Keller @ Large: Boston Mayor On Boston Sports Icon
BOSTON (CBS) - "First of all, he's an incredible baseball player, an incredible hitter that always hit in the clutch," says Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, reacting to reports that David Ortiz plans to retire at the end of next season. "Right after the Marathon bombing, his famous speech on the field, he had our back."
Who can forget that one? "This is our (bleeping) city, and nobody gonna dictate our freedoms," Ortiz declared at the first home game after the terrorist attack.
Those timeless words ought to be engraved on the base of the statue that will surely be erected outside Fenway to honor Ortiz. But that's not the only way in which - above and beyond his extraordinary feats on the field - Big Papi's legacy to Boston will endure.
Consider the fact that before Ortiz (and his contemporary, Pedro Martinez) we'd never seen a player of color become the undisputed toast of the town. The great Bill Russell never felt welcome here during his career, despite winning eleven titles.
The old Boston's image as a racist city was hard-earned.
But in some ways Ortiz came to symbolize, to locals and onlookers across the country, the new Boston, a more diverse and tolerant place looking for heroes with heart, whatever their color. "Pre-busing and post-busing we've had a lot of different problems in our city and we've worn a lot of labels," notes Walsh. "Big Papi has shattered those labels."
So we couldn't resist pointing out to Walsh that an October 2016 retirement by Ortiz would give him just enough time to gear up a campaign for Mayor of Boston in 2017. What does the incumbent think of that?
"Oh, as long as he wins another World Series, I'll vote for him."