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MLB ALL-STAR GAME

July 12, 2010

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA

ROB BUTCHER: To your left, we have Malik Campbell, he's 11 years old from Fullerton Boys & Girls Club, seated next to him is Todd Fischer, the manager of National Sponsorships for State Farm, and the winner, David Ortiz and David will have to tell you who that young man is sitting to his left.
DAVID ORTIZ: That's my son. Say your name.
D'ANGELO ORTIZ: D'Angelo.
DAVID ORTIZ: Hey, that was supposed to be funny. (Laughter.)
TODD FISCHER: What a night, everybody. I mean, this is an amazing evening that Anaheim won't soon forget, thanks to guys like David and good guys like Malik, as well, that represented their Clubs so gracefully.
On behalf of 17,000 State Farm agents and over 70,000 associates across the country that go to bat for their customers in our communities, we are extremely proud of the impact this evening's event has had on the fans in the stadium and through the broadcast at home, but the kids who will benefit from the donations to the Boys and Girls Club tonight we were proud to make a donation of $573,000 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America which will leave an impact on youth initiatives for years to come for guys like these guys that back at their club they will be heros to tomorrow.
We thank David and the rest of their participants for their efforts because without them, this isn't possible and extremely proud of David to be such a great ambassador for the State Farm Home Run Derby and Major League Baseball.
DAVID ORTIZ: Hey, as a kid, you always want to grow up in a family that supports you and gives you the chance and the opportunity to be somebody in the future, and hopefully teaching them to do the right thing and I think the donations that you guys are doing are going to cover a lot of things.
TODD FISCHER: Thank you. It's a partnership.

Q. The fact that it was you and Hanley in the finals, does that give you a sense what have it would have been like being teammates on the Red Sox batting three and four?
DAVID ORTIZ: I think that things happen for a reason in our careers, and of course, I wish Hanley would be playing on our team, like he was supposed to be. But the move that the Red Sox did back then was good for both sides. It was good for us, they gave us Beck and Lowe, and they got Hanley which is an unbelievable superstar that can play the game so good.
I think it was, like I say, really good for him, really good for us. Of course, I wish he would have been playing here on the Red Sox, but there are things that happen that we cannot control.

Q. Earlier you seemed kind of confident that you might do well; did you feel like you might even win this earlier on?
DAVID ORTIZ: It's not confident. It's just too old doing this. (Laughter.)
This is my fourth time, so just kind of use the experience. It was good that they put me towards the end, because I get tired pretty easy when I hit and shut it down for a while. So when I don't have to wait that long period of time, I guess it helped me out.

Q. Did you feel tired at the end?
DAVID ORTIZ: Yeah, I did.

Q. Can you just talk about the enjoyment? It seems that it's a unique situation and you're having a lot more fun, and baseball is a serious game and you have to win to keep your spot in the League, but tonight you just seem to be more like a kid again; did it feel that way? Just the way it came across, looking at you on the field.
DAVID ORTIZ: I've been doing it so many times the last few years, and coming back here and being chosen by the players around the league, that really gave me a lot of excitement.
I think it's one thing that I want to say, I thank the players for giving me the opportunity to be here and knowing that I'm one of the guys that like to do the right thing and make sure that whatever or anything that happens in the game, it goes for good.
Like I always say, this is a job that we have, but the name of it is a game, and what we know about that name is have fun, and that's what I try to do, even during the season, have fun with my teammates and make sure everything goes the right way. That makes things easier.

Q. This game -- this whole thing tonight, we felt it out there, the audience felt it and some of your fans felt it; I think you felt it, too. In terms of what it meant, in the beginning you were being criticized and looked upon like perhaps you had lost your home run swing, where you were going, doubts about you, and you come back and win this Home Run Derby. And also, Jose Lima said you had dedicated something about this to Jose Lima pass this trophy; talk about both aspects?
DAVID ORTIZ: One thing about people criticizing or talking about your game, I agree that a lot of people have an idea about what this game can be or what this game is all about. I understand that.
But there's a lot of people that they don't know how hard we work to play this game, how many ups and downs we have. Not everything is roses and flowers. You've got to deal with the downs so you can get up.
You know, I've been a guy that I've been a force as long as I've been playing here with the Red Sox, and I've had a lot of ups, a lot more than downs, and as soon as I have a down it seems like everybody is pointing at me like a Nintendo game or something that is supposed to be that easy.
But to let you know, to give you the news, it ain't that easy. We have to work hard to get prepared to play the game and we have to do a lot of things to maintain ourselves, myself, at that level. I'm one of the guys that some of the guys here that always walk into our clubhouse see me trying to pull myself together to try my best out there. And whatever happens, the beginning of the season, is something that I guess it was supposed to happen, and I figured things out and I just keep on rolling, keep on doing the same thing, try to stay focused and keep the line moving.
And about my boy, Lima, a lot of you guys know about the relationship that was between me and my man. To see him, just watching him leave that early, I think that was something that not one of us was expecting. I have a lot of -- I've got -- I was really hurt watching him go. He was really a close friend of mine, and his family wasn't ready to watch him leave.
So when I got picked up to be in the All-Star Game, I feel like I wanted to do something to, you know, make sure he feels more than usual.
So like I say, I want to dedicate this trophy and this Home Run Derby tournament to him and his family, because I know that they are going to be hurting for a long time.

Q. What role do you think your experience in the Derby had, considering that there were five other guys who this was their first Derby?
DAVID ORTIZ: Well, you know, it's just something that you pick, some of the best power hitters in the League to compete, even knowing that the league leader wasn't in the competition, I don't know why.
But that's something that you pick, some good power hitters, guys able to hit the ball over the fence, bring them in. I guess doing it for a few more times or whatever is not an issue. I think that whoever puts the best swing wins it. I have seen a lot of guys do it for the first time and they walk away with that right there. So I think whoever plays the best in the night is the one getting it done.

Q. You talk about the ups and the downs. When you go through the downs, does that make you appreciate the ups more, a night like tonight just when you think about some of the not-so-pleasant things you went through?
DAVID ORTIZ: Well, when I go through the downs, it makes me even stronger. It just teach me that -- never take anything for granted. When you're doing well, you want to just stay at that level, so, when the down shows up, it doesn't do that much damage. My problem was that it was just the beginning of the season and you haven't done anything yet.
So it looked bigger than usual. But sometimes over the course of the season, maybe a few months later on you struggle because you put up numbers already and people feel, oh, he's in a slump right now, and he'll be fine.
But in my case, it wasn't that he's going to be fine; it was that he's done, you know, which is even worse. But like I say, man, like I'm a guy that you have to knock me out really hard to never go back up. That's how I am.

Q. Halfway through Hanley's last round, you took a break and you came over, gave him a drink and patted some sweat off of him. Can you share with us what you said to him?
DAVID ORTIZ: I told him, hey, take it easy, don't get too tired, take your time, because that's what the Home Run Derby is all about.
I'm not really worried about winning or losing. I'm worried about the fans having a good show and I think he did a hell of a job.

Q. How much of a factor was the way Tony Pena threw to you?
DAVID ORTIZ: It was unbelievable. Tony, he got that great mechanics, the guys that throw batting practice. And I saw him before and whenever we go to play the Yankees, I see him throwing batting practice, and as soon as I find out he was going to be here, I was like, "Tony, can you pitch to me?"
He was like, "Fine, no problem, I'm going to throw to Swisher, but I'm going to throw for you." We are here for the fans, it's not a Yankees/Boston situation, we are here for the fans, so let's do it."

Q. When you see a guy like Corey Hart have 13 home runs in the first round, do you think it will level out at the end?
DAVID ORTIZ: When you see a guy coming out like that and the rest of the guys not hitting that many homers, you're like, wow. But remember, it happened to me before, exactly the same thing that happened to him. I hit in the beginning, shut it down for a while, and coming back up, especially a big guy like him, he just -- sometimes it takes more time to warm up and do your thing, but I think he did a really good job at the beginning and he put on a good show.

Q. Could I ask the two young men on either side, David's son and the gentleman representing the Club, which players are you looking forward to seeing tomorrow the most?
MALIK CAMPBELL: I'm looking forward to seeing Torii Hunter, I'd like to see if he robs some home runs; or Jered Weaver, if he can pitch good.
D'ANGELO ORTIZ: My dad. (Laughter.)
ROB BUTCHER: Thank you, folks, very much.

End of FastScripts

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