Of Course, With Staggering World Series Numbers Come The "Papi Is Juicing" Articles

(BI) – In the same season that Major League Baseball suspended 14 players for ties to Tony Bosch and the Biogenesis clinic, the World Series is now being dominated by David Ortiz, an aging player with his own link to performance-enhancing drugs. In the first five games of the Fall Classic, Ortiz is 11-15 (.733) with two home runs. Not bad for a guy whose career appeared to be over four years ago. Ortiz denied that he ever used steroids and blamed the positive test on being “careless” when using supplements he purchased over the counter. The players’ association also claimed that certain supplements that were legal at the time could have triggered a positive result. But none of that matters to many baseball fans outside of Boston. To them, Ortiz is a cheater and there is no way to be certain he is clean now. Keep in mind that none of the players associated with Biogenesis failed a drug test, suggesting that the cheaters are still well-ahead of the testers. It is also not unfair to think that there are other Tony Bosches out there and these 14 players are just the ones who got caught. As much as Major League Baseball wants us to believe that steroids are no longer widespread in the sport, it is clear there is still a big problem. And here we are in the World Series and one of the sport’s biggest stars, with his own links to performance-enhancing drugs, is having one of the most dominating performances ever. Oh yeah, and he is 37 years old. The Red Sox may indeed go on to win the World Series. But when Ortiz lifts up the MVP trophy, all many fans will see is the dark cloud above it.

I’m not a child, I don’t have heroes and think they’re perfect. I’m also not a blatant enough homer to think anyone with “Red Sox” on their jersey is beyond suspicion. Maybe Papi is juicing, maybe he isn’t. I don’t have extensive knowledge of the baseball testing program, but as far as I know they’re being tested and Papi has come up clean all year. So I’m going to listen to science and say he’s in the clear. But that’s just me, I listen to the doctors and scientists who have read far more books than I.

But my issue lies with bringing it up now. I understand it’s the big stage and this guy will probably get the most hits possible on his article now, rather than if he did it at any of the “20 times” Papi was this locked in all year. But if you want to attach Senor Octubre to Biogenesis because of his outstanding World Series numbers, then how do you not mention Alex Rodriguez? He’s the face of Biogenesis, no? Well what are his playoff numbers like throughout his career? Why has he always withered and died in the postseason?

It’s because, as Papi said, some guys are born for this. If you create your body in a lab, there’s no guarantee that you perform in the spotlight. But Papi has. Day in, and day out, throughout his career. He’s a superstar, and loves being one. He wants the bat in his hands with the game on the line. That’s why there will be no dark cloud over his MVP trophy. Because, no matter what Nate Silver and other statisticians say, a clutch gene exists. And that’s the one Papi is flexing now, the one that can’t be enhanced with drugs. And as he walks around the clubhouse with that MVP trophy in his hand (which he deserves even if the Sox collapse), only pessimistic baseball purists will say “I wonder what he was on,” everyone with a brain will say “There goes the most clutch athlete in World Series history.”