David Ortiz may have the best understanding in the Boston clubhouse of what Jorge Posada is going through over on the Yankees side.
“DH-ing [stinks],” Ortiz said. “DH-ing is not easy.”
And whether Posada sat because of back stiffness or not, whether he indicated it to anyone else or not, Ortiz still thinks the Yankees are treating a “legendary” player poorly.
“They’re doing that guy wrong,” the Boston designated hitter said after his team beat the Yankees, 6-0, last night. “You know why? Because that guy is legendary in the organization.
“From what I heard, they told him from the beginning you’re not even going to catch bullpen. . . . That starts messing with your head. You’re going to tell me Posada can’t catch a game out there? C’mon man. I guarantee you they throw him out there once in a while, mentally it’s going to help him out because he’s not just thinking about hitting. Mentally, as the DH, when you just think about hitting and you’re not hitting, it [stinks] man.”
The Posada drama reached a fever pitch last night when the Yankees veteran asked out of the lineup after he was penciled in for the ninth spot. General manager Brian Cashman said no injury was involved, but Posada claimed he had back stiffness and said he needed a day to clear his head. He also didn’t seem to appreciate his boss telling a national TV audience he yanked himself from the lineup.
“We’re dealing with a lot of speculation, with the little bit I’ve just heard,” Boston veteran catcher Jason Varitek said. “I do know and respect what the man has done behind the plate for many, many, many years. Like I do with many things, I’ll wait for the truth to come out. I’m not going to respond to hearsay.”
But Varitek is fully aware of the feeling of taking a step back.
“It happened two years ago when Victor [Martinez] came. The following year I went into a different role,” Varitek recalled. “You can bitch and moan or you can provide what you can to aid a team in winning and we want to win here.”
Whatever the reason for Posada’s absence, Ortiz pointed to “confusion” and frustration” as being a part of his adversary’s makeup.
“You don’t [take yourself out]. But that’s what I’m trying to tell you guys. The frustration, the confusion. You’re leading into something [that] makes you make mistakes,” Ortiz said. “He’s not perfect. He’s human just like everyone else. He probably thinks it was the right thing to do. It’s not easy.”