Of course it was Papi who broke up Roger Clemens’ no-hitter with an upper deck home run in the sixth inning. He’s THE single greatest thorn the Yankees have ever had in their side. Manny Ramirez wasn’t even batting behind him in the line-up tonight. It was all muscle, all Papi.

I watched David Ortiz from the field during batting practice today — you can’t miss the man, listed at 6′ 4″ and a generous 230 lbs. He is a Goliath who waits his turn and slams his bat on home plate like a blacksmith with a hammer before every swing. Of the four or five pitches that came at him during each turn through the BP rotation, he hit at least one into the upper deck. No one else came close to hitting them like that — not even A-Rod. There were hardly even any fans up there hunting loose balls, they all know to wait in the lower deck where balls usually go.

Love or hate the Red Sox, you have to respect Papi. And if you want one of his souvenirs, I recommend sitting in the upper deck of right field during his BP sessions. You’ll get a few hit your way.