Ortiz To Address Failed Drug Test In NYC On Saturday

As everyone knows by now, David Ortiz’ name was on the list of players who failed random drug tests in 2003. The MLBPA and Ortiz have both confirmed this fact, but what we don’t know is why he failed the test.

The baseball world has been waiting breathlessly for Big Papi to address the issue definitively, yet the Red Sox veteran DH has continually declined to talk about the test, consistently stating he would wait until he had more information before making a statement.

When he remained silent on the subject in Boston, Baltimore and Tampa over the last ten days, the pundits in Boston declared that he would wait until next week when the team returns to the Friendly Confines. He certainly would not talk about the failed test while in the Lion’s Den…

So much for the know-it-all pundits in Boston.

Today we learned that Ortiz will address the failed drug test in New York City on Saturday, prior to the Sox - Yankees game at the New (and half-empty) Yankee Stadium. He’ll be accompanied by incoming players’ union head Michael Weiner.

Ortiz said last week that the union confirmed his name was on the list of 104 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003… he said he was unaware that he failed the test and unaware of the reason he failed the test. He said he needed more information before he talked about the issue.

I guess he got more information.

Now, as much as I love Papi, I am one of those people who don’t believe the line he has been feeding the media.

I don’t believe he was unaware that his name was on the list… and I don’t believe he doesn’t at least have some inkling as to the reasons he failed the test.

But I DO agree that he should wait until he knows DEFINITIVELY why he failed the test before he addresses the issue, the objections of the Boston media notwithstanding…

Or does anyone believe the Boston media has Big Papi’s best interests at heart, as opposed to just engaging in a feeding frenzy to get the story in print?

I would rather get an informed story than a quick story… the vultures in Boston just want a story.  Any story.

I have lots of questions: What did he have in his sytem? How did it get in his system? Did he take Andro (in much the same manner that former Sox starter Bronson Arroyo took it) and could he have failed the drug test because of tainted Andro? When did he FIRST learn that he failed the 2003 test? Who FIRST told him that he failed the test? What has he done to ‘obtain more information’ about the failed tests during the last two weeks? etc, etc, etc

...ad nauseum

As far as Weiner, he has lots of questions he needs to answer on behalf of the MLBPA. I would suspect he’ll be there to explain why the players union will not be seeking a court order on Papi’s behalf. I also want to know why the player’s association never pressed to have the test results destroyed, who made the decision not to press the issue with the Commissioner’s Office, whether baseball (the league and the union jointly) will consider releasing the names all at once to put the matter of Steroidgate behind us once and for all, etc.