There Comes a Time In Every Man's Life...

Everybody remembers the moment when they finally realized they wouldn't be a superstar slugger. The agonizing truth that you would never win a batting crown usually hits you right between the eyes right around puberty. But for some, it comes much later in life; when you're old, broken down, and so fat that you haven't seen your feet (or other extremities, for that matter) in months. Tonight was David Ortiz's night; when he was finally faced with the devastating realization that 99.9999999% of Massachusetts men have come to grips with: "I just can't hit in the no. 3 spot for the Boston Red Sox."

In a move that Terry Francona surely didn't want to have to make, he dropped Ortiz down to the six hole - the first time that Ortiz has batted out of the no. 3 spot since 2005. It was a move that has been several painful weeks in the making. While some say it was a few weeks too late, an even bigger concern with the move is the fact that Jason Bay - who has been absolutely untouchable - was not called up to bat third, and remained in the five spot. However, tonight's lineup of Ellsbury--> Pedroia--> Drew--> Youkilis--> Bay--> Ortiz, makes much more sense, both for the team's average runs scored, and for Ortiz himself, than the old model that Tito has been clinging to like George Clooney in the Perfect Storm.

However, Ortiz doesn't seem to be too thrilled about the demotion move. While this may be a shot to Papi's pride - which is as big as his belly - the move does have the potential to rejuvenate the slugger. With enormous pressure off his enormous shoulders - Ortiz will have more of a chance to focus on his mechanics, and not his miscues.

Terry Francona is a man who knows how to get the best from his players (case-in-point, Bartolo Colon's turnaround and Mike Lowell's one-eighty). In fact, Ortiz went 1-for-3 with a hustling double - a very welcome sign of life. Perhaps this recent shift in the lineup may just fix some of the holes in this old sock.

(Surprisingly, there is another thirty-something year old with a debilitating wrist injury, that "just can't do it anymore." Of course Ortiz is flashy, but this guy has some serious "pizzazz.")

Leave A Comment

4 Comments