Beltr¨¦ hates having his head touched. Fellow HOFer Papi doesn't care
Brian Murphy
@Spokes_MurphyThere are some things that everyone knows about Adrian Beltré.
A member of the 3,000-hit club. A fantastic defensive player. One of the best third basemen in baseball history. And as of today, an inductee in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Oh, and one other thing: He absolutely hates it when anyone touches his head.
Of course, that didn¡¯t stop teammates from doing just that throughout Beltr¨¦¡¯s career. And that didn¡¯t stop Hall of Famer David Ortiz during Sunday¡¯s induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
Just as Beltr¨¦ was about to step to the podium to deliver his Hall of Fame speech, Big Papi snuck up from behind and gently swiped across Beltr¨¦¡¯s head.
The new Hall of Famer turned quickly toward Ortiz before flashing a big smile and continuing with his speech.
¡°That never relaxed me,¡± Beltr¨¦ joked after the speech. ¡°But OK, it was a little cute to go back to my days when I was playing. It was like teeing off, a good way to go out there and prepare for the speech. It¡¯s just part of being in this fraternity, you call it, of players.
¡°Even though I don¡¯t love it, I don¡¯t like it, but I feel like I¡¯m open to people to be able to play around with me. Big Papi and I, we go way back before we even signed a contract.¡±
A player¡¯s Hall of Fame induction is a celebration of his entire career. And yes, Beltr¨¦¡¯s distaste for having his head touched will forever be a part of his baseball legacy.