Friday, September 22, 2006

Ortiz for MVP

Who could be more valuable to a team than David Ortiz? After tying the record set by Jimmie Foxx in 1938 with his 50th home run, most players would have taken the ball (given back by a willing fan) and put it on display inside his house. A proud reminder of a huge accomplishment. Instead, David Ortiz decided to donate the ball (given back to him by a willing fan) to two charities (Source: BostonHerald.com - Boston Red Sox: Historic ball to help charities)

Ortiz plans to use the ball he hit for his 50th homer to raise money for a couple of his pet causes. The ball will be put up for auction on redsox.com, with proceeds being directed to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Plaza de la Salud Hospital de Ninos, which is located in Ortiz’ hometown of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
According to Ortiz, the hospital specializes in open-heart surgery for children.
The online auction starts at 11 a.m. today and will close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Those interested in making a bid may do so by visiting redsox.com and clicking on the Ortiz auction link.

This is all part and parcel of why David Ortiz deserves the MVP of the league. He's no Barry Bonds, talking and taking care of only himself. He's no ARod (or Manny) looking for the biggest paycheck.

Ortiz sat down to meet the two fans (29 year old McGrath and 10 year old Tommy Valeriani) last night: (Source: Boston Herald
He posed for pictures with the two fans. He hugged Tommy. Informed McGrath has a girlfriend, he made note of the guy’s instant fame and said, "Now you’ll have two."

But before the game, Ortiz had this to say:
"This is not fun," he told me before last night’s 6-0 win against Minnesota. "You’re happy for the things you’ve done, but there’s still a sad part. And that’s not winning."

This guy is all about team. And isn't that what MVP is all about? Not just being on the winning team, but it's supposed to be about the player who helped his team the most.

How many walkoffs does he have to hit before he's going to qualify, anyways?

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