Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer isn’t the only one who had a problem with David Ortiz’s dramatic bat flip on Sunday. Big Papi has pissed the Rays off on several occasions by pimping his homers, and he is not going to stop just because people are complaining. But more importantly, why is Archer whining?
Well, we know the real reason. Archer doesn’t care about the so-called “integrity of the game” — he just doesn’t want Ortiz admiring a 420-foot shot that Archer served up. After ripping Ortiz on Sunday, Archer was asked if he still felt the same way on Monday.
“I never saw Hank Aaron flip his bat,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “I’m not comparing the two, but they’re obviously in the same class of players as far what they accomplished. I guess different people have different ways of reacting. That’s just who he is.
“Do I regret saying the truth? No. Agitated is not right word. Angry is not the right word. He pimped a home run off me. Not mad, just speak the truth.”
I wonder if Daniel Nava felt the same way as Archer last June when Archer struck him out to get out of a bases loaded jam. Check out this video from last season that Deadspin brought to our attention:
Some of you will argue that Ortiz’s homer came in the third inning and wasn’t at as crucial a moment as Archer’s strikeout, but come on. If kissing your bicep and staring toward home plate isn’t pimping a strikeout, what is?
As for Big Papi, he is 38 years old and is not going to change. The fact that the Rays keep complaining about him is just going to inspire Ortiz to keep doing what he does.
