the next guy
Superstar
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/10/31/sweeny-heres-the-difference-between-david-ortiz-and-a-rod/
David Ortiz is beloved in Boston. Alex Rodriguez is hated … well, just about everywhere it would seem. Is there a double standard? To some degree, yes. But if you look closer, it’s easy to see the differences.
A-Rod and Ortiz, it was reported long ago, both turned up with positives in the 2003 survey that marked the first PED testing of any kind in baseball. But the two superstars went separate ways after that.
Ortiz has denied taking any PEDs. And there has been no evidence in the years since that points to guilt, other than non-Boston fans who just don’t want to believe anyone can put up numbers like that and be innocent. That’s what the Steroid Era has done. It’s made us question everything we see.
A-Rod, after his presence on the 2003 list became public, admitted to three years of steroid use. The admission does have some redeeming value in our society. And it did have a positive effect on A-Rod for a little while. But then came a little thing called Biogenesis and A-Rod was thrust back into the PED spotlight. Fool me once, fool me twice — however that saying goes, this is how the baseball public seems to feel about A-Rod now.
But it’s not just this second affiliation with a PED story that’s put A-Rod at the opposite end of the spectrum from Ortiz.
DOMINANT PAPI NAMED WORLD SERIES MVP
Ortiz has been a postseason hero for a decade, hitting .400 in Boston’s miraculous run in 2004 and batting .688 in this year’s World Series. A-Rod finally had a great postseason in 2009 to help lead the Yankees to a title, but owns just a .160 average with 0 HR in playoff action since then.
Ortiz is a beloved presence inside the Red Sox clubhouse, seen as a true leader complete with inspirational speeches. A-Rod is a better fit than he was a few years ago, but still lacks the unifying everyman quality that teammates praise with Ortiz.
David Ortiz is beloved in Boston. Alex Rodriguez is hated … well, just about everywhere it would seem. Is there a double standard? To some degree, yes. But if you look closer, it’s easy to see the differences.
A-Rod and Ortiz, it was reported long ago, both turned up with positives in the 2003 survey that marked the first PED testing of any kind in baseball. But the two superstars went separate ways after that.
Ortiz has denied taking any PEDs. And there has been no evidence in the years since that points to guilt, other than non-Boston fans who just don’t want to believe anyone can put up numbers like that and be innocent. That’s what the Steroid Era has done. It’s made us question everything we see.
A-Rod, after his presence on the 2003 list became public, admitted to three years of steroid use. The admission does have some redeeming value in our society. And it did have a positive effect on A-Rod for a little while. But then came a little thing called Biogenesis and A-Rod was thrust back into the PED spotlight. Fool me once, fool me twice — however that saying goes, this is how the baseball public seems to feel about A-Rod now.
But it’s not just this second affiliation with a PED story that’s put A-Rod at the opposite end of the spectrum from Ortiz.
DOMINANT PAPI NAMED WORLD SERIES MVP
Ortiz has been a postseason hero for a decade, hitting .400 in Boston’s miraculous run in 2004 and batting .688 in this year’s World Series. A-Rod finally had a great postseason in 2009 to help lead the Yankees to a title, but owns just a .160 average with 0 HR in playoff action since then.
Ortiz is a beloved presence inside the Red Sox clubhouse, seen as a true leader complete with inspirational speeches. A-Rod is a better fit than he was a few years ago, but still lacks the unifying everyman quality that teammates praise with Ortiz.
