David Ortiz on the mend: shooting and recovery

kevlog

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I found this interesting. (full disclosure - I do work for the publisher of said book, but would have posted this regardless, I'm not trying to sell books, honest!)

Received from the publicist via e-mail earlier...

Tyler Kepner’s “On Baseball” column online in today’s New York Times focuses on the shooting of David Ortiz and mentions PAPI: My Story in the opening line and quotes from the book.

Within the first few pages of his autobiography, “Papi: My Story,” David Ortiz refers repeatedly to the dangers of gun violence in the Dominican Republic.
“Once, my mother sent me to the bodega to pick up some groceries,” Ortiz wrote, with Michael Holley, in the 2017 book. “On my way there, I saw a guy murdered. Right in front of my eyes, killed. I saw things that no one should see, especially a kid.”…
In his book, Ortiz called his childhood neighborhood “chaotic,” describing gang activity, shootings and, especially, drug trafficking. The Dominican Republic, he explained, acted as a bridge among the United States, South America and Europe in the drug trade.
“There were billions of dollars in international drug transactions, which led to some dark, depressing, and corrupt tales in the Dominican,” Ortiz wrote. “It had a devastating effect on the culture then, and it’s still a huge problem now.”

Link to article... https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/sports/david-ortiz-shooting.html
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

critical thinker
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Dec 19, 2009
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Looking at the girl in that picture, I can understand why anyone who is attracted to women would be interested...but Ortiz is smarter than that and doesn't strike me as someone who would screw with a known drug lord (IF HE'S KNOWN, WHY IS HE NOT IN PRISON!? FUCK!) unless he believed his celebrity status made him, pardon the expression, bulletproof. Maybe the hitman didn't want to go through with it or maybe it was just someone who was completely unskilled. But even if the story was true, what makes this guy think people would just let him gun down a national hero over a piece of ass? There's a lot of stupid involved with this story, accurate or not, not the least of which is the girl who got romantically involved with a known drug lord and perhaps decided to cheat on him (why anyone would get involved with someone like that is beyond me - those stories always end one of two ways: the woman dead or the criminal locked up/killed and leaving her to raise kids on her own).

So happy he's doing better. I hope the country bands together to find the fucker who ordered the hit and burns him at the stake.
 

GoDa

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Sep 25, 2017
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@Mueller's Twin Grannies

If the motive is in the ballpark, it wouldn't be the first time I've known of a prominent Boston athlete linked up with (at least, briefly) a beautiful girl with some unsavory connections that would certainly make me think twice. But, certain people run in certain circles and logic isn't always a part of the situation. Ortiz isn't exactly in his mid 20's, so you'd think he would be smarter. I guess we'll see as more details emerge.
 

Soxfan in Fla

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Jul 30, 2001
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Really? We’re going to speculate about tawdry reasons for someone trying to kill a folk hero? Based on?
There are so many different possibilities here really. What has been put out has not been put out by reputable sources to my knowledge.

It could easily be Papi was trying to keep the influences of a drug lord out of his area of Santo Domingo. Heck it could be that a girl is involved from the standpoint that Papi wants him to leave someone he knows alone.
 

McBride11

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Marly Rivera of ESPN just said Papi had "exploratory surgery" last night when he got to MGH which lasted until 1 am. He was declared to be in stable condition and is still in ICU.
Not that uncommon after GSW to stomach. Initial surg is get in - damage control - get out - stabilize in ICU. Couple days later go back and do another look around make sure things aren't missed, bowel is doing okay, etc
 

absintheofmalaise

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Looking at the girl in that picture, I can understand why anyone who is attracted to women would be interested...but Ortiz is smarter than that and doesn't strike me as someone who would screw with a known drug lord (IF HE'S KNOWN, WHY IS HE NOT IN PRISON!? FUCK!) unless he believed his celebrity status made him, pardon the expression, bulletproof. Maybe the hitman didn't want to go through with it or maybe it was just someone who was completely unskilled. But even if the story was true, what makes this guy think people would just let him gun down a national hero over a piece of ass? There's a lot of stupid involved with this story, accurate or not, not the least of which is the girl who got romantically involved with a known drug lord and perhaps decided to cheat on him (why anyone would get involved with someone like that is beyond me - those stories always end one of two ways: the woman dead or the criminal locked up/killed and leaving her to raise kids on her own).

So happy he's doing better. I hope the country bands together to find the fucker who ordered the hit and burns him at the stake.
I realize that everyone's emotions are running high because of the shooting, but it's not furthering the discussion to post idle speculation and nothing more than your opinion here.
 

GoDa

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Sep 25, 2017
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This isn't "wild speculation." The information coming out of the DR (by the minute) is all pointing in a direction that we're talking about.
 

OCST

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The marathon bombing thread in SoSH was both an example of how this place can provide information and community during a high-stress news event, and a warning against the dangers of fact-free speculation.

Since we’re discussing the city’s champion in the aftermath of that attack, we’d do well to remember that.

Could he have been shot over something unsavory? Sure. But right now a) rumor is rampant b ) it’s really ugly to indulge that stuff when the guy is hooked up to tubes in the ICU c) I don’t give a fuck.
 

WestMassExpat

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This isn't "wild speculation." The information coming out of the DR (by the minute) is all pointing in a direction that we're talking about.
That's well-sourced and vetted, I'm certain. Certainly not put out there by rags trying to make a dime or boost traffic.
 

drbretto

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This isn't "wild speculation." The information coming out of the DR (by the minute) is all pointing in a direction that we're talking about.
Wild speculation about wild speculation.

Just because the story seems to add up doesn't mean there's any truth to it. It could be true, it could be partially true, it could be nothing but hogwash.
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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The marathon bombing thread in SoSH was both an example of how this place can provide information and community during a high-stress news event, and a warning against the dangers of fact-free speculation.

Since we’re discussing the city’s champion in the aftermath of that attack, we’d do well to remember that.

Could he have been shot over something unsavory? Sure. But right now a) rumor is rampant b ) it’s really ugly to indulge that stuff when the guy is hooked up to tubes in the ICU c) I don’t give a fuck.
As someone who was guilty as fuck of that in the marathon thread, I concur wholeheartedly.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
All I'm willing to speculate is that whoever did this had some deep seeded hate for Papi for some reason, rational or irrational. That's as far as I'm willing to speculate. If its a criminal drug lord with street mentality, that irrational category is large. I'll wait for facts and I'm avoiding the tabloid headlines until we get some real info.
 

strek1

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So who is the drug lord who wanted David Ortiz dead? The "authorities" who leaked this juicy story don't seem to be providing that information. Or the wife's name. Why is that? Maybe because it would make it too easy to check and debunk an otherwise marvelous story. We need more than some anonymous source in the DR to verify this.
 

garlan5

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Maybe he was aiming at someone else. If indeed he was attempting to kill Papi he clearly missed the mark. Missing him the same amount he missed the guy beside him. Who knows.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Even a casual review of the thread makes pretty clear that pretty much every thing that has been first reported on this story has turned out to be inaccurate.

It seems to me that this is a story where the facts need to percolate before they can be trusted. And we have the fact that the protagonist will not be available for any kind of comment for some time.
 

lexrageorge

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Jul 31, 2007
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Maybe he was aiming at someone else. If indeed he was attempting to kill Papi he clearly missed the mark. Missing him the same amount he missed the guy beside him. Who knows.
How much did he truly "miss"? He inflicted a very serious gunshot wound to Ortiz's back that could easily have killed him.
 

Rice14

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Apr 23, 2008
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Even a casual review of the thread makes pretty clear that pretty much every thing that has been first reported on this story has turned out to be inaccurate.

It seems to me that this is a story where the facts need to percolate before they can be trusted. And we have the fact that the protagonist will not be available for any kind of comment for some time.
This.

He was shot coming out of an "amusement center"--he was sitting down in a club.

It was an attempted robbery--looks more like a hit.

He was shot in the leg--no, he was shot in the back.

There was no organ damage--there was damage to the liver and intestines.

The man they caught and beat up was the shooter--no, he was the driver.

Not much has been correct in any of the initial reporting.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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How much did he truly "miss"? He inflicted a very serious gunshot wound to Ortiz's back that could easily have killed him.
Not to talk about what would have been even worse, but no one saw him--he takes 1 more step and it's point blank in the head.
 

garlan5

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How much did he truly "miss"? He inflicted a very serious gunshot wound to Ortiz's back that could easily have killed him.
Not sure. Just going by the video it was hard to tell if he was aiming at him. Though he seemed close enough to have been able to take a clean shot. Thankfully that didn't happen.
 

snowmanny

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I've officially had enough of you and your snark. You just made the list.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a low IQ thing. There is often a hard to resist impulse, - an almost reflexive human need - to come up with rational explanations to horrible events and in so doing inevitably assign some level of responsibility to the victim. It makes us feel an illusion of control. Howard Stern indirectly joked about this after the OJ murders when he said “well maybe he had a good reason to kill them.” I think it is more like that.

I assume I’m already on the list.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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Dec 19, 2009
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I don’t think it’s necessarily a low IQ thing. There is often a hard to resist impulse, - an almost reflexive human need - to come up with rational explanations to horrible events and in so doing inevitably assign some level of responsibility to the victim. It makes us feel an illusion of control. Howard Stern indirectly joked about this after the OJ murders when he said “well maybe he had a good reason to kill them.” I think it is more like that.

I assume I’m already on the list.
Nah, you're cool. I've almost pulled the trigger (again, sorry for the poor turn of phrase) a few times before on him but that was the last straw.

I think your assessment hits the nail on the head. We all want answers and they aren't readily available, so we're starting to make stuff up that sounds plausible enough to be true based off questionable sources. My speculation on top of the other speculation was an illustration of exactly what you described.
 

Soxfan in Fla

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Nah, you're cool. I've almost pulled the trigger (again, sorry for the poor turn of phrase) a few times before on him but that was the last straw.

I think your assessment hits the nail on the head. We all want answers and they aren't readily available, so we're starting to make stuff up that sounds plausible enough to be true based off questionable sources. My speculation on top of the other speculation was an illustration of exactly what you described.
The fact there have been some rumors floated out of the DR makes that very easy to do as well.
 

loshjott

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I just panicked when I saw CNN Breaking News on this situation.

But it's good news:

CNN Breaking News‏Verified account @cnnbrk

Red Sox legend David Ortiz has taken his first steps following a second surgery to address his injuries after being shot https://cnn.it/2R4Pfg7
 

snowmanny

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I was about to go there. The Pros From Dover double checking that presumed FMGs crossed their Ts and dotted their Is.

Althoooooo, for many years, if you were stabbed or shot, you immediately wanted to go to City, not The General.
And if you were a star athlete stabbed multiple times in the back, Tufts worked out fine.
 

Soxfan in Fla

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I just panicked when I saw CNN Breaking News on this situation.

But it's good news:

CNN Breaking News‏Verified account @cnnbrk

Red Sox legend David Ortiz has taken his first steps following a second surgery to address his injuries after being shot https://cnn.it/2R4Pfg7
I only have 6 words for this.

DAVID ORTIZ!!!!!!!!!
DAVID ORTIZ!!!!!!!!!
DAVID ORTIZ!!!!!!!!!
 

steveluck7

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On mobile so I can’t grab the tweet but Michele McPhee, a non blue check marked investigative journalist, is reporting that the NYPD has arrested a second suspect.
 

amRadio

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Feb 7, 2019
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The woman who was reportedly the mistress according to DR tabloids has apparently made a statement:

“With total security, I can express that information is totally false,” she said. “I do not know the shadow of that man for me. Please wait for more accurate information with proofs and photos of the unfortunate fact, thank you.”
Source

Source 2

Apparently this was released by her via instaface - which isn't exactly my bag, so I'm linking vibe.com and some trash sports site. Sorry about that but they're quoting the source. It seems to me like she used David Ortiz's name in her hashtags to promote her own visibility. Who knows though, but this should at least help to tamp down some of the salacious rumoring and tabloid conjecture.
 
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ehaz

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Sep 30, 2007
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AP: Second arrest made in shooting of David Ortiz

A spokeswoman for the national prosecutor’s office in the Dominican Republic says a second person has been arrested in the investigation into the shooting of former Red Sox star David Ortiz. There is no public indication the man is the suspected shooter.
Spokeswoman Julieta Tejeda reported the arrest to a group of journalists via WhatsApp on Tuesday night. She declined to provide further details.
 

mauidano

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Great news. I realize this is a Third World country and I'm sure it didn't take long before someone gave the suspects up. Let's hope they got the right guys and that justice will be served. The quality of life significantly changed for those arrested. You just don't fuck with a living god and think you can get away with it.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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Great news. I realize this is a Third World country and I'm sure it didn't take long before someone gave the suspects up. Let's hope they got the right guys and that justice will be served. The quality of life significantly changed for those arrested. You just don't fuck with a living god and think you can get away with it.
Developing, not Third World.