David Ortiz is one of the most beloved Red Sox ever and an incredible asset to the organization.
That’s why his voice is so important when it comes to the public campaigns for the Red Sox to re-sign Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers.
Last week, Ortiz pleaded with the Red Sox to keep their two homegrown stars, via WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
“When you have a guy like (Devers) or like Bogaerts in your lineup that means you’re going to take pressure away from everybody else,” Ortiz said on “The Bradfo Sho” podcast. “They know how to handle it. They know how it is to play in Boston. Trust me, playing in Boston is not for every type of player. … Those two guys, they grew up there. You know what to expect from them. You know what they’re going to give here. That’s why sometimes I don’t understand organizations sometimes walking away from that and they prefer to explore some other options. I would go with what I know. Keep it simple.”
It’s one thing for fans and media members to stress the difficulties of playing in Boston. It’s another for Ortiz, who thrived under the pressure like few other athletes in history, to talk about it.
Ortiz played with multiple high-priced superstars who couldn’t handle themselves here: Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Pablo Sandoval. He was there when the Red Sox low-balled Jon Lester, and then signed David Price, who seemingly loathed playing in Boston, to a contract worth $217 million.
But the Red Sox appear to be ignoring Big Papi’s advice. ESPN’s Buster Olney said last Friday on WEEI’s Red Sox pregame show he said there’s “no indication” the Red Sox are willing to extend themselves for Devers or Bogaerts.
The Globe’s Alex Speier reports the Red Sox used Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who signed an eight-year, $168 million extension with Atlanta, as a comp for Devers, which he confirmed. That revelation jives with reporting from ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the Red Sox and Devers were more than $100 million apart in negotiations during Spring Training.
Devers appears to view himself as a $300 million player. Ortiz does, too. “When I see Devers, it’s like I never left,” Ortiz said this week.
Ortiz is equally empathetic about keeping Bogaerts in Boston. He threw dollar bills at the shortstop in a recent interview for FOX Sports.
“PAY THE MAN!,” Ortiz shouted.
Ortiz used that same line Tuesday when he ran into Aaron Judge while he was parading around the American League dugout during the fifth inning. Ortiz interacted with seemingly every player on the team. It’s not a stretch to say he’s the most revered figure in the entire sport.
It would be bad news for the Red Sox if Ortiz started complaining about their unwillingness to extend themselves for homegrown stars. There aren’t many other people who work a room like Ortiz. It’s hard to even imagine Tom Brady being able to stroll the sidelines and engage in a warm embrace with everybody.
But that’s what happened with Ortiz Tuesday. With the wall between athletes and the media only growing larger, Ortiz is a valuable conduit. He might be the only person with a microphone who some of these players would ever consider approaching — never mind show some personality.
Ortiz has staked his territory: he wants the Red Sox to keep Bogaerts and Devers. And he’s not going to be silent about it.
Disappointing Big Papi could come with some big ramifications.
————————-
Jeter docuseries is boring hero worship: ESPN debuted Monday the first episode of its seven-part Derek Jeter docuseries, “The Captain.” As expected, it’s a piece of “Yankeeography” that would be more appropriate for the YES Network.
But why is it especially irksome to those who don’t care about the pinstripes? There’s no conflict or tension. Jeter was a first-round pick who quickly advanced to the big leagues and won his first World Series in his first full season. Jeter won four World Series in his first five years.
Michael Jordan’s story is far more interesting than that. He battled a gambling addiction, took a mid-career sabbatical to play minor league baseball and was a general prick. The whole concept of “The Last Dance” was framed around Jordan’s feud with the much-maligned general manager, Jerry Krause.
Even Brady battled more adversity than Jeter. He was a sixth-round pick, after all.
Maybe the Jeter series will get better as it delves into thornier subjects. Jeter still needs to address A-Rod and those gift baskets he allegedly sent home with one-night stands. But I wouldn’t expect much from a series where Jeter’s agent Casey Close is an executive producer.
Charles Barkley leaving for LIV Golf would be a travesty: Charles Barkley could leave “Inside The NBA” to work for LIV Golf.
That is horrible news.
But it is a possibility, according to Dan Patrick. “He might have to leave TNT. That’s why this is a huge deal. And Charles knows that he may have to leave TNT to do this,” Patrick said on his show Tuesday.
It’s understandable for Barkley to entertain LIV Golf. It will probably throw an insane amount of money at him. But does Barkley really need to be money-whipped by the Saudis that badly? He’s the most valuable voice on sports TV. Barkley belongs on “Inside the NBA,” not LIV Golf programming that few people will watch.
Look out for Pap: Jonathan Papelbon has a Twitter account, and unsurprisingly, he’s firing plenty of hot takes.
Papelbon, otherwise known as @TheRealJPap58, has already tweeted about the secrets of pitching hungover and challenged ESPN to make a documentary about the captain who “whipped” A-Rod’s [expletive].
Hosting two podcasts. “Blackjack with Pap” and “Better than Vegas,” it’s apparent Papelbon wants to become more involved in the media game. Anybody would be smart to hire him. Papelbon is a decorated ex-player who speaks his mind. Those are in rare supply.
