In a Spanish-language interview given to
USAToday, Red Sox DH/1B
David Ortiz expressed displeasure with his teammate Ryan Dempster plunking Alex Rodriguez on Sunday night—which lead to a 5-game suspension for the Boston pitcher. Said Papi,
"I didn't like it. I don't think it was the right thing to do. But we don't all think alike, and the guy who did it, Dempster, is a great guy. It's not that I didn't think it was right because Alex and I are friends, because once you cross the white lines, everyone's on their own." He went on to state that the action "woke up a monster" in the Yankees—who have made up 5 games on The Carmine Hose since August 7th. Regarding the suspension of
The Fraudeulent One, Ortiz said,
"I thought handing down a 200-plus-game suspension had something to do with his contract. And thinking in general terms, what's good for me, what's good for other players, what's good for your kids if they decide to become ballplayers, you can't let any team break a contract, because then the next time a player gets a DUI, or is charged with domestic violence or with any other thing, then the team may try to get out of a contract. They would have (precedent)." An MLB spokesman denied Rodriguez's contract had anything to do with the decision-making on the suspension. Reportedly, Ortiz had dinner with A-Fraud while the latter was in Boston for the three-game series.
