David Ortiz wrote an article for The Players’ Tribune the other day and it was…err…rather interesting.
Aside from being horrifically profane (which was a surprise to absolutely no one), Papi’s article was a retort to all the haters who have accused him of using PEDs. He protested vehemently that he has never “knowingly” used PEDs and that he was tested more than anyone. In fact, Papi assures us he was tested 80 times. What? That’s insane! Most players are tested, like, four times a season at most. Even players who were suspended for PEDs are not tested at that high of a level.
Papi assures us that he always peed clean. Yeah, well, so have a lot of players who HAVE been suspended. I have to take Papi at his word; innocent until proven guilty, right? Of course, I questioned everything when my homeboy Alex Rodriguez never had a dirty test, but still managed to get suspended for a whole season. So, I can never 100% trust Papi when he said he never took PEDs. Oh, wait, never “knowingly” took PEDs.
Here’s the thing: the Steroid Era screwed every power hitter who played through it. The people who were especially screwed had appeared on “The List” in 2003. When it was leaked some years later, we saw the names of Bonds, A-Rod, McGwire, Ramirez, Lance Armstrong, and Marion Jones. So yeah, you can say just because your name was on that report doesn’t mean you’re guilty, but you are in some stellar company. You’re basically saying you are the only athlete on that list who had a false positive. It’s all coincidence, but it doesn’t look that great. Any power hitter who played through the Steroid Era is subject to suspicion, but it looks pretty bad also having your name on that list.
Anyway, one of the Boston reporters who writes for the Boston Globe did a great counter-point/open letter to Papi. It’s a great read and shows how ridiculous a lot of the points Papi made really are. Don’t get me wrong: I respect the HELL out of David Ortiz. He is a prolific hitter and a clutch player, but it is in my nature to question everything.
And, here is Papi’s Players’ Tribune article…Please only read if you not offended by a copious amount of foul language and finger-pointing…
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/david-ortiz-on-the-record/
She Steals Second 