New York State Senate Honors Sworn Yankee Enemy David Ortiz In Puzzling Resolution

Getty Image / Al Bello

Local governments, state governments, and Congress are always handing out resolutions or certificates for various accomplishments. These usually are not newsworthy in any way. In New York State today, a peculiar resolution to honor former Red Sox slugger and Yankee killer David Ortiz was passed, raising eyebrows.

The resolution, introduced by State Senator Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx), is horning David Ortiz’s impact on baseball in the 20th anniversary year of the Red Sox storming back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS.

This makes no sense, right? Yes, David Ortiz has done some charity work in the state of New York over the years. But, this guy is a Boston hero and helped the Red Sox beat the Yankees when the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry was arguably at its peak. Ortiz’s walk-off home run in game 4 and walk-off base hit in game 5 got the Red Sox back into the series and they went on to be the first team in MLB history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. It came one year after the Yankees beat the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS on a walk-off home run by Aaron Boone.

The Red Sox would go on to sweep the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series, which gave them their first World Series title since 1918. Meanwhile, The Yankees have never been the dynasty they were in the late 90s and early 2000s.  Since 2004, they’ve made just one trip to the World Series, a title in 2009.

David Ortiz would be a Yankee killer his entire tenure in Boston. In 243 career games against the Yankees, he hit .303 with 53 home runs and 171 RBI and an astounding .961 OPS. When he retired in 2016, few players in the illustrious history of the Yankees had ever had their number more than David Ortiz did.

So, the question remains, why would the New York State Senate honor David Ortiz? That’s not to say the Baseball Hall of Fame inductee is not an honorable man. But, he’s a rival of one of the state’s marquee teams! I don’t think the state of Ohio is going to be honoring Jim Harbaugh any time soon.

The Gothamist tried to explain why. Here’s an excerpt.

You might be wondering why Albany lawmakers are honoring a sports rival who does not hail from New York. The resolution cites charitable work Ortiz has done in the state, including participating in the Maestro Cares Gala, the Derek Jeter Celebrity Invitational and the C.C. Sabathia PitCCh In Foundation Charity Softball Game at Yankee Stadium.

“These activities not only underscore his commitment to philanthropy but also solidify his connection to New York State, leveraging his celebrity status to raise awareness and substantial funds for various causes, thus directly benefiting children and communities across the state,” Sepúlveda’s resolution reads.

Yeah, this still makes no sense. I’m not saying local Bronx residents should vote out Sepulveda over this. But, I’m not saying they shouldn’t, either.