Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. _ David Ortiz made an emotional plea yesterday to players and fans on behalf of the Great American Pastime.

He was eloquent. He was poignant. He was honest.

The Red Sox slugger spoke for the first time this spring and asked for everyone to get past the steroid era of baseball and focus on the current game and its future. Ortiz, a native of the Dominican Republic, is afraid the black eye baseball suffered in the past is still having an effect on the game today.

The reason he spoke so wholeheartedly about the situation was for the fact his good friend Alex Rodriguez recently admitted to using steroids between 2001 and 2003 after results of a supposed anonymous drug test surfaced and indicted the '03 MVP tested positive.

"This game is being hurt a lot already," Ortiz said. "This is not a players' game. This is not a team game. This is a family game. We have a lot of families who live off this game. We have a lot of families who enjoy this game. We have a lot of families who bring their kids to watch this game. I don't think this game can take anymore."

Ortiz made it clear that he wanted certain changes in the game and that includes mandatory drug testing for every player at least three for four times a year. He does believe the game is cleaner than it was six years ago, especially since steroids and others substances were banned prior to 2004. Ortiz guaranteed that more than 80 to 90 percent of the players in the game now are clean.

"I think you clean up the game by testing," he said. "If I test you and you test positive, you're going to be out - period. This is serious. I know that if I test positive by using any kind of substance I know I'm going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans and everybody. I don't want to face that situation. That's what I would do and I'm pretty sure everybody is on the same page.

"We are going through a tough situation all the way around with the economy and our solders fighting in Iraq," added Ortiz. This game is a distraction for people, for the family - the American family. I would like to see some changes. I would like for people to leave this game alone and let us play the game. I will do whatever it takes to make this game better, but not everybody is on the same page. The game has changed a lot. There's a lot of pressure."

Ortiz's message was simple and to the point.

"Let's move on," he said.

When contacted by the Journal Monday night Donald Fehr, the executive director of the Major League Baseball's Players' Association said the association does not ordinarily comment on statements made by individual players.

Fehr did say the system in place does work.

"We negotiated a new drug-testing system and improved it three times over the last several years," he said. "It seems to be working extremely well. It's clear it has driven the incidents of use way, way down. I don't know of any reason to believe that the testing program we have in effect now is not doing the job we need it to do, or that it's not working properly. I understand there have been comments in recent days, but that relates to matters that occurred some six years ago."

Ortiz's emissions weren't meant to ignore the steroid situation. He just wants people to be able to watch baseball and believe that the players are clean. He doesn't want to be quality by association.

"There have been a lot of players who have been in federal court, being judged like they just killed somebody," he said. "I don't think all that is supposed to be happening. If you have admitted that you used the stuff - boom - don't use it anymore because it's not good for you. It's not good for the game."

Ortiz believes the A-Rod situation was tough for the game. To Ortiz, the Yankees' third baseman is the best player in the world and he deserves credit for admitting to his past faults. Ortiz watched the A-Rod interview on ESPN last week and said there was one thing that caught his attention.

"He said he was young and at that time that was [what was going on] all around the league. When you are young and somebody gives you any idea about increasing your production, like he did back then, sometimes you make the wrong decision like he did. He's been playing clean and he still produced and he's still the best player in the game. If I'm the fans and I had to judge the guy, I would put that in the past and move forward."

Because he spoke for so long on a very sensitive subject, Ortiz proved his passion for the game on and off the field.

"Let's put it in the past and just play the game," he said.

 Tags  David Ortiz Red Sox steroids

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