SAN DIEGO (AP) - Manny Ramirez returned to the big leagues and
apologized to fans and his teammates. He refused to talk about
steroids, though.

The slugger's 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug
policy ended Friday and he was set to play for the Los Angeles
Dodgers against the San Diego Padres.

"Showtime!" he said as he walked into a news conference about
four hours before the first pitch. He wore sunglasses and has his
famous dreadlocks back in a ponytail.

"Well, I want to say I'm sorry to the fans, to my teammates
that they're always there for me," Ramirez said. "I want to thank
Frank McCourt for his support," he added, referring to the
Dodgers' owner.

"I'm here. I'm excited. I can't wait to get into the field." Asked what he was sorry for, he said: "Not being there for them. For not playing the game, because I'm a huge part of the Dodgers and I'm proud to wear that uniform. When I say I'm sorry, I let those fans down, that they go out there to see me."

Ramirez's ban was based on evidence he used human chorionic
gonadotropin, a fertility drug that's banned by baseball, a person
familiar with the suspension told The Associated Press after the
suspension was announced on May 7, speaking on condition of
anonymity because those details were not released.

HCG is popular among steroid users because it can mitigate the
side effects of ending a cycle of the drugs.

Ramirez refused several times to talk about the reason for his
suspension.

"First I want to say that God is good and good is God. I don't
want to get into my medical records right now. I'm happy to be
here. I missed the game. I'm ready to play. I was practicing in
Triple-A and I can't wait to get into the field."

Ramirez seemed relaxed yet said he felt "a lot" of anxiety.
"But I'm pretty sure I can handle it. This is not my first rodeo.
So I know I'm going to be fine. I know I can play this game. I'm
going to enjoy it the most I can."

He also admitting being embarrassed by the whole episode.
"But we're humans. We learn from our mistake." He seems to have found a new catch phrase. "Showtime tonight!" he said as he walked off the dais. Thousands of blue-clad Dodgers fans were expected to be in the sellout crowd at Petco Park.