It’s been tough watching Boston’s sports teams (aside from the Patriots) slowly fading away from the successes they enjoyed during the 2001-2010 decade, one during which the city became known to many as “Title Town.” And while Patriots fans are rejoicing following the signing on cornerback Aqib Talib – he very well could be the difference maker this time ’round- I can’t help myself in being more excited about the resigning of David Ortiz. The man is finally getting his due from the Red Sox.

Many have been critical of Ortiz’s public statements about his displeasure with the Red Sox front office – given his leadership role on the team, they see it as being inappropriate. I have always vehemently disagreed with this sentiment, although I understand it. Few players on any team, ever, have meant to their organization what Ortiz has meant to the Red Sox. In his 10 seasons in Boston, Ortiz has been an All-Star 9 times. He’s won the Silver Slugger at his position 5 times, and has come in the top 5 in MVP voting 5 times as well. Not to mention the fact that he almost single-handedly delivered the Red Sox their first World Series title in 86 years – that’s right, without David Ortiz the Red Sox are still the Cubs.

Given his production, the fact that Ortiz is viewed as an all-around good guy, and the fact that he is revered by teammates, the Red Sox front office’s treatment of him was inexcusable. If ever a player was to be given a “respect” contract based on his past contributions to the club, Ortiz would have been the perfect candidate. But given that his production hasn’t slowed one bit, Ortiz was owed a multi-year deal. Thank God he finally got it. You want to talk about “culture” issues with the Red Sox? It starts in the front office. Ortiz wasn’t making absurd demands, and it’s a telling sign that the Red Sox are finally showing him the appreciation he deserves.

Ortiz’s 2012 campaign was shortened to 90 games due to injury, but he still managed to put up numbers that would be a solid 162 game season for most of the league – a .318 average, 23 home runs, 60 RBI, 26 doubles, and a .415 OBP. But his own offensive contributions aside, Ortiz is the perfect fit for the rebuilding Red Sox. Will Middlebrooks recently said to ESPN, “He (Ortiz) always said if you’ve got any questions, call me. Any questions in the offseason — non-baseball-related, baseball-related – call me. It’s awesome. That’s why he’s loved like he is, he’s an open book to everyone. He’s been a huge help to me.” If the next generation of Red Sox hitters is learning from Ortiz, the future is bright.

Finally, there are the actual terms of Ortiz’s deal. He’ll be paid $26 million over 2 years, with incentives that can push his total pay to $30 million. Frankly, $13 million is a steal for Ortiz – and dangling a $4 million carrot in front of him for performance is a wise move as well. I would have been heartbroken if Ortiz had gone elsewhere, and I wouldn’t have blamed him given how he has been treated by the front office. I’m happy to say this worked out as well as it could have – I like your style, Ben Cherington.

By Chris Horne, howiGit Contributing Writer, Wrentham (Foxboroland), MA

Around the All-Star break this year, after it had become clear that David Ortiz was again the Big Papi of olden times, my roommates and I began preliminary talks of what would happen if Ortiz wanted more dough than the Sox brass were willing to dole out in the off-season.  We could only think of two possible outcomes: tears of sadness (if Ortiz signed with another team) and unhinged, furious rage (if Ortiz signed with the Yankees).

By now you’ve heard that Ortiz isn’t all too pleased with the situation in Boston these days.  ”There’s too much drama, man,” Papi said last week regarding the collapse and its aftermath.  “There’s too much drama. I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don’t know if I want to be part of this drama for next year.”  Playing for the Yankees, he said, is “something [he’s] gotta think about.”

Enter unhinged, furious rage.

Look, I know the guy can and should do whatever he wants.  He should play where someone’s willing to pay him and where he can rake everyday.  But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.  And, I didn’t like it.

But now, after a week, with baseball’s talking heads all pretty much agreeing that the Yankees have no real interest in Ortiz, and with Ortiz—sort of—taking back his words yesterday:

“I never said that I would sign with the Yankees. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,” he said. “They asked me if I would play for the Yankees. I said I would think about it. But I didn’t confirm to nobody that I would play for the Yankees. I’m still a Red Sox, aren’t I?”

I can breathe again.  As a Red Sox fan, with all the shit currently hitting the fan, it’s hard to think about the team in a rational or logical way – but after a week of clouded thoughts about Ortiz’s original words, I’ve come to what I think might actually be some reasonable benefits for the Sox should Ortiz sign with New York.

Work with me:

1. Redirection of Media Attention: Consider Ortiz’s own words: ”There’s too much drama, man.”  Agreed, man.  It would take a bolder person than myself to argue that one.  But couldn’t Ortiz leaving for greener bluer pastures lessen some of the scrutiny over these Sox? Or at least channel that scrutiny elsewhere?  Take the rabid media attention off the chicken eaters and the beer drinkers and move it elsewhere.  Transfer this hatred of Sox back to where it belongs, to hatred of Yanks.  Disloyalty trumps debauchery in my mind.  Hopefully in Dan Shaughnessy’s mind, too.

2. Comparable Bang for Less Bucks:  I’m not the first to point out 23 year-old Ryan Lavarnway’s monster numbers in Portland and Pawtucket last year, but they are worth mentioning over and over again:

116 games, .290 /.376 /.563, 32 homers, 93 RBI, 57 BB

For the sake of comparison – not the tightest comparison, but still – here are Ortiz’s stats from his 1999 season with the Salt Lake Buzz when he was 23 years old:

130 games, .315 / .412 / .590, 30 homers, 110 RBI, 79 BB

These, for whatever it’s worth, are pretty similar numbers.  Lavarnway only had 43 big league plate appearances this year, but his minor league highlight-reel is impressive.  The guy drops lunar bombs and comes with a much cheaper price tag than does Papi, and while it wouldn’t be ideal, I would be fine with him getting the majority of DH at-bats in 2012.

3. Prince: From John Harper of the New York Daily News this summer:

Fielder smiled at the mention of the short right-field porch here, but he wouldn’t go near any talk of potential landing spots for next season, though he did leave open the possibility that he could be happy as just a DH.

“I’m not ruling anything out,” he said, “but as for right now, I like playing first base.”

Now Harper, obviously, is insinuating the Fielder is willing to hit for the Yankees, but why not the Red Sox? If he’s all smiles about a short right-field, Fenway can match that, and the Sox can match any monetary offer, too. For now, this is far-fetched and a pipe dream, but it’s something to keep an eye on, especially with Ben Cherrington trying to make his mark as new GM.

4. Purely aesthetic reasons.  Vertical stripes are slimming, and the chin-strap has seen better days.

All kidding aside, Papi has done one thing since joining the Sox in 2003: produce. Oh, and also, he helped them to two World Series wins. Regardless of whether or not the Sox owe Ortiz a deal after the season he just completed (I can understand both sides of the argument here), they owe the man a great deal of gratitude for how he has competed over the last eight years.  Would I be mad to see him go? Yeah, real mad. But I can see more clearly now, and losing Papi to the Yankees wouldn’t be the end of the world.  That, apparently, will come later in 2012.