"I can count very few times when me and Manny hung out off the field," Ortiz told WEEI.com. "In the seven years we played together, I can tell you it wasn’t more than a dozen. Manny has his own life off the field."
Ortiz will likely be asked about his former teammate quite a bit this week, as Ramirez is set to return to Fenway Park on Friday Night for the first time since being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July of 2008. Ortiz said that he and Ramirez were tight at the ballpark, but that's essentially as far as the friendship went.
"I love Manny," Ortiz said. "He’s a great guy and a great player, but after the game was over, Manny’s life was different. Half an hour after the game was over, I didn’t know about Manny until 2:30 the next day."
The Sox' DH said that has continued, for the most part, since the trade.
"Since Manny was traded, to tell you the truth, if I had talked to Manny four times, that’s a lot," Ortiz told WEEI.
Still, seeing Manny sent 3,000 miles to the west wasn't something Ortiz was eager to see happen.
"I do," he told WEEI, when asked if he misses Ramirez. "I’m not going to lie to you."
