Big Papi Does It Again

B.J. Ryan, the hard throwing lefty closer of the Baltimore Orioles was introduced to the awesome strength of David Ortiz yesterday. Trying to hold a 4-3 lead in the 9th inning at Fenway Park, Ryan faced Ortiz with two men on (thanks to a gutsy bunt by Edgar Renteria) and two outs. Facing a count of three balls and two strikes, Ortiz launched the final offering from Ryan into the center field bleachers for a 6-4 Red Sox victory. What do the folks in Minnesota feel like every time David Ortiz comes through in the clutch and delivers it with a smile on his face? What about Yankee fans, knowing that their rivals are paying him 1/3 of what Jason Giambi makes per season? What about Jarrod Washburn -- who gave up the series clinching, 10th inning homerun to Ortiz in last year's A.L.D.S. -- who will face Ortiz this weekend as the Angels come to Fenway? My guess is that Minnesota fans feel cheated that Ortiz never got his shot in a Twins uniform, Yankee fans want to vomit every time Ortiz comes to New York with the Red Sox and that Washburn hopes No. 34 gets a day off on Sunday. Only two months into his third season with the Red Sox, David "Big Papi" Ortiz is entering a stratosphere that few Boston athletes have ever experienced. He is still a few years away from entering the "Ted Williams/Bobby Orr/Bill Russell/Larry Bird" level and he's not quite yet at Tom Brady's level but Ortiz is climbing ... fast. Where would you place him if the Red Sox win the 2005 World Series? Or if he wins the American League MVP? What if the Sox win the AL East for the next five straight years? This is a special time to be a Red Sox fan. The anxiety associated with waiting for a World Series has finally been driven from New England. When you turn on NESN or WEEI (or if you are lucky enough to be at Fenway) for the game, the guys representing Red Sox Nation are the likes of Schilling, Ramirez, Damon, Varitek and Renteria. But the fact that we get to watch the "Smiling Assassin" Ortiz on a daily basis almost seems unfair.