This is the first part in a series of NESN personalities sharing their favorite memory of David Ortiz as they had an up-close view of his career either as a teammate or a member of the media. You can find all of NESN.com’s coverage as Ortiz goes into the Hall of Fame here.
When former Boston Red Sox pitcher Lenny DiNardo introduced himself to David Ortiz at spring training in 2004, DiNardo didn’t know he was meeting a future Hall of Famer.
Quite frankly, DiNardo didn’t know much about the soon-to-be superstar for the Red Sox.
“I had no idea who he was to be completely honest,” DiNardo told NESN.com. “I was just like, ‘Ok, this guy is a big guy, kind of an imposing figure. Probably hits the ball a long way.’ I really had no idea anything about him whatsoever. … I had no idea what kind of ballplayer he was, and I got to realize pretty quickly what kind of person he was, what kind of teammate he was.”
For DiNardo, who is now in his sixth year with NESN as a pregame and postgame analyst for Red Sox games, that memory of Ortiz sticks out above Big Papi’s many legendary moments, including some DiNardo witnessed during his first season in Boston which concluded with a World Series title.
While Ortiz put together a Hall of Fame career at the plate, DiNardo sees the legendary slugger as a Hall of Fame teammate more than anything else.
“I remember showing up in spring training and he was just a super affable guy,” DiNardo said. “Just treated everyone like his best friend. And I’m like, ‘This guy’s a great teammate.’ Seeing him progress throughout his career and putting the Hall of Fame numbers up, the one thing that really stuck out to me, other than the numbers, was the fact that he treated me the same back in the spring of ’04 that he does now. There’s no difference throughout. Every time you see him, it’s like a brother giving you a hug.”
DiNardo spent three seasons in Boston and saw the beginning of Ortiz’s ascension into being one of the best hitters in Red Sox history. While Ortiz kept compiling sensational statistics and having high acclaim thrown his way, DiNardo was impressed with how Big Papi always stayed true to his roots.
“That’s the biggest thing that stuck out for me,” DiNardo said. “He’s just never changed throughout the years. Even as he kind of exploded as this bigger-than-life figure because of what he did on the field, he never changed that personality and type of teammate he was back then.”
