They all displayed it all along. They all hid, lied, deceived. All of them. On various levels they all felt some shame about using performance enhancing drugs (PED).
Mark McGwire
Sammy Sosa
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Jason Giambi
David Ortiz
Manny Ramirez
Alex Rodriguez
Those are the biggest names, the best ball players who broke the law and/or broke baseball rules by using PED. So far Ramirez is the only one of these players to serve a suspension. Rodriguez is the only other to have a suspension issued but it is on appeal.
Only McGwire (January 11, 2010) has come clean. Some people think that Giambi did but he merely expressed regret without specifying his offense.
Contrition before absolution.
I would apply my Pete Rose rule regarding the Hall of Fame. For each day that Rose lied he should wait that many days after telling the truth before being considered for eligibility. For Rose that amounted to about 14 years.
The clock is running on the individuals mentioned above and it is not on their side.
3 comments:
you're wrong about David Ortiz. he did not hide, lie or deceive. he was told he was on the 2003 list and when he tried to find out what he tested positive for he was told the details of the results of the 2003 survey testing are sealed pending litigation. in addition, both the mlb and the mlbpa have said that not everyone that is on the list tested positive and there are more names on the list than positive specimens collected. he could've tested positive for an ingredient that was in legal supplements aat the time that anyone could purchase in a store. why don't you wait until the details of what went on in 2003 before you accuse him. he hasn't tested positive at all since mlb started testing in 2004.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ortiz#Alleged_performance-enhancing_drug_positive_test_in_2003
On July 30, 2009, The New York Times reported that Ortiz and then-teammate Manny Ramirez were among a group of roughly 100 major league players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs during 2003 survey testing.[9] Five months before the Times allegations surfaced, Ortiz stated in an interview that players who tested positive for steroids should be suspended for an entire season.[9] Before the Red Sox's game that afternoon, Ortiz declined to comment on the report, saying, "I'm not talking about that anymore."[9] Afterwards, he confirmed he was on the list and promised to speak with the media once he "[got] to the bottom of" the matter.[10]
Ten days later, Ortiz held a press conference before a game at Yankee Stadium and denied ever buying or using steroids but suggested the positive test might have been due to his use of supplements and vitamins at the time.[11] When asked which supplements he had been taking, Ortiz said he did not know.[12] Ortiz was accompanied at the press conference by the general counsel of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/23053840/david-ortiz-still-doesnt-know-why-he-failed-that-drug-test-in-2003
August 7, 2013
I don't doubt that Ortiz doesn't know why he failed the test in 2003. Maybe he truly didn't take any banned substances. Maybe he unknowningly took something. Maybe he took a PED cocktail so great he doesn't know which drug triggered the test. Who knows?
A separate issue here is how certain players are treated differently than others with regards to PEDs. People love Ortiz; he's a fan favorite and a go-to guy for the media. So is Andy Pettitte. Yet they both either failed a test or admitted using PEDs and have largely gotten a free pass. Others (i.e. A-Rod, let's not kid ourselves) have been practically run out of the game because they're unlikable. There's a big disconnect here.
PEDs are a slippery slope and I don't think anyone wants to discuss them. I wish they'd all just go away, but that won't happen. Given the nonstop coverage, it's tough to understand how Ortiz can go four years (!) between his initial "I will find out what I tested positive for (and) I will share this information with my club and the public" statement and the follow-up question.
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