For David “Big Papi” Ortiz, life after baseball doesn’t mean life without baseball.
Ask MLB on FOX resident funnyman and Boston Red Sox legend the question of working as an analyst behind the desk alongside his former American League and New York Yankees rivals Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, and that’s where the fun really begins.
“We all have some good days [when] we played, but now our job is basically to pass the torch,” Ortiz, 47, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “And I’ve known these guys forever, so we used to hate each other, but now we’re family.”
He adds, laughing and gesturing to Jeter, “Sometimes I feel like I want to shout out to this guy right here. I let him fly. I let him fly. I’m just kidding. No, we just feed each other information on how we want to run the business here. We have a good team. I feel very comfortable around these guys.”
The good vibes were contagious when PEOPLE sat down with the trio — and host Kevin Burkhardt — to discuss the retired players’ comeback appearances as broadcasters ahead of the World Series, with the Texas Rangers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Friday, Oct. 27 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
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David Ortiz, Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
Lily Ro Photography/Fox Sports
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You’d never know from their casualness in the stadium green room that the athletes were once enemies on the field.
Jeter, 49, is a rookie in the group, joining the team this year, nearly 10 years after retiring.
Joining the broadcast is like joining a different kind of team, he tells PEOPLE, but I still have yet to hear about the Yankees’ epic loss in the 2004 ALCS — in which Papi and his Red Sox came back to win the series from a 3-game deficit. -0 — not so much fun.
“The hardest part was living 2004 every day,” Jeter jokes.
The trio’s on-air chemistry underscores the idea that these guys are still part of a team.
The night before the PEOPLE interview, Ortiz and Rodriguez, 48, interviewed Astros star Yordan Alvarez on the postgame show, translating for him effortlessly in team fashion — as if they were back on the field throwing the ball to each other.
Papi was happy to hear positive feedback from a journalist about how much fun it all was, as he looks forward to achieving new goals.
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“I don’t miss playing at all,” Ortiz says. “I mean, those moments were very special. Everything was about winning. We played to win. We were lucky to have a long career. That’s how I look at it. Not many men are blessed with long careers, especially in baseball. Baseball is a tough sport.”
He continues: “So I enjoy looking at what’s going on at the moment and giving my opinion. And I even enjoy watching the guys celebrate because I got through it. We managed everything. We’ve been through it all. You know what I’m saying? It’s like being a kid and then you become an adult.”
“You’re an adult, that’s what you want to say,” Jeter interjects.
“I’m trying to be,” Ortiz says, as the room erupts in laughter.
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Source: HIS Education