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| Ortiz At Bat On Thursday (FenwayNation Photo) |
Red Sox designated hitter
David Ortiz angrily lashed back at new suggestions that his hot start to the season may be due to PED use. A column this week by
Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy raised those questions yet again. The controversial scribe (who, by the way, wrote one of the best baseball books ever with
"Francona") directly asked Ortiz how he could be so bad in 2009, hit so well this year with no Spring Training, and do it all at an advanced age. Ortiz essentially replied that it was hard work—and that his 2009 off-year was due to the torn sheath in his wrist. Shaughnessy also asked about the DH being on a leaked 2003 PED list. Papi's terse reply to the writer was,
"I guarantee you that later, you are not going to find out that I tested positive for some [expletive]. It’s not happening. Guaranteed. Guaranteed." Then, in an interview with
ESPNDeportes.com, Ortiz charged that Shaughnessy was being discriminatory in suggesting that players from the Dominican Republic are disproportionately using PEDs. Said Ortiz,
"...it basically focuses on the fact that I'm Dominican and that many Dominicans have been caught using steroids. And what about the Americans?" This whole sad episode is really due to Ortiz never really
fully explaining his appearance on the 2003 list. He
has stated that it was a combination of vitamins (that were legal at the time) and supplements that resulted in that positive test. He needs to request that MLB release the detailed results of the test and bury this issue forever. It's not fair to Ortiz, but it's the only way to fully absolve him and his legacy.
