As if Yankee fans - and Yankees ownership - haven't already had the legend of David Ortiz tattooed on their bruised subconscious enough... now the big guy is invading the franchise's most storied myth?
Apparently, the Yankees are steamed over an MLB promotion in which Ortiz, who has earned sainthood in Boston for owning Yankees pitching, will get a chance to "call" a home run shot during All Star Game festivities in July, the New York Times reports.
You get it? A loveable baseball icon gets to re-create Babe Ruth's legendary “called shot” in the 1932 World Series, INSIDE the hallowed "cathedral" of baseball, Yankee Stadium, the Bronx dump that is going through its final lap. The house, history tells us, that Ruth built?
The same Ruth whose ghost, we were also told, haunted the Red Sox for decades, blah, blah, blah....
Actually, the Ortiz-Ruth comparison is a pretty good one. Two burly fellas adored beyond baseball, who are worshipped by the kids and will be remembered for being jolly guys and swatting bombs in October.
I guess the Yanks don't see it that way, though. Apparently, team officials are taking a break from their panicked pitching staff shake-up to make inquiries about just what the heck is going on, the Times reports. Wasn't this All Star event supposed to be their chance to celebrate all things pinstriped?
Not a surprise, of course. This is the same franchise that spent $50,000 in April to dig up an Ortiz jersey that had been planted under the concrete of the new stadium, and considered filing charges against the construction worker, Gino Castignoli, who buried it.
Hey, I understand the Yankees' complaint. It sort of rubs salt in the wound created when the Sox beat them to Ortiz before the 2003 season. And I know the Yankees would prefer one of their guys to be part of this foolish promotion...
Maybe they want the bland Alex Rodriguez to be center of attention in July. God knows he never has been in October.
-- Dennehy
Comments (9)
The only problem with the comparison is that Ruth did not wear armor on his right arm and hang over the plate. Unlike Ortiz, Ruth played at a time where pitchers owned the entire plate and if you hung over the plate, you spent a lot of time on the ground and in the trainers room, rather than pointing up to the heavens.
ruth played for the sox for years also...so they shouldn't be too upset
Terrible promotion idea, terrible article.
Well done, Kevin. Per usual.
Dumb article. This is why media is ruining sports.
Dumb article. This is why media is ruining sports.
hey Dennehy you are an ASSHOLE, you call Yankee stadium a dump. There is more history there than any You probably never put a jock on in your life you GEEK.
I don't see the big deal.What if calls the homer and then doesn't hit it? Then he looks stupid. Just like the buried jersey thing. Who decided that was a jinx? The New York Post? And why did the Yankees front office believe it? Ortiz actually has hit a lot better since they dug it up. (They should have just buried him there, but that would probably be a crime)
I'm a Yankee fan and it doesn't bother me. I'd much rather he hits a home run at the AS game than against the Yanks in a season game. Let the fat man have his swing.
The fact is Red Sox fans are like the nerdy guy in high school who kept getting rejected by the hot chick - then years later, after getting hair plugs and a sports car, he finally scores a hot girlfriend, but somehow he looks a little awkward with her and doesn't know quite how to act, and keeps telling his friends "Hey, isn't my girlfriend hot?". For us Yankee fans, we've had hot girlfriends all our life and know exactly how to squire her around town. But don't worry Red Sox fans, you'll get the hang of it after the 20th or so. In the mean time, you better keep an eye on her.