Small Talk: David Ortiz Explains Why People Call Him ‘Big Papi’

David Ortiz has been with the Boston Red Sox since 2003 and generally has a lot to say to his fans. His visit with the kids wasn’t any different.

1. How did you get the name “Big Papi”?

David: To be honest with you, I’m not good at remembering peoples’ names, so I used to call everybody Papi. So, that’s why they named me “Big Papi.”

2. Who is the best dancer on the Red Sox?

David: Right now, it’s definitely got to be me.

3. Are you a fan of snakes?

David: Oh yeah, I’m afraid of snakes. Snakes scare me always.

4. Do you speak another language?

David: Learn as many languages as you can because that’s going to help you out in the long run. I speak Spanish as my first language. English, I’m still learning, and they get complicated sometimes because I have to go from Spanish and translate to English, and it takes me longer.

5. Do you have any tattoos?

Yeah, I have a lot of them. I have a lot of tattoos, they call them ink.