Twilight Zone For Papi?

The Big Man is still a coveted autograph.
(CEB II)

During my surfing session of the daily sports news, I went to the Sox fan site/blog, bostondirtdogs.com. The picture that greeted me was of the once dominant David Ortiz, possibly strolling back to the dugout as he got overmatched again by an opposing pitcher, adorned with the headline saying "Is David All Done?". The image struck me hard, for it's the month of May, and we haven't seen Big Papi like this at all, not even after his less than stellar start last year that included a balky wrist that hampered him for when he did play. At least the wrist was an alibi for his inabilities in the previous campaign. But this year, Sox Nation is totally baffled as to Papi's ineffectiveness against pretty much anybody and everybody. The lazy pop-ups on hitters' counts, looking bad on hittable breaking balls, and not coming through in the moments that made him a Fenway legend in years past. Most importantly, 0 HOMERUNS so far on the season! You can't emphasize that enough. Recently, he is enduring a slump that has him 2 for his last 20 with 1 RBI in his last 6 games, including an 0-fer weekend at the Trop. The sad part is that it doesn't seem that long ago when he was carrying the team on his back, carrying the Sox to heights never seen before while smashing team records. But just when that picture said a thousand words, Tony Massarotti's blog entry on the Boston Globe cemented the meaning of those very words, and my fears.

Will we ever see this from #34 again?
(thesituationist.files.wordpress.com)

While reading through, I was just shocked with all the statistics presented on Mazz's blog. A .220 average? Papi having 0 intentional walks out of the 10 issued to the Sox this year? Being ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the American League in OPS from our number 3 hitters and DH's this year? Really? This could just be the tragic reality that may tell the (I don't dare say it.), the decline of Ortiz's career (DUN, DUN, DUUUUNNNN). The worst part of it though is that he seems like he has lost his swagger, his passion for the game. When I think of Big Papi, I always reminisce to the 2004 World Series DVD when Sox co-owner Tom Werner quoted him has having "a smile from here to the Dominican Republic". He wasn't just this slugger, he was this larger than life teddy bear figure that was a big contributor in lightening up the mood of a clubhouse that was historically sour. What I see now is a man that doesn't smile as much, if at all. We can all easily point to the slump as his source of woe, but I can't help wonder if it's more than that. Could the Manny thing/the Sox not providing a bona fide slugger be the problem? Maybe the change in culture of the team that was once a more boisterous bunch to one of a more business-like approach has affected his psyche? I think the main culprit, believer it or not, was his record-breaking campaign when he socked 54 homeruns in 2006. It was in that year that we saw a player who once prided himself in taking balls the other way off the Green Monster change into a slugger who went for the tape measure blast towards the Dunkin' Donuts sign. We saw an athlete who was taking total advantage of the peak of his skill abilities. Looking back, some of Papi's best moments were balls hit the other way. Remember the end of Game 3 of the '04 ALDS off the Angels pitcher Jarrod Washburn? How about in the 8th inning of Game 5 of the '04 ALCS against the Yankees off 'Flash' Gordon? Now, we're seeing a slugger trying to recapture a season of glory with a diminished skill set due to age, injuries, or whatever. Even his hits to the opposite field now seem like anomalies, a series of triumphant mistakes to do something more grand.

Sorry Obama, but you may have lost my vote on 2012.
(cache.daylife.com)

So the Nation is wondering, is there still hope for Papi Legend? I doubt that he will go back to his '04-'06 form, but something between a 2003 (31 HR, 101 RBI, .369 OBP) or 2007 is conceivable (35 HR, 117 RBI, .445 OBP). 8 out of his 20 hits have been extra base hits so far (7 2B's, 1 3B), which hopefully bodes significant in terms of a turnaround for the better. Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan said that Papi's struggles are purely mechanical, which bodes well for Papi and the production of the Sox lineup if, and only if he can make the proper adjustments. Despite the slump, there is probably no other player that will be given the time and leniency from the Nation that Papi will receive, and rightfully so. One could only imagine what a Boston sports fan's world would be like if David Ortiz hadn't strolled through America's Most Beloved Ballpark and graced us with his clutchness. We may be still talking about 90 plus frustrating years of getting over the hump, possibly me being more incensed about a Graffanino postseason error in '05, or even worse, A-Rod* actually being (can't believe I'm saying this), a postseason hero. The world as we know it might be a different place, in fact, I know it'd be a different place. Well, you know what they say. There's nothing like Coors Field......err, The New Yankee Stadium to launch a hot streak. Papi has to come through in this short series in the Bronx. I mean, it was his jersey that was buried in the foundation, right?

Mochaman's Fantasy Baseball Report
- Bubba Gump Shrimpz - 34-19-3 (1st, Steroid Freaks' Anonymous, 2 UP)
Decent offensive showing considering I lost Josh Hamilton to the DL. Finally made my 1st move of the season by getting rid of Hardy at SS. Possibly made the biggest free agent pick up in Derrek Lee, which could take my team far if he gets right.

- Mocha Sox -13-24-3 (11th, Yahoo Public 38095, 10.5 GB)
No closers (Valverde on DL, Corpas bombing, Lidge uncertain) plus sub-par performances from Uggla and Sizemore. Need some collective gelling on both sides, and fast.

- Firehawks - 15-24-1 (11th, Yahoo Public 162279, 14 GB)
Got rid of the ailing Thome for Helton to pump up the offense a bit. Upton still anemic despite 3 SBs. The real Beckett and Lester haven't shown up yet. Falling too fast for comfort.