Ferreira, an operating room assistant in Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in Washington Heights, has remained close to Ramirez, accompanying him on numerous trips. "Me and him, we are like father and son," said Ferreira, who earlier that morning had come with Ramirez to the Tokyo Dome to pitch some batting practice to the World Series MVP, long before any of Ramirez's teammates on a team of major league all-stars here to play their Japanese counterparts showed up to work out.
Jet lag? Not for Ramirez and Red Sox teammate David Ortiz, who upon arriving in Japan Wednesday went to a Brazilian salsa club in Roppongi, the heart of Tokyo's international entertainment district, with several of their all-star teammates, a cast that features future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens and a number of up-and-comers, including Hank Blalock and Michael Young of the Rangers, Vernon Wells of the Blue Jays, and Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins.
And last night (Thursday morning back in Boston), there was Ramirez, wearing a native Japanese jacket, taking part in a kagamiwari, the ritual breaking of a barrel of sake (the Japanese rice wine), although in this case Ramirez and other participants eschewed the use of traditional wooden mallets for baseball bats.
The ceremony is part of many special occasions in Japan, including New Year's, weddings, and the start of a new business venture. Kagamiwari means the opening of a mirror, with kagami breaking the shiny surface of the sake. The splashing of the sake is said to bring good luck and a blessing.
In this case, it also signified another chapter in Manny and Big Papi's Big Adventure, a dizzying journey since the end of the World Series that for Ortiz, who will be joined by his wife, Tiffany, in midtrip, has included a jaunt to Disney World with Pedro Martinez, a spot on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, and an appearance scheduled to air today on the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
"I really don't know how to feel right now," said Ortiz, who laughed while Ramirez mugged with Sadaharu Oh, the all-time home run king in Japan and manager of the Japanese team.
