Fenway Faithful Way off Base Booing Papi

"What have you done for me lately?" has always been a part of sports. In some towns more than others. One of those towns would be Boston. David Ortiz, 2-time World Series hero, has fallen on hard times and a large group of Red Sox fans aren't letting him forget about it.

During the recently concluded Yankees-Red Sox series, which the Yankees took 2 of 3 thanks to a Curtis Granderson home run off of Jon Papelbon (had to get that in), Ortiz heard boos like he's never heard before.

Perhaps some of the reaction has to do with the revelation of a failed steroid test last year. It's results have been called bogus by Ortiz. The leaked info came on the heels of a horrendous start (1 home run through May 31) by Ortiz, which was somewhat overlooked by the fans because the team was doing well.

But Boston got swept in the playoffs and their hated rivals won the World Series. When Ortiz went hitless in the first two games of the season, fans booed and Ortiz went ballistic when the Boston media went asked him about it.

“(Expletive) happens. Then you guys talk (expletive)," Ortiz said after the Sox' 6-4 loss to the Yankees Tuesday night. "Two (expletive) games already. (Expletive) are going crazy. What’s up with that, man? (Expletive). There’s (expletive) 160 games left.”

Manager Terry Francona thought about putting right-handed hitting Mike Lowell in the lineup Wednesday night against Andy Pettitte, but opted to stick with Ortiz. It paid off when Ortiz drove in the Sox only run, but some fans still booed when he made out in his other at-bats.

It brought me back to a Yankees-Red Sox game in April of 2004. Javier Vazquez, who makes his re-debut tonight against the Rays tonight, was facing Pedro Martinez. The Yankees were coming off a World Series to loss the Marlins the prior October.

Both Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams were booed by Yankees fans during the Sox 2-0 victory. Booed..in April. In New York. I was shocked. These were two vital cogs of four world championships and six pennants in the prior eight years. It still astounds me to this day. And I was just as suprised that the Sox fans were booing Ortiz this week.

Some guys should just not get booed. If a player has meant that much to your franchise why would you ever boo them? Beats me.