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NewsWhore
07-31-2009, 03:40 PM
The black cloud hovering over Dominican baseball got bigger yesterday as Dominican baseball player David Ortiz admitted that he had tested positive during a 2003 drug test, administered by Major League Baseball. In a report originally published by Fox Sport, Ortiz commented, "I've just been told that the report is true," Ortiz said in a statement after contacting the union. "Based on the way I lived my life I'm surprised to learn I tested positive."
Ortiz, known for his big bat and big smile, had become a beloved figure in Boston and had never been suspected of any drug use prior to this report. Ortiz's name as a PED user comes on the heels of former Red Sox star Manny Ramirez's recent suspension for failing a drug test.
"You know me - I will not hide and I will not make excuses," he said. There is controversy surrounding Ortiz's revelation.
The test Ortiz had supposedly failed was administered in 2003, when MLB baseball and the player's union agreed to do testing on players to determine if there was in fact a drug problem in baseball. The tests were administered, with the expectation they would be confidential, and the names not released.
But the results of the tests, which included Ortiz's name and that of fellow Dominican Manny Ramirez, were seized by Federal investigators looking into the case of former player Barry Bonds.
The list included a total of 104 players who failed the test, including some of the game's brightest players. However, Ortiz's revelation digs deeper into the drug culture in baseball and has now tainted the two championship rings he won with the Boston Red Sox.
Though the revelation of Ortiz and Ramirez as PED users occurred while in the US, playing for a US organization, this news has undoubtedly added to the negative stigma placed over the DR and its baseball system.
The use of PEDs, lying about age and falsification of identity has put a sour taste in the mouth of many baseball analysts and has put into question the quality of baseball coming from the DR and the honesty with which the baseball system is run.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9872390/... (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9872390/Ortiz-confirms-he-tested-positive-for-PEDs-in-2003)

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