As David Ortiz approaches the final innings of his legendary career, the tributes nationally and locally to the Red Sox slugger will roughly approximate his career home run total (that’s 537 and counting). ESPN, for instance, has something planned on Ortiz across its various media practically daily from now through his final at-bat.

NESN, which has been the regional broadcast home for Ortiz’s 14 Red Sox seasons, has been paying homage in various ways throughout the season. But as his playing days dwindle, the network is unveiling a couple of more ambitious projects, most notably two films.

The first, titled, “David Ortiz: The Journey,’’ premieres Friday night at 10 p.m., immediately after the conclusion of the Red Sox-Yankees game, and before any postgame programming. The second, a separate and distinct film titled “David Ortiz: The Era,’’ premieres Wednesday, Sept. 28, again immediately following a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. The companion pieces will be featured during the GlobeDocs Film Festival at Fenway Park that night.

I have watched a rough cut of “The Journey,’’ which is an hour-long look at Ortiz’s full life, structured around a recent interview he sat down for with longtime NESN host Tom Caron, and I can say it offers an appropriate parallel to the player himself: It goes deep often and fulfills the grandest hopes for what it could be.

Since emerging as a Red Sox star, Ortiz always has been a vibrant personality, accessible and opinionated, always seeming an open book. But in his interview with Caron — who was NESN’s sideline reporter when Ortiz arrived in 2003 and has a longstanding strong rapport with the player — he was as revealing as he has ever been, especially regarding a sometimes difficult childhood in the Dominican Republic.

“When he left the room after the interview, there were probably 20 of us in there, and we all looked at each other and went, ‘Wow. Something really special just happened,’’’ said Caron, who sat down with Ortiz for two hours before the Aug. 12 game against the Diamondbacks. “And you don’t always feel that way.’’

While of course there are countless enjoyable baseball-centric moments in “The Journey’’ — a mentor/student conversation with Mookie Betts and rare video of a home-run-hitting contest in the minor leagues are among the highlights — “The Journey’’ is much more than a baseball story.

It’s an effort not just to bid an appropriate farewell to one of the most charismatic and important players in Red Sox history, but to tell his story in full, including the years before he introduced himself to Boston.

Without spilling any spoilers, at one point Ortiz explains his uncommon poise under pressure with a reference to his childhood. “I think I went through the worst in my life already,’’ he said. ’’I go back my roots every time I face a tough situation.’’

Said Red Sox historian Gordon Edes, who conducted interviews with several of the more than dozen current and former Ortiz teammates who appear in “The Journey:’’ ’’What really jumped out at me was the connection he made between the things he experienced as a kid and his ability to handle those huge, pressurized moments as a player. When Tom asked him, is his heart rate any different in big moments, he says, ‘To me, after everything I’ve been through, it’s like heaven.’’’

Ortiz clearly is emotionally invested during the film, often pausing for a few moments before sharing his candid thoughts.

“I think the point where I ask him to look at the camera and speak to the fans kind of created for him the thought that this is kind of a legacy interview,’’ said Caron. “Hopefully this is something people will want to watch for a long time to come. He understood. He’s always captured the moment at Fenway Park. He captured the moment in that interview.’’

ESPN back on ice

Hockey has seemed an afterthought at ESPN since the network opted out of its television deal with the league in August 2005 following the lockout. But there has remained at the network a dedicated and occasionally outspoken group of staffers who remain passionate about the sport and wish the network did more to cover the NHL and the sport at other high levels.

It’s satisfying to see some of them get a chance to broadcast the game at a high level again with the start of the World Cup of Hockey this weekend, which will be carried across various ESPN platforms. The network’s coverage of the tournament begins Saturday with group play between Team USA and Team Europe on ESPN2 (3:30 p.m.). Team Czech Republic and Team Canada face off later Saturday night (8 p.m.) on ESPNews.

ESPN’s broadcast teams include noted hockey loyalists John Buccigross and Steve Levy. Buccigross will be joined by analyst Kevin Weekes in the booth, while Levy will be paired with longtime hockey sidekick Barry Melrose. The two teams will rotate games throughout tournament play. Darren Pang will join the booth as an analyst for select matchups and sometimes report from between the benches. Leah Hextall, formerly of NESN, will provide team and player reports during games.

Martin’s story

Speaking of biography-style sports docs worth your time, the NFL Network’s lauded “A Football Life’’ series begins its new season Friday night (9 p.m.) with a look at Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin. Patriots fans will enjoy the recollections of his first three NFL seasons, but are advised to head to the fridge for a snack when the Jets and the phrase “poison pill contract’’ is mentioned . . . The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich morning program got some amusing mileage out of a Wednesday caller who sounded semi-suspiciously like Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady, of course, is currently is on hiatus from his appearances on WEEI’s rival Kirk and Callahan show while he serves his suspension for Deflategate. Was the caller actually Brady in a thin vocal disguise? The caller, named Matt who said he was originally from San Diego, did sound a bit like the Patriots QB, but put it this way: The strong hunch here is that there’s a better chance of Drew Bledsoe returning to win the Patriots quarterback job again than there was of the caller being Brady.

Chad Finn can be reached at finn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn.