Because that is who David Ortiz is. And that is what David Ortiz does.
``I guess the people in New England are going to remember me for a while," Ortiz said. ``It's a great feeling being there right next to a great player, a superstar just like Mr. Jimmie Foxx was. To go through history and see how many good players have been around this ball club and be right there with them is a wonderful feeling."
They stood, and his teammates stood. They clapped, and his teammates clapped. And, after getting congratulations from every player in the Red Sox dugout, out he climbed again to the cheers and the chants (``MVP! MVP!"). To acknowledge the rest of the standing ovation, to acknowledge ``Simply the best," the song blaring out of the Fenway PA system, to acknowledge that his beautiful, arcing shot, had done something that no one in a Red Sox uniform had done since 1938.
``As long as I've been here, I've been in that situation a lot, but tonight it felt like it was some extra voices coming out of the fans," said Ortiz, who exchanged autographed items for the ball with a fan in his mid-20s. ``It seemed like they really enjoyed what I did on the field today. Like I've said, I always tell my teammates that we have the best fans all the way around. It doesn't matter what is going on in the game. It doesn't matter if we're winning or losing. They enjoy whenever we do good on the field."
Ortiz became the 13th American League player to hit 50 home runs in a season, and the first since Alex Rodriguez (57 with the Rangers) and Jim Thome (52 with the Indians) did it in 2002.
It was a subdued celebration, old-fashioned and quaint, except for the number 50 flashing repeatedly on the video screens in center field. Just the enjoyment of a man who has grown to be loved, just an acknowledgement of greatness.
Because that is what David Ortiz has become.
