While the Red Sox slugger sat in the dugout with teammates, he noticed there were pitchers — on their off days — in the clubhouse drinking beer and occasionally eating fried chicken. Needless to say, Ortiz was irked.
“Yeah, at one point it kind of caught your attention and you want to do something about it,” Ortiz said.
The designated hitter ultimately confronted them — to an extent. Ortiz said he expressed his concerns to the culprits, but never harshly demanded they change the behavioral pattern.
“When I talk to any of the guys on the team, I don’t want to sound like I’m their dad,” Ortiz said. “I make sure that they understand that it’s a friend, a brother, another player talking to them. That’s why my communication with a lot of them is easier.”
Even last year, Ortiz’s reputation wasn’t squeaky clean. In addition to interrupting former manager Terry Francona‘s news conference to issue a complaint, the 36-year-old also questioned his former manager’s moves.
Ortiz revealed that Francona eventually pulled him aside and urged him to become a better example for the younger players. It’s a process the veteran is still mastering.
Still, despite the 2011’s team’s off-the-field blunders, Ortiz believes the stories surrounding the Red Sox’s clubhouses shenanigans have been overblown.
“The deal people make about our clubhouse last year was bigger than what it was, that’s the way I see it,” Ortiz said. “That’s why at one point I was like, ‘Whatever.’ You can make any story, you can say whatever you want.
“But we’re the one who knows how our clubhouse runs.”
Photo via Twitter/@DidierMorais
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