The New York Times is reporting that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are among the players that tested positive for steroids in the confidential “anonymous” performance enhancing drugs (PED) test in 2003. Both players were with the Boston Red Sox and contributed greatly to Boston’s championship seasons of 2004 and 2007.

As it turns out, these tests weren’t very confidential or anonymous. From the article:

Baseball first tested for steroids in 2003, and the results from that season were supposed to remain anonymous. But for reasons that have never been made clear, the results were not destroyed and the first batch of positives has come to be known among fans and people in baseball as “the list.” The information was later seized by federal agents investigating the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes, and the test results remain the subject of litigation between the baseball players union and the government.

Ortiz is now acting as though this is the first time he is learning that he tested positive in 2003, though it was reported earlier that the players that tested positive were informed by their union when federal agents seized the results.

So what does this actually mean? In my opinion, absolutely nothing. Major League Baseball didn’t ban anabolic steroids until 2004. These test results were from 2003.

The ironic thing is that David Ortiz is one of the few players have come out and been critical of those using PEDs, even calling for a one year ban on the first failed test. Of course, this was before it came out that he himself failed a test in 2003.

Pot, meet kettle.