David Ortiz, innocent; Alex Rodriguez, guilty
It’s the final night of the Red Sox-Yankees June series, and so this blog is obligated to consider a very weighty question: Did struggling Sox slugger David Ortiz use steroids?
Because of his horrendous season this year, a nasty rumor campaign has sprung up which alleges that he did. My brother–a Yankees fan, for reasons unknown–believes this rumor campaign, and perpetuates it. He is wrong. Having expertise neither in medicine nor the human body, let me explain why.
Unlike other players whose steroids use has been confirmed, Ortiz lacked a superhuman physique. His face never resembled a square grapefruit, while his shoulders were of normal proportion to the rest of him. That’s because Ortiz, rather than rely on steroid-enhanced muscle, relied on something baseball players have relied on since the beginning of time (i.e., the early 20th century): his own fat.
Let’s go to the photographs…
Here is Ortiz during the 2006 season, at the height of his powers:
Most prominent in that picture is Ortiz’s beer gut. As you’ll see, it becomes only more prominent when he’s actually swinging:
Wow, that’s pretty big. He looks like me after Thanksgiving. Now, compare Ortiz’s body with that of confessed steroid user Alex Rodriguez:
He looks positively Hulkian, doesn’t he? It’s almost as if his perfectly sculpted body was due to some kind of extra-human, illegal substance.
Oh wait, it was. Kind of like this guy, another Yankee great:
That’s not fat, folks. That’s Jason Giambi, on a lot of steroids!
So, to sum up: I have presented incontrevertible photographic evidence that the Yankees are steroid-using cheats, while Red Sox legend David Ortiz simply needs to hit the gym more often.
Enjoy game three, everyone.
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Here’s another piece of history: The Red Sox always start the century out strong before fading for the final 80 years.
That reminds me that the Yankees haven’t won a world championship this century.
In response to another comment. See in context »I don’t know if you can associate a certain body type with steroid use. There have been wiry guys (Juan Rincon) as well as pudgy fellas (Rafael Betancourt). Most importantly, it’s important to consider this news story.
I was unaware you were a doctor yourself! The post above is by a Red Sox fan that cannot come to grips with reality. David Ortiz is a GOD to the Red Sox fans and to have their two championships this century tainted is something they cannot accept. This post epitomizes Red Sox Nation’s inability to come to grip with reality.
I am Ethan’s brother. My own argument is that I think there is great reason to think Ortiz did steroids or performance enhancing drugs or PED’s AND that he is older than he claims.
I will first disprove “beer belly means no PED’s or steroids” theory. Pictures do tell a thousand words, but sadly I am unable to include pictures in my comment. First, one has to look at the Red Sock who resembles Ortiz and his body the most. That is of course the great Mo Vaughn. He was included in the Mitchell Report (Here is a link:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xR_lGuuhlLE/R8OZtZ6a4VI/AAAAAAAABP0/OVJEIv5e2kI/s400/rIiULm5x.jpg). Next, we can turn to football players where the big belly is a common site. A great example is of Pat and Kevin Williams, two brothers who were suspended for PED’s (http://www.everyjoe.com/emqb/files/2009/05/20081204_zaf_m42_002-pat-kevin-williams.jpg. Another is ex New York Giant, Luke Petitgout (http://assets.giants.com/images/content/photos/04_0729_77.jpg). Finally, we can turn to big man Shaun Rodgers (http://images.bigcatcountry.com/images/admin/shaun_rogers.jpg).
Now I will prove that users can look like a regular Joe and neither look super human or have a beer belly. Three MLB players who have been suspended make my case. First is Ryan Franklin (http://www.insidestl.com/Portals/0/STLCardinals/ryan_franklin.jpg). Next, is Alex Sanchez (http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2007/12/04/sanchezx.jpg). The third is Pablo Ozuna (http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/03a92TuaSJdPW/520x.jpg). We can also return to the NFL. Retired New York Giant who has been implicated with PED’s is a good example (http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/01/22/amd_sehorn-walks-off.jpg).
Yes, those four are strong, buff guys, but nothing that screams “He’s on steroids!” The look like average pro athletes, simply guys who spend much time working out and have good eating habits. In short, being a user does not make you look superhuman and look like A-Rod. Of course A-Rod himself as always been a big guy and one could argue that he simply matured into where he is now. Here is a picture of him in the minors: http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg. The Selena Roberts report about him using in high school has not been the least bit proven.
We now arrive to Ortiz. First it is worth examining his statistics on the Red Sox up until this year. I take this from a baseball blog: “before coming to Boston and teaming up with caught-user Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz had played in 455 games, were he’d hit 58 home runs in 1,477 at bats. That’s a rate of 1 homer every 25.5 at bats. Then, after arriving in Boston, Ortiz took off like a rocket ship. From 2003 to 2008, Ortiz played in 846 games, where he hit 231 home runs in 3,154 at bats. That’s a rate of 1 homer every 13.65 at bats.”
Now you one could argue that he was simply in his prime on the Sox during those years. This is not a valid argument as well for many Red Sox fans because now they are claiming Ortiz is much older than 33. The unofficial spokesman of Sox Nation, Bill Simmons, subscribes to this notion. He has written “Watching Papi flounder now, I’d believe he’s really 36 or 37.” However, this would mean that Ortiz was out of his prime the whole time has been with the Sox, which is considered to be 25 to 29.
One may argue he benefited from Fenway and the Green Monster when he went to the Sox. This is not a good argument because Ortiz is a left handed hitter, not a right handed hitter like Mo Vaugh who clearly benefited from the Green Monster. In fact, Ortiz went from playing in the Metrodome with a right field 327 away from home plate to Fenway where right field is 380 feet away.
Further, Ortiz’s connection with Angel Presinal is troubling as well. Presinal is a legendary baseball coach/trainer from the Dominican Republic. In 2001, he was kicked out of the Inadian’s clubhouse for having a bag of ‘roids for Juan Gonzalez. Presinal is connected with users A-Rod and Miguel Tejada. Ortiz not only has trained with Presinal, but he was on the 2006 DR team for the World Baseball Classic, where Presinal was a coach.
Ortiz himself has stated “”I’ve known him for a long time,” said Ortiz. “All I know from him is how to keep our bodies ready – working out, teaching how to do the right exercises, and things like that.” But is it not safe to think that Presinal beliefs the best way to get “bodies ready” is by taking ‘roids? It is hard to believe that Presinal never suggested using to Ortiz.
Some may even claim that it is a combination of aging and the loss of Ramirez that explains Ortiz’s sudden decline. This too is wrong for the most part. For one, Jason Bay has been an extremely productive player for the Sox. Even more so, serious baseball statisticians simply do not believe in the concept of “protection.” Refer to a book like “Everything You Know About Baseball Is Wrong,” for greater detail. However, the fact that Manny is now a convicted user raises questions about Ortiz’s amazing years on the Sox.
More than anything, I disagree with the points raised in the original post. Perhaps Ortiz simply aged very quickly this year and he has been clean for his whole career. Nonetheless, there is real reason to believe Ortiz took a form of PED’s.
looks like you were wrong, david ortiz and manny ramirez were on steroids. you made yourself look like an idiot.
agreed.
In response to another comment. See in context »