In his weekly column "On Baseball" the Globe's Nick Cafardo talks at length about David Ortiz and his upcoming role with the Sox. I agree with his contention that the team needs a "protector" for Papi in the lineup. It is true that they lack combinations like Prince Fielder-Miguel Cabrera and Josh Hamilton-Albert Pujols. I also agree that depending on a Will Middlebrooks or Mike Napoli to do the job in 2013 is probably too much to expect.
I have to disagree, however, with certain statements made by both Ortiz and Cafardo in the piece. Unlike most Sox players in spring training, Papi takes some shots at Bobby V. For most of last season, he was one of the few players who publicly supported Valentine. The relationship soured when the manager stated that an obviously injured Ortiz "decided not to play anymore" once the team dropped out of contention.
Apparently still angry at his former boss, the slugger lights into Bobby's spring training drills regarding cutoff men. "I've been watching and playing baseball for a long time," he states. "I had question marks on the things that I saw. Those question marks went into the season and you guys saw the disaster that happened." My reaction is-Papi, this is a brand new season. Let's look ahead.
My second disagreement concerns Cafardo's contention that the team "missed the boat" in not signing Hamilton. Haven't we had our fill of "sexy" stars- Adrian Gonzales, Carl Crawford, even John Lackey? Besides his age, Hamilton brings lots of baggage. It seems like whenever he "cleans up", another incident takes place. Given the Sox' morale problems of recent years, another head case is the last thing they need.
Hamilton might be able to move the Sox up in the standings, but not enough to win the division. Better to go with a Middlebrooks and hope he grows into the role. Let the Angels deal with Josh.
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