David Ortiz Says He Can Do 'Whatever The Hell' He Wants
David Ortiz has never been known to keep his opinions to himself, and that trend was no different when discussing the topic of pimping home runs.
“The way that works, basically, is how much time you have at this level,” he said. “If you’ve got two days in the big leagues, I don’t agree with you doing crazy stuff out there. But you have 19 years in the big leagues like I do, you can do whatever the hell you want — because you’ve earned that. The bottom line is, it’s not that bad. It’s part of what people come and want to see. People want to come to the field, and the power hitters, they want to watch them hit homers.”
I don’t know anybody, under the age of 60, who could disagree with Ortiz’s stance on this issue. If you’re new to the league and haven’t established yourself as a home run hitter, just put your head down and run the bases. But if you’re knocking on the door to the 500 home run club like Ortiz is this year (34 HR away), then by all means, flip the bat into the opposing team’s dugout, do a cartwheel to first base, wink at the pitcher’s girlfriend when you round third, and tell the catcher to suck it when you step on home plate. If you don’t like it, then don’t give up bombs. Plain and simple.
The only people who get mad about players pimping home runs are the pitchers who give them up, the pitcher’s salty teammates, and the butthurt fans of the team who just watched their pitcher get taken deep. That, and old people. Old people who used to watch baseball when a home run was celebrated with a gentleman’s handshake at home plate.
Times have changed since the 1940’s, and the game is in need of more guys like Ortiz, who smash 500-foot dingers and then pimp their shot. Major League Baseball is worried about today’s youth not caring as much about the game, and the impact that will have on the future of the sport. Well, who do you think the kids today are emulating in their backyards when they’re playing wiffleball? Are they placing their bats down nicely, or are they flipping their bats in little Johnny’s eyeball when they crush one over the fence?
Like Ortiz said, it’s what the fans paid to see. A monster home run without a pimp job at the end is just an unfinished product.
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