Fans want apology, specifics

Manny Ramirez bounced toward the podium. Love was all around.

Smiles to the left, smiles to the right, a microphone and television cameras in front of him. As an adoring fan base awaited his first words, Ramirez settled on two: “I’m back!”

That was then, this is now. That news conference was the joyous homecoming two months ago, at Camelback Ranch. There will be no joy in this news conference, the one in which Ramirez explains himself to a fan base wounded after he was unmasked as a drug cheat.

We’re not sure when Ramirez will speak, though friends are pressing him to do so this week, at Dodger Stadium.

We’re not sure what he’ll say. How do you satisfy everybody? Anybody?

After the Mitchell Report revealed Paul Lo Duca had injected himself with steroids and purchased human growth hormone, Lo Duca held a news conference to apologize. That was fine, until a reporter asked him what he was apologizing for.

“Come on, bro,” Lo Duca said. “Next question.”

Jason Giambi said he was sorry too, without saying why. Andy Pettitte said he was sorry, with details that appeared to satisfy most fans. Alex Rodriguez said he was sorry, with scripted bits of detail that answered some questions but led to others.

Roger Clemens denied. That led to a federal perjury investigation. Ramirez won’t go there, not when the government would be more than happy to use his drug test as evidence against him.

We wondered what Dodgers fans might want to hear from Ramirez, sparking a lively discussion on our Dodger Thoughts blog. We can’t pretend to sum it all up here, but some excerpts:

“I’d like to hear: ‘I used steroids from [insert dates here]. I can perform with them. I can perform without them. I was following a trend and trying to win. When I get back, I will show everyone what I can do.’ ” -- Surfacetear

“He should express his commitment to moving forward and helping the team.” -- Deaux

“Except that the PED [performance-enhancing drug] use helped the team, right? He’s presumably a better player with PEDs than without them.” -- D4P

“It would be nice if he would really come clean and admit he was using PEDs. I would love to see just one athlete cop up to using and not give us some lame excuse.” -- Jay Abramson

“I want to hear two things from Manny: the truth and an apology. I want Manny to be completely truthful. It’s the only way to be forgiven and to move on. I will then accept a sincere apology.” -- Daniel Zappala

“It’s a personal matter, and since I am not a relative or teammate of Manny Ramirez, I don’t need to hear anything.” -- Xeifrank

“ ‘I regret that I did something that led me to missing the games. I am sorry if I disappointed you. I am looking forward to playing again.’ I don’t think I would want to hear a single word more.” -- Hollywood Joe

“I actually don’t much care what he says. As they say, actions speak louder than words. Be a good teammate, a good player, a dependable player.” -- Jill

“He is not the victim here, and I don’t want to see him acting like one.” -- K2

That last comment gets to the heart of the problem Ramirez’s handlers have created for him. On the day the suspension was announced, Joe Torre and Ned Colletti twisted logic in proclaiming that Ramirez had taken responsibility for his transgression.

He had done nothing of the sort.

From the statement issued in his name: “I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy, that mistake is now my responsibility.”

So we knew right away that Ramirez had thrown the doctor under the bus, and we have since learned that the statement was carefully crafted after Ramirez accepted a suspension under terms that would prevent baseball from using the words “performance-enhancing substance” in its announcement.

That takes the Giambi/Lo Duca page out of Ramirez’s playbook. He can’t say he’s sorry without saying why, not after his representatives tried to let him say why, and fumbled badly.

We’d like to see Ramirez actually take responsibility. Don’t blame the doctor. Don’t follow A-Rod’s lead and blame a Dominican cousin, the pressure of your contract or your failure to attend college.

Tell us what, when and why, and not with carefully rationed details that leave us with more questions than answers, not with the kind of precise legal language that led Gary Matthews Jr. to deny using HGH -- no one could prove it -- without disputing or even addressing why he ordered the stuff.

Volunteer to meet with baseball investigators, to offer any help you can in identifying PED suppliers.

Get in touch with Don Hooton, whose foundation educates youth about drug abuse. A-Rod trotted Hooton out at his news conference, then promised to help the foundation with fundraising, personal appearances and public service announcements.

“We’re still optimistic he’s going to speak on our behalf,” Hooton said Friday.

Hooton said he would welcome a call from Ramirez. He could get A-Rod and Manny in the same ad, warning youngsters about the dangers of drug abuse.

We would look to the future. We would not be here to talk about the past. And, in that case, Mark McGwire ought to appear in that ad too.

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bill.shaikin@latimes.com