The best part of this photo is that all of the guys in the background are all smiling like kids on a little league team. For one instant looking at this photograph, one could forget how often these millionaires whine about nonsensical crap when they are living almost every little boy's (and, I suspect, some little girls') dreams.

As for Big Papi and the President, well, I guess that's a nice American story in itself. Guy grows up in the Dominican, makes good in MLB, becomes an American citizen, gets a selfie with the President (who happens to be the first black one).

Eh

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:03am.

The selfie was just another staged photo. Papi endorses Samsung, took the photo w/a Samsung device, and Samsung was tweeting the photo all day. Nothing spontaneous or "feel good" about it.

Not mutually exclusive

By Kaz on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:50am.

Papi endorses Samsung...ok, he's allowed.

Took photo with a Samsung device...well, I imagine if they sponsor him he hasn't paid for a camera/device for years and even hands them out like candy at Christmas to family and friends.

Samsung tweeted the photo all day...sure, it's a presidential selfie from one of their spokespeople. They're not going to ignore that it happened.

However, that doesn't mean that Samsung told Papi to do it...or that they put a few thousand in the President's pocket to play along...there's no need for a conspiracy. It could easily be a feel-good picture taken by someone visiting the President which Samsung has a right to and decided was good publicity for them too.

EDIT:

Samsung: “When we heard about the visit to the White House, we worked with David and the team on how to share images with fans. We didn’t know if or what he would be able to capture using his Note 3 device.”

The most they did is show him how to use Twitter to attach an image from his smartphone's camera.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/02/david-ortiz-selfie-distribut...

Sure...

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:14am.

If you believe it's just a coincidence, especially after all the press they got from the Ellen Oscars selfie, I have a bridge to sell you.

So, you're a bridge salesman??

By Kaz on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 11:31am.

So, that's what this was all about this whole time!

By the way, they'd love you over here: http://www.reddit.com/r/hailcorporate

Come on...

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:01pm.

Samsung signs Ortiz on Monday, Tuesday he takes "selfie" with the prez. You really think that's a coincidence?

Are you reading yourself?

By Kaz on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:24pm.

Man learns skill, uses it next day!

CONSPIRACY!

Nobody is saying it's a coincidence. However, Samsung is paying Papi to use their product knowing that he's going to be in situations like this and something cool might come from it. If something does, they've agreed with him to be allowed to tell people it was their phone taking the picture. That's not coincidence, it's planning on their part.

However, you're assuming there was something more sinister to it...like some kind of banal Manchurian Candidate. They didn't tell him to selfie the President. They didn't pay the President to be in on it. They didn't ask the press secretary to make sure this was included in the speeches. It just happened. It happened to their advantage. The coincidence is that the selfie he took worked out really well and they were able to pimp it around in support of their phone (and if you asked them, they'd say that wasn't coincidence either, it's the quality they plan into every Galaxy Note 3!).

What?

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 1:32pm.

Nobody was talking about a fucking conspiracy. People made it out to be a fun, spontaneous thing Ortiz did while meeting the President, when in fact it was a marketing ploy by Samsung. I didn't assume there was something more sinister than Ortiz and Samsung using the President of the United States as a marketing gimmick. That's poor taste in my opinion.

So...

By Kaz on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 2:43pm.

Any time Ortiz takes a picture with his Galaxy it's now a marketing ploy? The man can never have a spontaneous thought ever again because he's been paid to let Samsung into his Photo Library?

I really hope

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 3:37pm.

You're arguing just for the sake of arguing, because if you really think this was a spontaneous thought Ortiz had, you're a dope.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2014/04/...

Cha-ching

I wouldn't think it would be

By brianjdamico on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 5:19pm.

I wouldn't think it would be a far stretch to say any time Ortiz takes a picture with his Galaxy knowing that photojournalists and other photographers will be taking and likely publishing photos of him taking a photo with that device is a marketing ploy.

What if some of the players

By anon on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 7:06am.

What if some of the players don't like obama? I know its hard to believe in MA but some people actually dislike him.

Sorry, Tim Thomas doesn't

By adamg on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 7:27am.

Sorry, Tim Thomas doesn't play for the Red Sox.

What if what if what if

By RickW on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 8:57am.

I hated George Bush but you could be damn sure that I still would have been excited to meet him when he was president. Some people are actually able to put away their political garbage for a few minutes. Others, not so much.

Yes

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:04am.

I'm not a fan of Obama....well, I think he's an incredible campaigner, a smart guy, and very personable...just not a very good President. Either way, he's not an evil person and if I had the opportunity to visit the White House, I'd go, take in the amazing experience, and shake his hand.

Then you suck it up

By merlinmurph on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:03am.

What if some of the players don't like obama?

Then you suck it up and go, treat the man with respect, and have fun. This isn't Kim Jong-un, this is our president. Is it that hard to act like a grownup?

Exactly

By bosguy22 on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:07am.

Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean you shouldn't at least meet them and be respectful. I will say it doesn't help that the office of the President has morphed into a quasi-celebrity position in the last 20 years. Pre-Clinton, the President wasn't going on the Today show, or late night TV shows. Now, there's very little difference between Obama and a Jay-Z or Bono.

Um, well ...

By adamg on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 9:54am.

Let's not forget Richard Nixon on Laugh In (OK, he wasn't president yet, but only a few months away).

Speaking of

By Kaz on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:01am.

I think Obama was the first sitting President to appear on a late night show. All of the others were nominees or after their terms.

Presidential celebrity

By Waquiot on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:05am.

The Kennedy "Camelot" aside, I would have gone a little bit further back than Clinton for celebrity- the guy before the guy before him was once a movie star.

As for the main topic, it's the office and it's the team. I respect athletes having political views, regardless of what the views are, but you better believe that if I was asked to go to a photo op with Obama, Clinton, or any sundry Bush for something I did, I'd go. It's the frickin' White House, dude.

Unlike the other celebs, he

By anon on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:12am.

Unlike the other celebs, he has nukes.

I disagree with this

By Patricia on Wed, 04/02/2014 - 10:00am.

I disagree with this President on many levels but wow, the chance to not only meet the President of the United States, but a selfie? That would be fantastic!.
You can disagree politically with someone but still have respect for the man and more importantly, the office.
I wish sports figures, celebrities and other talking heads would stay out of politics. It just muddy's things up.
Also, that is one heck of a picture!

Selfie of the day

Comments

Love it!! Big Papi has a

Whew...

This is sure to cause

Obamas way to scrawny to wear that

Oh no!

Baseball like it oughta be?

Eh