Tonight, in a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox will officially retire David Ortiz’s #34 on the right field façade. That sentence right there really blows my mind and makes me sad. I was hoping for an Ortiz comeback and as the time ticks away to tonight’s festivities, the hope dwindles down.
David Ortiz meant everything to me as a sports fan, a baseball fan and a Red Sox fan. I grew up with him as a member of the Red Sox for most of my life. I’m only 23 years old, so I’ve experienced a lot of greatness in Boston, but Ortiz ranks right up there with Tom Brady as the best of the best. When I first really started paying attention to baseball on a day-to-day basis, it was 2003 and it was Big Papi’s first year in Boston. Little did I know what he would become and how much joy he would bring me for another decade and a half basically.
He meant a lot to so many people and he definitely has a love affair with not just the city of Boston, but the New England region, both on and off of the field. In my opinion, he’s the greatest player to ever wear the uniform and it’s not really that close. There have been many other greats and some would argue that Ted Williams was the best, but Ortiz is the guy.
I don’t need to go over Ortiz’s resume of accomplishments because everyone knows them by now. He carried us to three World Series titles, hit what seemed like a million home runs and came up in the clutch time and time again. He also stood up for Boston and the people in it when we needed him most. Whether it was in 2013 after the marathon bombings or any time he went out and volunteered in the community, he was always a stand up guy with a giant smile on his face.
It stinks that he won’t be an active player anymore, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a member of the Red Sox. It will be weird to come to grips with the fact that he’s no longer going to be mashing for the Sox because that is all I know. But I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in the future. He’ll always be a curse breaker, a home run watcher, a family man and a lovable character. But most of all he’ll be someone that gave so many great memories to so many people. So thanks Big Papi, and I can’t wait to write another one of these when you get enshrined in Cooperstown.
By the way, tune in early tonight because you don’t want to miss the ceremony.
