It's been more than six years since David Ortiz played his last MLB game, but his love for the Boston Red Sox -- and disdain for the New York Yankees -- hasn't diminished.
The former Red Sox slugger was a recent guest on the "Games with Names" podcast with former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and comedian Sam Morril, a New York native and avid Yankees fan.
Naturally, the conversation turned to a debate over which team has the better fans, and Ortiz provided some great evidence against New Yorkers by recalling his recent encounter with a Yankees fan in an elevator.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE Tomase: David Ortiz has a valid doubt about Red Sox' 2023 lineup
"This Yankee fan was talking s--- about my boy Aaron Judge," Ortiz recalled. "... This is what I told him: I was like, 'Hey, have you ever taken a minute to picture the Yankees lineup without Aaron Judge next year?' And this motherf----er stayed quiet for a minute."
Ortiz then gave the fan a little perspective and explained how fans treated him differently in Boston.
"I told him, ‘You guys, as fans, need to understand that whoever takes that field wants to get things done. I never got booed at Fenway Park, and that’s why I ride and die with those fans,'" Ortiz said.
Boston Red Sox
Find the latest Boston Red Sox news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
To be fair, there's a reason why Ortiz was so beloved in Boston. He emerged as a postseason folk hero almost immediately after joining the Red Sox, delivering five home runs and 19 RBIs during the 2004 playoffs to help the franchise end its 86-year championship drought in just his second year with the team.
By comparison, Judge has yet to reach the World Series in six-plus seasons with the Yankees and is a .210 career postseason hitter. But Ortiz still believes Yankees fans booing the reigning American League MVP is a bad look.
"Aaron Judge, the minute he cools off, even during the regular season, he gets the biggest boos," Ortiz said. "Let me tell you, as an athlete, you will take that from the opposition when you go to their place. But when you get that s--- at home, bro, not good.
"... You see that the guy who cools off, you’re gonna boo his ass when you know that he’s the best player on earth? That says a lot about you Yankee fans."
Like Yankees fans, Red Sox fans have high expectations for their team. But in Ortiz's view, Sox fans treat their star players better, which is why the Fenway Faithful will always rank above New Yorkers in his book.
