Come to Think of It: Red Sox Players "Enhanced" While Image Diminished

So we now know that Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was on the list of players who tested positive for PEDs in 2003, according to a New York Times report.

So did Manny Ramirez, but we already knew he was a cheater. But Big Papi? Say it ain’t so.

But what does this mean for the legacy of the two World Series titles that the Sox captured in 2004 and 2007?

We know that Red Sox Nation must be in mourning as Yankee fans will likely come out in droves to say "I told you so."

But not so fast, Bomber fans. There's the little issue of A-Rod, remember? So don't throw stones when you live in a glass house.

Still, this confirms many rumors over the years and could possibly explain his steadily declining production since he hit 54 home runs in 2006.

So does this mean that the two Sox World Series titles are now tainted? After all, both Manny and Ortiz were key members of the championship teams, right?

Well, yes and no. Yes, because they obviously cheated. No, because you can't really say that it invalidates their titles. There were many more who cheated during that time, too.

What we do know for sure is that while the players were apparently enhanced by PEDs, the news obviously will not enhance the reputation of the BoSox.

But in their favor is the simple fact that they certainly weren’t alone.

As Sean McAdam writes, "The news undoubtedly causes a reassessment of the team's two World Series victories. But most World Series winners—dating back to the mid-1990s—have had at least one player on their roster known to have used steroids, or at the very least, players who have been strongly implicated in PED use.

The 2001 Diamondbacks? Check (Matt Williams). The 1997 Marlins? Check (Gary Sheffield). The 2002 Angels? Check (Troy Glaus). The 2000 Yankees? Check (Clemens, Canseco, Andy Pettitte, Jason Grimsley).

Tainted World Series winners? Sadly, that's become about as traditional as champagne spray and victory parades."

Until recently, the Red Sox had been relatively clear of the PED mess. Of course, it is interesting to consider that George Mitchell is a native New Englander and is listed by the Sox as a "director." As Ryan Alberti might say, "just sayin' is all." 

What I want to know is when the heck are we going to see the rest of the list? It totals 104 names and was supposed to be confidential. Yet the names continue to drip out like the final few seconds of a brewing coffee pot.

So far, we know that Sammy Sosa, A-Rod, Manny, and Ortiz were among the 104 players that tested positive in 2003. It's not fair to them that the other 100 names remain sealed.

Of course, it's not fair that the names have become public at all. Players were tested in 2003 as part of Major League Baseball's survey to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing in 2004.

Count White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen among those that would like to see the full list revealed, according to FoxSports.com.

"Can somebody in baseball—we're all begging, people—get that stupid list out and move on," Guillen said. "This is ridiculous; this is embarrassing; this is a joke. Whoever is there is there, get them out, and that's it."

Jarrod Washburn of the Detroit Tigers brings up a good point, as well.

"Coming out every couple months with a couple names here, a couple names there, it could go on for years and years and years. It reopens a wound we're trying to close. I don't know what can be done," Washburn told FoxSports.com.

As part of the drug agreement between the union and MLB, the results of the testing of 1,198 players also were meant to be anonymous.

Only the lawyers who hold this information can release its content. Under the terms of the testing agreement, neither Major League Baseball nor the player's union can make any comments about the list.

"Precisely for that reason, the Players Association will not, indeed cannot, comment on whether the information is accurate," union leader Donald Fehr said 

Adding to the cloud hanging over Fenway is the admission by former Sox hurler Bronson Arroyo that he "wouldn't be surprised" if he was also on the list. He claims to have taken a spiked supplement that he didn't know was tainted with steroids.

It's ironic that Ortiz had previously said publicly that players who tested positive for a substance that was banned at the time should be suspended for an entire year.

Come to think of it, I wonder what he thinks now that the shoe's on the other foot?