Sox need Ortiz

Retired DH’s book a how-to for success

The timing for a book release is an art and science unto itself.

But as it pertains to the current edition of the Red Sox, the timing of the release of David Ortiz’ latest memoir is equal parts torture and marketing savvy.

We’re just entering the middle chapters of the 2017 Red Sox, far too early to know where the plot’s going to wind up. Nearly two months into the season, one characteristic of this team has emerged already, one that won’t disappear anytime soon.

And that’s that the team misses Big Papi far more than expected.

It’s felt at the plate, where the team’s offense is sorely lacking thunder and in the clubhouse, where the team’s still scrambling to establish presence and leadership to fill the sizable vacuum left behind when Ortiz retired.

Both performance and chemistry are critical to any team. Especially in this market, one relies upon the other. The Sox’ middling 2221 start speaks to how both are lacking.

And “Papi” drives home the point about what’s missing — and perhaps why as well.

The book, written by Ortiz and Michael Holley, ambles through the Red Sox’ golden era of 2003-13 at the leisurely and enjoyable pace of the designated hitter’s home run trot. It’s a reminder of how much Ortiz’ loud and profane presence is missed in the current business-like clubhouse. And even the youngest or most casual fan knows that Ortiz is the smiling face and guiding light of that era and its three championships, but the authors sprinkle in enough choice and saucy tales, especially behind the scenes, to make the trip down memory lane feel fresh.

The book operates at another level, too. It carries a more urgent message, one that offers a refresher course in team-building that can only help guide owners John Henry and Tom Werner, team president Sam Kennedy, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and his staff as they try to fix this ballclub before it’s too late and look to construct future ones.

Over and over again, Ortiz hammers away at how often the team would forget, or minimize, the importance of factoring in players’ make-up and their ability to ignore and thrive under the scrutiny and criticism that comes with playing for the Red Sox.

It’s a cautionary tale about who the club should bring in and who they should keep. The lesson is a timeless one. “I’ve said it before: Playing for the Red Sox isn’t for everybody,” Ortiz wrote. “You’ve got to have the ability and desire to turn negatives into positives, because the

atmosphere is often pessimistic. There’s no way you can play baseball in Boston — or anywhere — if you give the fans and media power over your performance.”

Edgar Renteria, Keith Foulke, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez — Ortiz points out who never felt comfortable playing in Boston, even if they had their productive moments. The flip side of this is holding on to those who proved they can handle it. Ortiz is the sole and ultimate example of this, but he highlights how it was always not so easy to stick around. He swings pretty wildly between gushing about how Theo Epstein came to him for advice on players before the 2007 championship drive and then trashes the former general manager later for playing low-ball in his own contract negotiations. Ortiz may not gain much sympathy with the working class when it comes to the millions of dollars he felt he was shortchanged over the course of his career, but he’s correct to point out how seemingly easily the club dished out mega-deals to the likes of unprovenin-Boston talents such as Crawford. The message to Epstein’s replacement Ben Cherington couldn’t get through about making a run for free agent Nelson Cruz, a player Ortiz felt would handle Boston without any problems, and he especially laments how the Sox botched the Jon Lester negotiations in 2014 spring training and that fall. He shares an amazing anecdote about Lester, after terrible spring training negotiations, a midseason trade to the A’s and hearing the Cubs’ winning offer in free agency. “He called me, crying, because he wanted to come back to the Red Sox,” Ortiz said. “He was bawling, and it got me a little choked up too.” And here we are. No Lester but with David Price, a free agent signee who has as much talent as Lester but has yet to answer every question about how tight a fit he is in Boston. “Good players who not only perform at the highest level but can do it in Boston are worth keeping,” Ortiz wrote. “It’s as simple as that. I don’t care who’s in charge of the Red Sox. If they ask me the key to holding on to talent, I will tell them to find the players who can perform in Boston and keep them.” The Red Sox miss Ortiz’ bat, dearly, but the legacy of his power exists only in the record books now. Perhaps if the Red Sox listen to Ortiz’ wisdom, they can keep his legacy alive in a far more meaningful way.