Ortiz: 'I feel like I'm 30'

They say you're only as old as you feel, and if 40-year-old David Ortiz says he feels a decade younger, it explains his monster numbers at the midway point of the season.

The Boston Red Sox slugger, who says he'll retire at season's end, is hitting like he's in his prime. At the All-Star break he has 22 homers, a .332 average and a 1.107 OPS.

"Maybe people will stop thinking playing at 40 is bad," Ortiz told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "I'm fine. I feel like I'm 30. I feel good right now. Hitting all those doubles (34) was driving me crazy."

At the break, the Red Sox sit two games back of the division-leading Baltimore Orioles, but in a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays for top spot in the wild card.

Of course, there's help coming from elsewhere, but it's clear Boston wouldn't be in this position if Ortiz isn't doing what he's doing.

So why doesn't he come back for another season? Ortiz shut down those talks in June, when he said it's not that he can't hit, because clearly he can, it's because he's in too much pain to return.

But when it comes to finishing off his career, he wants to do so healthy while playing meaningful baseball in the second half.

"I think it was good. I think it was good in general for everybody," Ortiz said of the team's first half. "We finish (two games) out of first place? Fix a few things and I think it will be better in the second half."

In terms of the attention he's sure to get in San Diego at the All-Star Game, Ortiz is bracing himself for the craziness.

"I don't know how it's going to be," he said. "Hopefully not too crazy. All I worry about right now is coming back, coming back in one piece."