"Manny Ramirez did not go silently into the night, or into retirement.

Manager Joe Maddon revealed that Ramirez called him after the news broke Friday and said he was disappointed in himself, but he didn't explain or apologize for his actions leading to the positive drug test that prompted his decision.

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

Others might disagree, given the way Ramirez's sudden departure destroyed the Rays' plans and left a major hole in their lineup, but Maddon said it wasn't his place to ask. Ramirez did not call executive VP Andrew Friedman or any other front office officials.

Maddon said he hadn't expected to hear from Ramirez, given how briefly he was part of the team. "I was pretty much taken by it. … I didn't know if he'd be moved and motivated to do that, but he was, and he was very kind in his comments," Maddon said. "He expressed disappointment in himself to me, also, but also had really high praise for us as an organization, as a group, so I felt pretty good about that. I'm really not a judgmental person by nature. I took him for his word right there."

Maddon said he also told Ramirez he'd like to consider him a friend going forward.

Rays LF Johnny Damon, who is friends with Ramirez, said they hadn't spoken yet, though their wives had exchanged text messages. Damon, speaking to a large group of Boston media, said he considered the whole episode sad."