> Numbers aren’t the true issue for Ortiz. When The New York Times reported Ortiz tested positive for a PED in 2003, he denied having taken it. While there was a loophole – reportedly eight of the 104 players on the list from the survey testing had used 19-nonandrostenedione, a tainted supplement – it never has been confirmed Ortiz was one of the eight. And considering mere PED speculation left this year’s class empty, the presence of a positive, no matter what caused it, may initiate a death blow before his candidacy even begins.
That New York times article was ridiculous at the time, and it is even more ridiculous now to look back at it. If some random hack writer for a once-great newspaper can end someone’s hall-of-fame chances, then something is seriously wrong with the selection process.