David Ortiz appeared on The Big Show Tuesday, a day after hitting his 20th and 21st homers of the season in a 6-3 Red Sox victory over the Angels. Now hitting .256 with 64 RBI and possessing a .370 on-base percentage, Ortiz spoke of his confidence that his game would return following a rough start to the season.
"This is a game that you need consistency to stay in it and play in," Ortiz said. "It can walk away from you in a long period of time but it can't walk away from you from one day to the next. "
Ortiz was asked about the status of his contract and the possibility of signing an extension with the Red Sox. The Red Sox hold a $12.5 million option for the 2011 season.
"I haven't talked to nobody about that [contract extension], it's something that we're going to talk about at the end of the season," Ortiz said. "I don't know when, but at some point it's going to happen... I try my best, and I plan to play three or four more years, to get it done and I would like to do it here. I don't feel comfortable -- and I said this before -- just staying here for another year because I see how everything's been going on for the last year on my deal. There's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of craziness, there's a lot of talk when you cool off, when you get hot, when you do this and do that… I want to stick around, and it's going to be up to them."
Ortiz was asked if those comments meant that he would be unhappy playing on just a one-year deal in 2011.
"I'll ask you a question, what would be the problem to sign me to a two or three-year deal?" asked Ortiz. "What would be the matter … you know what you're going to get."
Ortiz noted that he was humbled by the fans sticking with him throughout a dreadful first month in which he hit just .143 with one homer. Some media members weren't so high on his list, however, as he claimed that some reporters in Boston take negative attitudes.
"The fans have always been supportive. Now, everything starts with reporters. Reporters have always been the problem in Boston," Ortiz said. "That's why you see players and they don't want to come and play here. Just because they have a deal with a reporter, they have a deal with this one guy, that just because you had a bad week [they say] you're slowing down, and they put in people's minds that you can't play no more. You're old, you're this, you're that. I heard that every day. I'm not a guy who likes to pay attention to any of that, but it was in the news every day."
Ortiz' turnaround for the second straight year left him hoping the media would have been patient in the first place.
"It was April. It was April," Ortiz said passionately. "Look at where my numbers are right now, and we've still got two months left."
As for the moves the team will make before the trade deadline, Ortiz seems confident in the roster once it's healthy.
"I know that Theo and the rest of the squad, they know what to do at the time. I think we'll be fine," Ortiz said. "Those injuries that caught up with us five, six weeks, ago … you can see the difference without those guys in the lineup. … We're still going to have six or seven weeks where we can put some good games together and see what happens toward the end of the season."
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