It is May 18, and Ortiz is hitting .311/.395/.674 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs. His 1.069 OPS leads baseball. He's slugging at a higher clip than Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, getting on base more than Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado, walking off games as though it's October 2004 all over again. Guys doing that don't euthanize their own careers.
"I'm good with the decision that I'm making because I've been thinking about it for a while," Ortiz told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. "It's been a couple years. Because your body, man. Your body tells you. My body, man. My body's pretty beat up. Remember, if you look at guys my size, they don't last. I noticed that seven or eight years ago. That's why I needed to start doing things right. I lost 25 pounds. I started eating better, do things better. But let me tell you: It's not easy, man." ...
"I'm happy with the decision that I made," Ortiz said, "and my feet are happy with the decision that I made, and my wife is happy with the decision that I made. I've got to wait until next year when I ain't doing [expletive] to see how it's gonna hit home. Because I'm not gonna lie to you, I don't know."
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May 19, 2016
David Ortiz Gets A Text: "You're F**king Your Retirement Up!"
Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports:
Again, I see no reason for Flo to waiver in his decision. I'd rather see him go out on top and leave people wanting more. He's done more than enough, in my opinion, to have his ticket punched for Cooperstown.
ReplyDeleteRemember that seven years ago, sportswriters were prophesizing an exit from baseball after his numbers dropped significantly that season. He's not going to give them another chance to climb the soapbox.
Of note: the Sox do have a $10M option on Papi for 2017. It would increase in value should he reach 425 plate appearances (he's at 161 right now). That said, it's safe to say that they won't take it.
ReplyDeleteI'd argue the reason he's on fire because he knows it's his last season, he wants to go out in a blaze of glory. And it's already been an excellent start to the end.
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