I picked interest in baseball when Sammy Sosa and Jerry McGwire were pursuing the homerun title. It was so exciting that for a long time all I knew about baseball was when it was a homerun.

I understand that sport men and women are very competitive. They will do anything to be ahead of their competitors- anything they can get away with. That is a given.

When Barry Bonds was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, I was sure he was made a scapegoat. The media did not like his personality so he was an easy target.

In fact, one of the refrain heard then was that Barry Bonds homerun numbers would be qualified with an asterisk. Alex Rodriguez was expected to break Bonds’ record and restore the status quo.

Well, that dream went into the toilet when Sport Illustrated got hold of sealed result of A-Rod’s drug tests and revealed that he tested positive to performance-enhancing drug while he was with the Texas Rangers. In one of those classic sport moments, A-Rod was compelled to explain himself. And he blamed his cousin for juicing him up.

He said he was young and stupid. If only I get a quarter each time a celebrity in trouble says that.

Baseball fans were left disillusioned. There was no effort to put their hopes for redemption on anyone. It was more depressing because there were still names of players who tested positive in the drug tests that could not be revealed due to confidentiality agreement at the time the test was taken.

Quietly though, many baseball fans hoped that Manny Ramirez could be the redeemer. Well, this week, Manny went down just like others. He tested positive to another drug and was suspended for 50 games.

Manny’s excuse was interesting. He blamed his doctor for prescribing the medication that contained the performance-enhancing substance. The medication he said was for an ailment. Never mind it was a female fertility medication. Maybe he was growing his ovaries or his boobs, who knows?

So Manny joins Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Miguel Tejada and others on the list of players who cheated their way to fame and fortune.

The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will now make due with bust of players who are juiced up. They are all soiled, all sorry and all asterisks.