People were calling David Ortiz “Papi” long before he arrived in Boston.
The former Red Sox slugger revealed Wednesday night during his appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” why people started calling him “Papi.” Apparently it all stemmed from his inability to remember anyone’s name.
“I meet so many people every day, it’s hard for me to keep up with their names,” Ortiz said. “So I just ‘Papi’ people.
“(I couldn’t remember) Nobody’s name. Not even my teammates’.”
And that’s how the legend was born.