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Baseball Isn’t Boring

A Dugout Conversation With David Ortiz

26 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What personal connection does Bradfo have with David Ortiz?

0.031 - 4.338 Unknown

Yeah, there should be some passion. This doesn't have to be boring, boring, boring.

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4.358 - 11.709 Rob Bradford

You don't get bored by baseball. Okay, one thing the game needs is more people like you, you, you. Still have grown men run around tight hands.

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11.729 - 20.002 Mookie Betts

It's Mookie Betts. It's Daniel Bard. It's Steve Aoki. Here's Saltz Lamacchia. This is Brock Holtz. Hey, this is John Lester. Baseball is baseball. Baseball isn't boring.

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20.382 - 33.618 Rob Bradford

Welcome to Baseball Isn't Boring. Here's your host, Rob Radford. There's no human being on the planet I'd rather be talking to than David Ortiz right now. That's a fact. That's a fact. That's a fact.

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33.658 - 48.899 David Ortiz

But first of all, before we even begin this interview, I want to say hi to the one and only, your wife. Jen Bradford. You're the best. See you soon. And you know that I'm doing this for you.

48.939 - 79.07 Rob Bradford

Because of you. All right. All right. Thank you, I think. Behind the scenes, we know what's coming because of this interview. Last time I saw you, I was just saying, like, we were literally walking through the Rogers Center field, outfield. Like, you're just like, walk with me. I'm like, okay. And then this is after game six of the World Series. And I understood what it was like.

79.191 - 85.202 Rob Bradford

I think they were shouting down from the hotel room for you. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

85.182 - 111.763 Rob Bradford

it was crazy but yes probably yeah it was nuts well hey listen one of the things that has come up a lot is that the clubhouse the clubhouses that you were in like how the how i said we'll never have anything like this ever ever i mean like pedroia shouting across back and forth oh yeah that was crazy they were crazy you wearing t-shirts baseball was different back then

111.743 - 153.908 David Ortiz

I know. You know what I'm saying? I guess. It was more of a relationship with everybody. Yeah. And personality also. Then what I kind of see nowadays when it comes to baseball today, it seems like every baseball player has an – has a team outside of their team that is consistently telling them what to do. Yes, you're worried about the brand. Yes, it's like a brand.

Chapter 2: How have baseball clubhouses changed over the years?

290.855 - 306.051 David Ortiz

I played the other day, but technology every day improved. Technology every day come out with some new things. We don't have TikTok back then. We don't have Instagram just beginning, I would say around 2009, 2010. Yeah, but nobody cared about it.

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306.071 - 307.252 Rob Bradford

Nobody really cared about it.

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307.312 - 313.018 David Ortiz

Now everybody do. So I don't blame the kids. I mean, it's a lifestyle. It's what it is going on nowadays.

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313.539 - 316.542 Rob Bradford

So when you when you talk about

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316.522 - 342.883 Rob Bradford

the evolution of you one of the things that i i remember you telling me this and i remember talking to other players that you have to start your i don't want to say brand but you have to start thinking about after playing while you're playing right because you see a lot of players where like they just finish maybe they don't talk to the media hey i want to be in the media now right you told me once he's like you got to start thinking about that ahead of time

342.863 - 350.672 Rob Bradford

which it wasn't like you weren't worried about playing baseball, but you also understood, hey, listen, I better have my salsa ready to go.

351.713 - 378.209 David Ortiz

Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, and that didn't come from me. It came from the team that helped me out with everything. They kind of have a vision about the future because, believe it or not, even when you play 20 years in the big league, it's a short time. Yeah. I retired at 41. I was old for baseball, but I feel young for so many different things.

378.229 - 403.551 Rob Bradford

Well, I don't know if you saw what our guy Joe Kelly said. Did you see this about retirement? What did he say? So we're going to get baseballs and boardings. It's big. I'm going to let you buy in as a partner. So I asked him, I said, are you retiring? He's like, no, no. I said, are you pitching next year? He's like, fuck no. I'm like, okay, well, I guess that's retired. He's like, I don't retire.

403.972 - 417.233 Rob Bradford

You don't retire. No. You're like, you're an athlete, you stop playing baseball, but you're doing other things. Oh, so many other things. Right? So many other things. Yeah, but everyone's like, oh my God, you need to retire. No, no. No, but he's right.

Chapter 3: What is David Ortiz's perspective on branding in modern baseball?

523.883 - 529.133 David Ortiz

A lot of guys disappear. A lot of guys, there's nowhere to be found after they stop playing.

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529.113 - 552.469 Rob Bradford

in baseball. That comes back to they panic. They're not thinking about that. And another thing is that they aren't just understanding you can be you. Absolutely. That's right. You are you. When you get onto that set, I see you on the set, and I'm like, oh, I know that guy. Right? Are you better at it than you even thought you would be in terms of the TV stuff?

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552.589 - 573.803 David Ortiz

Yeah, because at the beginning, you're concerned about so many things. because at the beginning you are new at it and you don't want to screw it up. But once you walk into your comfort zone that you know what you're doing, you know every single step, you know where to go, where not to, it's easier.

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574.284 - 582.238 David Ortiz

You still have to be very careful about how you want to do things for national television, you know what I'm saying? But it's more natural.

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582.387 - 594.729 Rob Bradford

But you're also able to lean into, listen, I play for the Red Sox. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to shy away from that. Nah. But people like that. You know, you got a Yankees guy. That's right. You got two Yankees guys. Oh, no.

594.749 - 619.031 David Ortiz

You know I've been showing all my Red Sox. I can't wait for the Red Sox to win the World Series again. Ooh. So they can shove it up on everybody. Because, you know, I'm in L.A. All my boys are either Dodgers fans. We got Jeter. We got A-Rod. You know, they're straight-up Yankee fans. So I'm probably the one solo out there. That's all right. But you know what, though? They can fuck with Papi, man.

619.051 - 643.917 David Ortiz

You know Papi. Papi fire back. well that's the thing that's that's what you're better at you're like that you can say that you are better at firing back at them i mean oh my god no man but i'll tell you what though i have so much love and respect for those guys because we had a good team we get along so well we just those guys they know english is my second language so

643.897 - 648.206 David Ortiz

They help me with whatever I need. They got my back, though.

648.346 - 651.934 Rob Bradford

Do you like it better than you thought you would? I think so. Yeah.

Chapter 4: How does David Ortiz prepare for life after baseball?

983.916 - 1010.834 David Ortiz

Absolutely. I mean... I think we're gonna be all right. Probably, as the season goes, you might go out there and pick someone that might be available to continue helping you. But I want to just, Watch how everything's going to go because we got so much talent right here. Our pitching is incredible. Right now, hopefully everybody stays healthy.

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1010.854 - 1038.917 David Ortiz

We have guys with more experience this year that played and had a good season last year. Anthony. It's a kid that, I would say this, once he's settled at this level, He's going to be unstoppable. He's got all the talent, he's got all the tools, he's very mature for 21 years old, and he knows what he wants.

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1039.558 - 1057.219 David Ortiz

So I just want to let the season begin and see where we're going to be two months into the season. And I like when everybody looks at us as an underdog. Nobody's expecting anything from us. I like that. Because that's how you come in and shove it up for everybody.

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1057.351 - 1076.189 Rob Bradford

And by the way, as we sit here in spring training, I'll never look at spring training the same way after covering you in spring training. The line, and we said this I think last time, the line you had with Johnny Miller was like, hey, are you worried? He's like, last time I checked, they don't have spring training stats in the back of baseball cards.

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1076.209 - 1090.504 David Ortiz

They still don't. They still don't. You know what I'm saying? Like, why are you so worried about me in spring training? I mean... In the back of my baseball card, I never seen anybody talking about spring training.

1090.544 - 1095.529 Rob Bradford

Do you just like hanging out or you just like get this over with or spring training?

1096.05 - 1098.372 David Ortiz

Spring training was fun to me the first couple of weeks.

1098.392 - 1099.333 Rob Bradford

Okay, I got you.

1099.774 - 1114.83 David Ortiz

All right. And then after that, it was just, I want to come in to see everybody, to make sure everybody's good. I want to make sure I'm healthy. I want to make sure my body's good to go. But I had to play under pressure. I had to play...

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