David Ortiz shows it's OK for some guys to test positive

So David Ortiz is all set for this season. Yay.

Ortiz's career is pretty amazing for a guy the Twins gave up on after the 2002 season, having never hit more than 20 homers or having a slugging percentage higher than .500. Since then, the fewest homers he has hit is 23, and his slugging percentage has been above .500 every year but one.

It's a tribute to hard work, dedication and regular playing time, and having nothing at all to do with whatever he may have tested positive for in 2003. Uh uh, no way.

You do remember he was on the list of positive tests, right? Actually, it's easy to forget, since the media haven't insisted it on hanging steroids around his neck like they have Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa. He said he didn't do it, so everyone went away. There were no confessions, without which we could not go on. I don't think he has ever been on a witness stand, so there's no chance of the law coming after him.

In fact, it's like the positive test never happened. Instead, we see Big Papi "hugging it out" with Yankees fans in a promotion for the MLB Fan Cave or captaining a team in the All Star Home Run Derby. (In case you're wondering if I would hug Ortiz, the answer is no.)


So what's the secret?

Easy.

He's popular. People (especially the press) like him.