Ortiz moves Red Sox one game closer to improbable ending

And the big man persists in finding ways to deliver.

He is a giant of a man with an even bigger smile. At 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Ortiz could probably bench press the Montreal Expos by himself. The Red Sox signed him as a free agent in January 2003 after the Minnesota Twins released him in what turned out to be one of their few poor decisions.

He is beloved by his teammates, and has been since long before it became fashionable to do so.

"He's a fun-loving guy," outfielder Dave Roberts said. "He's a jokester, but when it's 7 o'clock, he's ready to play. The thing that makes him so special is that I can't remember an at-bat that he's given away."

His 14th-inning job against Loaiza captured the heart and grit of this Red Sox team in one plate appearance.

"I don't think it's all about being a hero," Ortiz said. "It's all about having a game plan and having an attitude. I've got my own personality.

"That's all I do is hit. I don't go play defense and make a play for my team. Whenever I get the chance to bat, I've got to get it done."

His battle with Loaiza, talk about epic. Two out, tied game, runners on first and second and both bullpens looking as if they'd been run through a paper shredder.

Ortiz took a healthy cut at strike one. Then he held up and watched ball one sail by. Then, three foul balls. After ball two, Ortiz fought off three more foul balls.

"Let me tell you, the guy has some unbelievable pitches," said Ortiz, who also singled home a run Boston's first run in the first and smashed a bases-empty homer in the eighth. "He threw me some pitches that I just tried to foul off. They had good movement, and you don't know if they're going to be a ball or a strike. They were close."

Finally, on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Ortiz dumped a single onto the Fenway grass, Damon sprinted home from second and the party was on. Horns blared outside the Park. Inside, the music cranked and the people screamed and danced.

"I feel like I want to go to the World Series and win it," Ortiz said. "That's what it feels like right now."

Some thought it looked as if Ortiz's bat cracked on his game-winner.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe."

So back to New York we go. And what a ride it's become. At five hours and 49 minutes, Game 5 was the longest postseason game ever played. The 14 innings were the most ever played in an ALCS.

The thrills and chills ranged from Trot Nixon's terrific sliding catch on a Alex Rodriguez fly to right field to end the sixth inning with the bases loaded to eight scoreless innings of relief from six Boston relievers -- Tim Wakefield's three scoreless innings were huge, and catcher Jason Varitek's valiant effort to chase his knuckleballs was nothing short of heroic -- to Damon's miserable series continuing when he couldn't even get a bunt down with runners on first and second in the 11th. He popped to the catcher in an inning that got away from Boston.

"It's awful," Damon said. "I'm having the worst series of my life right now. But you know what, maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Maybe it will turn around real good. Not getting that bunt down, most of Boston wanted to have me hung -- and I wanted to help them out."

If most of Boston wanted to do that to Damon, what did he think they wanted to do with Ortiz by night's end?

"Hopefully we have a couple of more great games," Damon said. "Six, to be exact. Then, hopefully, there will be a nice, big monument for him."

Someone asked Mientkiewicz who ranked first in Boston right now: John F. Kennedy, Paul Revere or Ortiz.

"I'm going to go with my boy," Mientkiewicz said. "I'm going to go with David."

Nobody within earshot argued.