Two of the heaviest hitters in baseball became heavy hitters on the
late-night television circuit on Friday when Manny Ramirez and David
Ortiz of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox were guests on two
of the most popular talk shows on the tube.

Ramirez, Boston's quirky, slugging left fielder, was the headliner on
NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and an hour later, the designated
hitter with the big bat and the bigger smile known as Big Papi graced
living rooms all over America on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Ramirez followed actor Steve Carell and walked on the stage in a
pinstriped black suit and shades, which he took off as soon as he sat
down next to Leno.

Manny said he was excited to be on the show because he and Leno both
enjoy collecting cars, and Manny asked Leno if he could get a two-door
1956 Chrysler Imperial from Leno so Manny could give it to his father,
who had an original model of that car.

Leno asked Manny about what it felt like to have won the World Series
for the second time in four years after the fans of Boston had to wait
for 86 years to get a title.

"For me, when you win a World Series, that means a lot of pride and a
lot of happiness," Ramirez said. "And I think Boston now is one of the
best cities ever. We won, [Boston College's football team] is doing
great, the Patriots are winning and the Celtics have a great team."

Manny said he never believed in the "Curse of the Bambino," which many
superstitious baseball fans felt was the reason the Sox hadn't won
since 1918 before they beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 Fall
Classic.

"The new management did an awesome job," Manny explained. "We got
Papi, we got [Josh] Beckett, who did a great job out there. And you
know me, Manny being Manny, that's what it is.

"Now Boston is like a dynasty, like the Yankees were before."

Ramirez couldn't leave without a parting "shot," so he handed Leno a
gift in the form of a batting helmet and said, "I've got a helmet for
you, but I don't know if this one is going to fit your chin."

And when Leno asked Manny what "Manny Being Manny" really means,
Ramirez was more than happy to break it down into simple terms.

"Manny Being Manny means that I'm myself," he said. "I don't try to be
a person that I'm not. That's not myself. That's what my dad and my
mom taught me. Just be yourself."

That's certainly what Ortiz did on "Late Night." He had a tough
assignment, coming on right after a rare appearance by comedian Jerry
Seinfeld, but he held his own with the glowing personality that has
endeared him to baseball fans.

He made quick friends with O'Brien, a self-proclaimed lifelong Red Sox
fan, by bearing gifts -- a game bat and a Red Sox jersey with
O'Brien's name and the number 07.

O'Brien pointed out that Ortiz was styling and made him show the back
of his black blazer, which had been bedazzled with a shiny, sequined,
multicolored scorpion.

Then O'Brien got somewhat emotional, saying, "You and your teammates
have changed my life and my family's life. For that, we owe you
eternal gratitude."

O'Brien asked Ortiz where he got the nickname "Big Papi," and Ortiz
answered by saying, "I'm bad with names. I can't remember nobody's
name. I used to call everybody 'Papi,' and that's where 'Big Papi'
came from."

The next anecdote was appropriately about Halloween. O'Brien said he
had heard that Ortiz was personally greeting trick-or-treaters at the
front door of his Boston-area home, but Ortiz said it didn't quite
happen that way.

Apparently, last year, Ortiz's wife answered the door on Halloween for
a father and son, and when they asked if "Big Papi" was there, his
wife, said, "Yes," and then grabbed him from the backyard, where he
was barbecuing with friends.

"Next thing I knew," Ortiz said, "all these kids are getting dropped
by my house."

O'Brien then got down to baseball talk, asking Ortiz about his
routines before he comes to bat and his special cheer with Japanese
Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. O'Brien then offered his own
ridiculous dance moves for Ortiz to add to that cheer.

Ortiz's appearance ended with a very public plea to Red Sox general
manager Theo Epstein to keep free-agent third baseman and World Series
Most Valuable Player Mike Lowell on the Sox.

"I don't think we could have done it without him," Ortiz said, before
turning to the camera, and, with perfect timing, saying, "Theo, do it."

Source: Doug Miller / MLB.com