Who knew?

Manny Ramirez gets a fifty game suspension and before he's done his time gets a minor league conditioning assignment.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9709148/Ramirez-set-to-start-minor-league-stint-Tuesday 

I guess that makes the Albuquerque Isotopes a halfway house to help recovering steroid cheats resume their place in society.

But it raises a question.  When is a suspension not a suspension? 

Answer, when it's a major league suspension.  If Manny Ramirez had been a minor league player who tested positive for steroids he wouldn't be able to play minor league games.  But he can go to rehab at any minor league Betty Ford Field.

Talk about a loophole.

Baseball says it is serious about steroids.  That they are really, really bad, and serious consequences will follow a positive test. 

But not so serious they can't cut Manny some slack in order for him to be in playing shape on Day One of his return.  Not so serious as to stretch the definition of "rehab" to include steroid abuse.  Not so serious as prevent Ramirez going to AAA and taking at bats away from a player who followed the rules.

What is Ramirez rehabbing from?  An aggravated puncture wound?  Don't you have to be injured to rehab?  And if there is no injury, how is this a rehab assignment?

One other small problem-Ramirez rehabbing prior to his suspension ending appears to be in conflict with Major League Baseball's agreement with the Major League Baseball Players Association, which says:

Any service with a Minor League club while on rehabilitation
assignment shall be deemed to be Major League service as
defined in Article XXI. A Player so assigned shall continue to
receive his Major League salary and the other rights and benefits of
such Player shall be in accordance with past practices relating to
assignments to Minor League clubs; provided, however, that all
such players shall be treated as if they were Major League Players
on the road for purposes of hotel accommodations and the daily
meal and tip allowance.

If the rehab assignment by contract is considered "Major League Service" then Ramirez will be playing prior to his suspension being lifted.

Could Ramirez have spent his entire suspension down on the farm?  The Dodgers would not have allowed their $20 million investment to risk injury that way.  But a week getting ready is fine with them.  And letting him hang around Dodger Stadium taking batting practice appears to have been OK with Bud Selig.

In fairness, keeping him away from Albuquerque and Dodger Stadium would have been a lot like punishment.

Oh, wait....

Ramirez was being punished.

And Major League Baseball is serious about cracking down on steroids.

Sure they are.