Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said he wants to see players who test positive for steroids banned for one year.
“I think you clean up the game by testing…You test positive, you’re going to be out. Period,” Ortiz said Monday after the first day of workouts.
Ortiz said he wants every player to be tested three or four times a year. Anyone who fails one of those tests will face a harsh suspension, which Ortiz feels will help clean up the game.
Ortiz also added that he thinks recent testing has worked as a deterrent and makes players think twice about taking any performance enhancing drugs because of the potential penalties for a failed test. A harsher punishment, like the one-year suspension proposed by Ortiz, should make players think even more about the consequences of doping.
The current penalties are a 50-game suspension for the first offense, 100 games for the second, and a lifetime ban for the third. Any player receiving the lifetime ban may apply for reinstatement after two years.
His comments come one week after the shocking revelation that New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test in 2003. Rodriguez later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during his time with the Texas Rangers, but claimed that he did not know exactly what he took.
Ortiz gave Rodriguez credit for coming clean and admitting guilt, but also acknowledged that the controversy surrounding Rodriguez has done damage to the game.
“It was a little bit tough for the game," Ortiz said. “At the same time, people have to give the guy credit because he came out with what he said at the point of his career where he had done it all."
Like Rodriguez, Ortiz will be looking to put the past behind him in 2009, but for different reasons. Ortiz is coming off an injury plagued season in 2008, which resulted in his least productive season since coming to Boston.
Even when he was in the lineup, his injured wrist affected his production as he hit only 23 home runs and saw his batting average drop to .264. Both were his lowest since joining the Red Sox in 2003.
So far Ortiz has reason to be positive. Just last week Manager Terry Francona said he expects Ortiz to be healthy in 2009.
Ortiz shares the positive outlook of his manager. “I’m feeling fine right now,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz will face his first test on Wednesday, when the team holds its first full squad workout.
For more on Red Sox spring training, see Five things to watch at Red Sox spring training.
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Comments
More decisive words in fifteen seconds from Big Papi, then we've had in 15 years from Selig.
Has Papi checked with the kids coming up from the Dominican to see if they'd agree?
bet the players' union loves these comments.
Yeah, I bet you never got any cortisone shots for all of those injuries this season. Cortisone shots are steroids, but for some reason those are recommended in sports and other steroids are not. This guy is a hypocrite and so is anybody else who thinks that steroids are a disgrace to sports. Do you people actually think that athletes, even Olympians, haven't been taking steroids since before you were born? If so, you are wrong and your ignorance is pitiful. Educate yourselves before getting all high and mighty, because most of you don't know s**t.
Cheating Yankee bastards.....Life time ban for cheaters is right ........
Wow, truly amazing dude!
RT
www.anonymity.eu.tc
The ban is good, ubt if you really want to clean the game up, there should also be a contract clause stating that by taking "banned substances" it would void the contact and make the offender pay back their earnings. That would almost certainly stop the all of this cheating that Sir Selig has allowed to prevail. On another note, Sir Selig you make yourself look even more incompetant by acting as if you didn't know these fools were juicing themselves right under your nose. Especially seeing that it was with players crushing not just merely breaking every record that was in the book. Get a clue Bud or maybe you are just like Wall Street and only saw the $$$ from the increased interest in the almight Home Run. Have fun with Congress.
Too bad papi just got busted for steroids. What a disgrace.
So David why don't u just voluntarily suspend yourself for that year jackass
Prob the only reason the gay sox won the world series cause their 2 best players were juice heads and then wanna talk about all the other players who got caught ..Boston sucks!!!!!! Yanks 'bout to get that 28th this year
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