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$240M man Robinson Cano apologizes for 80-game suspension

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Robinson Cano’s 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test went over like a fart in church with Seattle’s fanbase.

Cano tested positive for furosemide, which is not itself a steroid but is a well-known masking agent to hide other drugs that may be present in one’s urine.

The second baseman issued a statement to fans in Seattle, who now have to watch the Mariners sit 3.5 games behind Houston for the AL West division lead and seemingly headed for a wild-card game with whoever loses the Red Sox-Yankees battle in the East.

Seattle leads the Oakland A’s by 6.5 games for that second wildcard position.

Cano’s statement is classic paint-by-numbers sports apology stuff.

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“I wanted to apologize genuinely to the city of Seattle and to all the fans and the young baseball players in the [United] States and the [Dominican Republic] and most importantly to my teammates,” Cano said. “I wanted to show my face to you guys. I don’t think for me it’s fair to just come back and walk into the clubhouse.

“I wanted to do this earlier. But I don’t want to be a distraction for the team. So I was waiting for the right time.”

Cano claims the furosemide was prescribed to him for “a medical issue” in his native Dominican Republic, which leaves open the question of what he needed a diuretic and steroid-masking agent for, and will his kidneys and/or bladder be OK in the future.

“I’ve been getting tested for the last 12 seasons and I’ve never had an issue with MLB policy,” he said. “I was treating for some medical ailments and I was being supervised by a doctor. But at the same time, I understand that everything that goes into my body, I’m responsible for that.”

Are the Mariners better off with Dee Gordon at second base?

These players always seem to wait until after they’ve been suspended to figure out they should probably be careful what drugs or “supplements” they’re taking.

Cano seems legitimately distraught that he’s not able to get out there and play ball, wishing out loud that he could help his team during an otherwise anti-climactic pennant race.

“I love this game so much,” Cano said. “For me, baseball is everything. You know I hate to sit in the dugout and have a day off, and being away from the game and not being able to sit in the dugout and cheer for my teammates, that makes it even harder.”

Meanwhile, Cano’s former team, the New York Yankees, have been outright savage in their response to Seattle’s plight.

Former Yanks first baseman Mark Teixiera went on New York sports talk radio and said he’s “not surprised” Cano got busted, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman insinuated the same.

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Cano, for his part, took the comments in stride.

“Every time you hear a negative comment, it’s going to hurt anyone,” Cano said of his former colleagues. “But I don’t really pay attention because what I really care about [is] those who come out and say positive things like C.C. [Sabathia] and Mariano [Rivera]. Because if you focus on the negative then you’re always going to live in the past. I’m one who looks ahead. I don’t really care what they said. They can say whatever they want. I hope none of them or their family go through a situation like this, because it’s easy to go out and judge anyone.”

Cano works out at Safeco Field before his teammates arrive, since by the suspension’s terms he’s not allowed to interact or work out in any way with his team until the 80 games have elapsed.

He will be returning to the Dominican Republic for awhile to work out at his father’s baseball academy.

Meanwhile, the Mariners have swapped in Dee Gordon at second base, a defensive wizard who takes away runs with his glove the way Cano added them with his bat.

With Cano ineligible to play in October, he might just watch Gordon steal his job right out from under him the way Lou Gehrig grabbed Wally Pipp’s job in 1925 and needed a fatal disease to get him to surrender the post.

Cano, meanwhile, showed some dedication to a team that is so far 34-16 without him after starting a fairly mediocre 22-18 with him.

“This is not about myself. This is about us as a team,” Cano said. “We are playing for the city of Seattle. All of us, the city, my teammates and myself. I’m focused on bringing a title to Seattle, so I would do whatever it takes to help this team to win. At the same time, I understand I’m not going to be able to play in the playoffs, so you got to give a chance to Dee to go out and play, because when we get to the playoffs he’s going to have to come back and play second base.”

Cano is eligible to return Aug. 14. Will the Mariners make him part of a blockbuster waiver-wire trade to try and win now? Will they move Gordon back to center field for the rest of the regular season and let Cano and his .826 OPS play second? And what about the playoffs?

Time will tell. But for now, Cano wants you to know he’s sorry after serving more than half of his suspension for PEDs.

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Boston born and raised, Fox has been writing about sports since 2011. He covered ESPN Friday Night Fights shows for The Boxing Tribune before shifting focus and launching Pace and Space, the home of "Smart NBA Talk for Smart NBA Fans", in 2015. He can often be found advocating for various NBA teams to pack up and move to his adopted hometown of Seattle.
Boston born and raised, Fox has been writing about sports since 2011. He covered ESPN Friday Night Fights shows for The Boxing Tribune before shifting focus and launching Pace and Space, the home of "Smart NBA Talk for Smart NBA Fans", in 2015. He can often be found advocating for various NBA teams to pack up and move to his adopted hometown of Seattle.
Birthplace
Boston, Massachusetts
Education
Bachelor of Science in Accounting from University of Nevada-Reno
Location
Seattle, Washington
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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