Mannywood Reeling Minus Manny

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers were enjoying a magical start to the season. Best record in baseball. Longest season-opening home winning streak of the modern era.

And then "it was like somebody punched a hole in the balloon," manager Joe Torre said.

In the hours between Wednesday night's victory and Thursday morning, word got around the Dodger organization that Manny Ramirez, who had defined the franchise since he was acquired last July, had been suspended for 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy.

Hundreds of media members converged on Dodger Stadium on Thursday, caring little about the team's hot start or its winning streak. They were there to see how the Dodgers were handling the stunning loss of Ramirez.

The Dodgers used words like "shocked," "disappointed," and "sick." They talked about how they still believed in Ramirez, how they still "love" him.

And Torre said that all of the disappointment at the ballpark paled in comparison to what Ramirez was feeling away from it.

"He feels very badly right now," said Torre, who spoke to Ramirez on the phone Thursday. "He's trying to gather his thoughts. It doesn't mean these guys out here like him any less. I think he needs support to get through this thing. The worst thing a person can be is a disappointment to somebody else and Manny feels like a disappointment."

"It was like somebody punched a hole in the balloon."
-- Joe Torre, Dodgers managerTorre and general manager Ned Colletti addressed the team in a meeting before batting practice. Their message was to stay positive without Ramirez.

"It was a quiet and somber atmosphere," Andre Ethier said. "We lost a key guy, but I don't think anyone was hanging their heads particularly low. We have to go out and do it. We'll figure out a way for it to get done."

Just as the Dodgers were "rebranding" the "Mannywood" section of seats in left field, club president Dennis Mannion said, the players and club management were trying to come to grips with the shocking news about Ramirez's failed test.

Although Ramirez explained in his statement that it was simply a substance prescribed by a doctor, Colletti said he needed more information to draw a conclusion.

"I don't know the whole story," Colletti said. "I don't."

When asked if he felt Ramirez had actually intended to take a performance-enhancing substance, Colletti said: "I don't know."

That was as close as anyone on the Dodger payroll came to being critical of Ramirez, though. They tried to paint him as a hero for admitting the crime, rather than a villain for committing it.

"This organization will never condone anything that isn't clean," Colletti said. "Second, whenever somebody makes a mistake and they accept full responsibility and are accountable for their actions and are repentent and contrite, that's a plus."

Later, when asked if he felt differently about Ramirez in light of the failed test, Colletti said: "We all make mistakes. I've learned in my life in watching other people that you can be saddened and you can feel not right about something, but there are none of us that haven't done something we wish we hadn't done."

Colletti said he would "have had a problem" if Ramirez did not admit to the mistake, "but he takes ownership of what transpired. I think that speaks to the man. That's not all bad."

Torre also said he didn't question any of Ramirez's past accomplishments on the field.

"I was terrorized by this man for a long time when he was in Cleveland and Boston," Torre said. "I watched what he did, and I certainly respect what he has done on the field."

Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said his feelings about Ramirez had not changed.

"I still love the person," Martin said. "I don't feel different about him."

Ethier agreed that his opinion of Ramirez is "the same as yesterday. I haven't had a chance to sift through all the information of what's gone on. I'm not going to form a biased opinion on the stuff I've been hearing or seeing."

What it means to the Dodgers is this: They will be without the player who was the heart of their lineup until July 3. Juan Pierre will play left field in Ramirez's place. The Dodgers will hope to replace the missing run production with a combination of Ethier, Martin, Matt Kemp and James Loney.

"It's like a [test] to see what we are made of," Loney said. "How good can we be without him?"

With Ramirez the Dodgers started the season 21-8, the best record in baseball. They had won their first 13 home games, a modern major league record.

On Thursday, though, they quickly became a rebuilding team, a team trying to rebrand itself.

"It will be tough, but we've got to move on," Martin said. "Obviously we're going to miss him in the lineup. He's probably one of the best right-handed hitters of all-time. We're going to have to play without him. We take it as a challenge."