Papi: My Story

by David Ortiz, Michael Holley

Overview

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD

“Baseball fans of all loyalties will enjoy learning about [Ortiz’s] unique experiences in and out of the game.” —Library Journal

David “Big Papi” Ortiz is a baseball icon and one of the most popular figures ever to play the game. A key part of the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years, Ortiz helped to win three World Series, bringing back a storied franchise from “never wins” to “always wins.” He helped upend the doubters, the naysayers, and the nonbelievers, and, as he launched balls into the stands again and again and again, he captured the imagination of millions of fans. Ortiz made Boston and the Red Sox his home, his place of work, and his legacy. As he put it: This is our f*&#ing city.
            In Papi, his ultimate memoir, Ortiz opens up as never before. The result is a revelatory, fly-on-the-wall story of a career by a player with a lot to say at the end of his time in the game to which he gave so much and which gave so much to him.
 
“The rise of Ortiz from scrap-heap bench player to Hall of Famer is an unlikely and entertaining story, and engagingly told . . . The memoir lives up to its ‘no-holds-barred’ billing.” —Washington Post

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328915849
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	289,210
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

DAVID ORTIZ, nicknamed “Big Papi,” is a ten-time major league All-Star, three-time World Series champion, and the all-time MLB record holder for home runs, RBIs, and hits by a designated hitter. In 2015, Ortiz was voted as one of the four greatest players in Boston Red Sox history—along with Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Pedro Martinez—by Red Sox fans. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

MICHAEL HOLLEY is the New York Times best-selling author of Patriot Reign, War Room, and Red Sox Rule. A former reporter and columnist for the Boston Globe and Chicago Tribune, Holley has also appeared on ESPN's popular show Around the Horn and on Fox Sports Net's I, MAX. He is currently a host of WEEI’s popular radio show Dale & Holley.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 The Desert 11

2 Tom Kelly and Me 19

3 Crossroads 29

4 Work, Wait, Play 43

5 Turning Point 51

8 The New Red Sox 61

7 The October of Ortiz 73

8 Parade Route and Out 87

9 Life After the Series 95

10 In and Out Red Sox 103

11 Coasting 113

12 Another Country 125

13 Accused 137

14 Written Off 149

15 Paper Tigers 159

16 Breaks and Rebellions 173

17 This Is Our F'in City 185

18 Ups, Downs, Silver Linings 207

19 The End and a New Beginning 223

Acknowledgments 239

Appendix: Career Statistics 243

Index 247

Editorial Reviews

"[A] freewheeling, insider memoir . . . Now [Ortiz’s] many fans have a book in which the hitter looks back at his extraordinary run and what made it go.” — Boston Globe "The rise of Ortiz from scrap-heap bench player to Hall of Famer is an unlikely and entertaining story, and engagingly told in 'Papi: My Story' . . . As the unpolished reflections of one of the few ballplayers to redefine a club, it works perfectly . . .The memoir lives up to its 'no holds barred' billing."  — Washington Post "Baseball fans of all loyalties will enjoy learning about [Ortiz's] unique experiences in and out of the game." — Library Journal —

From the Publisher

07/01/2017
The last remaining member of the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox team retired at the end of the 2016 season: the beloved "Big Papi," David Ortiz. His immense talent and larger-than-life personality made him seem nearly immortal. In this debut autobiography, the athlete looks back at his storied baseball career and upbringing with great pride and a little humility, touching on milestones and moments such as the Red Sox championships in 2004, 2007, and 2013, and big hits and plays that turned a game around either for or against his team. There are also the frustrating moments in his career, mainly his stint with the Minnesota Twins and being dogged with accusations of having used performance-enhancing drugs. However, Ortiz also includes stories of his family, including his wife, Tiffany, and their three children. VERDICT Ortiz's book is brisk and lacks a lot of depth, but baseball fans of all loyalties will enjoy learning about his unique experiences in and out of the game.—Brett Rohlwing, Milwaukee P.L.

Library Journal

2017-05-28
The ups and downs of a legendary baseball career. In an introduction that covers his early years in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz, who co-authored this book with sportswriter and radio host Holley, notes that he defied heavy odds just to survive, much less become a successful professional player. No one who follows baseball will deny that he was an imposing presence or that he was one of the finest clutch hitters of all time. He was a major contributor to the reversal of the historical misfortunes of the Boston Red Sox, beginning with their World Series victory in 2004 and continuing with another in 2007. After the 2013 Patriot's Day Marathon bombing, Ortiz became one of the voices of "Boston Strong" and helped the team, and the city, to a therapeutic World Series victory. Along the way, there were, of course, bumps in the road. Ortiz feels he was underestimated by his first big league manager, Tom Kelly of the Minnesota Twins, and that his uneven start in the majors was primarily due to this. In 2009, Ortiz was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs and suffered a slump that had many observers suggesting he was finished. His marriage fractured, though he does not say exactly why, and he had more troubles with a manager, this time Bobby Valentine, in 2012, and recurring contract issues. Ortiz describes a few of his teammates, most notably Manny Ramirez, who was both "a hitting genius" and unpredictable and "rude," and Jon Lester, a pitcher who recovered from cancer to return to the big leagues. Ortiz appears positive, constructive, and determined to succeed, and though he deploys a few vulgarities for effect, nothing upsets his cheerful optimism. There are a few intriguing behind-the-scenes anecdotes, but Ortiz offers little self-critical thought. Readers who have already canonized Big Papi will be reassured, but those who hoped to meet a more rounded, multidimensional human will struggle to find him here. A one-of-a-kind slugger keeps his uniform clean in this chronicle of his days in baseball.

Kirkus Reviews