Manny Ramirez

The doping suspension of Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez on Thursday has revived a debate that Major League Baseball undoubtedly hoped it had put behind it: Is the sport's anti-drug program finally harsh enough to deter potential dopers, or is it still too lenient? Baseball "has come a long way in the last seven years," said Dr. Gary I. Wadler, a New York sports medicine expert and a key official of the World Anti-Doping Agency. "But it's still not where it needs to be."

Manny Ramirez is scheduled to return to the field next week for the first time since his May 7 suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. And Manager Joe Torre said Wednesday that Ramirez's first game would likely be with Inland Empire, the Dodgers' affiliate in the Class-A California League. "That's what we're thinking about. Just for the convenience of the whole thing," Torre said. Playing for Inland Empire would allow Ramirez to commute to games from his home in Pasadena.

The man in the old Dodgers cap stood with his hands in his pockets. For an hour, Michael Maldonado waited, staring at the closed windows of the box office. The 51-year-old utility worker said he missed work Monday morning to be first in line. By the time the windows opened at 8 a.m., 14 people were behind him. "It's a big deal," Maldonado said.

Manny Ramirez, breaking his public silence since being suspended May 7 for violating baseball's drug policy, said Tuesday that the incident was "in the past" and that he wanted to "move on." The Dodgers' slugger said he had no plans to publicly explain exactly how he violated Major League Baseball's policy against using banned substances. Ramirez also conceded he let down his fans, but said he would "make it up" by leading "this team to another level" after his suspension ends July 3.

Manager Joe Torre said he knew it would be useless to tell Manny Ramirez to take it easy. He was right. When Bill Hall drove a ball into the left-field corner in the second inning of the Milwaukee Brewers' 12-8 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday, Ramirez dashed to intercept it. Ramirez, playing the outfield for the first time in 10 days, prevented the ball from reaching the wall. The left hamstring that sidelined him for a week, Ramirez later said, was fine.

We knew it would be a tightrope. We had no idea it would stretch into January. We knew the Dodgers had the money and the attitude. We had no idea they had the stomach. They do. It has served them well. The Dodgers have found the perfect balance in this perilous walk toward Manny Ramirez, weathering the hot stove's blasts, enduring the Boras spin, stepping through thick smoke screens to come within a few yards of a dreadlocked destination. Now, if they can only keep their balance and finish it.

Manny Ramirez has fallen to sixth place in fan voting for National League All-Star outfielders, making it increasingly unlikely that the highest-profile player suspended under baseball's drug policy would appear in the sport's summer showcase. The amount of votes standing between Ramirez and a starting spot in the All-Star game has nearly tripled over the last two weeks.

* Boston 9, at Baltimore 4: Manny Ramirez hit his 501st home run and Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew also homered for the Red Sox. Serving as the designated hitter for injured David Ortiz (sprained wrist), Ramirez went three for five, drove in three runs and scored twice.

NEW YORK -- No tears were shed in the Angels' clubhouse Thursday when the team learned that Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers in a three-way deal that brought Pittsburgh outfielder Jason Bay to Boston. "I'll tell you man, that's one more guy I don't have to worry about," said closer Francisco Rodriguez, who gave up a prodigious walk-off homer to Ramirez in last October's playoffs and another homer to him Monday night.