November 19, 2015
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has announced he will be retiring after the 2016 season, and the love-fest will most likely commence this Spring. Ortiz has been a very popular figure in baseball for a long time now, and his lure extends well beyond New England.
Interestingly enough, Ortiz told ESPN Boston that he wouldn't open himself up to the kind of 'farewell tours' that Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were showered with, but his tune appears to have changed over the last 14 months. Regardless of what his opinion may be, expect a large outpouring of love that will consume most of the baseball season next year.
Ortiz has always been popular with the media as well. It's certainly understandable. He comes across as very open, down-to-earth, and easy going. Covering him over the years was probably an enjoyable experience for the New England press and the national media alike. Perhaps that cozy relationship with reporters, is why his failed PED test in 2003, hasn't haunted him the way it has other players in the same predicament.
Most of the stories regarding Ortiz's retirement will actually note his failed drug test. It's inevitable. You see this sometimes when presidents leave office. A friendly press that has done everything it can to keep scandal and wrongdoing within an administration, under wraps, but when it's time to reflect on said presidency as a whole, they'll have no choice but to acknowledge the negative. That's kind of what you're seeing with news of Ortiz's retirement.
In the USA Today article linked above, the question of whether the Hall of Fame will admit a full-time designated hitter, is raised before PEDs are event mentioned. Isn't the more obvious question whether or not they'll admit a known PED user?
Ortiz has basically just shrugged off his failed drug test, and explained that he "doesn't know" how banned substances got into his system, and the press has been pretty satisfied with his explanation. For guys like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafiel Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez, PED use continues to follow them around to this day.
Disregarding steroid use, Ortiz is unquestionably a first-ballot hall-of-famer, but so are Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro, Clemens and A-Rod, but the general consensus on them is that Cooperstown won't be calling anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.
Mike Piazza is the best offensive catcher to ever play the game. In the history of baseball, he hit more home runs than anybody else who played the position. Like Ortiz and those other guys, he's a first-ballot hall-of-famer on paper. Unlike Ortiz and those other guys, Piazza has never actually been linked to PED use. He's been the victim of some vicious rumors, but he's never failed a drug a test or been disciplined for using banned substances. However, Piazza has been on the Hall of Fame ballot since 2013 and he's been passed up three years running. Baseball has clearly set a precedent regarding PED users and the Hall of Fame. Even unsubstantiated rumors are enough to sink a player's chances.
It will be interesting to see what happens when Ortiz is up for the Hall of Fame in 2021. History seems to indicate that he is a long shot. If suspicion of PED use is grounds to keep somebody out, than proof of PED must be the nail in the coffin, right? Maybe not.
The Baseball Writers Association of America is ultimately responsible for who gets into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Beat writers from the various Major League cities vote for the players they feel deserve to be hall-of-famers. This is where Ortiz's cozy relationship with the media could come into question. The standards are going to have to change if an old favorite is to be enshrined.
Only time will tell if David Ortiz will be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it is something to keep your eye on starting in 2016, and for the years that follow.
For right now, just enjoy the farewell tour.
