As hard as it is to believe, another Red Sox player is unhappy with his treatment from the media. No, it's not Curt Schilling -- though that would neither surprise nor interest. Instead, it's the usually affable David Ortiz, who is upset with a headline accompanying a story in which he admitted to being confused about what substances are and are not banned by Major League Baseball. The headline -- "Papi' Unwitting 'Roid User?" -- has Mr. Ortiz feeling reticent about talking to any member of the media, including the Boston Globe's Jackie MacMullan: "I'm angry, bro," [Ortiz] declared. "I'm going to be angry for a while."
"I just want to know," he said. "What have I ever done for people to question my integrity? Why do people who have never met me want to [expletive] me up? Why would you want to hurt someone who has tried to do the right thing, be available to the media, to be respectful to the fans?"
"I'm just really disappointed," he said last night following Boston's 6-3 loss to the Orioles. "People want to see you fail. That's not what I've ever wanted to believe, but that's what I've seen around here. Why do people want to make me look that way when they know I've done nothing but try to lift up this ball club from Day 1? I've tried to put a positive spin on everything, on everybody."And this is what I get for that. For now, I'm going to be very limited in my responses. Whenever anyone had a question before, about me, about my teammates, about the game, I tried to help. When they had a question, I always had an answer. Now I won't."
Sorry, but Ortiz has an excellent point here. The headline is what it is only to get attention, not to communicate to readers the actual crux of Ortiz's comments. David sounded a bit too vague for comfort when he said he didn't know what he puts in his body, but that certainly doesn't make him a steroid user by default.
And since the Herald reporter, Michael Silverman, didn't write the headline, this means one thing: a copy editor is responsible! Why will no one listen to me about the copy editor scourge? They're taking over!
Previously on the FanHouse:
David Ortiz May or May Not Have Taken Steroids



















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-13-2007 @ 4:35PM
ray said...
when i first read the quote from ortiz about the steroid thing, i thought nothing of it. next thing i know there's a headline "ortiz may have used steroids"
yikes. the media at times can be shameless. tail wagging the dog if you will
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5-13-2007 @ 5:35PM
Philip Girardin said...
I was basking in another Sox win, coming from behind, when I came across this atrocity. How many times will we see unscoupulous editors, capitalizing (they think)
on the everday fanaticism of Sox fans by trying to stir up controversy, where there should be none, and cause bad blood through their innate negativity. Let's see, Garciaparra, Ramirez, Ortiz, Schilling. Who's next, Popelbon?
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5-13-2007 @ 5:53PM
Dolph said...
Papelbon- to correct a typo
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5-13-2007 @ 5:54PM
Steve said...
Putrid...The Media bites the hand that feeds it, and in this case they have been having an all you can eat buffet for years. Food for Thought.
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5-13-2007 @ 8:11PM
safest best online sports betting said...
Just another reason why the media needs to calm down sometimes. They blow a small story up into a front page headline.
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5-13-2007 @ 8:30PM
A.C said...
I can't blame Oriz one bit for being pissed. The media is relentless about putting a negative or misleading spin on things. It's time journalists started being ethical again. Manny Ramirez has the right idea. He never, ever speaks to the media. He's great with fans when you meet him on the street or on a plane. You can't blame sports figures for getting sick of this kind of treatment. They can both let their bats do the talking and to hell with the media!!
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5-13-2007 @ 8:31PM
A.C said...
Sorry, my own typo....I meant to write Ortiz.
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5-14-2007 @ 12:37AM
Paul Jones said...
This is just another shining? example of media misrepresentation and distortion in order to have sales and persue the $$$$. Big Papi has never been an arrogant,obnoxious, rude professional as have so many others in various professional sports venues. Let's hope the paper's sales suffer from such irresponsibe, unfounded fodder.
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5-14-2007 @ 1:20AM
George B Vieto said...
David Ortiz just realize that you can a boy scout in Boston and some media jerk will accuse you of taking steroids because they are jealous of your success. Get angry and then write out your anger on a piece of paper and have a good laugh. You will feel better after you read about this pack of lies against you. And I am not a Red Sox fan.
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5-14-2007 @ 1:39AM
The U will be BACK! said...
From a Yankees Fan who HATES the Red Sox...
As much as I hate Ortiz, I can only say that he definitely has a legitimate gripe on this one. I am so sick of people in the media hiding behind their First Amendment rights in order to write inflammatory headlines so they can sell news stories. Ortiz is definitely one of the good guys in all of sports and he should definitely feel betrayed by the person who conjured up this headline.
Some of these writers are really getting beside themselves in an effort to feed this new fan frenzy of those who want to do anything they can to villify athletes.
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5-14-2007 @ 5:20AM
Matt said...
Boston sucks, Ortiz is the ugliest guy in Boston. His face hurts me.
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5-14-2007 @ 9:15AM
Gary Gallagher said...
David Ortiz is one of the most affable and genuine athletes in all of sports. and always smiling and willing to talk to the media. he is one of the most respected and loved athletes ever to play in boston right up there with tom brady,teddy bruschi, and david ortiz is just an all around great person with an effusive personality not found in many athletes today. David no matter what all the sports fans in boston love you no matter what the media writes even people who are not rabid red sox fans. so david the hell with the media please Big Papi don't change a thing you are the greatest and we here in boston who are sports fans can only wish for more stars just like you.
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5-14-2007 @ 11:41AM
Darrell said...
The media of today has accomplished only one note worthy endeavor. They have successfully replaced lawyers as the lowest form of bottom feeders.
Isn't it time for most of these parasites to get a real job?
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5-14-2007 @ 12:17PM
Boring user name said...
Haha, the end of this post calls out the copy-editors and the comments are littered with admitted typos!
Anyway the media is getting out of hand. The media should be a tool to promote goodness in the world yet it remains mired in the profits of controversy.
I always loved to hear David Ortiz talk. Now it looks like I'm going to have to find a way to meet the guy so I can hear him talk. It's a shame.
My question now is, are these Fanhouse blogs considered "the media" or are they truly peer to peer conversations?
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5-14-2007 @ 2:46PM
bob slater said...
Since Ortiz arrived in Boston, he has been good to the media, the fans, children, and many charities. These leeches will not mention that in their stories. He is a warm, loving giant with no airs of superiority.
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5-18-2007 @ 3:50AM
Boo said...
SPARE ME SOME HGH ORTIZ... I NEED ONE.
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