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In Defense of David Ortiz: Leave Papi Alone

The baseball season is all of 12 days old and already we think a player is done for the year? What we have failed to realize is that the somewhat odd need some fans and members of the media have to jump on a topic and run with it. Apparently, the story of the week is David Ortiz's struggles.

This might be compounded by the fact all the talking heads in March decided that the Red Sox would rise or fall based on how Ortiz did. They also said the Sox would have a hard time on offense. 

That's funny, because right now they are near the top of the American League in runs scored, doubles, batting average, and hits, and lead the American League in slugging percentage at .478. And they have fewer strikeouts than most teams. Maybe this Red Sox offense that isn't going to be potent is just on a "hot streak". 

But no one mentions that. No one is running down the bullpen because most of them have lost, or nearly lost, games for the team.

David Ortiz is struggling, yes. But how is he supposed to get better if the only thing he hears is how old he's getting, how much he's struggling. Let's put this in a perspective that those of us who aren't major league players can understand.

Say you are a salesperson. You were the best salesperson in the league for five years straight. Then you had a really bad bought of, let's say, Mono, and were out of the game for a time. You came back slowly, but then you got your sales up again. Well, it's a new quarter, and you find yourself struggling. 

How are you going to improve if everyone around you is constantly saying "you don't have it anymore" and "they should replace you" two weeks into the new quarter? I dare you to get those sales up with that kind of reinforcement.

I think we have lost perspective on the baseball season, it's a marathon, not a sprint. So what if Jon Lester struggles with his command the first few games of the season, so long as he has it in September, that's what matters. Same goes for Papi.  

So you want David Ortiz to get his swing back? Give him time and lay off! You don't have to give him positive reinforcement, because his struggles are hurting the team, but let's follow the old kindergarten rule: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

If David was not trying, taking games off, partying, or doing something stupid, you have every right to put him down. But he's not. 

And as for the PEDs, we have covered this. David Ortiz was shocked to see his name on the list, and we now know what he took was not a banned substance, it was not a steroid. Of the 104 names on the "list", 13 are in dispute. David is most likely one of them as he has tested clean 15 times since 2004. Here's the story for all of you people who still doubt. 

He's been transparent and honest about the whole process, and as one of the more outspoken guys against steroids, you know he's never done them. Who would come out and say guys who juiced should be suspended a year when they knew there was a possibility they would be one of them? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that's just plain stupid. Unless he has never done steroids and was on the list because of over-the-counter vitamins and supplements, just like he and the players union have said.

David will not play tonight against the lefty Francisco Liriano, giving Mike Lowell a chance to DH. This decision was in place long before David's struggles became an eight game mini slump. 

That's right. Eight games. Eight games of struggling for any other player and no one says a word. So here's the deal, if you want Papi to get better, leave him alone.  

 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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