Us too.

These are not good times to be a citizen of Red Sox Nation. As if a slumping season and a pronouced lack of appetite for a trade as the deadline approaches weren't enough to keep the Red Sox Faithful up nights, we now have to deal with the reality that one of our most beloved members - David Ortiz - took steroids (or PED's - performance enhancing drugs). Sure, it's no secret that lots of other ballplayers juiced - but somehow guys like A-Rod, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez had it coming. It was in their character to cheat, after all - they fit the model as ruthless, selfish players who cared less about the team and more about their individual stats.

But Papi? Man, how this hurts. Not merely because he was the Miracle Man of 2004 who became one of the most feared hitters in the game, but because he was - and probably still is - a Good Guy. Someone who was good with the press and with kids, never smacked around a 65-year old man or got caught cheating on his wife with a singer, a player who even while struggling earlier this season still could count on the support of the fans. He was, after all, Big Papi. Someone who truly loved the Game.

Those fans are still on his side, too. Yet today's hangover reality is that the Red Sox victories in 2004 and 2007 are now tainted forever - just like every other World Series win in the Steroid Era. Want proof? Before Papi joined the Red Sox he was average. A year later, he was Capital "G" Great. Hmmm. Did Boston believe they were going to escape untainted by scandal? Even as we got a pass from the Mitchell Report or as we soaked up the Yankees own steroid-related misfortunes (of course, we can still enjoy laughing at A-Rod's rest-sapping midnight liasons with Madonna) I don't believe any of us were really that naive. After all, while the Red Sox front office made the case that Manny Ramirez tested positive AFTER he was traded, those in Red Sox Nation knew Manny was Manny. We wouldn't put it past him that he juiced as a member of the Red Sox, even if did color our two World Series wins.

So what do we do now? It's pretty clear that we're at the beginning of a much larger scandal. After all, only a handful of players have been outed - which means there are about one hundred other guys sweating it out right now. The first step is to throw out the Mitchell Report - for one thing, it seems that George Mitchell - who is listed on the Red Sox masthead as "Director" - might have played favorites while preparing his report as he barely mentioned the Sox in it. Second, release the list of all the remaining players, once and for all. Re-test them to see if they're currently clean and then let them all face the judgement of the public or, in the case of Hall of Fame candidates (like Manny and A-Rod), let that committee decide who is worthy of inclusion next to the Kid, the Babe, and Joltin' Joe.

Lastly, Bud Selig has got to go. He's been the Pope John Paul II of the Steroid Era - just doing the bare minimum to protect the offenders, the business and not rock the boat, without any real reform or committment to discipline.

As for Big Papi, he gets credit from me for standing up and taking the heat. But unless someone spiked his Gatorade, I'd say he's got some 'splaining to do. Just like everyone else in Major League Baseball.