"Papi! Papi!" David Ortiz tours Baseball Hall of Fame
Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz toured the Baseball Hall of Fame to prepare for his induction this summer and was greeted with chants of “Papi, Papi” by a group of high school baseball players from Pennsylvania when he entered the Plaque Gallery.
Big Papi elected to HOF; Bonds, Clemens, Schilling left out
David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first turn on the ballot, while steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry to Cooperstown in their final year under consideration by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
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Could more Hall of Fame shutouts be on the horizon?
The baseball Hall of Fame wont have any new players in the class of 2021 after voters decided no one had the merits on-the-field or off for enshrinement in Cooperstown on this year's ballot. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)It could be a while before the Baseball Writers' Association of America votes anyone new into the Hall of Fame. AdSchilling wrote on Facebook that he has asked the Hall of Fame to remove his name from next year’s ballot. LAST CHANCEBonds and Clemens have one more year on the writers' ballot, and Schilling does, too, unless the Hall abides by his request for removal. OTHER AVENUESEven if the BBWAA doesn't vote anyone in next year, there's still a chance someone will be elected by one of the Eras Committees, which consider players no longer eligible for the BBWAA vote.
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Baseball Hall gets no new members; Schilling 16 votes shy
Like many baseball writers, C. Trent Rosecrans viewed the Hall of Fame vote as a labor of love. Schilling, a right-handed ace who won three World Series titles, finished 16 votes short of the 75% threshold necessary for enshrinement. Schilling, Clemens and Bonds will be joined on next year's ballot by sluggers Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. Schilling wrote on Facebook that he would like the veterans committee to review his Hall case. “I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player,” Schilling wrote.
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The best and worst of Super Bowl ads
During advertising’s biggest night, Super Bowl Sunday, marketers battled it out to bolster their brands. PLANTERSPlanters teased its Super Bowl ad nearly two weeks before the game, releasing a teaser that showed its Mr. Peanut mascot seemingly being killed. The actual Super Bowl ad was relatively inoffensive, with a baby Mr. Peanut appearing at the funeral. There's a more involved marketing campaign with Ryder, but the Super Bowl ad didn't communicate much. HARD ROCK INTERNATIONALHard Rock International went all in on its first Super Bowl ad, maybe too much so.

David Ortiz gets teary in first interview since being shot
(CNN) - David Ortiz opened up for the first time since being shot in June during an exclusive interview with CNN affiliate Univision that was at times emotional. Ortiz, known as Big Papi by fans, was shot June 9 while at a bar in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. After being rushed to the hospital, Ortiz left intensive care on June 22 and returned home in late July. During the interview, Ortiz dismissed rumors surrounding the incident, saying he wasn't involved in any shady dealings that could have warranted such an attack. Ortiz was a legend in Boston, spending 14 years with the team and helping the Red Sox win three World Series.

David Ortiz throws out ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park
Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game in Boston's Fenway Park on Monday. BOSTON - Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz, making his first public appearance since being shot in the Dominican Republic earlier this year, threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the Red Sox and New York Yankees game Monday at Fenway Park in Boston. Ortiz, who received a standing ovation from fans and players as he jogged onto the field, threw the pitch to his former teammate Jason Varitek. The former Red Sox designated hitter was not the intended target of the shooting at a Santo Domingo bar. Ortiz, who spent 14 seasons with the Sox, helping the team win three World Series, retired from baseball in 2016.

David Ortiz hires Boston's ex-top cop to investigate shooting
A security camera in the Dominican Republic captured the moment David Ortiz was shot. Ortiz hired Davis a few weeks after he returned to Boston from the Dominican Republic, Joe Baerlein's statement said. "The Edward Davis Company is monitoring and analyzing information from various sources in the Dominican Republic around the motives for the shooting of David Ortiz on June 9th," it said. "The Edward Davis Company is also providing personal security services for David Ortiz and his family." Following surgery in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz was flown to Boston, where he underwent additional procedures.

David Ortiz praises doctors, caregivers
BOSTON - Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who was released from Massachusetts General Hospital last week, called his doctors, nurses and caregivers "some of the best teammates I have ever had." Ortiz was shot in the lower back on June 9 while he was sitting on a crowded bar patio in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The bullet perforated his intestines and internal organs before hitting his friend Jhoel Lopez in the leg. Ortiz had surgery in the Dominican Republic before he was taken to Massachusetts General in Boston, where he underwent two additional procedures. Ortiz thanked fans for their prayers and posted photos of steak, pasta and fish on Instagram on Monday.

David Ortiz has been released from the hospital
Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz has been released from a Boston hospital, more than a month after a gunman shot him in the back in the Dominican Republic, a Red Sox spokeswoman said. Ortiz was shot in the lower backl June 9 while he was sitting on a crowded bar patio in Santo Domingo. After Ortiz underwent surgery in the Dominican Republic, he was flown to Boston, where he was admitted at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Ortiz had at least two other surgeries since he was transferred to the Boston hospital. Authorities in the Dominican Republic say Ortiz was not the intended target of the shooting.

Alleged mastermind in Ortiz shooting arrested in Dominican Republic
(CNN) - The alleged mastermind in the shooting of former baseball star David Ortiz was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Friday, police there said. The suspect was identified as Victor Hugo Gomez, according to an alert published on the official Twitter account of the Dominican National Police. Prosecutors have said Gomez allegedly paid for a hit on a man sitting with Ortiz the night of the shooting and that Ortiz was not the target. Authorities say they believe Gomez ordered the killing because he suspected Fernandez turned him in to Dominican investigators back in 2011. A total of 11 suspects are in custody in what was originally believed to be a plot against one of the Dominican Republic's best known personalities.