Beltré hates having his head touched. Fellow HOFer Papi doesn't care
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There 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.
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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 Beltré’s career. And that didn’t stop Hall of Famer David Ortiz during Sunday’s induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
Just as Beltré was about to step to the podium to deliver his Hall of Fame speech, Big Papi snuck up from behind and gently swiped across Beltré’s head.
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The new Hall of Famer turned quickly toward Ortiz before flashing a big smile and continuing with his speech.
“That never relaxed me,” Beltré 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, Beltré’s distaste for having his head touched will forever be a part of his baseball legacy.