How Will Fans Remember David Ortiz?

I’m still new to the Bleacher Report, but I’ve been writing about sports for some time now. One of my greatest achievements was a piece I wrote about three weeks ago regarding the first half of the MLB season. It contained analysis on the division races, MVP and Cy Young favorites, and bold predictions.

One of which is the basis for this article.

To quote the article, “after having a superstar like Manny Ramirez test positive for a banned substance and get hit with a 50 game suspension reminds me that this is not yet a steroid-free league. I expect another major star will be suspended this season, and I think it will be another Hispanic player as well.”

While the test took place in 2003, and no suspensions have been handed down yet, the prediction has come true.

Early this morning, it was reported by multiple sources that David Ortiz is among the names on the list of 104 baseball players to test positive for performance enhancing drugs in a 2003 study. Former teammate Manny Ramirez and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez have also been outed in what was supposed to be an anonymous test.

As a Red Sox fan myself, I’m torn by this news.

When I think of David Ortiz, the first thing that comes to mind is his performance in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. He hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning of Game 4, and a walk-off single in the 14th inning of Game 5 that kept hope alive for Boston.

He was later named ALCS MVP as the Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Boston went on to sweep the Cardinals in four games, capturing their first World Series since 1918.

The World Series MVP was Manny Ramirez.

Now, it seems as if the magical run by the self-proclaimed “Idiots” is tainted by reports of positive steroid tests.

As a fan, I don’t want to believe it.

David Ortiz has given so much to the Red Sox organization. He plays through pain and doesn’t run his mouth to the media. As far as his demeanor in the clubhouse and on the field, David Ortiz is a model teammate.

From the perspective as a writer and analyst, however, I’m not surprised.

The Twins didn’t want Ortiz, and with good reason. In six seasons with Minnesota, he never hit more than 20 home runs, never drove in more than 75 RBI, and never scored more than 60 runs. He was dead weight.

In 2003, the year of the failed drug test, Ortiz hit 31 home runs, drove in 101 RBI, and scored 79 runs. With the exception of a season shortened by injuries last year, his numbers with Boston have been comparable or better his entire tenure with the team.

It’s not just the fact that a home run hitter tested positive: I’m not surprised players still keep juicing.

A 50-game suspension is a slap on the wrist for a first-time offender. Manny doesn’t seem to care he failed the test as long as he can keep playing, being famous, and selling merchandise.

So what should MLB do about this? Do they sweep it under the rug and forget it happened like the cancellation of the 1994 World Series? Or do they approach it head-on like Pete Rose’s betting or the Black Sox scandal?

My suggestion may be harsh, but I’m a purist. I believe in black and white—there are no shades of gray, or degrees of right and wrong.

If you’re going to ban Pete Rose for life for betting on his own team, you should ban all players that fail steroid tests for life too.

It’s not any less wrong. Rose bet on his team to win to make himself a better manager, and players use performance enhancing drugs to make themselves better hitters.

Cheating is cheating regardless of its context or appearance.

Then again, banning a player for life for using steroids or any other drugs is just a formality at this point. If the selection committee treats other players the way it has Mark McGwire, who used a substance that was legally obtained from a GNC store, no player linked to performance enhancing drugs will ever make it to Cooperstown.

At the end of the day, what will Red Sox fans really remember David Ortiz for?

Will news of his failed drug test become his legacy, as it has for Rafael Palmeiro? Or will fans still fondly remember him as the hero of the 2004 ALCS and one of the key figures responsible for breaking the Curse of the Bambino?