Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been in the midst of steroid rumors for quite some time, and he once again took to his own defense Monday night when an MLB Network analyst suggested he had a "free pass."
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According to WEEI.com, Ortiz responded to a segment he saw on the network that involved many people's outrage over Baltimore Orioles slugger Nelson Cruz -- who was connected to last year's Biogenesis scandal and performance enhancing drugs -- being voted to next Tuesday's All-Star Game.
One network analyst suggested that Ortiz got a free pass from MLB's Biogenesis investigation because he was on a list of players who apparently tested positive in 2003 MLB survey testing. Ortiz was outrage about the proclamation Monday night as the Red Sox were blanked 4-0 by the Chicago White Sox.
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"In this country, nobody gets a free pass," Ortiz said, according to WEEI.com. "He wants to make it sound like I got a free pass because nobody can point fingers at me directly. But the reason why I got that fake [expletive] free pass that he's saying is because they pointed fingers at me with no proof."
He added: "It's easier to do it that way than having something that they can say, 'Yes, you did this, you did that.' My [expletive], I call straight up bull. Let me tell you. You don't get no free pass here, especially a guy like me. I don't get no free pass. That free pass B.S. that they want to talk about over there, they can shove it up their [expletive]."
Ortiz's teammate and Red Sox pitcher John Lackey stirred the pot a little bit when he was asked what he felt about Cruz getting an All-Star nod just one year after serving a 50-game ban.
"There are some things I'd like to say, but I'm not going to," he told reporters. "You guys forget pretty conveniently about stuff."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter responded to Lackey's comments saying that everyone should make sure "their own backyard is clean" before talking while Cruz, who leads the MLB with 28 homers and 73 RBI, said he only cares about the opinions of his fans and teammates.
"What pi--es me off is the whole thing about, why does my name got to be mentioned in that? What did I have to do with that? I saw on MLB the guys talking about it, and then they brought my name up, and one of the guys said that I got a free pass on that," Ortiz said. "It was the Lackey and Showalter thing, going back and forth. Showalter didn't say anything about me."
Ortiz is a three-time World Series champion and was named MVP of the Red Sox Fall Classic win last year. He is also a nine-time All-Star, but there have been whispers linking him among players who have used PEDs in the past.
Ortiz is hitting .259 this season with 19 homers and 55 RBI.
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