David Ortiz, A Great, Rare “Hall” Choice

Let’s face it Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Jim Kaat and many other undeserving, non real impact players are in the no longer, sacrosanct (even close) Baseball Hall of Fame while greats, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Lefty O’Doul and Joe Jackson (maybe he needs shoes to get in) are not, however David Ortiz, is a rare, great choice.

Once, long ago at SUNY Albany, an Angel David Ortiz was a truly enlightening member of my dormitory suite. This Mr. David Ortiz had an all-time clutch hitting series in an all-time series, when his team, the Boston Red Sox, in route to breaking an 86 year title drought, overcame a (3-0) ALCS deficit vs the still vaunted, Joe Torre managed Yankees.

That is the only instance in either baseball or NBA annals, in which a team down (3-0) won said series. Torre’s Yankees had won 6 of the last 8 A.L. Pennants at that point. (That gave them 39 pennants and they have added but one in the 18 seasons since that one, an excruciating Red Sox defeat in ’03).

Now to Boston teams lover, a seemingly knowledgeable source for the history of Red Sox horrors before Ortiz and ’04 named Dan Shaughnessey.

How dare he call Ortiz undeserving of Hall status!!  Do you Want those results taken back?!

Mr. Shaughnessy. You want the “reap,” but you want to deny the man most responsible for “reaping” it. Surely there is “Bible talk” for such actions/talk.

Ortiz had a word for you. I will not use it, however, will cite this, Mr. Shaughnessy, as an unappreciative act of a high degree!

The great clutch hitting David Ortiz, pictured above.

He was born 27 days after the penultimate of the four, 7 game World Series defeats suffered by the Red Sox on November 18, 1975.

Mr. Ortiz was from the Dominican Republic. Another great player, pitcher Juan Marichal, of course best remembered for a “Hall” career with the Giants (alas the ego driven writers kept Juan out for a long, far too long time) did pitch, however briefly for the Red Sox in 1974.