Ahead of attending the opening of a cannabis outlet in Leominster, Mass., Baseball Hall of Famer and former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortíz joined Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub. During his interview appearance, the current FOX Sports studio analyst recalled several memorable moments throughout his career, including losing a $150,000 necklace down a sewer and meeting with manager Terry Francona. He also spoke about how he dealt with the media and maintained a positive image in the Boston marketplace, specifically discussing how 98.5 The Sports Hub sports contributor and reporter Dan Roche was a well-liked media member. Conversely, other members of the media, such as sports columnist for The Boston Globe, Dan Shaughnessy, were more difficult to deal with.
After games when members of the media would enter the Boston Red Sox locker room to speak with the players, Ortíz would frequently be at his locker putting on jewelry. Fred Toucher mentioned the proclivity on the air, leading Ortíz to admit that it was a distraction and allowed him to control what he answered.
“They were asking me questions – what’s the good thing so I don’t have to jump on all the bullshit,” Ortíz said. “I let some things fly just because I was focusing on putting my earrings on…. Sometimes, you face a situation where they pitch you some things that they’d be like, ‘No, he didn’t.’ I obviously was good about it, but [for] a lot of guys, they can’t handle it.”
As a bonafide leader in the Red Sox clubhouse throughout the 14 years he played with the team, there were several occurrences where Ortíz had to train his teammates on how to interact with journalists and other media members. Over his time in “Beantown,” Ortíz was seen as an affable and accountable superstar player, and he tried to relay those qualities to others in the locker room.
“You have no idea how many times I had to talk to some of my teammates to just let the media do their job,” Ortíz said. “Don’t focus on that one person…. You have a lot of good guys in the media [that] are trying to do their job, so don’t blame everybody for that one guy.”
Ortíz’s entire mindset was and remains focused on winning, part of the reason he has been a successful entrepreneur after his major league career. He was lenient with the media and cognizant of the role they had to fulfill, remaining focused on what he was able to control. When people accused him of not taking his craft seriously or not working hard enough though, he took umbrage with the narrative.
“You have no idea how personal I [took it] and how proud I was to wear that uniform, and you’re going to come and ruin my day that I’m not trying hard enough or saying something related to it?,” Ortiz said. “That bugs me; that bothers me because I know, and you guys know, how much work I put into it to be one of the best on that field. But I understand – I understand – I know that someone has to come out and say the things that the rest of the guys don’t say, and I handled it pretty well.”
