Baseball fans might be sick of hearing stories about performance-enhancing drugs, but maybe not after hearing this one.
In his new autobiography, former big-league pitcher Pedro Martinez claims his Boston Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez gave the 2004 Red Sox shots spiked with Viagra during the team's playoff run. Martinez recounted the story recently on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
The beverage Martinez referred to is called a mamajuana. He told Meyers that the drink was concocted in the Dominican Republic and typically consists of rum, wine, honey and herbs. In this case, the team substituted gin for rum and added a touch of Viagra.
The mixture is mainly used to heal medical ailments, although it's also rumored to be an aphrodisiac.
It was in this instance, although that was mainly Ramirez's doing.
It was an unusual strategy, but it worked out. The Red Sox clinched the American League wild card and swept the Anaheim Angels in the first round. Then they battled back from a 3-0 series deficit against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series before sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals for their first World Series title since 1918.
So it turns out conspiracy theorists who claimed the 2004 Red Sox were using performance-enhancing drugs were right. They just weren't using the type of performance-enhancing drugs Major League Baseball cared about.
Manny not the man
In a put-down and construed rebuff to any future fights against his just beaten opponent, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. told FightHype.com this week that Manny Pacquiao "needs to go back to the drawing board" and suggested the Filipino would benefit by fighting on the undercard of one of his future events.
Mayweather dominated Pacquiao last Friday in what was billed as the Fight of the Century.
"We could fight on pay-per-view on a doubleheader," Mayweather said. "I think we both can make some good money. He can fight somebody solid, I can fight somebody solid."
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, who looks after Pacquiao, is promoting a rematch despite admitting problems with Mayweather's camp.
"I think we now know what the pitfalls were," Arum said. "And, ultimately, with all the aggravation and trouble, look at the pot of gold that we both produced. I think there will probably be less aggravation in a rematch. We understand each other better now. There's a real possibility it could work ever better."
Thrill for Will
Will Ferrell made news by playing 10 positions for 10 different teams during a single day in spring training. Now his athletic feats will be preserved for all eternity.
Topps Company has announced that it will release a line of Ferrell collectible baseball cards this summer.
The card company will release 10 different Ferrell cards, some of which will be autographed, in their 2015 Topps Archives collection. The cards will be available for purchase beginning June 10.
The cards will depict Ferrell with each of the 10 teams he played for in March. His Chicago White Sox card shows him getting out of his helicopter, his San Diego Padres picture shows him roaming the outfield.
His baseball career may have lasted only a day, but the memories will live on forever on baseball cards.
Not bad for a guy with a .000 batting average.
QUIZ
What team did Pedro Martinez begin his major career with?
ANSWER
The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sports on 05/09/2015