L.A. Times: Manny Ramirez and the gray areas of Dodger blue

Similarly, the Dodgers made the business decision to pay Ramirez more than his cleaner-cut teammates. And Manny, having made the business decision to avoid scrutinizing his medicine intake, delivered more results. Life is full of accommodations.

We expect athletes, particularly those wearing the Dodgers uniform, to act as role models. But Manny didn’t get into baseball to make parents like him. A few youths may imitate his mistake, just as they’ll copy gangsters, corporate thieves and slimy politicians. The majority, though, will emulate his batting psychology and charity work; the medical matter won’t endanger their fragile souls.

Ramirez’s sin wasn’t a rare aberration among athletes, here or elsewhere. Yes, we should monitor drugs and scan the horizon for the next shortcut to prowess. But let’s conserve our dwindling reserves of outrage for deadlier infractions.