After he was fired, former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine accused slugger David Ortiz of mailing in the last month of the season. On Monday, Ortiz responded to Valentine's comments, saying it wasn't his decision to sit out the rest of the season.
David Ortiz responds to Bobby Valentine, calls his former manager ‘crazy’
After former manager Bobby Valentine accused David Ortiz of mailing it in at the end of the season, the Red Sox slugger responded derisively on Monday.
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In an interview with ESPN Deportes, Ortiz denied the idea that it was his choice to sit out the rest of the season following Boston's trade of Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.
“Stopping me [from playing] was the decision of the doctors, management, the manager and me,” Ortiz said, according to NESN.com. “The team doctor recommended that I stop playing to not make the situation worse for the tendon.”
Ortiz said Valentine sent him a text message following the comments, but Ortiz chose not to respond saying he was “not going to drive myself crazy.”
“I did not respond to the message and I said to myself, this guy must have some mental issues or needs medicine or something. I said, I am dealing with someone crazy and I am not going to drive myself crazy, so it is better if I leave it alone.”
Ortiz played in 90 games last season, his lowest total since the 2001 season. He returned for one game on August 24, before sitting out the rest of the season. He signed a two-year, $26 million extension with the Red Sox on Monday.
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