David “blew a fuse” and was totally out of control. It was scary watching him lose his control. Fortunately there wasn’t any collateral damage because all-star second baseman Dustin Pedroia was right next to the phone. Dustin, who just renewed his contract with a $110 million signing, was unharmed. No one was hurt, except for the dugout phone, which has recently been seen orbiting the planet.
Why did Ortiz go ballistic just coming off a designated list rehab in April and starting a great comeback year as the designated hitter? In his first 14 days, he was hitting .426. Maybe the question is about what the media has expressed: how can a 37-year-old physically be hitting as well as he has been? In the era of performance-enhancing drugs, might it offer the media reasonable doubt of the possible use of steroids? This topic has become an issue for many sluggers in MLB and Big Papi is not immune to speculation on the subject. He deplores and fully denies involvement of using PEDs. He said he has been both blood and urine tested many times and there has never been any indication of positive results.
I’m not saying his outburst has anything to do with any known stories of cheating. There comes a point when a person gets tired of things that could bring them down—it’s emotionally draining. I think his frustration on the night was just that—frustration. It was a 3-0 count and the next pitch was called a strike, even though it was a little high and inside. Ortiz was on his way to first, but the umpire thought differently and called a strike. Soon after that, Big Papi went after a bad pitch for strike two, and was eventually struck out on a called third strike. He was not only flustered, but he was really upset with two of the strike calls.
As far as the accusations of using steroids, I think the Red Sox fans should ignore the rumors. Big Papi is a pure hitter and guys like him know how to keep strong with weight training to prepare for the return from rehab. The Boston fans love their man. Granted, there is no excuse for what he did at Camden Yards, but when in the limelight of expectation, one’s self-image can cause additional pressures. That might have been the case for David. I know I have had my share of broken clipboards. As a coach and as a player I have lost my cool through my frustrations of poor performances on the court.
Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe questioned Ortiz’s surge at the plate on his return from rehab this past April. Shaughnessy wrote, “Baseball has been peppered with performance-enhancing drugs for the past 20 years. The cheaters are always ahead of the testers. A number of players from the Dominican Republic have tested positive for steroids. Injuries to the Achilles’ tendon (Big Papi’s injury) are consistent with steroid use. It is not natural for a guy to hit .426 out of the gate without the benefit of spring training (Ortiz missed spring training due to his injury).”
Ortiz’s response was, “I have bad Aprils. They bury me. Or some reporter buries you because of that. You have a good April, it’s bad too. I mean I would like to know or I would like someone to explain to me, what is it that us as players need to be for them to be happy and for us to be in the right spot.” He later said, “The thing that stung me was his statement about Dominicans. You mean that in the Dominican Republic there are no players who try to do things right?”
All of the testing on David Ortiz has turned out to be negative. So wouldn’t you think that Shaughnessy, despite his underhanded racist remark, would be happy to see that a high-profiled player from the home team, who was proven clean of cheating, is helping Boston in their quest for a pennant championship? There’s an old cliché about when you assume and what it does to you and the other guy. I do believe Big Papi, and until it is proven differently, why should we doubt his claims? I don’t think the dugout rant has anything to do with Shaughnessy’s accusations, but I do think it was the result of poor judgment on Ortiz’s part. Frustration is and can be a part of being really competitive and I’ll give the devil his due, because the man, Big Papi, is someone who hates to lose.
