "Texas Yankee" (what's HE doing here anyway?) and DLR can keep following Manuel, who apparently has as much power over their minds as Charlie Manson had over his girls.
- This post was directed toward my good friend, advantasux, not the TexasYankee moron.
- "Texas Yankee" (what's HE doing here anyway?) and DLR"
DLR? LOL!
Who's he?
This should be fun...... - get ready for the old ruiz— AlexSp
- BS. Ruiz got caught once, and continued to do it, then got caught again. That doesn't show remorse, that shows stupidity.— philly-born
