The Egregious Double Standard Surrounding David Ortiz

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

There's a funny smell pervading the air around Major League Baseball. It had begun when the news broke that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were on the infamous 2003 list of steroid users, the same list that had outed Alex Rodriguez a few months prior.

While Manny had been suspended earlier in the year, making his appearance on the list unsurprising, Ortiz was thrust into a spotlight he didn't want to be in.

The stage was set: Ortiz, a known steroids opponent, had been guilty not only of "cheating," but of hypocrisy. What was he going to do now?

Well, the answer to that question came yesterday, when Ortiz finally broke his silence on the topic, having collected his thoughts over a few days.

Ortiz held a press conference before his team's game against the Yankees, and he brought a pal with him: MLBA Union Chief Michael Wiener.

With Wiener at his side, Ortiz flatly denied steroid use, saying he'd purchased over the counter "supplements" that may have triggered the positive test, but never bought or used the illegal stuff.

Wiener backed Ortiz up, saying the list was faulty, that not all the names on the list were confirmed positives, and that those who tested positive may still not have taken steroids at all.

And I, a humble blogger from New Jersey, declare shenanigans on this press conference.

When Roger Clemens was named in the Mitchell Report a few years ago, he too denied steroid use, despite the mounds of evidence against him.

But even though his accuser, Brian McNamee, was a shady fellow himself, Clemens was blasted and vilified across America, as everyone turned against a one-time hero.

Clemens looked idiotic. He was inconsistent in his claims, and he dug himself into more holes every time he opened his mouth. And so, he received no support. Despite his legendary status, fans edged away from Clemens during his rampage.

But Ortiz is now doing the exact same thing. With his name on a list of players who tested positive for steroids, Ortiz is playing the Clemens game by vehemently denying he did anything wrong. Except no one is giving him grief for it.

Perhaps it's because the MLBPA is coming out to support him, but I believe it's simply because he's David Ortiz, and baseball fans don't want to give up on him. It was easy to turn on Clemens, a hot head who was known for throwing at opposing players and chucking a broken bat at Mike Piazza. And A-Rod is one of the most easily hated players in baseball, with his personal life often clouding his excellent ability on the field.

But Ortiz isn't like that. Sure, Yankees fans like myself hate him, but to others, he's a big teddy bear. Sure, he might only be a small teddy bear if not for some artificial help, but the point remains: fans don't want to see his legacy tainted.

But it doesn't matter what the fans want. We'd love to live in utopia, but sometimes the truth hurts. David Ortiz took steroids, and no matter what people try to cover it with, it's not going away.

It's really quite obvious. In 2002, Ortiz was playing for the Twins, and had a career-high of 20 home runs and .500 slugging percentage. One year later, Ortiz was on the Red Sox, and his entire career has changed. Upon changing teams, Ortiz immediately had his first 30-homer year, and has never hit under that amount since, save last year's injury-shortened season, in which he hit 23 in only 109 games. His slugging percentage jumped 92 points that year, and last year marked the first time he slugged under .600 since then.

That doesn't happen to hitters overnight. Ortiz had spent six seasons with the Twins, but was a regular starter for only two of those seasons. He wasn't even a starter with the Red Sox until they traded Shea Hillenbrand for Byung-Hyun Kim during that 2003 season. But despite this, he suddenly hit a stride at age 27 without any warning. He also blew up like a hot-air balloon, as his now-infamous baseball card (below) attests.


Ortiz's instant stat inflation occurred in 2003, his first year with the Red Sox, the same year he tested positive for steroids. That's a rather interesting coincidence. It's also interesting that his teammate, Manny Ramirez, was busted as well, and had continued to take steroids through this season.

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