WASHINGTON -- As Wilson Ramos walked through the home clubhouse at Nationals Park on Friday, a week after being freed from his abductors in Venezuela, he was greeted by Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who pulled in his teammate by the scruff of the neck for a warm embrace. "Good to have him back!" Zimmerman yelled to anyone listening. Ramos, a 24-year-old catcher who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, made a quick trip to Washington to be checked by team doctors -- who pronounced him to be "in terrific shape," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said -- and appear at a brief news conference before heading back home to Venezuela on Friday night. "This, we think, puts an exclamation point and a finality to the incident. Were not going to dwell on that. Were not going to talk about that anymore from this day forward," Rizzo said. "It was a harrowing experience, and were glad its in our past." Ramos got to Washington on Thursday night, was given physical and psychological testing Friday morning, and now plans to play for his winter league team in Venezuela as soon as Tuesday, Rizzo said. "Its good to see him face-to-face and see the smile and grab hold of him and see that hes in good shape -- hear that hes in good shape from the doctors and see physically that hes in good shape," Rizzo said. "Hes in a good mind set: happy, smiling -- and relieved, probably." Ramos made only brief statements in Spanish and English at Fridays news conference. He did not take questions. "I just want to say thanks to our fans, for your prayers and your support," Ramos said. "Im happy to be here. Im happy to be with my family. See you in spring training." He was seized at gunpoint outside his familys home in the city of Valencia on Nov. 9. About 50 hours later, he was rescued in the mountains of Carabobo state. Venezuelan authorities have charged at least eight suspects in connection with the kidnapping. Ramos spoke in some detail about his ordeal last weekend in Venezuela, telling reporters there that he had wondered whether he would survive. The kidnapping ended when commandos swept into his captors remote hideout, exchanging heavy gunfire. Ramos said last weekend the kidnappers told him they were going to demand a large ransom and he acknowledged that day: "I didnt know if I was going to get out of it alive." Rizzo said steps have been taken to make sure Ramos and his family are safe but declined to discuss it in any detail. As for whether hed had any second thoughts about Ramos returning to Venezuela to play winter ball, Rizzo said that wasnt an issue. "They play baseball in Venezuela because thats what they do. Its their national game. Its their national pastime. They want to play in front of their home crowd. They feel that they have allegiance to play in that league because that league has done so much for them," the GM said. "Theyre going to play in it, so we have to figure out a way to allow them to play in it safely and for them to get back to spring training safe."
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wholesale jerseys . "We cant go on like this. I cant go on like this," said the Jamaican international, sitting hunched on a mat in the team gym. "Its eating me up inside. DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Melky Cabrera returned to baseball with a soft landing Friday. There were hugs all round and a waiting Blue Jays locker stall alongside fellow Dominicans Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. But despite the warm welcome, Cabrera comes to Torontos spring training wearing the scarlet letter of a drug cheat. "Its a burden hes going to have to live with his entire career," said Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos. Baggage aside, Jays management sees Cabrera as another piece in a potentially championship puzzle. The players apparently view him as another brother in arms. "When he walked into the clubhouse, everybody received him with open arms," said Toronto third base coach Luis Rivera, acting as translator for Cabrera. "He got a hug from everybody. "He knows a lot of people on the club -- Bautista, Encarnacion, Jose Reyes -- and they already told him This is your home, dont worry about it, feel like this is home for you. This is our home now." Bautista even offered to have players come to Fridays news conference as a show of support, Anthopoulos said. "We did not think we need that but I thought it was nice that they would offer something like that," he added. Cabrera arrives in the wake of a 50-game drug suspension last year for a positive test for testosterone while with the San Francisco Giants. His name has also come up in reports about a now-closed Florida anti-aging centre linked to banned drugs. Handcuffed by his lawyers and the language barrier, the six-foot 200-pound Cabrera had little of substance to say about his drug-tainted past Friday. "That was a big mistake that he committed last year. He understands that, hes paid the price for it. Hes just looking forward to 2013," Rivera quoted Cabrera as saying. The same sentiment was repeated several times during the news conference. Cabrera did say he had been working out six days a week in the Dominican to prepare for the season and that his love for the game has not withered. "He feels he was born with the energy and desire to play baseball. He always had that and hes never going to lose that," Rivers said by way of translation. "He always had fun when he played the game." Toronto sought to ease his entry to camp by releasing a statement from Cabrera less than two hours before he met with the media. And a Jays spokesman opened the news conference by saying Cabrera would not address the 2012 situation. In the statement, Cabrera said he has served his punishment and worked hard to get ready for the 2013 season. He said is co-operating with Major League Baseball and federal authorities on the investigation into the Florida anti-aging centre. And while he will co-operate with authorities "the best I can," he says his legal counsel has told him not to answer questions relating to the pending investigations. "This stattement will be the last comment I will make on the events of the 2012 season.ddddddddddddI have put my mistakes behind me, have learned my lesson, and have served my punishment. I am here to play the best baseball I can to help the Toronto Blue Jays win a world championship." Anthopoulos, who spoke at a separate media gathering, said his understanding from Major League Baseball was that Cabrera did not face any further sanctions. The Jays GM also said he spoke to the player about why he had taken the banned substance, but declined to share the answer saying it was a private conversation. He also refused to get into whether there had been discussions on any past drug use. The talks were part of the Jays due diligence before investing US$16 million over two years in the 28-year-old. Anthopoulos did say he respected the fact that Cabrera had not pointed fingers other than at himself. But he also acknowledged that the organization had debated taking on Cabrera, given "the elephant in the room." But he said their investigation into the players past had been otherwise positive and history has shown players caught using performance-enhancing drugs have responded to a second chance. Plus Cabrera can play and, given his suspension, the price was right. "Make no mistake, he can help us win games. That was part of it as well," said Anthopoulos. How well he plays is up in the air. "Theres absolutely no guarantees, theres certainly an element of risk, we knew that going in," the GM said. "I cant tell you what the numbers are going to be, its so hard to tell." The Jays do expect effort, the ability to make contact with the bat, and the versatility of playing all three outfield positions. "Hes not expected to carry the load," Anthopoulos said. "Hes just another good player. But hes certainly not the key to the offence." Manager John Gibbons, for one, is looking at Cabreras positives. "The kid can hit," said Gibbons, who worked with him in 2011 in Kansas City when he was bench coach. Cabrera was leading the National League in hitting at .346 in 113 games when he was suspended Aug. 15. He had 25 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases in that span. The Giants didnt put Cabrera on their post-season roster on the way to winning the World Series. The switch-hitter has appeared in 984 career games with the New York Yankees (2005-09), Atlanta (2010), Kansas City (2011) and San Francisco (2012). Hes posted a .284 average with 69 home runs and 417 RBIs over eight seasons. Anthopoulos did say there have been two examples during his tenure as Toronto GM when he declined to even contemplate bringing on a player with a past problem. He did not name the players or identify their transgressions but made a reference to facing players wives, suggesting it might have been a domestic abuse issue.
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