Manny Ramirez soap opera heads to Fenway

Reporting from Cincinnati — The day was like any other, Manny Ramirez loitering about the clubhouse, plopping down on a couch next to Garret Anderson to make small talk, later turning around to say something to Ronnie Belliard.

But three days of serenity at Great American Ball Park were about to come to an end, the Dodgers hours from dropping a 7-1 decision to the Cincinnati Reds and heading to the madhouse that Ramirez used to call home.

Ramirez will play in Boston for the first time since his contentious split from the Red Sox two summers ago and will do so against the backdrop of his latest controversy, this one potentially more harmful to the Dodgers’ reputation than to his.

According to the New York Times, General Manager Ned Colletti and other “high-ranking Dodgers personnel” had discussions last September about how they could “help” a slumping Ramirez and whether the former All-Star had a severe enough medical condition to obtain special permission to use a banned testosterone-boosting substance.

The newspaper also reported that Ramirez’s representatives told the commissioner’s office that they planned to file for an exemption around the time Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for violated baseball’s drug policy last year, but decided against doing so.

Ramirez was suspended 13 months ago because his medical records contained a prescription for a banned female fertility drug commonly used by steroid users to replenish their testosterone levels. The inquiry was prompted by a drug test Ramirez took in spring training.

Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch said team officials never looked into an exemption for Ramirez and declined to comment further.

Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, called the story “erroneous,” adding, “If a player or his representatives would discuss acquiring a therapeutic-use exemption with a higher authority, it would be the union and never the commissioner’s office.”

As it was, the question of how Ramirez will be received by the Fenway faithful was a subject of mild curiosity in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Ramirez was said to be telling teammates that he expects to be treated well in his old ballpark but had no interest in sharing his thoughts with the public.

“No, gracias,” he said, turning his back and extending his four-month-long media blackout.

Ramirez was later overheard saying, “They want a soap opera.”

Not everyone was certain that the pair of World Series titles he helped the Red Sox win will make Boston fans forgive him for the way he acted leading up to the three-team trade that sent him to the Dodgers. Among the incidents documented by the New England media: a scuffle in the dugout with Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis, his shoving of a 64-year-old traveling secretary to the ground, and accusations that he faked a knee injury and didn’t play hard when he returned.

Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa said he wouldn’t be surprised if Ramirez is booed.

“Knowing East Coast fans, if they think you quit on them — that’s what the articles say, I wasn’t there — they take that personally,” Bowa said.

Manager Joe Torre said he hoped fans in Boston would welcome Ramirez back warmly.

“I just want them to recognize him for what he was a part of,” Torre said.

Ramirez will at least return to Boston on somewhat of a high note, as he has raised his average from .271 to .295 over the last five days.

Ramirez grounded out in a pinch-hit at-bat Thursday but was seven for 12 with two home runs, two doubles, six runs and five runs batted in over his previous three games.

“He’s using all fields, he’s gotten key hits, he’s had real good at-bats,” Torre said. “It looks like he’s in a good place right now.”

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

twitter.com/dylanohernandez

Buy Dodgers tickets here

---

Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.

---