You Really Let Us Down

I'm sure many of you have already heard the news that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez reportedly tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in 2003. Yes, it was technically not banned back then, but the hurt is not gone. I could honestly care less about Manny testing positive, because we already knew he did them, but I am awfully disappointed in Big Papi. Beyond the fact that he ruins the game by taking PEDs, I am more dismayed by the fact that he repeatedly said publicly that he was one of the good guys, that he was one of the ones you could look up to if you were a little leaguer. Big Papi is not even one of my favorite Red Sox players, but everyone likes to believe that their team does it right.

Finding out that your team's legacy may or even should be tainted is a very disappointing discovery. Honestly, I haven't reached any decisions about how I feel about the Red Sox 2004 Championship and what this news will do to that legacy. It hurts too much to even think about right now. But it certainly ruins my opinion of Big Papi.

Finally, I want to talk about our responsibility as fans of the game. Especially in cases like this, the league will not retroactively punish Ortiz, so I think it is our job to let him know how disappointing his actions were. If public disgrace is the only punishment Ortiz and other PED users will face, then it is our duty to at least make them pay for their crimes. Every time I hear about another player caught up in the news, it gets easier and easier for people to rag on baseball, and it wears on us. Baseball is a beautiful game. It would be great to see more players treat it as such.