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NEW YORK -- Wherever David Ortiz has gone in his final major league season, he has received a parting gift -- from a winter parka in Toronto to a surfboard in San Diego to a king salmon in Seattle and the remains of a dugout phone he once smashed with his bat in Baltimore. But if one fan gets his way Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, Big Papi will leave with the moon. Eight months ago, after Ortiz jokingly told the New York Post that he wanted Yankees fans to give him a standing ovation during his final game in the Bronx, MoonBigPapi.com was created with the mission of encouraging a different sort of salute. The goal: To get 10,000 fans to pull down their pants before the iconic Boston Red Sox slugger's first at-bat. Since then, the website has generated more than 16,000 hits, a number that got a considerable boost this week when Ortiz gave a shout-out to the moon movement in a first-person article that was published by The Players' Tribune. And now, with only a few hours left until the 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch, the only question that remains is whether anyone will actually go through with it. "I still have absolutely no feel for whether people will participate in droves or not," said the site's creator/curator, who goes by the name "Local Bargain Jerk" (LBJ, for short) and requested to remain anonymous because of hate mail received from Red Sox fans. "If it is indeed going to happen, I know we'll be able to see it in people's faces and laughter on the way in."  For the record, the moon movement wasn't meant to be malicious. LBJ, who identifies as "a Yankee fan who lives in New England," even claims to have "a huge amount of respect for all Ortiz has accomplished in baseball and I would be happy to tell him so personally."
According to LBJ, the mass mooning has two primary objectives: "To give everyone, including David Ortiz, a good laugh, and to [tick] off as many Bostonians as possible." And judging by the reactions of Ortiz and some Red Sox fans who lack a sense of humor, LBJ believes it has been successful. Ortiz appears to be amused by the whole idea. After all, he's accustomed to being booed at Yankee Stadium. On the occasion of his final game there, it only makes sense to take the jeers to another level. "Can you imagine? Me neither," Ortiz said with a laugh. "If it happens, I'll make sure I got my cellphone in my back pocket." There is one potential snag: After the Red Sox celebrated clinching the American League East title Wednesday night, it's conceivable Ortiz won't play in the series finale. Regardless, LBJ plans to be in attendance -- "I got us good seats in the upper deck but down low, right behind the plate," the ringleader said -- and ready to drop drawers at the first sight of Ortiz in the batter's box. "Tonight we'll all moon the guy and then settle into our seats to see if he really does hit one out in response," LBJ said. "And if the son of a gun does hit it out, I, for one, will rise and give him the loudest, longest, most appreciative standing ovation ever seen. I will do this because it will be involuntary. I will do it because I'm a fan."
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