The addition of Michael Weiner to the David Ortiz press conference on Sat.outlines how the MLBPA is as much thestory of "the list" as the players on it.
David Ortiz will be addressing the media on Saturday, before playing at Yankee Stadium and address his name being leaked as part of the list of 104 players that tested positive for PEDs during the Survey Test of 2003.
Mired in a 0-16 slump at the plate, this may be Ortiz’s most critical at-bat of the season due to comments made during Spring Training.
"I think you clean up the game by the testing," Ortiz said at the time. "I test you, you test positive, you're going to be out. Serious. I know that if I test positive for using any kind of substance, I know that I'm going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans, and everybody. I don't want to be facing that situation, so what I will do, I won't use."
When informed by a reporter that he was on the 2003 list of MLB players to test positive for performance-enhancing substances, Ortiz has said that he would have more answers, as soon as he got to the bottom of the matter, “You know me - I will not hide and I will not make excuses,” Ortiz said. That led to contacting the MLB Players Association, which, according to Ortiz, then informed that he had indeed tested positive at the time.
As the press conference convenes tomorrow, it will not be just Ortiz that will need to answer questions, but also the MLBPA as calls for the release of all 104 names makes its way around the media, and questions from the legality of such an action to why the samples from the Survey Test were not destroyed become as much of the story as Ortiz being on the list, itself.
At the rostrum with Ortiz will be Michael Weiner, the incoming executive director of the MLBPA, adding another level to the press conference.
Being that this will be the first time that Weiner will be involved in a crisis management situation as the union head, many see the joint news conference as a way to gauge the new union head in the public eye. How will he address questions regarding release of the names? What will he say if a reporter claims players were informed that they tested positive for PEDs after the Survey Test? And finally, the tone Weiner will take regarding the lawyers leaking names. It would not surprise many to see Ortiz defer to Weiner often when questions begin.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
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