In Case You Missed It...

4-for-5, 2 singles, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 1 dead fan in the bleachers, 1 elated Danny Mac

That was Wily Mo's line against Cleveland Thursday Night.

And while you're here, I might as well point you to an article from the Globe about my boy.

Just a couple little tidbits from the article:

"He can be even better than me," said Ortiz yesterday. "He is one of the strongest people I've ever been around. With Wily Mo it's just playing time. With his hitting it's just timing. That's all it is. People say he can't hit the breaking ball. Well, I couldn't hit the breaking ball either. I learned to hit it. But I learned to hit it because I got the opportunity. Wily Mo hasn't had the opportunity."

And...

"That kid is a star waiting to happen," said (Mike) Easler (WMP's hitting coach in the minors). "When I had him as a kid, he was making great progress. We worked on things every day. Every day. I did endless numbers of drills with him to improve his ability to hit a breaking pitch."

Easler added, "From what I remember of Wily Mo and what I see of him on TV when I watch, this kid can still be pretty special. It would be great to see that happen for him because he's a good kid and he just wants to do well. As a hitting coach he'd be a hitter I'd be excited to work with and I felt that way when I had him."

And one more from Papi...

"Someday, I'm telling you," said Ortiz, "he's gonna change your mind."


Now I don't know who Mike Easler is, and frankly, I don't care. When a guy like David Ortiz is saying someone can potentially be better than him, you have to take notice. It wasn't that long ago Ortiz was cast away from Minnesota as a guy who didn't have the talent to make it in the majors. Now he's one of the biggest stars in the entire league.

Pena is 25 years old right now. Ortiz was 27 when he came to Boston and broke out. Pretty similar career paths. The potential is there. The talent is there. Now it's just a matter of putting Pena in the right environment.

I will accept my "Danny you were right" from everyone sometime on 2009. Look forward to that day.


Disagree? (Which I know EVERYONE does.) Feel free to tear me apart at thesportshub@blogspot.com. I will save every email and comment and will throw every one of them in your face when WMP breaks out.