Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

News Flash: David Ortiz returns to Boston for tests after experiencing a rapid heartbeat for the third time in 11-days. The problem originally popped up during the Yankees series at Fenway and Ortiz was hospitalized overnight on one occasion. Big Papi was removed from the starting lineup about an hour before last night’s game in Oakland.

Teddy’s Take: You’ll have to pardon me if I seem to overreact to this news, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since the Reggie Lewis tragedy, it’s to not take heart issues lightly.

Right now, the Red Sox are downplaying the situation, saying he was sent home for precautionary reasons. Up until last night, Ortiz had yet to miss any games due to the condition. However, a closer look raises concerns.

Big Papi says he first experience the rapid heartbeat during the doubleheader loss to the Yankees on Friday the 18th. It returned the next day, when he was removed from the game early and spent a night in the hospital. The DH laughed it off as stress from the beating Boston got during that series.

But quotes from teammates indicate it’s no longer a laughing matter. "It's not good� said reliever Mike Timlin to ESPN. This game is nothing compared to someone's health or family. We don't play games with people's lives. I don't know any of the details. All I can do is pray for him."

Perhaps more telling is this quote given to the Boston Herald by Wily Mo Pena; “He told me it’s still bothering him and he doesn’t know where it’s coming from. Everybody’s worried, especially him. He said it’s going ‘Boom, boom, boom.�

It says here Big Papi has every reason to be concerned. Bone and muscle injuries are one thing. Potential heart problems are a whole new ballgame. Three episodes in such a short span indicate something is definitely wrong. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. But until the problem is diagnosed and cured, David Ortiz would be wise to forget about baseball and take care of David Ortiz.

Are you folks as worried as I am about this situation?