While Curt Schilling's woe-is-me narcissism threatens to turn the 2022 Hall of Fame vote into a referendum on a man we'd prefer never to think about again, Red Sox fans may yet have something to celebrate next January.
The upcoming ballot marks the debut of David Ortiz, and though he's by no means a slam-dunk first-ballot choice, his candidacy should inspire joy where Schilling's sparks angst and misery.
Tomase: What to make of Schilling's lengthy letter to Hall of Fame
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Ortiz is a no-doubt Hall of Famer, though voters may not immediately see it that way. His inclusion on a supposedly anonymous 2003 doping list will cause some to doubt his accomplishments, just as they have those of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. And a career spent largely at designated hitter will work against him in some corners, too, although at least Frank Thomas and Edgar Martinez have already blazed that trail.
I will not hesitate to check Ortiz's name, in recognition not only of his resume, but his towering place in Red Sox history. Whereas voting for Schilling -- as I have done and plan to do again -- requires a strong gag reflex and perhaps a stronger bottle of whiskey, selecting Ortiz should remind voters why the process is an enjoyable privilege and not a hostage negotiation.
It's hard to believe that Ortiz last wore a Red Sox uniform more than four years ago, walking and departing for a pinch runner a few outs before the Red Sox were swept by the Indians in the 2016 playoffs. A tearful Ortiz made an impromptu postgame mound visit in order to wave one final goodbye to Fenway's adoring fans.
It wasn't a storybook sendoff, but it still captured his relationship with the bleeping city that he had made his own via an historic championship in 2004, an inexorable followup in 2007, and then a breathtaking finale in 2013 when he put a shattered region on his back with one of the greatest World Series performances ever to secure the trophy that proved we were indeed "Boston Strong."
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Ortiz single-handedly annihilated the Cardinals that October, hitting .688 with a pair of homers, but the moment that remains seared in my brain wasn't a hit, but the aftermath of the meeting he called in the dugout during Game 4 when the Red Sox appeared in danger of falling into a 3-1 hole.
Ortiz gathered his teammates in the sixth inning while trailing 2-1 and lambasted them. They had come too far to fall so agonizingly short. "This is our time!" he screamed. An inning later, Jonny Gomes launched the go-ahead three-run homer, and in the celebratory clubhouse, Ortiz's voice boomed from the shower.
"I've got two rings!" he thundered. "You want to win one? You follow me!"
That brashness made Ortiz a joy to watch. Teammate Pedro Martinez may have tempted the Fates by demanding that someone "wake up the damn Bambino," but Ortiz exorcised those demons, delivering consecutive walkoffs during the miracle ALCS comeback vs. the Yankees in 2004.
That he arrived in 2003 as part of a crowded first base/DH situation with Jeremy Giambi and Shea Hillenbrand after being cut by the Twins merely fueled everything that followed. Ortiz forced his way into the lineup and then didn't leave for the next 13 years, cementing his place as one of the greatest clutch performers the game has ever seen.
He retired with over 500 career homers, including a Red Sox single-season mark of 54 in 2006 that broke Jimmie Foxx's franchise record after nearly 70 years.
What to know about Schilling's alternate path to Hall of Fame
He spent pretty much every day of his Red Sox career as the alpha male in the middle of the lineup, a force who partnered first with Manny Ramirez and then with Mookie Betts to make opposing pitchers quake. The responsibility of being the focus of every rival game plan should've taken its toll, but Ortiz made the game look impossibly easy as he aged, with his farewell age 40 season one for the history books. He hit .315 with 38 homers, 127 RBIs, and a 1.021 OPS that led the American League for the first and only time in his career. With all due respect to winner Mike Trout and runner-up Betts, if I had an MVP vote that year, I would've given it to Ortiz.
Thankfully, that won't be an issue next winter. I have a Hall of Fame vote, and when my ballot arrives sometime in December, I know which name I'll be checking first.
David Ortiz, because it doesn't get any easier than that. No whiskey required.
