Before the baseball season began, one of the biggest question marks for the Red Sox was David Ortiz. The media was having a field day with stories about his upcoming demise. It was constant in print and on television. It was assumed by many media members that he just might be done.
The end seems to be tough for many players to come to grips with. The ending of your career can happen all of a sudden. It seemed like over night that Jim Rice could not hit anymore. Rickey Henderson did not know when to stop playing. Several years ago, Dennis Eckersley tried one last time with the Red Sox, and he just could not pitch anymore. When is it over?
In the case of Ortiz, he still has plenty to give to the Boston Red Sox.
After a very tough first week of the season, many members of the media were ready to say he was done. We are near the end of May, and Ortiz has 10 home runs, 27 RBI and batting a respectable .266. Call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like a player that is done.
If the Red Sox management listened to many media members, Ortiz would probably not be with the Red Sox right now. Instead, as Ian Browne pointed out in his column today, Terry Francona had Ortiz batting third last night in the lineup for the first time in over a year. That is a sign of confidence in Ortiz.
If there is one thing you can say about Francona, it is that he is loyal to his players. He will play them no matter what the fans or the media think. In many cases, he gets proven right. In the case of Ortiz, the manager is correct.