Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits
David Ortiz. St. Martin's, $24.95 (258pp) ISBN 978-0-312-36633-9
""If you hear something bad about David Ortiz, it's a lie."" So says Ortiz's former teammate Torri Hunter, summing up the general consensus on Ortiz, one of baseball's most beloved superstars. With help from Boston Herald columnist Massarotti, Ortiz tells his tale: growing up poor in the Dominican Republic, struggling through the minor leagues in an unfamiliar country and ultimately finding success as a late-inning hero for the Boston Red Sox. Alternating between Massarotti's third-person summaries and Ortiz's first-person accounts, the book paints a portrait of Ortiz as confident and driven, despite the doubt of scouts and managers. Even though he relies on cliches (""Life is unpredictable, bro"") and occasionally mismanages a sentence, Ortiz's voice is charming-even glowing-throughout. Ortiz's affability makes the book a quick read, but devoid of dirt or controversy; though he does air grievances toward the Minnesota Twins, who first changed his swing before releasing him, Oritz gives Twins general manager Terry Ryan space to explain his decisions. A good book by a good guy, this will please fans, but won't reveal much they don't already know.
Details
Reviewed on: 04/02/2007
Genre: Nonfiction
Mass Market Paperbound - 978-0-312-94752-1
Open Ebook - 288 pages - 978-1-4299-1716-2
Other - 272 pages - 978-1-4299-6214-8
Paperback - 288 pages - 978-0-312-38344-2
Paperback - 242 pages - 978-0-312-36663-6