Ortiz
The question is no longer how stupid baseball players think we are.

The question is how stupid we think they are.

David Ortiz was the latest to talk about how "careless" he was about what he put into his body.

This season alone, we've heard from Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Ortiz. All have, essentially, the same story. The story is that they were too stupid to fully investigate was performance enhancing (and potentially dangerous) supplements they were putting in their body.

OK, with Manny I can kind of buy it, though I'm beginning to wonder if his aloofness is nothing more than a ruse to protect someone who has cheated most of his career.

All three of the names listed above were -- at one time -- the most feared hitter in baseball.

Should Rodriguez and Ortiz's names have been released? Probably not, though I have little sympathy for them.

For me, the stories just aren't believable. Almost everyone acknowledges that baseball had a steroid problem in the 1990s and early 2000s. Yet with few exceptions, the stars who have been caught have used the same type of excuse -- either they didn't know, weren't smart enough to care, or fell into a syringe.

OK, strike the last one. But you get my point.

My perception right now is that nothing I see on the field can be really appreciated. If the Indians or Reds win, great. But I have trouble watching a great hitter or pitcher and suspending my belief long enough to think that what I'm watching is legit.

The steroid clouds are supposed to be clearing, but Ortiz, Rodriguez and Ramirez have changed that forcast.