Quote:
Originally Posted by panerd
Sounds like MBBF defending Frank Haith, the names were redacted for PR purposes not because they didn't use. Ronnie says it better above me... everyone used on every team. But acting like Manny only used the time he got caught and Big Papi never used is like Cards fans saying Pujols and Holliday weren't using.
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I've said before that I'm 99% sure Ortiz used at some point back then, but there were 104 players on that list, the NYT published 4 of them (Ortiz, Manny, A-Rod, Sosa), and even they said at least 8 of the players on the list were there for legal things. So you have 100 other players who were caught but haven't had their names released, which is why I think singling him out is wrong.
The bigger question in my mind is whether Ortiz has been using since then, which is a much bigger question mark. I don't think it's impossible by any means to skirt the testing, and I would be in favor of more frequent/blood testing, but the program does work to some extent since we've seen about 50 players caught, so again singling out someone who hasn't as a steroid user seems wrong to me.
The point with Manny was kind of a throwaway one, but I do find it unlikely he would be using a program/drug that allowed him to evade testing for 5 years, and then starts taking random ass drugs that might not even help. I find it more likely he was slowing down and looking for some edge to keep him in the big leagues.
So overall, I'm 99% sure Ortiz used back in 2003, and I'm 100% certain that there have been multiple Red Sox using. Where I step up to defend them is when people single them out as worse than other teams/players, or when people act like it's certain he's using now, or the only reason Ortiz is good is steroids (and trust me, this point gets brought up by at least 1 person every single time his name is mentioned.)