... Moments after our arrival, Ramirez walked out the door of his mansion, wearing sweatpants, a ragged shirt and a quizzical smile on his face that asked, What in the world are you doing here?My explanation and a previous history of doing Spanish-language interviews with him clearly sufficed, as Ramirez proceeded to chat for an hour about his life as a stay-at-home father, his baseball past and unlikely future, and religion.
Lots and lots of religion.
Just about every remark Ramirez made had a reference to God, the Bible or the evangelical faith he embraced late last year, after he was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence stemming from an incident with his wife, Juliana. The charge was dropped when she refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Ramirez credits religion for their reconciliation.
"I feel good. My family's good," said Ramirez, who has two sons, Manny Jr., 9, and Lucas, 6, with Juliana. "Thanks to God, I have a peace I'd never had. I have an incredible peace."
In April 2011, a few months before his arrest, Ramirez had flunked a test for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time, triggering a 100-game suspension that prompted him to retire. He attempted to come back on a make-good contract for the A's, but they didn't see enough thump in his bat to call him up after he completed his suspension, which was commuted to 50 games.
Ramirez batted .302 in 17 games for Sacramento, but with no homers and a .349 slugging percentage.
He pondered playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic but decided against it. And even though he continues to work out and hit in a cage, Ramirez said he can accept the likelihood his career is over.
"If the Lord says that's it, they're not going to open the door for you, I would say, 'Thank you Lord for the opportunity you gave me,'" he said. "He controls the situation. ...
see full USA Today article HERE
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