David Ortiz hit a decisive home run Thursday afternoon. An entire ballpark stood and cheered until he came back out for a curtain call. It would be a safe bet that all of those people putting their hands together knew of the news that their hero had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs six years earlier.
Remember this moment.
These Fenway Park patrons were the ones criticizing Dodgers fans for cheering Manny Ramirez. They were the ones holding up posters of syringes during each and every Alex Rodriguez at-bat. And they are the ones who will continue to buy their tickets with the hope of more moments like the one Ortiz supplied on the second-to-last day in July.
Ortiz will hit home runs and you will cheer. He will smile his smile, and you’ll grin right back. And merchandisers are not pulling ‘No. 34’ t-shirts from the racks any time soon.
As deplorable – and unfathomable – as it might be for some, Ortiz’ news means little in the here and the now. He’s going to keep playing, grinning, and hugging. And Red Sox fans will love it just as much as they did two days ago.
Some won’t want to admit it, but that will be the case.
You’re going to hear differently, how a reputation has been tarnished and we can never look at the Red Sox’ designated hitter’s accomplishments the same way again. Fine. Let it be said, let it be done. But, in the end, do you think that matters to the people funneling into Fenway each night this season?
I’ll tell you what makes a difference for these people – that Ortiz is hitting the ball out of the park and doing it in a Red Sox uniform. And if it’s history you want, I’ll also go out on a limb as to say that those whose lives were altered by the World Series titles in 2004 and ’07 didn’t toss away their commemorative key-chains upon hearing the Ortiz news.
It might be sad, but it is reality. We cheer for the laundry, no matter how sullied the home whites get.
It does seem strange when you come to realize that this news means little to fans of the 2009 Red Sox. I don’t believe the instant reaction was shock – we braced ourselves for this very news when it came to virtually every home run hitter these days. The initial feeling was that of disappointment, and that emotion will carry conversations on the subject for months… and months… and months.
But what is amazing is how fast that disappointment will come and go. When Ortiz is in the batter’s box the only dismay will be from swings and misses, not alleged steroid use.
While Red Sox fans are taking the time to analyze just how damaging and hurtful this news might prove to be, they are also sneaking peaks to see how many hits Ortiz has gotten in the last week, just like they did Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and even Thursday afternoon. It is a regimen many won’t want to admit to, but will have to upon some cogent self-analysis.
You want to know how I was reminded of what will really be the focus when all of this press conference-induced dust clears…
So I’m sitting at dinner and my kids ask what was up with David Ortiz.
“He tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs six years ago,” I said. (To which my wisenheimer 10-year-old responds, “He hasn’t had many performances enhanced this year.”)
“What’s going to happen to him?” my daughter asked.
I started to answer the question, but stopped. I really didn’t know how to respond. There was the simple explanation that nothing was going to happen to Ortiz because this was 2003, and this was a test for which the results had no tangible consequence. But telling my kids that life would continue as usual for the slugger didn’t seem right.
While I was thinking my 7-year-old chimed in.
“I’m not going to be Big Papi for Halloween this year,” he declared. “I’m going to be Obi Wan Kenobi.”
And there it was – with the news coming out that Ortiz was one of the 104 who tested positive for PEDs back in ’03, it meant Star Wars merchandising was on the upswing, and Ortiz’ reputation had taken a sharp downturn. That was it.
But really, did that matter? When the Red Sox' designated hitter popped the decisive home run Thursday afternoon was anybody averting their eyes and citing Ortiz’ legend? Nope.
My kids wanted to know that when they turn on the television for the remainder of this season – and for as long as Ortiz wears a Red Sox uniform – would Thursday’s news be affecting their viewing pleasure? That answer was a definitive “No.”
You’re going to want to say it matters. The callers and hosts on WEEI will say it has changed everything. The vendors outside Yankee Stadium will have wads of cash from anti-Ortiz t-shirts that suggest it certainly makes a difference.
But let’s face it, Thursday proved the point – we cheer for the logos, not the legacy, no matter who is wearing them. That will remain true just as long as there is success, and when it comes to Ortiz there has been plenty.
Disagree, Red Sox fans? Make sure you email me next time you denounce a David Ortiz game-winner in the name of all that is pure. Until then, talk that steroid talk – it will kill some time between at-bats.
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