Saturday night I went to Boston for the next to last Boston Red Sox game of the regular season.
A big draw was the impending retirement of David Ortiz, 40-year old designated hitter.
Ortiz -- "Big Papi" -- is a bigger than life character, a sure bet for the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He has worn a Red Sox uniform (number 34) for the last 14 of his 20 major league seasons.
Ortiz ended his last season with a batting average of .315 (fourth highest in the American League),
48 doubles (best in the league), 38 home runs (tied for eighth) and 127 runs batted in (best).
Ortiz is so popular that the Red Sox organization bought 34 billboards around Boston and
hired 34 artists to produce different tributes to him. Well done, Big Papi.
And, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts named the bridge over the
Massachusetts Turnpike leading to the ballpark after Ortiz.
And, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts named the bridge over the
Massachusetts Turnpike leading to the ballpark after Ortiz.
9 comments:
I have been watching on the TV the tributes to Papi. What a career he has had. He certainly got a wonderful send off.
PS: Go Jays Go!
40 seems to be a very civilised age at which to retire; I was still trying to decide what I was going to do when I was 40!
How exciting it must have been to be at the game, Jack! He seems to have been popular with everyone.
I've been watching the Red Sox on the MLB website. The games start at midnight when on the east coast. It's too bad they lost the last few games and now have to travel to Cleveland. Big Papi, he's the best! Hopefully they can win another championship!
I have never seen a baseball game, but I'm sure I would enjoy it if i got the chance to see a game IRL one day.
It looks a fantastic atmosphere. I did pay a pilgrimage to the stadium when in Boston but only to the outside.
A memorable event and wonderful tributes.
Quite a player. It's good for him to go out while he's still playing well as opposed to over extending himself and hitting the proverbial wall five years down the line.
Looks like a memorable event. You got a sendoff like this when you retired, didn't you?
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