Ortiz regrets announcing retirement prior to season

If David Ortiz could go back in time, he wouldn't have told the world he was retiring at season's end.

On top of having to prepare for a game nearly every night, the Boston Red Sox superstar says he's overwhelmed by the attention he's getting.

"I'm too busy. I have too many things to do. I barely have time to do anything," Ortiz told ESPN following Boston's game against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. "It's very difficult for me. If I had even imagined that it would be so difficult, I wouldn't have announced anything.

"There are too many people I have to pay attention to, and on top of that I have to prepare for a game."

To make matters worse, Ortiz isn't going away quietly.

After 20 seasons in the majors, the slugger is having one of the best seasons ever. He leads the majors with 48 extra-base hits, the most for a big-leaguer through 68 games since Barry Bonds. He also leads the league with 29 doubles, a .729 slugging percentage, and 1.133 OPS.

"Barry Bonds is the best hitter in baseball history; if there is someone who actually knows about batting and how good a hitter is, he does," said Ortiz on a compliment from the home run king. "For me, there's no doubt he's the best hitter in the history of baseball and him saying that about me is more than an honor. He knows what it takes to dominate in this league."

Although he's no doubt receiving pressure to come back for another year, Ortiz knows he physically can't do it anymore because of his ailing feet.

"Since 2012 I've been struggling with my feet. I arrive every day at noon for a 7 p.m. game," he said. "If it was just about hitting ... I can still hit. My mental focus is there, my hand-eye coordination, I work hard to maintain those. But after you hit comes the rest.

"And therein lies the problem. That's the only reason."