Perhaps it was a language thing — English, after all, is David Ortiz’s second language — or perhaps it was a tonality issue. Either way, the Boston Red Sox slugger didn’t mean what some thought he meant.
Ortiz turned heads Tuesday when, according to the New York Post, he said New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is “playing the right way now — as far as we know.” Many saw the comment as a roundabout way of implying that Rodriguez, who has a history of performance-enhancing drug use, isn’t clean this season, but Ortiz shot down that theory Wednesday and set the record straight.
“I never said or implied anything like that,” Ortiz told ESPN Deportes in Spanish, per NJ.com, before Wednesday’s game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. “They asked me a question (Tuesday), and to be honest, it took me by surprise. All I said was that he deserved credit for what he had accomplished this season.”
Ortiz complimented Rodriguez on Tuesday in the same interview that captured headlines for other reasons. His kind words were swept under the rug in favor of a potentially juicy nugget, though. Ortiz and A-Rod have a unique history, so any semblance of skepticism can cause a stir.
“That was not a matter of questioning anything, it was simply because I did not expect the question,” said Ortiz, pointing out that English isn’t his first language. “And all I said was ‘as far as we know,’ and I don’t think that there is nothing wrong with saying that. I do think that they were overthinking it.”
Only Ortiz knows what he truly meant, though one’s inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt because it’s absolutely impossible to pass judgment on his comments without actually hearing his tone. The phrase “as far as we know” isn’t exactly loaded unless it’s said with some conviction. It could have just been extraneous dialogue. Plus, it’s accurate. A-Rod is clean as far as the world knows it.
In any event, Big Papi sounds ready to squash the whole thing. According to Ortiz, he was misunderstood and he wants everyone to realize he meant no ill will toward Rodriguez.
“I have never criticized A-Rod, I swear on my children,” Ortiz told ESPN Deportes. “I have never ever said that he is involved in PEDs or anything like that. I have no business judging anybody.”
We can all move along now. Nothing to see here — as far as we know.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@tony_montalto
