Andrew Theodorakis/News
Red Sox DH David Ortiz (r.), shown here with Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, says the Yankees are doing Jorge Posada wrong. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz offered all kinds of support for Jorge Posada Saturday night, but the one thing he didn't agree with was his decision to ask out of the lineup. No matter how much Posada has struggled with the transition to DH and no matter the blow to his ego at being
dropped to No. 9 hole in the order, "you don't do that," Ortiz said.
dropped to No. 9 hole in the order, "you don't do that," Ortiz said.
"As a DH when you just think about hitting and you're not hitting, it just (stinks)... the confusion, the frustration that you're living will sometimes make you make a mistake," Ortiz said. "You're not perfect. You're human like everyone else. He probably thought it was the right thing to do, but now you see it isn't. It's not easy."
Ortiz said he thought almost every aspect of Posada's difficult season - from his struggle adapting to the DH role to Saturday night's confusing situation - could have been avoided if the Yankees had taken better care of the veteran catcher.
"They are doing that guy wrong. They're doing him wrong," Ortiz said after the Red Sox's 6-0 win. "You know why? He's legendary right there... and from what I heard they told him at the beginning he's not even going to catch in the bullpen. That's straight up. That mixes up your head.
"You're going to tell me Posada can't catch a game out there? Come on, man. And I guarantee you if they throw him out there once in a while, mentally it's going to help him out because then he's not just thinking about hitting."
There could be a parallel between what Posada did Saturday night and what Nomar Garciaparra did on July 1, 2004, the game in which Derek Jeter did his legendary face-plant into the left-field stands going for a ball before the Red Sox eventually lost to the Yankees in 13innings. That day Garciaparra was scheduled to be off, was offered the opportunity to play and refused.
That day was one that made it easier on Boston to trade him at the deadline that season. "That wasn't a feel-good day for anyone on this team, but we're not talking about the same thing," said one Red Sox. "The media makes a bigger deal out of these things."
Ortiz said he had to make the transition to being a full-time DH because "I had no choice," referring to his declining fielding skills and other talented corner infielders on his teams. But in Posada, he said, "You're talking about a guy who played his position his whole career....I can imagine how hard that has to be for him.
"He's used to moving and doing all your stuff - especially at catcher you have to have a lot of athleticism - and Posada, since I've been in the big leagues, he's one of the guys who's always right there behind the plate," Ortiz said. "Not hitting and not catching? That's got to be hard on him....He's better than he's been playing. Look at his numbers."
