Texas Rangers Manager Used Cocaine Last Season

With all the focus on Major League Baseball's drug problems as they relate to players (mostly involving performance enhancement drugs), sports fans were stunned Wednesday to learn that Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington admitted to using cocaine during last season.

"I made a great mistake," he said.

Washington apologized Wednesday for using cocaine during the 2009 season and will voluntarily submit to additional testing by Major League Baseball in the future.

"I apologize for a huge mistake I made," Washington said in a prepared statement at a news conference Wednesday. "I'm not here to make excuses. I'm not here for sympathy. That would be asking too much. I'm truly sorry for my careless, dangerous and, frankly, stupid behavior last year."

Washington immediately entered into the MLB's drug program, which included testing three times a week. He completed that program a few weeks ago, but said he will ask the league to continue to test him in the future.

"I was in total shock. Then I was mad," Ryan said of his initial reaction to Washington's positive test during a chat Wednesday with ESPNDallas.com. "Then I was very disappointed. I went through an array of emotions."

This news doesn't exactly bode well for bettors who had Texas among the early favorites to win the 2010 World Series at SBG Global (see website here)

At press time the Rangers would pay just shy of $2000 for every $100 bet.  Off-the-field distractions often play a pivotal role in a team's performance, mostly in a negative way (the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow come to mind a la Big Ben).

Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com