Citius, Altius, Fortius.

NESN has video of the athletic prowess of Jacoby Ellsbury but check out this David Ortiz hustle.

Hop on Papi.

It seems perfectly reasonable to pick on David Ortiz as he has yet to find his swing this spring.


Gotta keep those glove skills sharp.

"So...You got plans tonight?"

"It's a European Shoulder Bag."

Only included because the shirt looked very unflattering in the last picture.

Brian Roberts looks to the dugout for help as David Ortiz, overcome by Roberts' boyish appeal, attempts to pick him up and take him home.

Knuckleheads.

You've got to think that one of the worst things about playing against the Red Sox is Tim Wakefield. If the knuckleball is working that day, then all that work you've put in in the batting cage is for nought. You've spent hours making something akin to a science out of hitting and for this particular game it comes down to luck. Conversely with R.A. Dickey having joined the Mets, one of the best things about playing for the Sox must be never having to try to hit a knuckleball.

Except in spring training when Wakefield throws live batting practice to David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia:

"Wow," Ortiz yelled at the top of his lungs after an unhittable knuckler dropped right over the plate. "What was that?"

A grinning Wakefield talked a little smack from the pitchers mound.

"You hitting that one? You hitting that one?" the 43-year-old knuckleballer teased.

Ortiz then bowed out, but laughed loudly as Pedroia twisted himself in a knot swinging and missing. Youkilis finally got a ball out of the infield, popping weakly to shallow center, and letting out a proud, "Aww yeah!" at the accomplishment."

Found A Peanut.

I'm not one to coo over babies but if D'Angelo Ortiz isn't the cutest little peanut to ever walk the face of the earth, then the sun doesn't rise in the east.

Your Cheatin Heart.

You can't really blame John Lackey. Huge smile, giant hugs, David Ortiz is irresistible. The sooner Josh Beckett comes to gripes with that the better.

Bright Side.

There are two important things to come out of David Ortiz's press conference today. 1. He's working on his bunting as an answer to the shift. And 2. He's a Ricky Martin fan. He's got to be right? Ricky Martin is such a dated pop culture reference that it's not something you would come up with on the fly. Also, since Ricky Martin is older than I thought he was; at thirty-eight shouldn't he be the one wishing he looked like David and not the other way around?

Just a warning: The video cuts out at 4:16, 10:07, 11:30, and13:52 and the tone is piercing.

Captions, Series Three.

More Globe photos:

No Daisuke! No! There may be too many pitchers but there is a better solution.


Jon Lester is aware of my softening opinion of him and he will glare me back to indifference.


A giant among men.

A Free Lunch.

Down in the Dominican Republic today, President Leonel Fernández threw a sort of going-away party for Dominican baseball players. The players were treated to lunch at the National Palace with the President and the Minister of Sports. Among the attendees were David Ortiz and Julio Lugo.

Heart of Gold.

It's hard to watch the news and not be affected by the photos and stories coming out of Haiti. At the same time, it's hard to reconcile how much help that country needs with the amount of help an average individual can provide. But weren't all average individuals.

One such non-average individual who's lending a helping hand/name is David Ortiz. David is organizing a truck load of canned food, water, other provisions, and medicines to help out the people of Haiti. Says David (my translation):

"This earthquake occurred in our brother country and we're obligated to arrange a truck load of food and medicines for the victims of this devastating phenomenon. It's my way of doing my part to help alleviate the situation for our Haitian brothers. I want this help to go directly to those who need it and so I'm personally going to Haiti to bring it to them."

On the Sauce.

If you wanted to hear David Ortiz's reaction to Mark McGwire's coming out it's here:

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He didn't really have too much to say. And I'm fine with that. I can't work myself up into a lather of righteous indignation about it because I don't really care anymore. They're ballplayers not saints. They've all done something along the way to make themselves better than anyone else; even little Pedey keeps a giant bottle of some kind of supplement in his locker because he thinks it'll make him better than the other guy. So enough of that.

I do keep thinking that David has dressed himself rather subtly only to have someone pick on him for his watch. Who wears a watch anymore?

For Insomniacs.

If you're not a fan of going to sleep so that you can get to work on time so that you can earn a paycheck so that you can support yourself and not be a drain on society, then it should be noted that David Ortiz is scheduled to be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight. If you are a fan of going to sleep so that you can get to work on time so that you can earn a paycheck so that you can support yourself and not be a drain on society, then you should know that episodes of the show are posted online.

Papi Claus.

David Ortiz and his Children's Foundation were down in the Dominican Republic today distributing gifts to poor kids in the hospital for Three King's Day.

Here's my question: Where exactly does one get a gingham hat?

A Different Sort of Christmas.

Tonight in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic David Ortiz will be co-hosting an event called The Millionaire's Night Party--link in Spanish. The event is a fundraiser with the idea of being able to provide Christmas dinner (gifts and toys included) to the children in ten orphanages in the the Dominican Republic.

Say it with me: Awwww.

Must Be David Ortiz Day.

While in the Dominican Republic David Ortiz is championing another cause besides raising funds for pediatric cardiology services, he is also lending his voice to a campaign to end domestic violence.

The radio campaign "Pégale a la Pelota, Jamás a una Mujer" (Hit a ball, Never a woman) is aimed at baseball fans and has ballplayers making comparisons between baseball and abused women. (It probably isn't as awful as that sounds or it plays better in a more chauvinistic culture.)

Says David of women (my translation):

"...so beautiful and I think that we know that we come from a woman and that we should pay them respect. And know that we live for a woman and that she is a rose."

"[A woman] is a flower that decorates the lives of men and that we should only give her caresses."

*Quietly mumbles to herself that he means well and that it's a different culture where he can say things like that. Is also very impressed that she got the accent marks to appear.*

Domestic violence is a serious issue anywhere so good on David for standing up against it.

Como se Dice Big Papi?

This amused me:

David Ortiz is in the middle of an extensive publicity campaign for his golf tournament; Facebook, Twitter, press conference at Fenway, and now a press conference down in the Dominican Republic. Besides the golf tournament, he spoke with Hoy (a Dominican newspaper) about trade rumors and the possibility of playing Dominican Winter ball. Regarding trade rumors he gave the standard answer that they didn't faze him and that he was turning the page on last season. And he didn't so yes or no to playing for the Dominican team Leones del Escogido. (Although here he says that on a scale of one to ten the possibility of him playing is a five--I'd take that as a diplomatic no.)

The part that amused me though was in the comments, where twice he's referred to as Big Daddy. It was just sort of odd.

Also, how the hell does he know Rachel Dratch? (Who is one of the celebrities invited to the tournament.) I just learned that she's from Lexington but it seems like a strange combination.

Golfing With Mr. Hunter (and Mr. Upton).

I'm not sure if my recent dislike of Torii Hunter gives me leave to make fun of his charity. Even if he is a terrible friend and his charity's mission statement is somewhat grandiose and self-satisfied, he probably does a lot of good. Besides which, the man has connections.

Josh Beckett hosts a bowling tournament with a similarly vague goal of helping children and you get coverage from the local media outlets. Torii Hunter hosts a golf tournament to help children in his own self-important way and he gets MLB Network to cover it for him. Beckett has an after party with some band I've never heard of (sorry) and Hunter gets Brian McKnight for his shindig (I couldn't tell you what he sings but I have heard of him).

The reason for bringing it up? Both Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz (who must be a better person than me) have agreed to show up for the November 10-11 tournament. And although Kevin Millar is shown in an Orioles uniform in the slide show at the bottom of the page and it's been four seasons since he played in Boston, he apparently remains an Old Sock to everyone. Also, if Hazel Mae is your thing, she'll be there too.

Good Deeds.

Two little bits of info tonight:

1. David Ortiz will be hosting his second charity golf tournament in the Dominican Republic on December 3-6. The tournament raises money for the David Ortiz Children's Fund which works to support children's healthcare, primarily assisting in paying for cardiac surgeries. (I think.) Says David:

"I am looking forward to gathering with all my friends for the second annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Tournament. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase my home country - the Dominican Republic - while raising money for children who can't afford the healthcare they need. Everyone who participates is making a difference in the lives of these children."

From the photos of last year's event, it was a stunning location.

2. A little bit closer to home (and somewhat less breathtaking), Manny Delcarmen will host his bowling event at King's Back Bay on Dalton St. on Halloween.

Aged Papi.

I love this man. Can't help it. But David? Your first playoff game was October 4, 2002; Oakland at the Metrodome. You went 0-3, with a strike out. Let's hope for a better showing tonight.

Scenes from LA.

AP photos from yesterday's and today's workouts in LA:



No, Papi! No! Baseball gloves aren't for eating.



David Ortiz: Hey! I play first base too. Can I come practice with you guys?
Victor and Youkilis try not to laugh.



Pedroia: Nu-unh, Mr. Beckett. It wasn't me who stole your glove. I swear. It was...Jed. Jed way over there that did it. Honest.




Pedroia thinks: You know, if this whole baseball thing doesn't end up working out. I could have a kick ass career as a smoldering underwear model.




At least Daisuke Matsuzaka thinks I'm funny.

California Dreamin.

The Sox left for California this afternoon and what better send off could there be than to make fun of their outfits?



Would you check out those gams? That boy has a very shapely leg. And really nice shoes. Someone ought to tell him how to wear a French cuff, though. Puffy sleeves are not attractive.



I suppose that we can give Victor the benefit of the doubt and pretend that the stripes on his suit are brown. And while his belt and his shoes do not match (and it appears that he's wearing black socks, too boot) at least he seems to have his priorities straight, making an all important stop at Build-A-Bear before he made his way to the bus.




Besides the fact that Theo is carrying both a backpack and a briefcase (making him look like a young-ish college professor), the only thing moderately interesting about the photo is that apparently his choice of airplane reading material is Harper's Magazine. Although as far as I can tell from looking at their website, not the latest issue.



Even though the pocket square doesn't match and he probably should have resisted the urge to button his suit old man cardigan style (just doing the top button), David Ortiz is able to rock the suit. It's a beautiful jacket.



And Francona. I'll just say that the difference in quality between Ortiz's jacket and Francona's jacket is stunning.