David Ortiz always will have the selfie he took with Barack Obama during the Boston Red Sox’s White House visit celebrating the team’s 2013 World Series title.
In all likelihood, he’ll also always have the 44th U.S. president’s stamp of approval.
Obama last week referred to Ortiz’s famous “This is our (expletive) city” speech as “one of my proudest moments as president,” stressing that Boston’s resilience in the wake of the 2013 marathon bombing represented the kind of strength America must continually show against terrorists.
Ortiz expressed gratitude for Obama’s praise Tuesday during an interview with NESN.com.
“It made me so happy and proud that Mr. President mentioned my name while he was talking (on TV),” Ortiz told NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle. ” … This country has been my second home. And like I always said, I would do anything for this country, and it’s something I embrace, me and my family.
“That moment was one of those moments where, as a citizen, you feel like something really, really hit home, and I felt like I had to give some support, give all the fans support and say something that made them feel comfortable, say something that made them feel like we live in a country that has freedom,” the Red Sox slugger added. “You’re not allowed to feel like in this country you can’t say anything. This is America. And I think that’s where the president was going to when he mentioned my name.”
As Obama noted, Ortiz’s 2013 speech might have been the first time most of America was OK with an athlete swearing on live television. That’s because Ortiz clearly spoke from the heart and said what many others were thinking and feeling after such a horrific attack on U.S. soil.
“I made sure that people knew where we were at,” Ortiz said. “It’s one of those moments where I never thought about what I saying at the time. I was just talking just like any other citizen. But looking at it afterwards, I was like, ‘Well, thank God that’s what came out of my mouth and not some craziness, too.’ ”
Ortiz isn’t shy about voicing his opinion and standing up for what he believes in. In hindsight, he was the perfect person to grab the microphone that fateful April 2013 day at Fenway Park.
Check out the video above to hear Ortiz’s full NESN.com interview.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
