Boston's Big Papi reflects on strong year despite team woes

Photo by: The Associated PressBOSTON — David Ortiz heard the chatter early in the year, questioning what he had left, and responded with another strong season.

Entering Boston's Fenway Park finale on Sunday, the 39-year-old Ortiz was hitting .270 with 36 homers and 104 RBIs. The homers and RBIs gave him six seasons with at least 35 and 100 with the Red Sox, passing Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez for most in team history.

This month, he became the 27th player to reach 500 homers. He also passed Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most seasons in team history with 30 or more homers. It's his ninth season with the club; Williams had eight.

But a slow start had critics wondering if time had caught up…