Manny Ramirez, Joe Maddon talk

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BOSTON -- Slugger Manny Ramirez has spoken to Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon since retiring while facing a 100-game drug ban, but stopped short of apologizing for his abrupt departure.

"He was disappointed in himself, but he was also very kind to the organization," Maddon said Monday.

"He just said he was disappointed. He didn't apologize. I wasn't looking for an apology necessarily. I wasn't. He spoke to me kind of like, man to man, person to person, manager to player. So I didn't think he owed me an apology."

Maddon did not say when the conversation with Ramirez took place. Ramirez walked away last Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He previously served a 50-game ban for violating the drug policy.

As for Ramirez's drug involvement, "you'd have to take that up with him," Maddon said.

"We had a good camp, very good camp. I was looking forward to working with him," he said.

Tampa Bay broke out of an early slump with a 16-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night. The AL East champions sport a 2-8 record that is tied for the worst in the majors.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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