Interview With Big Papi’s Papi: Basketball, Not Baseball, Was Big Papi’s Sport

By Julio Pabón, LatinoSports

While walking on the Fenway field prior to game 6 of the World Series and in the middle of all the media frenzy going after most of the big league baseball stars I noticed an older gentleman sitting by himself in the Red Sox dugout with a smile from ear to ear.

He reminded me so much of my father who also got to visit the dugout in a Puerto Rico baseball game. Carlos Baerga invited him on his 90^th birthday where he also got to meet Roberto Alomar and Juan “Igor” Gonzalez.

My fathers face was as lit up as this Latino elder sitting in the dugout.

I walked over to him and introduced myself. He turned out to be Leo Oritz, David “Big Papi” Ortiz’ dad. The following was excerpts of our conversation (translation provided by Morivivi Language Services):

LS: How does a father feel sitting here and looking at his son who will be playing in this key game six of the World Series?

LO: I feel much pride and expect that the team will triumph. We have a great pitcher on the mound tonight. All I ask God is that he gives us five or six strong innings so that when we enter the seventh or eighth innings they (Cardinal hitters) will have to speak Japanese. If they don’t speak Japanese then it’s over. (Laughing out loud)

LS: What do you expect from your son, David tonight?

LO: Well if they pitch to him I expect many good things. I expect 3-2 tonight and hopefully close with a .750 BA.

LS: No doubt David has been swinging a good bat. Let me ask you, was David born with a bat in his hand?

LO: That is what I was telling a friend recently. David was born to bat. Since a young age he always had a good understanding of the strike zone. He enjoys this game and when you enjoy what you do things will almost always turn out good in 75 to 80% of the times. Now when you are negative and sour on a job, things will always turn out bad.

LS: David is also a player that is always smiling, always joking with people. He seems to want to live his life in a happy way. Has he always been like that?

LO: That comes from childhood. I remember him as a child always helping doing something to make others smile. I remember once in a small restaurant he saw a few kids outside. He went out and invited them in to sit with us and have refreshment saying, “Its all right come in my father will pay.” He has always been like that. Now that he is in a better position to do that and more he does a lot to offer the kids that warmth and love. He also does a lot with his foundation.

LS: At what age did David begin to play baseball?

LO: He began to play baseball at the age of nine because what he really liked was basketball he was good playing basketball. He had the height and loved to play basketball. He had great shots and could dunk wherever. But I took him out of basketball because I had played amateur baseball and I believed that in baseball he could be better and not only for being better, but the opportunities in our country are better for baseball than for basketball. That is why I insisted more in baseball. I basically forced him out of basketball and put him in baseball.

LS: So basically when we see Big Papi winning a game with a huge homerun the fans need to also thank you for taking him out of basketball and putting him into baseball?

LO: For sure, for sure (laughing). He once told Michael Jordan that his baseball career was almost at risk because of him (Jordan). He once met Michael in AAA when Michael was trying out for baseball with the White Sox. David said: “Michael because of you my baseball career was almost at risk.” David explained how he was a fan of his and thought basketball was his thing until his father forced him out.

LS: Thank you Don Leo for giving us this opportunity to talk to you and thank you for your guidance as a father to have David “BIG Papi” Ortiz be the man and player that he is today.

LO: Thank you and all those fans who will hear this interview for your support of David and this game.

This article was originally published in LatinoSports.

Julio Pabón is President and Founder of Latino Sports Ventures Inc., the parent company of Latinosports.com. Julio is a product of the South Bronx where he still lives and runs his businesses. Julio has written and has been interviewed for numerous publication and networks on sports & political issues. He has been an activist promoting social justice and respect for all communities. He is a recognized motivational speaker was an adjunct professor of American History and presently teaches a volunteer course in a local South Bronx High School on Careers in Sports. His primary goal is to make Latinosports.com a multi-facet sports portal that will engender social and economic empowerment to the Latino community. However, if asked he states that his greatest achievement is his children and grand children.