Baseball faces some needling if Manny makes All-Star game

Major League Baseball is looking a little foolish again.

As is so often the case, it has only itself to blame.

Baseball's latest brush with the ridiculous could become a full-blown mock-fest if fans vote Manny Ramirez onto the National League All-Star team while he is serving a 50-game suspension after testing positive for banned drugs.

The possibility arose when the initial All-Star vote was released Tuesday and Ramirez was fourth among National League outfielders. With 442,763 ballots, he trailed Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano by relatively healthy margins, but was only 34,080 votes behind the Mets' Carlos Beltran.

Surprisingly, MLB has no rule preventing players coming off drug suspension from making an All-Star team. Wouldn't you think baseball would have a rule in place to help avoid the potential for this sort of embarrassment?

But baseball's drug agreement declares that "the commissioner's office shall not exclude a player from eligibility for election or selection because he is suspended under the program."

It's just a matter of votes, then. If Ramirez receives enough, his so-called tarnished image will be the big story at the Midsummer Classic just a week after he is allowed back on the field.

Now that this week's report has raised awareness of the perverse possibilities created by the voting process, can we expect an orgy of ballot box stuffing in favor of the Dodgers outfielder?

Anyone with a basic understanding of human nature knows that this is a clear possibility. Consider that only hours after the preliminary vote announcement, a wickedly devised Web site was created by a New York blogger for the expressed purpose of getting out the vote for Manny.

Baseball's establishment might be mortified, but imagine the possibilities for chaotic fun if Ramirez becomes an All-Star fresh off suspension,

and with meager 2009 statistics. Imagine the heated debate between fans - on one side, the righteously indignant who abhor the idea of performance-enhancing drugs; on the other side, fans suffering serious steroids fatigue.

Since All-Star voting began in April, it's not certain how many votes were cast for Ramirez before his suspension. But the strong support for Manny hints at what we already know - that fan resentment over performance-enhancing drugs just isn't as prevalent or intense as the media insist it must be.

Bud Selig's office will be on spin cycle should Ramirez grace the NL lineup. But while Fox won't admit it publicly, the network broadcasting the All-Star Game would happily shoot a wink at the controversy. Anything to increase ratings at a time when viewership for the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week is down 9 percent to date from last year.

The prospect of Ramirez's All-Star appearance - along with that of unveiled drug sneak Alex Rodriguez - will inspire sarcasm among some fans and media. Hey, if Manny's there, why not bring back Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro for an old-timer's game.

Fly in Roger Clemens, too.

Jose Canseco is probably too busy training for his next Mixed Martial Arts fiasco to take part, but that still leaves Barry Bonds. He could participate in the Home Run Derby. Or throw out the first ball.

Silly? Sure. But enough is enough. While wrestling with steroids, baseball has been too grim for too long.

The votes for Manny suggest that it's time to lighten up.

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com