Ortiz wants season-long ban for steroid users

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — David Ortiz wants players who test positive for steroids to be suspended from baseball for a year instead of the current 50-game penalty.

Taking players to court, though, for cases involving use of the substances before players were subject to penalty is not the way to clean up the game, the Red Sox designated hitter said Monday.

“I would suggest everybody get tested, not random, everybody,” he said. “You go team by team. You test everybody three, four times a year and that’s about it.”

And if a player tests positive for steroids? “Ban ’em for the whole year,” the slugger said.

The current penalties are a 50-game suspension for a player who tests positive once, 100 games for a second positive test for the same player, and a lifetime ban for a third positive test, though a player can seek to return after two years.

Philadelphia pitcher J.C. Romero was suspended last month for the first 50 games this season after testing positive for a banned substance contained in an over-the-counter supplement.

On Sunday, Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen called for a one-year suspension for a positive steroids test.

“I think you clean up the game by the testing,” Ortiz said Monday. “I know that if I test positive by using any kind of substance, I know that I’m going to disrespect my family, the game, the fans and everybody, and I don’t want to be facing that situation.

“So what would I do? I won’t use it, and I’m pretty sure that everybody is on the same page.”

Alex Rodriguez has said he used banned substances between 2001-2003, when he was with the Texas Rangers.

Now, Ortiz said, he believes the percentage of users is very low. And he said he might even accept blood testing for banned substances.

“I don’t care. Whatever,” he said. “I just want to go out there and make sure that people are not looking at you like, oh, look at this guy. He’s big now. What’s going on?”