That may sound like a really simple question, but as the David Ortiz Retirement Tour reaches its final stop, it's one worth asking. On the surface, the answer is obvious. He's the greatest DH in history and he's won three World Series rings for a franchise that had gone 86 years without a championship before he arrived. But there's so much more to it than that.
First, we've got to deal with the elephant in the room. Ortiz is having such a great year that many are questioning whether or not he's actually going to retire. I have no doubt that he will. He wouldn't have announced it so early and gotten the Derek Jeter/Mariano Rivera-type Farewell Tour if he wasn't. If Oritz was having second thoughts, he wouldn't have announced it in Spring Training. He would've waited until midseason like Mark Teixeira did and avoided the pomp & circumstance that came with every road series this season.
And it's not like having a sensational final season is unprecedented, either. There are plenty of examples. Remember what Mariano Rivera did just three years ago? Was anyone suggesting he wasn't serious about retirement? Likewise, John Elway was MVP of the Super Bowl in his final game. Or we can take it back all the way to April, when some guy named Kobe had 60 points in his finale.
Maybe the early announcement took some of the pressure off Ortiz this season. He didn't have the weight of thinking about it on him all season. He was able to go out there and just play, leaving it all out on the field because he knew this was going to be it. Yes, he's still got it. But maybe that's part of the reason, too. Remember how A-Rod's career ended a few weeks ago? Or how Ken Griffey, Jr., the man who got more Hall of Fame votes than any person in history, simply got in his car and drove home to Florida in the middle of a horrible season with Seattle? Ortiz wants to leave the game while he's still got something to give it. You've got to respect that.
Now, let me make one thing clear. As a Yankees fan, I absolutely despise David Ortiz. For obvious reasons. Not only did he deliver three Red Sox championships, he was an absolute Yankee killer throughout his entire career.
With that being said, though, I respect the hell out of him. He's made himself a legend in Boston because of the way he played the game, especially in the big moments. He deserves all of the love and admiration he has been shown. That speech prior to the Red Sox' first home game after the Boston Marathon bombings was so poignant and moving. It was exactly what that city needed. And it'll be a great day in Boston when his number is retired.
But...and this is a big BUT, Ortiz was named in the Mitchell Report. That's what complicates what would otherwise be a slam-dunk (home run?) Hall of Fame case. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are the poster boys for the Steroid Era, which also includes Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and others who would otherwise be sure-fire Hall of Famers if not for their association with PEDs. And I'm fairly certain A-Rod won't be sitting by the phone waiting for the Hall of Fame's call five years from now.
The Hall of Fame voters have made it pretty clear what their stance on anyone with even the hint of steroid use is. I'm not saying Ortiz did take steroids, but he was named in the Mitchell Report, which will likely be enough for some of the voters. And if it isn't, if those voters who've professed they'll never vote for a PED "user" check off David Ortiz's name, how do they justify voting for him over others whose "guilt" is nothing more than suspicion or a mention in the Mitchell Report?
David Ortiz would absolutely get a nonexistent "vote" from me, but that's probably not a surprise, seeing as my stance on the Steroid Era has been the same for quite some time. My point remains though. If you're one of those hard-line guys who's sworn to never vote for anyone associated with steroids, how could you vote for him and not any of the others? See the conundrum?
If it was based strictly on what he accomplished on the field, there's absolutely no doubt all of New England would invade Cooperstown on a late July day in 2022 for David Ortiz's Hall of Fame induction. And he still may be inducted. He might get the Mike Piazza treatment and have to wait a few years because of the suspicion about him. I'm sure being a DH will probably be held against him, too, even though it shouldn't. (It's a position! It's been one for 40 years! Get over it!)
Ultimately, I do think Big Papi will one day get a plaque in Cooperstown. The steroid suspicion surrounding him is much less than it is around others. But even if he doesn't, that's not going to matter to Red Sox fans. He brought them three championships (maybe four) and became a legend in New England. Even if that's all he gets, it might be enough.
There are plenty around baseball who are going to miss Big Papi. Those of us in New York are not among them. He won't be hitting three-run homers against the Yankees anymore. Thank God!
No comments:
Post a Comment