215 replies to this topic

[ToeKneeArmAss]

Fasten your seat belts.

[Steve Dillard]

I don't speak the language

I only bought legal stuff over the counter

Never steroids.

Met with union in 2003, never told tested positive for steroids

Edited by Steve Dillard, 08 August 2009 - 11:33 AM.

[DukeSox]

Never steroids.

clearly different than manny's cycling and estrogen, etc.

[Jeff Van GULLY]

Until the Union is allowed to disclose the entire list and what players tested positive for, we are going to continue to live under this cloud of innuendo and half-truths.

I didn't expect any other answer from Ortiz in this PC.

Edited by Jeff Van GULLY, 08 August 2009 - 11:35 AM.

[ToeKneeArmAss]

Found out last Thursday

I was a little bit careless back in those days when I was buying legal supplements and vitamins over the counter

Never used steroids

Never thought using supplements would “hurt anybody’s feelings” – sorry that it did

Did meet with union in 2004 but was NOT told I had tested positive – 5 minute meeting, a little confusing, but was never told I had tested positive for steroids

When I had my statement I said I was surprised because I wasn’t too much involved in it

I’m not here to make any excuses, I used a lot of supplements and vitamins – even had companies sending me stuff – but I never bought or used any steroids

Want to apologize to the fans, my teammates, my manager for the distraction. This past week has been a nightmare for me. I think about the fans every day – I don’t think this game would be as good as it is without the fans. I try to do things the right way. This past week has been a major distraction. I want to apologize to the fans, my teammates, the team owners for this.

[CR67dream]

I don't speak the language

He didn't say that. He said I have an accent, if you neeed to I will repeat anything you don't understand. (paraphrase) He never said I don't speak the language, and it's an important distinction.

[jcd0805]

Kinda lame. If he was taking supplements that would come up positive for steroids, he must have known which one because he obviously stopped taking them, hence never testing positive after that. He should know which ones he had to stop taking and be able to tell us.

[Yazdog8]

Now Weiner is giving the player's union dog and pony show.

[BostonJack42]

...this guy couldn't manage to wear a tie for this press conference? Or button up a bit? I think I can see nipple.

[gcapalbo]

Weiner needs better hair plugs.

[Barbara]

So back in 2003 you could walk into a "health" food store and buy Andro?

[jcd0805]

Thank you Sean McAdam!! Asking exactly the question I was thinking.

[jcd0805]

So back in 2003 you could walk into a "health" food store and buy Andro?

Yes, it was sold at GNC.

[Yazdog8]

So back in 2003 you could walk into a "health" food store and buy Andro?

Yes.

[BostonJack42]

Thank god Weiner came to Papi's rescue there. That question and Ortiz's non-answer was making me cringe.

[BigMike]

Now Weiner is giving the player's union dog and pony show.

This is all pretty painful to watch. I'm sure Weiner is a great lawyer, but his double talk here just makes you want to hate him, and in some ways makes his client (or Ortiz) look guilty

So basically Weiner is arguing. Ignore the list the list is meaningless. Heck, what do you know, I guess the game was always clean, and Canseco was wrong. Basically tehre were only 8-10 guys who cheated, everyone else just looked legal supplements which triggered false positive tests

Maybe the list of 104 is actually the list of guys who were clean, since they may have tested positive for legal drugs. All the guys who were using the real steroids (or hgh) passed the drug test with flying colors

[fuzzy_one]

Thank you Sean McAdam!! Asking exactly the question I was thinking.

Which was? Some of us don't have access to audio or video.

[gcapalbo]

So if I was there asking a question-- I would want to know:

"David, are you planning on pursuing by legal means the exact results of your test?"

[jcd0805]

Thank god Weiner came to Papi's rescue there. That question and Ortiz's non-answer was making me cringe.

It was a great question, but yes his "answer" was bad.

[genoasalami]

Ortiz went from a nobody in Minnesota to a legend in Boston. His amazing transformation did not happen naturally. He was on the juice, plain and simple. Now he does not have the balls to admit it. Plain and simple. I do not think it is much more complicated than that. It is not surprising that his numbers have fallen off the cliff the past two years.

Edited by genoasalami, 08 August 2009 - 11:48 AM.

[BostonJack42]

Which was? Some of us don't have access to audio or video.

Basically, the question was if you never took steroids why did it take you a week and a day to say so.

[Yazdog8]

It was a great question, but yes his "answer" was bad.

To be fair to Papi...he's a ballplayer not a word parser.

[Gash Prex]

Man, this should have the been the bar question on client confidentiality for professional responsbility - what a complicated circumstance for the MLPA lawyer

and if you found out you were on a list you had no idea about, that you heard was only for steroids, be pretty dumb to come out and say you never took steroids without knowing anymore

Edited by Gash Prex, 08 August 2009 - 11:51 AM.

[jcd0805]

Which was? Some of us don't have access to audio or video.

Essentially, Ortiz said he had never bought or used steroids so it must have been a supplement he bought legally, McAdam asked why he didn't just say that last week and save everyone the speculation going on for the past week.

[DukeSox]

Ortiz went from a nobody in Minnesota to a legend in Boston. His amazing transformation did not happen naturally. He was on the juice, plain and simple. Now he does not have the balls to admit it. Plain and simple. I do not think it is much more complicated than that. It is not surprising that his numbers have fallen off the cliff the past two years.

so why did he decide 2 years ago to stop juicing? 2007 is a random time to stop.

[fuzzy_one]

Essentially, Ortiz said he had never bought or used steroids so it must have been a supplement he bought legally, McAdam asked why he didn't just say that last week and save everyone the speculation going on for the past week.

Thanks.

[Gash Prex]

wow 15 tests since 2003 and never positive

[D Jack's Dome]

So back in 2003 you could walk into a "health" food store and buy Andro?

Sure could. I use to take Andro poppers before I would go to the gym.

[joyofsox]

will someone ask him the names of the supplements he was taking back in 2003?

[cshea]

Ortiz says he's been tested 15 or more times by MLB since then, plus twice for the WBC.

[BostonJack42]

Ortiz: "I have been tested 15 times and twice for the World Baseball Classic and I have never been tested positive for steroids."

[Yazdog8]

wow 15 tests since 2003 and never positive

Manny didn't test positive until this year.

[joyofsox]

he did not test positive for "steroids" though -- it was the broad category of "PEDs", no?

[fuzzy_one]

Ortiz went from a nobody in Minnesota to a legend in Boston. His amazing transformation did not happen naturally. He was on the juice, plain and simple. Now he does not have the balls to admit it. Plain and simple. I do not think it is much more complicated than that. It is not surprising that his numbers have fallen off the cliff the past two years.

I'm so glad we have a member with complete knowledge of the situation. It saves the rest of us having to reason our way through partial and conflicting evidence.

[mabrowndog]

McAdam asked a great question ("why didn't you issue a statement 10 days ago denying your use or purchase of steroids?") and Ortiz responded with a huge swing and a miss. He didn't even address the question. "I've got to get information first."

This is clearly a case of after-the-fact answer construction and posturing. He was obviously advised that he needed to wait to see (A) what other info could potentially be leaked out regarding the nature of the positive test result, (B) to what extent he and the union could hide behind the "court order limits what we can say about it" defense.

Weiner states that Ortiz WAS NOT informed about his positive test result. I'm not sure I believe that, but even if that's true it doesn't change the evasive nature of his comments to the media over the past couple of weeks..

[jcd0805]

will someone ask him the names of the supplements he was taking back in 2003?

That seems pretty logical, let's see if any of these crack reporters can think of that.

[BigMike]

How many tests after 15 did you pass

answer 15

gee that is the same number that Manny passed, and Manny never failed one either, hmmm

will someone ask him the names of the supplements he was taking back in 2003?

It really sounds like he has no clue. He admitted if companie sent him stuff in the mail, he would take it.

now someone asks, and he says No Idea

[BoSoxFink]

Sure could. I use to take Andro poppers before I would go to the gym.

You god damn juicer!

[RedOctober3829]

He doesn't know what supplements he took? Give me a break.

[BigMike]

Manny didn't test positive until this year.

And Manny did NOT test positive this year. He got bagged for having a prescription for something that is used as a masking agent.

[mabrowndog]

To be fair to Papi...he's a ballplayer not a word parser.

Bullshit. He knows what he's doing and saying. Like Sosa before Congress, he's hiding behind the "no habla englais" approach.

[Gash Prex]

some jaded folks here - not even given the benefit of the doubt. of course its a no lose for you guys, because in 5 years when the list comes out and if he is not positive for a steroid, nobody here will give a shit

[SoxFan58]

Ortiz went from a nobody in Minnesota to a legend in Boston. His amazing transformation did not happen naturally. He was on the juice, plain and simple. Now he does not have the balls to admit it. Plain and simple. I do not think it is much more complicated than that. It is not surprising that his numbers have fallen off the cliff the past two years.

Seems to me you already had your mind made up going in to the press conference, if he didn't admit to steroid use you were going to label him a liar.

I think Ortiz came off OK here, I still want to know how a professional athlete doesn't know what he's putting into his body but he was contrite, apologetic to the fans, Francona, and the baseball community multiple times.

There's questions still unanswered for sure, but I do think he's sorry for the distraction this has caused.

I think the most intriguing thing was that he wasn't told he tested positive during that meeting in 2004. I was under the impression that the union notified all of the individuals who tested positive that they did so.

[Steve Dillard]

He's staked out his position

now, the only hammer is if the list ever comes out to prove him false.

He's taking a risk if he's lying.

Wiener narrowed that even more, saying that once the legal case is over, they would tell the players all info.

If the union has the list, the press will be all over Ortiz and all to get that info and show their individual results to him.

[jcd0805]

Michael Weiner needs some serious hair/eyebrow grooming.

[BoSoxFink]

He doesn't know what supplements he took? Give me a break.

To be fair the question was do you know what made you tese positive? He may have been taking all kinds of supplements but he doesn't know which one made him test positive, it would be hard to remember exactly what you were taking at that time 6 years ago, I am sure.

[BigMike]

He doesn't know what supplements he took? Give me a break.

When he says things like that. That means he doesn't know if he took an illegal steroid to me. If he doesn't know what he took, and he admits he was willling to take stuff that companies randomly sent him in the mail. Then he has no idea what went into his body, and he doesn't know if he took illegal substances

[jcd0805]

To be fair the question was do you know what made you tese positive? He may have been taking all kinds of supplements but he doesn't know which one made him test positive, it would be hard to remember exactly what you were taking at that time 6 years ago, I am sure.

Yeah but then how did he know which one to stop taking so he wouldn't continue to test positive???

[Rocco Graziosa]

will someone ask him the names of the supplements he was taking back in 2003?

They just did. Ortiz evoked the Sargent Shultz defense. "I know nothing..........."

This is beyond comical.

[BostonJack42]

"Adam Kilgore reports from the Red Sox clubhouse that while the press conference was going on, players were sitting quietly in their stalls watching Ortiz speak on four monitors coming down from ceiling."

Boston.com Blog

This press conference plus last night's loss has to make for an ugly day in the locker room.