Ignorance Of Rules Is No Excuse For Breaking Them

So David Ortiz finally spoke out Saturday about being on the infamous list of 104 who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs during survey testing in 2003.

His excuse for testing positive was nothing we haven't heard before.

"I consider myself one of those guys who were definitely a little bit careless back in the days when I was buying supplements -- legal supplements -- over the counter," Ortiz said. "But I never bought steroids or used steroids. I never thought buying supplements was going to hurt somebody's feelings. If that happened, I'm sorry about it."

Just to be clear, Papi said he's never bought or used steroids, but has used supplements that may have caused the positive test, though he didn't name the supplements he took.

Thanks for playing Big Papi, but that changes nothing. Just ask J.C. Romero or Sergio Mitre. Both of them said the same thing ... and all it got them was the same 50-game suspension as if they had been injecting themselves with the juice. (Of course, because Papi's test is from 2003, he is not facing a suspension).

The bottom line, Big Papi, is that you were and are responsible for everything that you put your body. You were and are responsible for knowing every ingredient in a supplement and you were and are responsible for having a supplement checked out by Major League Baseball if you're not sure.

That he was "carelessly" taking this legal stuff in 2003 before baseball had its drug testing in place means little. Andro was also legal at that time, but we all knew that it basically was a steroid thanks to Mark McGwire.

What's worse is that Papi -- and every other player -- knew he was going to be tested eventually that year and he still "carelessly" took this stuff.

No dice Papi. If you care about the game and the fans as much as you claim, you should have known better. You should have been overly cautious about what you were putting into your body all along.

But you weren't and that forever labels you as a performance enhancing drug user, no different than McGwire, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds.