David Ortiz squares off against Dit Clapper in the first round of Boston’s Biggest Sports Legend tournament.
Forget slow starts, The New York Times and “the list.” Remember 2004 and 2007. Remember what David Ortiz did to help the Boston Red Sox go from perennial losers to one of baseball’s best. From 2003 to 2008, Ortiz and Manny Ramirez served as one of the most dominant, most feared one-two punches in history. Ortiz, in particular, won over the jaded Boston fan base with his jolly demeanor and fiercely clutch bat, registering a walk-off bomb against the Angels in the 2004 ALDS, a walk-off home run in Boston’s legendary Game 4 win over the Yankees in the ALCS, and a walk-off single in Game 5 of the same series. That year, he finished the postseason with a .400 average, five home runs, 19 RBIs and a World Series ring. In 2006, his 54 home runs broke the Red Sox’ single-season record, and he led the AL in home runs and RBIs. Perhaps most notably, in LIPS (Late Inning Pressure Situations), he had more walk-off base hits than most teams. Big Papi changed the Red Sox.
Born in 1903, Aubrey “Dit” Clapper helped establish the Bruins as one of the prime clubs of the Original Six. The right winger/defenseman spent his entire 20-year professional career with the Bruins and became the first player in NHL history to play for 20 seasons. In his second year in the league in 1929, Clapper, Cooney Weiland and Dutch Gainor — otherwise known as the Dynamite Line — led the Bruins to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Clapper registered 228 goals and 246 assists for 474 career points. Upon his retirement in 1947, the Black and Gold immediately retired his No. 5, and the NHL waived its customary three-year waiting period to induct him into the Hall of Fame on the evening of his retirement, making him the only active player to ever be inducted. He coached Boston for two years as a player-coach and won three Stanley Cups in his career in 1929, 1939 and 1941. Clapper is the only NHL player to ever be named an All-Star at both forward and defenseman, epitomizing the meaning of a dominant presence on the ice.
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