2022 HOF Candidates: Ortiz and Papelbon First Time on Ballot
- Thread starter RobertS975
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I didn’t expect to be this happy. But I’m freakin’ thrilled. Congrats, Papi! And thanks for everything.
He was more nervous at the start of that call than he ever was on a baseball field.
I am so happy right now. This was the first game I ever saw Ortiz in person...of course he hit a pinch hit walk off single to beat the Yankees. I will never forget that day.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200307260.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200307260.shtml
Ortiz going in the same year as his long term mentor with the Twins Tony Oliva is a great story as well
Nice that he put his hand on Ortiz's shoulder when he was afraid he might tell something off-color. At least that's how I interpreted it.
Note to MLB Network, as they go to commercial: he wasnt just elected into the MLB HoF, he was elected into the MLB HoF on the first ballot.
I am glad I'm not the only one who is surprised how much I wanted this. Will forever be my favorite player. Not just his on-field heroics. His attitude inspired me and it's had a profound effect on my life's trajectory.
I always figured he'd float just under the line for years because of DH bias and that stupid test. But first ballot!
I always figured he'd float just under the line for years because of DH bias and that stupid test. But first ballot!
I could sit here and attempt to list all the ways I love David Ortiz, writing some purple prose about what he meant to me, with the subtext being that I remember his presence with a more righteous intensity than others do. But that would miss the beauty and legacy of Big Papi's career, I think. In fact, it would miss the very purpose of sports.
Why do we watch? Escapism, tribalism, inspiration. To celebrate excellence. To connect; to feel like it's us on that field, and more significantly, to share the same feelings with everyone in the stands or those bathing in the glow of flat screens across a loosely defined geographic area. Suddenly your job doesn't seem so rote or that relationship so rocky, there isn't that yawning uncertainty about why you're here and what it's all for, it's all played out on the field and you're locked into that rollercoaster with everybody else that you know or care about, some of whom you've met only because you watch, you've always watched and you seek the company of others who have as well. Maybe you even write about it on message boards or social media.
Newly-minted Hall of Famer David Ortiz made people's lives incalculably better. He is the very distillation of why we watch: He made the impossible possible. He made us brothers and sisters. And most importantly, he calmed that inner voice that fears the flicker of hope; it's so easy to laugh that hopefulness away, to piss on it as a means of self-defense, but he justified its existence and made us embrace the humanity that requires us to care enough -- and to have faith enough -- to hope.
Why do we watch? Escapism, tribalism, inspiration. To celebrate excellence. To connect; to feel like it's us on that field, and more significantly, to share the same feelings with everyone in the stands or those bathing in the glow of flat screens across a loosely defined geographic area. Suddenly your job doesn't seem so rote or that relationship so rocky, there isn't that yawning uncertainty about why you're here and what it's all for, it's all played out on the field and you're locked into that rollercoaster with everybody else that you know or care about, some of whom you've met only because you watch, you've always watched and you seek the company of others who have as well. Maybe you even write about it on message boards or social media.
Newly-minted Hall of Famer David Ortiz made people's lives incalculably better. He is the very distillation of why we watch: He made the impossible possible. He made us brothers and sisters. And most importantly, he calmed that inner voice that fears the flicker of hope; it's so easy to laugh that hopefulness away, to piss on it as a means of self-defense, but he justified its existence and made us embrace the humanity that requires us to care enough -- and to have faith enough -- to hope.
I was thinking that too.
Meanwhile, Pedro starts smiling becauss he knows how this goes.
Yeah all that and then some.
I've never been so invested in a player going into the Hall - even with Pedro - and had actual goosebumps when they started the announcement.
I love his shirt. It's so perfect for the moment. Best thing in the world to be a Sox fan in the era of the Papi.
They could get in this coming December. Need 12 of 16 votes by the committee
View: https://twitter.com/baseballot/status/1486127664880656385
That public/private split for Vizquel is concerning given what Vizquel has been accused of doing
That public/private split for Vizquel is concerning given what Vizquel has been accused of doing
David Ortiz is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Wow.
I did not expect this and I am absolutely elated. Family and friends are all texting me happy as can be. Everyone's sharing their favorite Big Papi moments and talking about what an icon he is. The Hall of Fame is nothing if not for highlighting guys with the kind of careers like Ortiz. Monster individual production, some of the biggest postseason moments ever, longevity, challenges along the way, unmatched charisma; the guy made baseball worth watching every day.
Seeing Pedro standing there next to Ortiz taking the call warms my heart.
Wow.
I did not expect this and I am absolutely elated. Family and friends are all texting me happy as can be. Everyone's sharing their favorite Big Papi moments and talking about what an icon he is. The Hall of Fame is nothing if not for highlighting guys with the kind of careers like Ortiz. Monster individual production, some of the biggest postseason moments ever, longevity, challenges along the way, unmatched charisma; the guy made baseball worth watching every day.
Seeing Pedro standing there next to Ortiz taking the call warms my heart.
Ortiz and Brady are my 2 favorites of all time. I couldn’t begin to tell how much joy he’s brought to my life. I will get to tell my kids and grandkids that I saw the greatest clutch hitter who ever lived and he played for OUR team. It’s unspeakable the impact he had on us in 2004 and 2013 both on and off the field.
Man, major chills down my spine for like 20 straight seconds. That is awesome. I love that he owns how important this is to him. Makes G38 appear even more full of shit.