5 iconic Boston Red Sox moments since the 2000 season

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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 20: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox speaks during a pre-game ceremony in honor of the bombings of Marathon Monday before a game at Fenway Park on April 20, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

Red Sox DH David Ortiz’s speech after the Boston Bombing in 2013

On April 15, 2013, the city of Boston was attacked by two disgusting human beings. Multiple bombs being detonated along the course of the Boston Marathon sent people around the country into disarray.

I vividly remember coming home from school when I was 11, sitting on my coffee table, and watching the news with my jaw dropped to the floor. I sat there like a statue for hours, not even taking the time to take off my back pack.

Five days later, the Red Sox returned to Boston for their first series after the attack with a packed house. Rather than wearing the traditional home uniforms with “Red Sox” painted on the front, it was replaced with “Boston,” and no one explained that better than David Ortiz in, arguably, the greatest speech in the history of sports.

If there is any person, in any situation, that could get away with dropping the f-bomb in a stadium filled with over 35,000 people and being broadcast to millions, it’s Big Papi. This speech not just helped heal a grieving city, it showed anyone who dares to mess with the United States that “we will not let anyone dictate our freedom.”

Not only did Ortiz deliver this much needed speech in 2013, he also led the Sox to a World Series victory, with the next moment being a major reason why they won.

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