Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz acknowledges fans in Boston before throwing a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees on Sept. 13.Mark Stockwell/The Associated Press
Until recently, former Red Sox great David Ortiz had never shown any interest in becoming Canadian. But considering his recent service to the national interest, he’s welcome.
After the Toronto Blue Jays’ second big win over the Yankees on Sunday, the U.S. network broadcasting the series – FOX – went to their panel of experts. It’s heavy on Yankees – Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
The pair of them were doing what you’d expect them to do – making excuses and indulging in when-you-wish-upon-a-star talk about comebacks. Most people back up in front of these two guys. But not the other great on the panel – Ortiz.
“A lot of people in (the Yankee) line-up are saying, ‘I feel a little something right now,’” said Jeter, while Ortiz bore his eyes into him. “Don’t say anything.”
“I love you so much, but the only chance that the Yankees have is if you, Mo (Mariano Rivera), Andy (Pettitte) and A-Rod come back and play. Reggie Jackson …”
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Rodriguez tried to start talking, but Ortiz wasn’t done.
Ortiz: “Babe Ruth.”
Rodriguez: “All right, all right.”
Ortiz: “Roger Maris.”
During another exchange, Ortiz was still naming off players who can’t help: “(The Yankees) can bring Jesus back, and they’re still going to Cancun. It’s a wrap.”
I won’t say Jeter and Rodriguez tried their best, because, like good baseball soldiers, they were operating at their homeristic worst. Only Ortiz felt able to tell the truth.
Does this matter? No. Ortiz remains what he was when he was still swinging the bat – a great entertainer. Going along with the America’s Team party line isn’t going to launch any memes. Alone on that soundstage, Ortiz got what was going to light up the internet. That it allowed him to burnish his Red Sox loving/Yankee hating bonafides in the process was a bonus.
It may not matter, but there’s a point to it. Great teams don’t become great in a vacuum. It can’t just be them talking about themselves. Greatness requires a general conversation.
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Who’s the best team in hockey? Easy. The Florida Panthers. Not just because they’ve won two Cups, but because that’s what everyone says. There is a consensus on that point that is reinforced in every TV stand-up and radio call-in show and feature article. Nobody is pushing the idea that the Las Vegas Knights are actually the best NHL team.
This is true of every sort of art. You can love a TV show and think it’s a masterpiece, but if no one’s talking about it, it isn’t. The opposite is also true – a piece of art that everyone’s taking about becomes great by virtue of the talk, even if it’s pretty average.
For 10 years, the Jays haven’t been any non-Jays fan’s talking point. They’d get thrown out in spring by a few baseball contrarians as a potential spoiler. There was always some dark horse at ESPN who predicted they’d win the World Series. But this banter never survived the regular season.
Going into the playoffs, there was plenty of talk about the Yankees, the Mariners, Cleveland and the Dodgers. Even the Brewers got a lot of love.
But no one with pull was up on the Blue Jays. Until Ortiz.
That he did so amusingly, embarrassing two famous Yankees in the process, is the first step to turning Toronto into the internet’s favourite baseball team.
Never underestimate the power of self-talk. We’ve all known a few complete shmucks who thought they were the greatest, and somehow rose far higher than their talent should have allowed. It’s not that there are a lot of self-promoters on top (though there are). It’s that there are very few self-detractors.
Teams that are discussed as great feel pressure to be great. It must be why the Golden State Warriors, long after their sell-by date, continue to preen around the NBA like they are the benchmark. It’s because people keep telling them they are. The Warriors have chosen to accept the crowd’s opinion.
Why are the Yankees at least pretty good every year? Because people say they will be, which creates an expectation, which in turn creates a result. It’s not always the preferred result, but it’s a result. Eight playoff appearances in the last 10 years isn’t just a function of money.
The Mets also spend a ton, and they’re still crummy. But no one talks about the Mets like they are an unstoppable force.
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To get through the postseason in any sport requires as much luck as skill. The right guys feeling the right way at the right time. Everybody finding their groove in synch, which isn’t the same thing as at the same time.
Hype is a part of that luck. Some teams are natural hype creators because they have the collective personality for it. Ortiz and his Red Sox teams were masters.
Toronto doesn’t have those guys. Its biggest stars aren’t strong talkers. The manager isn’t out there lighting people up. The default team personality is ‘measured’. Very Canadian, when you think about it.
The hype has to come from elsewhere. The Jays are creating some of it with their dominance of the Yankees. If they win on Tuesday here in the Bronx, that will jump a level.
But some hype must come from non-team-aligned sources. You need a few strangers to jump in on your behalf. That’s what creates a buzz.
After the ALDS is done, FOX will also have the ALCS. Ortiz can be that guy for the Jays.
This one guy saying the Jays can’t be beat won’t make the Jays unbeatable. But if enough people say it, maybe players who weren’t entirely sure that they can get there could become slightly more so. At this time of year, small moments can have huge effects.