Wine fest features Big Papi’s new line

Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has gone from swinging bats to selling vats ... of wine.

The retired ballplayer known as Big Papi launched a new line of cigars and wines earlier this year. On Sept. 8, he’ll be the special guest at the annual Saratoga Wine and Food Festival held in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Arias, Ortiz’s wine portfolio, is named after his mother, Angela Rosa Arias, who died in a car crash in 2002. His wine lineup includes a merlot, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc.

The wines have Saratoga-area connections. Peter Ianniello, who grew up in nearby Mechanicville, produces the wines at his Mount Felix Vineyard and Winery in Havre de Grace, Maryland, while Mechanicville-based DeCrescente Distributing Co. is the wholesaler.

The Yankee Whiffer

Yankee slugger Aaron Judge broke the major league record by striking out in 33 straight games. That’s what he gets for changing his breakfast menu from Wheaties to Special K.

Lost in the dark

Missed marketing opportunity for the Royals: Jorge Soler Eclipse T-Shirt Night.

Four’s a crowd

Cubs manager Joe Maddon employed a four-man outfield in a futile effort to retire Reds slugger Joey Votto .So what’ll he do when the Cubs face Giancarlo Stanton — position his left fielder on a rooftop across Waveland Avenue?

Headlines

■ Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, 69, to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, on his diminishing golf skills: “I can hear my ball land now, and that’s a real problem.”

■ Eric Kolenich of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, on Nats pitcher Sean Doolittle’s “Doooooooo” jersey for Players Weekend: “Is it a great jersey? Yes. Is it worth the $199 retail price? Noooooooo.”

■ Comedy writer Tim Hunter, with a sure sign your favorite baseball team isn’t playoff material: “At every home game, grief counselors are available.”

■ Greg Cote of The Miami Herald, on the Dodgers landing Rangers ace Yu Darvish: “Which is like Bill Gates finding money.”

■ RJ Currie of SportsDeke. com, on the Nats’ Edwin Jackson changing teams 11 times in the past nine seasons: “Now there’s a pitcher with location issues.”

Promotion of the Year

The Rangers will honor Adrian Beltre on Sept. 8 — though we’re not sure if it’s for 3,000 hits or for hilariously getting ejected for moving a portable on-deck circle — by giving 15,000 fans a miniature on-deck circle mouse pad.

Fiery Exit Dept.

Some 50.2 percent of Americans in 2016 said they’ll opt to be cremated, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. Sounds like a job for the Tigers’ bullpen.

Productive catchers

Kurt Suzuki hit his 14th homer Monday, yet another blow for Atlanta’s surprisingly effective catching duo. He has combined with Tyler Flowers for 25 homers and 81 RBIs.