David Ortiz rounds the bases after game-winning home run.
Big Papi Tested Positive in 2003
Michael MacDonald (31-Jul-09)
Life was great until the All Star game rolled around. Since that time, the
Sox have won 5 games and dropped 8. The Sox managed just a 4-3 homestand against two last place teams following a horrendous 1-5 roadtrip through Toronto and Arlington.
Oh, did I mention that they blew a 3-game lead and now trail the Evil Empire
by 2.5?
Or that Dice-K learned enough English to let the press know he was unhappy
with how the Red Sox were handling his ailing shoulder?
Or that the press lacked English skills and Dice-K was actually solidly on-board with the Red Sox?
Or that Big Papi tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003? The David Ortiz revelation is the story of the week and will be the story of the remainder of the season so let’s talk about that in a moment.
As this story was being written, the trading deadline was mere hours away. It’s h
ard to believe the Sox
- Victor Martinez has been the subject of trade rumors.
won’t make a pitch for Roy Halladay or perhaps another bat. Rumors have been flying about a deal for Victor Martinez though the Boston Herald reports that the Sox nixed a Clay Bukholz for Martinez
deal. I wouldn’t be shocked if a deal is in place before this story is submitted…or if no deal takes place at all. Sox bats will wake up and the Sox have the arms needed to go into October.
Probably.
Back to Ortiz: No player has been more popular in Boston and yet the news was not a shock to many. Disappointing? For sure. Many have attributed his sharp decline in production to a body no longer being pumped full of performance enhancing agents. While many have been circumspect with the speculations, others have discussed in out loud in various sports venues.
David Ortiz is not Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox rode both of their shoulders to championships in 2004 and 2007 but where Ramirez was shoving teammates and travel agents, Ortiz was all smiles. Where Ramirez was going through the motions in the field and on the base paths, Ortiz was giving the team all he had from thundering home runs to seismic inducing stolen bases (catchers generally didn’t throw because their brains couldn’t grasp that a man that big would dare to steal).
No one yet knows the full story but it is safe to say that Ortiz will meet it head-on and that the love and respect he gets from fans, teammates and organization will continue. We are all saddened of course because this relevation has tarnished a man who really is a true hero to many. It seemed only fitting that after learning about the test results, Ortiz hit a 3-run homer to win a game that the Red Sox *needed* to win. Red Sox fans — nearly all of whom had heard the story — gave their Big Papi a standing ovation during his entire trip around the bases and remained standing until Ortiz went into the dugout.
