Papi in HOF? A Sox update
Thoughts for the road assembled from today’s news (of course, the big news is, we’re on a hot streak- shazaam!):
At least we’re not discussing Johnny Damon’s ego today.
First on the docket: Big Papi! Will being a DH (regardless of how kickass) keep him out of Cooperstown? Think he’ll ever get the numbers?
Thoughts?
Next up: I found this little gem- an article on Sox “shenanigans” in obtaining the Gonz. Guess where it was written? New York.
“It’s a clear pattern of behavior designed to skirt their responsibility to Major League Baseball’s financial well being and skew the sport’s competitive balance.” ~Russ Cress
Better news: Isn’t it nice that sportswriters are starting to argue about who has the BEST era on the Sox instead of who sucks the most? I’m betting on Lester. I think he’s off to a rocky start but that this is going to be his year.
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The Sox are on the road today. And, however they relax, whether it’s a bubble bath or a movie, they’ve got a lot of time to do it! The game doesn’t start until after 10 p.m.
Three games in and we’re on top of the world.
Nothing can bring us off this streak!
Crap.
Too Soxy for my Shirt 
Even if David Ortiz had the numbers (which he doesn’t seem to but Bill Mazeroski is in the HOF so all bets are off), he tested positive for PED in 2003. I’m not a fan of blackballing players just because they may have used, but I really don’t see how a vote for Ortiz can be justified when far better players such as Bonds, McGwire, ARod, Clemens, and Manny are being considered persona non grata.
There’s debate about that.
In 2007, Ortiz said that he used to buy a protein shake in the Dominican Republic when he was younger and did not know if it contained a performance-enhancing drug.
2007, you’ll note, is pre-Mitchell report drama.
Ortiz has never admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.
So- I say take that reason out of the equation.
Taking the PED issue out of the equation, I’d like to see him put up a few more “numbers” first. I don’t think so…yet.
For a few years there was no one who came up bigger, so consistently, in clutch situations than our Big Papi. And some of those years he had big HR numbers. That will be good enough to get him in the Red Sox HOF when the time comes, but unfortunetly I don’t expect it will be good enough for Cooperstown. Being a liability with the glove (good hands but absolutely no range) and as a baserunner brings down his overall assessment as a great ballplayer. And the PED cloud doesn’t help matters either. HOF caliber player in Red Sox nation, but comes up short for MLB HOF consideration.
Just my opinion. 🙂