“For Ortiz, Christmas is all about the kids” plus 1 more |
| For Ortiz, Christmas is all about the kids Posted: 24 Dec 2010 09:53 AM PST David Ortiz dons a Santa outfit at his Breakfast with Big Papi charity event. (Ian Browne/ML B.com) FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- On a Saturday morning in mid-December, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz walked into his restaurant -- Big Papi's Grille -- and had a quick and good-natured greeting for his co-host at a holiday event. "Santa, where's the music?" Ortiz wondered. When Big Papi is in the house, especially at an event involving kids, he wants the atmosphere to be festive. Even after all these years with the Red Sox -- 2011 will be his ninth season at Fenway -- Ortiz never tires of trying to put a smile on the face of a child. At the event at his restaurant, families paid $20 each for a Breakfast with Big Papi event at which they got to pose for a picture with Ortiz and, oh, yeah, Santa Claus. All the proceeds went to the Globe Santa Fund, which is the Boston Globe's annual appeal for money, so that thousands of needy children across Eastern Massachusetts who might not otherwise get gifts will have things to open on Christmas morning. For once, Santa had competition when it came to whom the kids were most excited about seeing. In many ways, Ortiz is like a Dominican Santa -- gregarious in nature, large in stature and always looking to make young people smile. "Kids, man, you can never go wrong when it comes to kids, you know what I'm saying?" Ortiz said. "Kids are like the future of life. You need to try to teach them how to do the right thing, even though they might not have what everybody would like as a kid. Any time you can bring happiness to kids, you have to." Decked out in a black sweater and, as is his custom, wearing sunglasses indoors, Ortiz reveled in the interaction with fans. Though the families were instructed that there wouldn't be time for autographs when they went through the line, Ortiz made countless exceptions, signing for just about anyone who asked, and making conversation while he did so. "I love it," Ortiz said. "It's a good time to see people and have people enjoy it. Who doesn't enjoy seeing Santa before Christmas, you know what I'm saying?" A few days after the event at his restaurant, Ortiz was at it again, bringing a big batch of donated teddy bears to Massachusetts General Hospital and presenting them to kids. As a Red Sox icon, Ortiz has been paid well, and he has always made it a point of putting some of his great fortune to good use. "There are plenty of kids in this country who don't get those Christmas presents," Ortiz said. "You have to put people like myself in this position and just try to make it happen and do as much as you can." Though Ortiz is proud of his Dominican heritage and his wife is from Wisconsin, Boston has become his family's primary home during his time with the Red Sox. While hardly any of the Red Sox players maintain New England roots during the cold winter months, Ortiz and his family are fixtures. He works out at Fenway nearly every day, attends more than his fair share of Celtics games and enjoys watching his own kids come home from school every day. In fact, after his Christmas-themed meet-and-greet, Ortiz rushed out to get to his daughter's basketball game. For Christmas, Ortiz will stay in the Boston area. "We spend some time back in the Dominican, but we're always here for Christmas," said Ortiz. "I love it, as long as it doesn't get too cold." Ortiz has plenty of fond holidays memories from his childhood, even if they don't involve snow on the ground. "It was great," Ortiz said. "My family brought a lot of happiness together when I was a kid. That's what I learned at home, and that's what I try to bring to people, too. It's about families being together and enjoying the time and making sure all the good things that God gives us, we appreciate." Count Ortiz among those who appreciate the winter upgrades made by Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein. "It seems like we're going to be good next year; we're going to have a good team," Ortiz said. "We've brought in some pretty good players, and hopefully everything goes well. We went through a lot of injuries last year, and hopefully everything goes good this year." Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, in particular, should take some pressure off Ortiz. "They're going to be dynamite, I'm telling you," said Ortiz. "Those two cats, they can play, they can hit. Gonzalez and Crawford, they look like they're going to enjoy Fenway Park." Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:22 PM PST YORK – Join Krazy Kids Klub for competitive games and contests! Krazy Kids Klub is for all K-5th graders and will be focused around numerous competitions so your children can develop and strengthen a variety of skills. Contests include: serving, free throw, relay races, soccer goals, freebie toss, accuracy throw and much much more. Lets not forget the free time to swim and play in the pool! Krazy Kids Klub is held Tuesday evenings in January and February. Registration deadline is January 19. Register at the York Community Center. More information can be found at ww.ci.york.ne.us or call 363-2630. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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