Papi Mentions “Personal Issues”
The Globe – David Ortiz has become the Big Wait. Wait, wait, and wait some more. Wait for the time when he turns back into David Ortiz, who from 2003-07 was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Is the answer as simple as recovering from the partially torn sheath in his wrist that damaged his 2008 season? Is it as simple as his knee feeling better, his shoulder? Is it all health-related? For weeks, the questions have been asked. And there have been no answers. In an interview last week, Ortiz said that, physically, he’s “better than ever,” but he also hinted at a personal issue. “People don’t know,” Ortiz said. “Sometimes they think we just come here to play baseball and that’s it. We’re human beings like everyone else. We have things to worry about. Sometimes that gets in the way. It’s hard to have that free open mind you need to play this game. There’s no way you can play this game with a busy mind. No way.”
Well thank God for this. Finally some good news. None of us has any idea what Big Papi’s “personal issues” are, but whatever the specifics, it has to be better than what I’d feared. I was afraid he’d flat out lost the ability to hit. It’s happened before with guys his age and his body type. Big, beefy sluggers like Mo Vaughn and Cecil Fielder. Hell, Jim Rice lost it over night practically, and he was an Adonis. So it wasn’t out of the realm to think maybe Ortiz had simply lost his hitting eye. Now at least we can take comfort in knowing he’s got some off-the-field problem weighing on his mind. Hopefully it’s just his marriage breaking up or some financial trouble and not some health issue. He can always find another wife or make more money, then he can get back to getting around on inside fastballs. What a relief.
I know everyone is talking about the possibility of Papi being a juice guy, but for me the timeline just doesn’t fit. MLB started testing in 2003, which was the exact moment his career took off. If roids were the reason he got so good and he was beating the system, why would he all of a sudden stop in 2008? I mean, it wouldn’t shock me. No one is above suspicion. But if a roided up Papi hit like he did in ’06, then I suggest he do whatever it takes to get back on them, because now with the Celtics and Bruins all done, I dread the thought of 4 1/2 more months of “What’s wrong with Papi?” talk. That said, I’m going down with the ship on Ortiz. The rest of you can man the life boats, I’m going to stay aboard the SS Papi playing “Closer My God to Thee” until my violin floats.
Personal issues?
What is he, on his period?
would somebody get Ortiz his… “cranberry juice”
Clearly he ain’t getting that good bud anymore, guess Manny’s guy stop serviing em.
Either that or he got abitch pregnant, but the woman would’ve blabbed byknow. its gotta be family.
here’s a summary of his personal issues -since i can’t take steroids anymore, what can i do to hit the ball well again?
He just needs to snap and stop being so good-natured….get pissed!
“MLB started testing in 2003, which was the exact moment his career took off. If roids were the reason he got so good and he was beating the system, why would he all of a sudden stop in 2008?”
Re: 2003, see Lou Merloni’s comments regarding the Sox doctor telling players how to cycle properly.
Re: 2008, the roids magnifying glass is much larger now, and rumor has it that Papi’s name is on the same list that A-Rod’s was on. He’s slightly smarter than Manny and doesn’t want to risk getting caught.
Im with Jerry all the way, Papi roids or no roids , hitting or no hitting he’ll still be one of my favorite players. Except Ill be playing the bass.
WHAT PAPI ISN’T HAVING A GOOD YEAR?? SO WHAT!!!! NEVER COUNT OUT BOSTON!!!! NEVER! WE’RE SO FUCKING AWESOME I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF!!!! IT MUST SUCK TO LIVE ANYWHERE BUT HERE.
wait, so like Manny, Papi is also going to PMS and then get the fuck out of town but only suck balls at doing so
a) I don’t get Casey’s schtick. Am I missing something?
b) Until proven otherwise, Papi gets a pass from me. Sox don’t win in ’04 and ’07 without him. He’s on the short list of “Boston athletes that should never be booed no matter what they do” given what he’s done for the Sox in his career.
Casey Tatum, usually you’re much less pronounced in your douchebaggery?
What the eff dude? You’re coming off like Chi-Towns Gayest.
Eagle1 said: { May 18, 2009 – 02:05:54 }
“MLB started testing in 2003, which was the exact moment his career took off. If roids were the reason he got so good and he was beating the system, why would he all of a sudden stop in 2008?”
Re: 2003, see Lou Merloni’s comments regarding the Sox doctor telling players how to cycle properly.
Re: 2008, the roids magnifying glass is much larger now, and rumor has it that Papi’s name is on the same list that A-Rod’s was on. He’s slightly smarter than Manny and doesn’t want to risk getting caught.
Look Eagle1, I already know that you’re a fucking moron. But just to clarify for everyone else:
Re: Lou Merloni– Merloni was talking about the late 90′s, under the previous ownership. Papi was not even in the organization until Theo and co took over.
Re: 2008– ‘rumor has it?’ rumor has it that everyone’s name is on that list, because there were 104 players on it, and we know of one of them- arod.
Re: you being a huge douchebag for using ‘Re:’ on a fucking blog comment section– you’re a douchebag.
In conclusion, eat a fat dick.
To summarize. Papi is off the juice.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his spring training drug tests came back with high artificial test levels.
Bull fucking shit.
I love Papi, but every time a player is struggling they always blame it on “personal issues”.
wouldn’t surprise me if ortiz was on even more HGH than lebron and dwight howard. and no, i’m not a bitter celtics fan. i’m actually a knicks fan, which sucks in its own right, but there is NO way those 2 aren’t on something. 7 footers do NOT have 48″ verticals, and 17 year olds should not have the same body as karl malone in his prime.
http://theworldisretarded.wordpress.com/
Dr. Van Nostrand said: { May 18, 2009 – 02:05:26 }
Re: “In conclusion, eat a fat dick.” I’ll start with your mom’s.
“Merloni, who was in the Red Sox’s Minor League system in 1996 and ’97 and played for the big league team from 1998-2002, said he couldn’t remember the doctor’s name or when the meeting took place, but he did say that a former athletic trainer told him that the Red Sox were aware that players were using.”
(http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090511&content_id=4673748&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb)
I guess nothing surprises me these days, so if pictures came out with Manny and Papi sticking needles in each others ass, it wouldn’t come as much of a shock.
Papi’s numbers have essentially declined in every year since he turned 30, which is what players are supposed to do. Only in this age of steroids have people expected players to continue performing until they are 40. Throw in his bad body type and frequent injuries, and it makes even more sense that he would decline.
Look at Griffey, who everyone touts as the last great slugger who wasn’t on roids. The guy fell off a cliff when he turned 30.
Sounds like someone caught a glimpse of A-rod’s bitch tits and hasn’t been the same since…
“Personal issues” –
‘Roids – Yeah, testing may be tightening-up and even though they were testing before, there were enough masking agents and holes to work cycles to avoid detection.
His love life – his wife looked pretty happy at the old Avon Cancer Walk over the weekend. I’d go with a love child or some young announcer babe like the Tek has….
$ – maybe he invested with Stafford like Johnny Damon and lost a pile of cash… so what, it takes like $50K to live like a king in the Dominican
Age – maybe he really is pushing 40 and the Birth Certificate mill in the D.R. just fudged it a bit too far.
Regardless, or as an idiot says “irregardless,” he is stinking the place up. Why not move him to Pawtucket ?
5MinuteMajor said: { May 18, 2009 – 02:05:12 }
Good analysis Perez.
Eagle,
not that i care butt he quote goes against your first point of being in 2003. I mean from your info, Lou was on the Sox until 02, and that is the perioid he is commenting on, as the meeting musthave ahppened during his years in the majors. I may be off here, but again I really don’t care.
and yeah assumptions do not equal facts.
Not surprising that he pulls out the “personal issues” card right after the Celtics season ends, when he knows that all of Boston will focus on the Sox and he will be under more scrutiny. Gives him an excuse for poor play that he knows he can’t be questioned about. Big Papi is probably cooked, I would agree that for all he has done for the Sox, he is above being booed, even if he goes 0 for the rest of his career. However, you don’t go from 54 HRs in a year to 0 in 2 months b/c of a slump or personal problems. The party’s over.
Bruschimancrush said: { May 18, 2009 – 03:05:43 }
So if the alleged meeting with the doctor occurred in 2002, it is not plausible for you that a similar meeting occurred at the start of the following season or that management’s general position on roids remained unchanged in the following years? Yikes.
So far, there is no hard evidence against Papi, but where there’s smoke, there’s generally fire, and the room is getting pretty smokey. You may not care, but plenty of Sox fans do. No two players were responsible for ’04 and ’07 than Manny and Papi. 50% of that tandem is a proven roids user. If Papi falls, the collapse is complete, and both Series wins forever will be deemed fraudulent by anyone who is being even remotely objective.
Who gives a shit what the personal reasons are. If that was the REAL problem he would have said something weeks ago. He just feels bad for his boyfriend Manny
of course you dont think papi juiced, youre a red sox fan. yanks fans didnt think arod juiced either.
Does the fact that Manny is not in the lineup have anything to do with this? Roids or not, Papi is not the same hitter without Manny.
So, I had heard that Papi was trying to get a very sick girl from the Domincan Republic to the US for cancer treatment. Unfortunately she died before they could get through all the political red tape. Could this be the personal issue??
remember troy o’leary? same thing happened to him when his wife divorced him and took away his kids. He went from hero to dog in one offseason.
I heard Manny Ramirez was his lover. His personal issue is that Manny got busted for taking his meds for ED, so now he can’t get it up for Papi anymore.
The two championships were b/c of roids. 1918 LIVES!