The Morning According to Us: Papi the Savior

Some think the scarlett letter is on him. We think he could help save the game.

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"It's on, baby."

Ed's note: Sadly, this will be the last edition of Morning According to Us. To quote 30 Rock: "Shut it down." To also quote 30 Rock: "Have you ever tasted scotch? It's terrible!" Indeed. Point being: as the ESPN The Magazine/Insider premium content merge (good for you and yours) draws near, we shall not opine in the mornings. Goodbye, friends.

David Ortiz launched a majestic blast to left centerfield at Fenway Park Wednesday night, a long-awaited home run that allowed Sox Nation to exhale its collective breath. A flash of that familiar broad smile appeared on Big Papi's face, a sign of relief after finally hitting his first tater in 150 at-bats. The drought is over.

Keep 'em flowing, Papi. Major League Baseball needs you.

Gregarious and gracious, Ortiz has been one of the game's great ambassadors, a fact even passionate pinstriped fans can't deny. Big Papi averaged 41 homers and 128 RBI a year from 2003 to 2007, redefining the phrase "Mr. Clutch" while thrilling a national audience with a slew of uncanny October hits.

So, no doubt Papi's precipitous power outage, not to mention an anemic .210 average, has elicited whispers in baseball circles: He's done at 33; he's never been the same since the wrist injury; the knee hasn't recovered yet; a simple mechanical adjustment is needed so he can barrel up to the ball better. The seamhead cynics assume performance-enhancers have played some part in this offensive decline, pointing to ties to a shady Dominican trainer. Our heads are swirling with all this spewing of information. It's a wonder how Ortiz can focus each time he steps in the batter's box, especially in baseball-mad Beantown.

AL hurlers be on alert: Big Papi is starting to look comfortable and confident at the plate, an ominous omen for you, but an incredibly encouraging sign for the game as a whole. During Ortiz' post game interview, he said he "got that big old monkey off my back," and "it's on, baby." Looks like Tito's plan of giving him the weekend off in Seattle cleared his head and sharpened his focus. It really could be as simple as that.

The Sox play some interleague intrigue with the Mets this weekend at the Fens. Perfect time for Papi to go yard in the clutch. MLB is crossing its fingers.

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