If
you were lucky enough to come to the library on April 25th, you most
assuredly did a double take when you saw the Retirement Rookie – or Big Papi
shelving books in the stacks. You saw him shushing patrons, chatting it up with
readers in our quiet Cushing Reading Room, or checking out books at the front
desk. The adorable storytime in the Children’s Room was so much fun for the
children, Big Papi, the parents, and onlookers.
Big
Papi (aka David Ortiz) retired from the Red Sox at the young age of 40 and now
he apparently has time on his hands. In April, viewers online were asked by
John Hancock Retirement to tweet ideas for how Big Papi could spend his free
time.
Apparently,
working in a library was one of those ideas. Ad agency Hill Holliday teamed up
with David Ortiz a few months ago and the digital campaign culminated in a set
of ads set in locales around Eastern Massachusetts.
That’s
why you’ll see scenes of the Morrill Memorial Library in an exciting new John
Hancock Retirement commercial that will go online in coming weeks. The library
here in Norwood was evidently chosen for many reasons. One of them is obvious -
our library still LOOKS like a library. Much of our 19th Century
building was brought back to its original glory in the latest 2001 renovation.
Our rich mahogany walls, moulding, and 14-foot columns, and our stained and leaded
glass remind everyone of glorious libraries of the past. “What a beautiful place to read, sit and
study,” people say.
David
Ortiz is 6 foot 3 inches tall. It was obvious to all of us that library book
carts aren’t built for tall men. Big Papi, bending over a very short cart,
wound his way along the first floor pretending to look for the right place to
shelve a book.
Of
course, patrons and staff were a bit star struck. How often do you see a BIG
sports star in our library? There was absolutely no mistaking the fact that something
was happening. Huge film trucks were parked in staff parking at the rear of the
library. Once inside the doors, you couldn’t miss the 30 film crew moving about
the first and second floors. Large editing and viewing apparatus was tucked
into every corner, and wires and cords snaked along every walkway.
There
were many moments of shushing. Everyone knows that the library is a different
place today and that we have a few spots that are reserved for quiet reading
but when the cameras were rolling, we were asked to be absolutely silent.
Before
the day filming began, we had been told that a New England Red Sox
recently-retired player would be featured in the commercial. His/her name was
withheld from us. That day, we were also asked not to post anything on social
media.
Thankfully,
that day many of us had the cameras on our phone to record the excitement. A
few enterprising staff members ran to local Norwood sports stores for
baseballs. Of course, a gracious Big Papi autographed them. Filming took just a
bit under four hours before Mr. Ortiz was whisked out of the library. The crew
spent several more hours closing up the library location and before we knew it,
the day had been a memory for the library staff.
David
Americo Ortiz Arias was born in late 1975 in the Dominican Republic and was
raised there. He graduated from high school as a talented baseball AND
basketball player. He attended local baseball games whenever he could of both
Ramon and Pedro Martinez, both eventually Major League baseball players in the
United States. Ortiz signed on with the Seattle Mariners in 1992, was traded to
the Minnesota Twins in 1996, and signed with the Boston Red Sox (thanks to his
relationship with Pedro) in 2003. He played baseball for 20 seasons before
retiring at the age of 40 in 2016.
Ortiz
lost his mother in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2002 when she
was only 46. It’s well-known that Ortiz looks to the sky in memory and praise
of his mother each time he hits a home run and steps on home plate and she is
portrayed in a tattoo on his biceps. He is also
well-known for his foundation, the David Ortiz Children’s Fund that supports
children in Boston and the Dominican Republic. Sales of Vintage Papi, his
charity wine label, raises money for the fund. He’s also a champion of UNICEF
Kid Power.
After
the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, it was Ortiz who helped bring Boston
together again. After all, Big Papi is a Bostonian. And an American. On June 11, 2008, Ortiz became a United States citizen at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.
In
2008, David Ortiz and Tony Massarotti wrote Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams
and Big Hits. He had just broken the team’s record with 54 home runs in 2006 and in 2007 for the
THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR he started the All-Star game. The Red Sox had broken the curse in 2004
after Ortiz was a team player and they went on to win again in 2007. David
Ortiz’ story had not been fully told however – he had nearly a decade more to
write about.
This
week, Papi: My Story written by Ortiz and Michael Holley will be on library
book shelves. By the time he retired in 2016, Ortiz was named an All-Star seven
more times. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series one more time in 2014
with Ortiz behind the bat. Ortiz went on
to hit the most home runs by any player in his final season – 38. He finished
his career with 541 home runs and a .286 batting average. In 2015, Big Papi joined the ranks of three
other great players in Red Sox history – Williams, Yastrzemski and Martinez.
They were voted Franchise Four by Red Sox fans.
There’s
no doubt that Ortiz’ reputation on the baseball field, for commitment to his
family (his daughter sang the National Anthem during his final home opener at
Fenway with his wife Tiffany and other two children on hand) and for his huge
heart are all very real. The Morrill Memorial Library has always been Red Sox
territory. We are thrilled that Big Papi joined us for the day; we’ll never
forget his smiles and his amazing presence among the Library Ladies in Norwood.
Big Papi is welcome anytime he wants to
visit.
