Hall of Famer John Smoltz, who knows from auras, sat in a Yankee Stadium broadcast booth Monday afternoon and thought back to the first time he witnessed Big Papi in full splendor, down in the Dominican Republic.
“Just the whole David Ortiz aura is unbelievable,” Smoltz said, before preparing to call the Subway Series opener (which rain postponed) for the MLB Network.
That unbelievable aura heightened the disbelief that circulated throughout the industry from late Sunday night through Monday: Ortiz, the retired Red Sox slugger, was shot in his back Sunday while at an outdoor bar in his native country.