Big Papi Tests Positive: Why We Should Not Be Upset

Reaction to today's revelation that David Ortiz tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003:

---I know I'm in the vast minority on this, but I have never been and never will be bothered by the steroid era. Guys like Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz deserve a spot in Cooperstown, regardless of how many syringes they injected into their bodies.

---Before you label me reckless and irresponsible, let me set the record straight. I do not advocate steroid use. PED's are incredibly dangerous to one's health. However, I can't blame the players who used PED's. It is easy for the baseball purists to sit back and say that guys like Hank Aaron and Joe DiMaggio would never use steroids, but I'm not sure this is the case. If Aaron and DiMaggio played in a culture where their competitors were taking steroids, it would be awfully hard to not succumb to temptation.

---The fact that baseball experienced such widespread steroid use is unfortunate, but it shows that there was a level playing field. That David Ortiz is one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen is beyond dispute. Today's news does nothing to change that.

---Why do people hold baseball to such an unfair standard? When San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman tested positive for steroids in 2006, nobody seemed to care. Merriman, one of the best defensive players in the NFL, maintained a fantastic reputation. Yet when one of baseball's players gets outed for drug use, people respond as if the world is coming to an end.

---It is not fair to call David Ortiz a cheater. However, it is fair to call him a hypocrite. When A-Rod tested positive for steroid use back in February, Big Papi was the first player to take an outspoken stance, arguing that any player who tests positive should receive an automatic one -year suspension. I doubt he believes that now.

---Here's the bottom line: Today's news in no way diminishes Big Papi's accomplishments. If I had a Hall of Fame vote, I would vote for Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, A-Rod, Ramirez, and Ortiz every single time their names appeared on the ballot.