Why Is David Ortiz -- Steroids And All -- So Beloved?
By Will Burchfield
Twitter: burchie_kid
Among the long and inglorious list of baseball players who have been formally linked to performance enhancing drugs, no one is more beloved than David Ortiz.
And it's not even close.
He is cheered in ballparks across the league. He is feted by opposing teams. He is lionized by the press. The adoration heaped upon Ortiz stands in stark contrast to the scorn reserved for most former P.E.D. users, a group that most certainly includes Big Papi.
In MLB's 2003 drug probe, Ortiz was one of several players to return a positive P.E.D. test. The results were never supposed to be released and Ortiz was but a speck in a sport rampant with drug use, but that doesn't negate the fact that - knowingly or not - Papi used P.E.Ds.
Almost every player in his ignominious company is shunned, branded as a rogue. But Ortiz is still showered in praise. In fact, since his positive drug test was made public in 2009, one could say Ortiz has only risen in popularity.
Now in his final season, Big Papi is riding triumphantly into the sunset, carried by cheers wherever he goes. His farewell tour stopped in Detroit over the weekend and Tigers' fans happily climbed aboard. They applauded Ortiz from Thursday to Sunday, culminating in a standing ovation after his last at-bat in the series finale.
And the Tigers wholeheartedly approved.
"That was awesome, that's respect," said J.D. Martinez. "Obviously the fans here know what a great player he is and what he's done for the sport. For the opposing stadium to stand on their feet and give you an ovation that's pretty special…that's the ultimate dream. You just gotta tip your hat to him – I was clapping for him, too.
Justin Verlander agreed.
"I think our fans did a tremendous job. Obviously, he's a big personality in this game and our fans respected that and did a great job giving him an ovation there coming off the field," he said.
So did Brad Ausmus.
"It's nice. I think the baseball fans in Detroit, as much as they don't wanna see Papi come to the plate, respect what he's done and respect his career and they showed their appreciation. I thought it was deserved and very nice," said the manager.
But why is it deserved? What makes Ortiz' case different from so many others?
There's his impressive consistency, to be sure, his almost unprecedented ability to defy Father Time. At age 40, Ortiz is in the midst of one of his finest seasons ever, leading the league in slugging percentage and OPS. But there have been steroid-stained stars who have excelled late in their careers, none of whom regained public favor to the extent of Ortiz.
Remember A-Rod? Forgiven in New York, vilified everywhere else.
There's the positive influence Ortiz has had in Boston, of course, particularly in the aftermath of the 2013 Marathon bombings. With a city in mourning, Big Papi lifted the people's spirits with a rousing speech at Fenway Park. But what affect has he had in Detroit, Cleveland or Timbuktu?
Finally, there's the way he plays the game, joyously smacking homeruns and gushing love for the sport. Baseball, struggling to sustain its youth ranks, is better for Papi's presence. But Ortiz' exuberance borders on bravado (which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask), and he's hardly the first lighthearted slugger to have used P.E.Ds.
Remember Slammin' Sammy? A legend in Chicago, a liar beyond it.
So what is it? What is it about David Ortiz that obscures his tainted past?
"Well I think it's personality," Ausmus said. "He's got a big personality, people like him, they like being around him. Everyone makes mistakes, it happens. There's been other guys who have been accused of the same things that have been embraced by fans when they came back because of their personality or often times their contrition."
But Ortiz has hardly been apologetic since the 2009 BALCO leak, blaming an era more than himself. (Everyone was doing it. I thought the stuff was legal.) And though other players have been forgiven for breaking baseball's drug policy, none have been pardoned like Ortiz.
So what is it? What is it about Big Papi that trumps this transgression?
"I think his demeanor and personality goes a long way in that aspect," said Verlander. "I think everybody enjoys watching him play, enjoys his love for the game, and you've seen some other guys kind of go the opposite direction when rumors are swirling. I can't obviously attest to whatever happened in the past but I know that he's been a great ambassador for this game. His big demeanor and all of his swag and everything that he personifies, it's been good for the game."
In short, Papi's force of personality is stronger than the stigma of his mistake. It is so striking, in fact, that Ortiz is thought of first for his big smile and teddy-bear hugs even after committing baseball's cardinal sin. His reputation seems further aided by the feeling that baseball wronged him, that he was unfairly implicated in a league-wide scandal. We weren't supposed to know about Papi's failed test, so it's almost like we never found out at all.
On top of all that, baseball fans have begun to forgive the "steroid era" as a whole. It was so pervasive it seems silly to lambaste a single player for being involved. As this becomes clearer and clearer, Ortiz' mistake looks exceedingly less egregious.
"Everyone was doing it," isn't much of an excuse – but it's also pretty close to the truth.
Ultimately, though, the unprecedented love thrown Papi's way is a product of his persona. He has resisted being defined by P.E.D. use because the other parts of his character are far more compelling. The mighty swing, the hunger for the big moment, the intense competitiveness – all balanced out by the big-belly laugh, the ear-to-ear smile, the open-armed embrace of the world around him. Different people make us feel different ways.
Big Papi makes us feel happy, unlike any tainted ballplayer before him.
"I get why people like Papi," Ausmus said. "He's a very good player, fun to watch hit – but he's just a larger than life character."
*This article was updated to reflect the fact that Ortiz' failed drug test was not necessarily triggered by an MLB-banned substance.
