'A lot of rice and beans': Big Papi's 10 most memorable quotes
David Ortiz has never shied away from the microphone.
Ever since he joined the Boston Red Sox in 2003 and became a baseball icon, Ortiz has blessed fans with countless sayings, tomes, and quotes on all subjects. Okay, the man's never gonna be confused with Yogi Berra or Casey Stengel as a wordsmith, but Big Papi's got his own style down pat. It's in your face, it's occasionally fueled by foul language, and it speaks the unfiltered truth as he sees it.
With the Red Sox falling to the Cleveland Indians 4-3 on Monday, their season - and Ortiz's spectacular career - is now finished. Though he's stepped off the diamond forever, his words from the past 20 years remain. Let's take a trip down memory lane and remember 10 of Big Papi's most memorable quotes.
March 11, 2005, on the subject of PED testing: "They pick me every time. I don't know why. I don't know if it's because I'm a big guy, or what, but all I know is all they are going to find is a lot of rice and beans."
July 10, 2011, after starting a bench-clearing brawl with the Orioles: "Everybody was all over me, going like, 'Hey, man, it's Mike Tyson,' and this and that. I was like, 'C'mon man, I haven't had a fight since I was in kindergarten; don't be calling me no Mike Tyson.'"
March 26, 2015, on playing with emotion: "Yeah, I’m gonna have fun. It’s who I am. I just hit a baseball 500 damn feet. I grew up in the gutter and now I’m out here in front of the world living my dream and you all want me to feel sad? I can’t do it. I’m here to bring joy to this game."
March 20, 2016, on baseball's old-school vs. new-school mentality: "People want to talk about old school. I am old school. How many (expletives) are in the game right now who played in 1997 in the big leagues?"
Aug. 9, 2011, on why Twins catcher Joe Mauer dropped a throw as he tried to score: "I think he heard the big elephant coming. He was shaking when I was coming in."
March 20, 2016, on bat flips: "Whenever somebody criticizes a power hitter for what we do after we hit a home run, I consider that person someone who is not able to hit a homer ever in his life."
April 26, 2016, on Tom Brady and 'Deflategate': "When you fight eggs with a rock, the eggs never win."
Aug. 8, 2010, on his strategy against left-handed pitchers: "Swing at all kind of shit. Swing, swing, swing, swing, and good luck."
Sept. 19, 2014, explaining his late-career surge: "They call me Super Papi. That's right. Put it down like that. What else?"
April 20, 2013, rallying Fenway Park before the first game following the Boston Marathon bombings: "This is our fucking city. And nobody's gonna dictate our freedom."
(With thanks to the Boston Globe)