Calm Down David Ortiz

Don't get me wrong, I love Big Papi! David Ortiz has quickly become one of my favorite baseball players in the game today. He has hit some mammoth home runs for the Red Sox. There we're times where he's carried the team on his back and done great things for both the team and the city of Boston. What he came out saying the other day, is a little over the top even for me.

It is no secret going into this season that David Ortiz is playing his final year of pro baseball. But what he said made me scratch my head a little bit. Ortiz revealed to The New York Post that he wants a standing ovation in his final game at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 29.

“You know what I want most of all?’’ Ortiz told The New York Post. “I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.’’

Ortiz, who is entering his 20th and final season, has had some memorable moments against the Yankees, including leading the Red Sox back from a 3-0 deficit in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Lets not get this wrong, David Ortiz has had a great career. Ortiz is a nine-time All-Star, having played a big role in the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series for their first title since 1918. To go along with that, he added championships in 2007 and 2013. He hit .273 last year with 37 homers and 108 RBIs. Ortiz has a .284 career average and 1,641 RBI in 2,257 games. He enters this season, his 14th with the Red Sox, with 503 home runs, 27th on the career list and third among active players behind Alex Rodriguez with (687) and Albert Pujols (560). Only Hall of Famers Ted Williams (521) and Carl Yastrzemski (452) have more homers for the Red Sox than Ortiz (445). He has put up good numbers over the last few years too, reaching 30 homers and 100 RBIs for three straight years. But you can kind of tell that on the field his time is coming to an end.

The numbers speak for themselves, putting him as one of the best Designated Hitters to ever play the game. Here's the problem. I can understand that he wants the farewell tour, as does everybody who plays sports. Look at what Kobe Bryant is getting in the NBA right now. The difference is Kobe didn't ask for this reception on his swan song. He was just so good and earned so much respect from his peers that its just happening that way.

Look at the last two swan songs we really got in baseball, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Both guys knew they were heading into their final year, and neither one asked for standing ovations wherever they went in the bigs in their final season it just happened. That's because they were the two best at what they did, Jeter being the last great shortstop in the game, and Rivera going out as the greatest closer in the history of the sport. Ortiz is a great hitter, and will go down as one of the best to ever play the role of DH, but he's not the greatest.

Plus I think most Yankees fans will agree with this, why would he be getting a standing ovation at his final game in the Bronx? He's one of the most hated opposing players to ever step foot on the field in the Bronx. There's a big difference between what he might get and what Derek Jeter got when he left the field after his final at-bat in Boston in 2014. Jeter always played well against the Red Sox and still got a classy reception for a classy player. Papi isn't going to get that.

David I love you man but get with it your not going to get a Jeter like reaction at your final stop in the Bronx at the end of the year.