Ortiz Wants To Stay, But Says He Is "Worn Out" By Boston's Negativity & "Other Crap"

The Red Sox have only three days after the end of the World Series to make their decision about picking up David Ortiz's $12.5 million option for 2011. (I thought it was five days.)

Ortiz, who turns 35 in November, said the parties will meet next week. Flo would like the Sox to rip up the option and come to an agreement on a multi-year deal.

I want to be back, and I want to be here for a longer period of time. I'm just a little worn out because of the negativity that I've dealt with the last few years. I don't think there's any baseball player that can deal with all the distractions that I deal with and play baseball. It's hard. I'm not a superhero. I'm just another human being, like everyone else. I've got feelings. I want to give this team another World Series, and dealing with all the other crap with people telling you you can't do it no more, or this and that, I have no room for that. ...

I just want to be able to play baseball and have fun, like I used to. That's where I came back to not wanting just one year, because I know it's going to be just the same thing. As soon as you struggle for a week, it's going to be the same thing. People saying you are old, saying you have no bat speed anymore. People talking all kind of crap. It's hard to avoid that because it's all over the place.

Of course, if Ortiz signs for two years -- there is no way on Earth the Sox would do more than that -- and he is again slow out of the gate, he'll hear puh-lenty of crap. Probably more crap than he did this season, actually, because people will be bitching that the team is on the hook for him in 2012, too.

In SoSH's poll/discussion, I went with the last choice: pick up the option (which may annoy Ortiz), play 2011, and re-evaluate next November.

Tim Wakefield says winning the Roberto Clemente Award for his extensive community work is the highest honour of his career:

Coming up through the Pirates organization, you knew what his legacy stood for. ... Roberto's legacy truly epitomizes how an athlete should act, not only on the field, but off as well. That's what I've tried to emulate throughout my career. ... This award ultimately is the highest accomplishment I think you can attain or the highest compliment that you can get from somebody, and I'm very honored and humbled at the same time to accept this award.

Peter Gammons says it is very unlikely that Victor Martinez will be in a Red Sox uniform in 2011:

I think Detroit is going to give him four or five years. And I don't think anybody else is going to give him four or five years to be a catcher. I'm not so sure Beltre will be back. I can't gauge that market. But I do think they will go very hard after [Carl] Crawford, I really believe that. And I think they will go hard after some relief pitchers.