I miss you, Pedro!

I'm taking Spanish this semester, in hopes of both fulfilling Trinity's requirement and obtaining some sort of mastery of the language. Tonight's assignment was to choose a famous person of Hispanic heritage and write about them en español. Our choices ranged from Shakira to Antonio Banderas, or we could choose our own.

Shockingly, I chose my own...

I don't think it's any surprise that I chose to write about Pedro Martinez. In this time of darkness (the 2010 Parade of Carnage), it's nice to reflect upon the good old days when the Red Sox were on top and Pedro was king.

Of course, these two things were simultaneously true for just a few months: the Sox won it all in October, 2004, and Pedro would sign with the Mets that same December, but DAMN did it feel good while it lasted.

Pedro was the best pitcher in baseball for a number of years leading up to 2004, including a 1999 season that MLBNetwork has dubbed the best single-season performance by a pitcher in the history of the game. Unfortunately for me, I was nine years old at the time, and so on the rare occasion that I had control of the television for baseball, I did not appreciate the historic nature of Pedro's utter dominance.

Pedro's performance at the 1999 All-Star Game was one for the ages.

The speculation that Pedro Martinez felt slighted by the Sox' acquisition of Curt Schilling has been brought up before, but there's no way that team was winning without both of them on the roster (neither of them, by the way, were fathered by the Yankees, despite the unoriginal and obnoxious chants that follow Pedro to the Bronx). It is interesting to note that statistically speaking, Pedro Martinez's most similar player is Curt Schilling, according to baseball-reference.com (that is a better argument for Schill's HoF eligibility than any obscure statistic, in my opinion).

But even beyond the dazzling numbers and dominating performances, Pedro was a character, delivering memorable one-liners like "One of these days Buckner's gonna catch that grounder," proving that he was as indoctrinated as the rest of us in RSN, and sick and tired of that damned replay.

My personal favorite Pedro quote has to be from 2001, when he seemingly grew tired of answering questions about a certain slugger of yesteryear: "I don't believe in damn curses," he said. "Wake up the damn Bambino and have him face me. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." This would have been comical if it were possible... Just imagine the undersized Pedro hitting the Babe, then trying to defend himself from the Bambino's superior bulk when the fiery Ruth charged the mound.

Of course, the best images of Pedro are those that show his character, both on the mound and in the dugout:

This might be my favorite Pedro picture. Being at Opening Day (Night?) this year and seeing him embrace Johnny Pesky was amazing. I'll admit to tearing up.

Obviously, Pedro Martinez meant a lot to hundreds of thousands of people. He was one of the only great players on some teams full of scrubs for a few years in the late-90's; he was proof (before Dustin Pedroia) that the short guy can succeed; he was fun-loving and competitive. Pedro Martinez was always dynamic and dominating... I don't know about you, but this year I miss him more than ever.



P.S. Don't forget Pedro's "lucky charm:"

"My friend is Nelson. His name is Nelson. He's 36 years old. He's from the Dominican Republic and very funny character, and very animated. Everybody's happy with him. He's our lucky charm now. Now a days. The guys are falling in love with him."

Around the Horn; Opening Day 2010

Last year on Opening Day, I went down the Red Sox batting order, listing my favorite moment for each player. This year is a little different: because I was actually present at the game, some of the greatest moments weren't manufactured by the players, so I'll do my players list first, and then give you the best non-baseball moments at the end:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF: I know it might seem less than spectacular to some of you, but I was blown away by the patience Ells displayed during his at-bats last night. He struck out twice, and didn't reach base in any of his five plate appearances, but at one point I saw him take five straight pitches. I see an improved OBP in his future, and I like it.

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B: Yesterday marked the second time in as many years that Pedey went deep on Opening Day. Last year, it gave the Sox the lead, as it came on the first pitch he saw all season, but this years was even more inspiring, tying up a game that had seemed out of reach. However, I also enjoyed the dive he took into first base, despite the fact that he was erroneously called out. I thought he was going to go all Mike Tyson on umpire Angel Hernandez.

Clearly, he was safe. Also, Sabathia is a large, large, GIANT man. How do you even get that big?

3. Victor Martinez, C: Ignoring the awkwardness in being the only person not named Jason Varitek to start behind the plate on Opening Day in many years, VMart did a good job, stroking a double in the sixth inning, and scoring the Red Sox' 4th run of the game.

4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B: YOUKKK went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, 2 doubles, and a triple. Honestly, the triple was my favorite, mostly because it's likely the only one he'll have all year, and watching the Greek God of Sweat hustle around the bases is entertaining, to say the least.

Run, Kevin, RUNNN!!

5. David Ortiz, DH: Not a particularly impressive night for Papi, who has something to prove coming into the season. Theo is going to tolerate far fewer 0-for -3 lines this year than he has in the past. On the bright side, Ortiz managed to draw a walk.

6. Adrian Beltre, 3B: Tied things up the first time, in the bottom of the fifth. With two men on, he drilled the first pitch of the at-bat into center for a 2 RBI single. Also, made some verrry nice rabs in the field.

7. JD Drew, RF: First, let me say that it's absolutely disgusting that the home town fans were booing Drew, before he even had an appearance. For the record, he did have a hit, and I'm so over how underrated he is, especially in a town that claims to be so enlightened about baseball matters.

8. Mike Cameron, CF: They promised us a fan favorite, and I'm seeing one. Apart from snagging every ball that came near him in center field, Cameron went 2-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored. He's also rumored to be hilarious.

9. Marco Scuataro, SS: Scoots (that's what I've decided to call him) had an almost identical line to Cameron's, but with an RBI. A shortstop who can hit the ball AND catch it? Somebody pinch me.

NON-GAME FAVORITES:
Mikey Lowell got the longest ovation of anyone not named Johnny Pesky last night, and when he tipped his cap, it was obvious that he was touched. It's nice that the fans can appreciate what Mikey's done for us, and even if he's gone by May, he'll always have a place in my heart.

Pedro embracing Johnny Pesky brought tears to my eyes. Okay, Pedro's appearance in general brought tears to my eyes, but when he knelt down next to #6, I couldn't contain them. Johnny looked, well, old... and I have to admit it scared me a little, but he lit right up when Pedro was there.

Minor leaguer Ryan Westmoreland was in the house last night, and since the last thing we heard was that his brain surgery had been successful, I was thrilled to see he was healthy enough to come to Fenway Park. Westmoreland is not only one of the most talented prospects, he's younger than me, so it's nice to see him healthy.

This:

Remember When...

Remember when...
...Pedro was traded to Boston from Montreal in 1997? I'll be honest here: I don't (give me a break, I was seven). Did anyone guess then what an impact the diminutive pitcher would have on this franchise? This was one of the best deals of the Duquette era (along with DLowe and Tek for Heathcliff Slocumb; Manny Ramirez; and Timmy Wakefield), as Pedro enjoyed amazing success in Boston. (Nice tie, Duke.)

...the 1999 All Star Game was at Fenway. So much awesome, including Teddy Ballgame throwing out the first pitch, and Derek Jeter serving as Nomar's backup... Pedro started the night off in style, striking out Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, and Sammy Sosa in the first, and mowing down Mark McGuire and Jeff Bagwell (on a strikeout/throwout DP) in the second. Martinez was awarded the AS-MVP Award for his efforts.

...later that year, Pedro took home his second Cy Young Award (first with Montreal in 1997), as well as the AL's Triple Crown. Martinez was also named The Sporting News AL Pitcher of the year. According to MLBNetwork, Pedro Martinez had the most dominating single-season pitching performance in MLB history that year, recording a 23-4 record, with a 2.07 ERA, and a league leading 313 strikeouts.

...#45 helped the 2004 Red Sox break an 86 year drought for the fans of New England. Pedro remembers, according to the Boston Globe:

"I'm pretty sure that every Boston fan out there can feel proud that I'm going to try and beat the Yankees and I'm going to give just the same effort I always did for them. They're special fans and they will always have my respect."

He really gets it:

"I know they don't like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games."

Even though he doesn't fit the criteria for having his number retired (10+ years with the Sox, Hall of Famer, end career here), I expect to see 45 up on that right field wall when Pedro finally hangs up his spikes. He spent the most dominating years of his career here, and they were a joy to watch. He provided us with endless entertainment on and off the diamond ("Wake up the damn Bambino and have me face him... Maybe I'll drill him in the ass.").

So here's to you, Pedro: once again, New England will hang on your every pitch... and you know what? It feels damned good.

Vote for Pedro! (Part 2)

This morning, Boston.com ran a story titled "Martinez comes up short for Phillies in Game 2." Ummm, excuse me, but Pedro did not come up short: #45 turned in a quality start, and the bats were silenced by the enigmatic (and expensive) A.J. Burnett.

Of course, the fans were their usual classy selves, but Pedro expected nothing less, having made his share of starts in (the Old) Yankee Stadium:

"It's a new Yankee Stadium, but the fans remain the fans," Martinez said. "I remember one guy sitting right in the front row with his daughter in one arm and a cup of beer in the other hand and saying all kinds of nasty stuff. I just told him, 'Your daughter is right beside you. It's a little girl. It's a shame you're saying all these things.' I'm a father myself. How can you be so dumb to do those kind of things in front of your child? What kind of example are you setting?"

What kind of example, indeed? And speaking of examples, where was Charlie Manuel in 2003, when Grady Little showed him how NOT to manage Pedro in the playoffs? Pedro will tell you that he's fine. This is a lie. His effectiveness drops off around 100 pitches. ARE YOU LISTENING NOW, MANUEL?!?! End rant.

As I headed off to class this morning, I expected Y-FAB to have some cutting remark about Pedro, and I was not disappointed. As soon I walked into the lecture hall, it started:


(Y-FAB): Last night was sort of like when Pedro played for Boston, huh? When he said "I'll just tip my cap and call the Yankees my daddy."


(Me): And what happened after that? Oh, right: he won a World Series.



: What was that, like nine years ago?




: It was five, actually, and how many World Series has Jeter won in that time? How many has A*Rod won, in general?



: *dirty look* And you guys won how many in the last hundred years?


At this point, I sighed internally, ready to dive into battle once again. However, it turned out that I had an unexpected ally:


(Phillies fan boy): Seriously? It's so ridiculous when you guys try to bring up the past like that. It doesn't matter if you won the Series in 1953. Who cares?


: Well, we're about to win another one... And we'll kick Pedro's ass while we're at it.



: You just keep telling yourself that. With that payroll, you should win; and if you don't? It's a failure.


It continued on in this vein for a while: PFB and I tried to reason with Y-FAB, but, like many Yankees fans, he refused to admit his defeat (though it was obvious). When it comes to the audacity of Yankees fans, Pedro said it best:

"I know they really want to root for me. It's just that I don't play for the Yankees, that's all. I've always been a good competitor, and they love that. They love the fact that I compete. I'm a New Yorker, as well. If I was on the Yankees, I'd probably be like a king over here."

Too true. Now, we've all been guilty of rooting for the laundry to an extent, but when a player like Pedro leaves town, the majority of fans want him to continue to do well, so long as it's not within the AL East, and thus to the detriment of the Sox (hello, Johnny Damon). Again, I want to apologize to those Yankees fans who aren't shaped in the mold of Y-FAB: I know some of you are normal, rational human beings, and I feel badly that Y-FAB and his ilk reflect poorly on you. However, the point still stands: Pedro would be a GOD in New York if he'd ever worn pinstripes (and thank goodness it never happened). Even if you don't like him (*cough*KarimGarcia*cough*), he's earned the respect of baseball fans the world over.

Here's hoping he's on the mound when the Phils clinch it... the man deserves some more postseason glory.


[All quotes in this post are from boston.com... I can only dream to have this sort of access someday.]

Vote for Pedro!

I want to see this again.


GO PHILLIES!

Trust-Fund Brats

Ten years ago today, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees, 13-1, at Fenway Park. Pedro Martinez was at the height of his dominance, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out twelve, while aging Roger Clemens went just two innings, giving up five runs (perhaps he forgot his magic injection that day?). In a vacuum, that sounds like a pretty good day: any time the Yankees get embarrassed is a great time, and if Roger Clemens gets to take the fall, even better.

However, that was the lone win for the Sox in the 1999 ALCS, as they went on to lose the series to the Yankees, four games to one. Of course, the Bronx Bombers were en route to their third Championship in four years, and the Sox were about to head into their eighty-first year without one.

Our old friend Pedro got absolutely ROBBED of a win this afternoon, as he pitched - you guessed it - seven innings of shutout baseball. Unfortunately for #45, the Phillies only gave him one run to work with, and then the bullpen coughed it up in the eighth. As much as I want the Yankees to be humiliated (read: eliminated as soon as possible), how epic would a Phils/Yanks World Series be? If Pedro could shut down the Yanks one more time, it would make their defeat even sweeter, if that's possible.

I miss you, Pedro!

I don't hate the Yankees now like I hated them ten years ago (partly because I was nine years old then, and I hated spinach more than baseball teams). In 1999, I hated the Yankees for having what we didn't: a World Series win (and some to spare!). In examining my current disdain, I came up with a perfect analogy to communicate my feelings.

To me, the Yankees are like that trust-fund kid in college... You know, the one who can do no wrong because Daddy and his credit card can bail him/her out of any problem; the one who can travel the world and take unpaid internships; the one who has never had to work, and if they did, it was to pad their resume. They've had everything handed to them, and they feel entitled to such treatment. If they're not the best at something, they throw a fit, and Daddy fixes it with his money and influence.

I can't stand those people, and that's exactly who the Yankees are: Hank and Hal are exhibits A and B. They missed the playoffs last year, and Daddy bought them whatever they wanted. It makes me want to vomit just thinking about it. I understand that the Sox are not the struggling poor kids in this analogy: that role is reserved for the likes of the Pirates, Nationals, and Royals (they're the kid that had to work all through high school to pay the family bills). The Red Sox (and the Angels, Phillies, and Dodgers) are more like the upper-middle class guy: the one who goes to college only because he gets some financial aid, and probably works part- or full-time in the summers.

I hate the Yankees because I hate people who feel entitled, who think that they DESERVE their good fortune, who think that everyone has the advantages they've been blessed enough to get. Right now, the Angels are losing in Game 1 of the ALCS: here's hoping for some divine intervention.

Yo, Angelica, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let your finish, but the Steinbrenners are the best spoiled brats of all time! Of all time!