Red Sox David Ortiz Wants Yankee Stadium To Stand Up

David Ortiz, the face of the Boston Red Sox franchise, wants one thing from Yankees fans. He wants them to stand up for him in his last game in New York.

Kevin Kernan of The New York Post reported that Ortiz only wants one thing from the ‘evil empire’: ” I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.” After being a part of the retirement celebrations in Fenway Park for both Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, it’s interesting that Ortiz would ask for something so simple and yet so respectful, especially coming from the New York Yankees fans.

Everyone likes gifts; however, as Kernan pointed out in his article, Ortiz doesn’t need a tangible possession. The man has plenty of money to buy himself anything that he wants, after making over $143 million over a 19-year career with a 20th worth $16 million, let alone his endorsement and other financial dealings.

Besides, after winning three World Series championships in 10 years, breaking the Curse of the Bambino, and hitting 445 home runs, 503 so far in his career, it’s a safe bet that Ortiz can get pretty much anything that he wants in Boston practically on the house.

Many people could dive into the amount of times Ortiz broke Yankee fans’ hearts in the regular season and more painfully in the playoffs, but those stories have been told many times. Well … maybe not in New York, but definitely everywhere else. Instead, let’s just take his words today all on their own. He wants absolutely nothing else except the acknowledgement from the passionate baseball fans in the state of New York, specifically the Bronx Bombers type, that he was worthy of an ovation. Ortiz wants to feel the appreciation from the enemy camp that he was worth the price of admission when they entered Yankee Stadium.

No money. No gifts. No possessions. Just the tip of the cap from the House That Ruth Built (even if it is version 2.0).

Unless you are a casual fan, you know that George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth played for the Red Sox for six seasons, before being forced to take his talents to New York in a purchase deal of $100 thousand. He won three World Series championships with the Red Sox before it happened though, making it oddly fitting that Ortiz would be the one to help the team do the same in 2004 against the very same club Ruth left for.

From when Ruth arrived in New York, the Curse felt like it would never end. Who knew that it would take multiple decades for another big man with a big bat to come to the Red Sox from playing six seasons of his own for the Minnesota Twins to break the World Series drought?

Some Red Sox fans and Yankees fans hate each other, but some find that there is some mutual respect between them and their teams. Others sharpen their stares at these words with vengeful thoughts dancing in their heads at the mere mention of respect, but hold your pitchforks a minute. There is something to be said for desiring respect from one’s enemy when both helped define each other’s place in the world. The good fights were fought and it will soon be time to let go of that era when the Red Sox and Yankees crossed swords once again, after both teams seemed to dwindle in the aging light of history. Players like Jeter and Ortiz made us remember why this rivalry is arguably the best in professional sports.

And it’s not like Bostonians didn’t set a precedence in Fenway by tipping their own caps to former Yankee greats who contributed to that era. Now, it’s New York’s opportunity to return the favor. Ortiz will make his final appearance in Yankee Stadium on September 29th. If Yankee Stadium is to give a standing ovation to Ortiz, which is all that Big Papi wants, it will help prove that enemies can respect each other because they helped give us the moments that will be in our memories forever.