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Sox fans know enemy: Pedro’s certainly not it
By Gerry Callahan
Boston Herald General Sports Columnist
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Updated: 09:51 AM EST
Five days after a piece of human garbage named Brett Myers pitched at Fenway Park, Pedro Martinez will take to the same mound and hear some of the same noise.
Pedro: Related articles, multimedia & images Pedro returns to gloryPedro’s still the ace of their staff: Family cherishes pitcher’s kindness in cancer ordealMartinez feels love at Fenway
You don’t have to love Pedro or root for him tonight to agree that something is a little out of whack here.
Maybe you don’t want to fall over yourself cheering for the opposing pitcher, but it makes no sense to treat him the same way you treated that creep Myers. Martinez is a lot of things, but he’s no Brett Myers and never was.
He’s just a guy who didn’t want to play here anymore.
Myers is a truly vile man who took the mound 36 hours after witnesses saw him punch his wife in the face and drag her down the street by the hair. Myers is 6-4 and weighs 240, exactly twice as much as his wife. There were multiple calls to 911 and swelling on Kim Myers’ face, but there was some good news for big Brett: No one heard him call her “a fag” so Bud Selig did nothing to stop him from taking the mound in a nationally televised game on Saturday.
Phillies management, meanwhile, apparently decided that all the witnesses could have been lying and the swelling could have been fake and all those people who dialed 911 could have been looking for information and trying to call 411. It happens. And besides, as GM Pat Gillick pointed out, Myers is “our best pitcher.” Well, in that case, we’ll just assume little Kim started the whole thing.
It’s not that Gillick wasn’t worried when he heard his ace had pummeled his wife, he probably wanted to make sure he didn’t bruise his pitching hand. You didn’t? Well, then, here’s the ball, big fella. Go get ’em. Throw strikes.
Yesterday, the Phillies finally sent the bum home. They’re calling it a leave of absence.
Red Sox fans, on the other hand, did themselves and this city proud when they booed Myers every time he stepped out of the dugout. They booed that old fool, manager Charlie Manuel, when they saw him, and surely would have booed Gillick if they had the chance. Hell, does Michael Flaherty, the judge who decided Myers does not have to appear for his court date in August, ever show up at Fenway? Sox fans would probably like to boo him, too. Some people deserve every bit of scorn and ridicule that 35,000 people can muster.
Pedro, for all his faults, does not qualify as one of those people. Not close. He is arrogant and egomaniacal and completely self-obsessed, and there was probably no other way for someone his size to reach the pinnacle of his profession. For most fans in New England, he is the best pitcher they ever saw in a Red Sox uniform, and judging by last night’s reaction after a video tribute between innings, they are holding no grudges.
At times their love and adoration presented a problem for Pedro: No critics. No doubters. That’s what happens when you win 23 games or post a 1.74 ERA. Pedro’s favorite thing in the world is making people look silly, and he was running out of candidates.
But he never gave up. He looked hard for the one heckler in a sea of fawning fans, or the lone cynic in a press box full of wide-eyed hagiographers. At times, he turned into J.K. Rowling and dreamed up the boogeymen himself, insisting that some media members didn’t respect him as he walked off with his third Cy Young or that the Red Sox didn’t appreciate him as they paid him more than any pitcher had ever been paid.
For the record: Pedro was never disrespected. He was never underappreciated. He was criticized less than any Red Sox superstar in recent history and he was never really booed. He was a special player, who was, in fact, granted special privileges. When his contract was up after the 2004 season, the Red Sox pursued him harder than they ever went after ****** Damon or Derek Lowe or Mo Vaughn or any player who ever left as a free agent. If he were going to be honest, he would admit there was never a moment when Sox owners could have swooped in, presented him with a fair and generous offer and kept him off the free agent market. It wasn’t going to happen, it couldn’t have happened because he didn’t want it to happen.
As we know, Pedro needs a nemesis, and at some point in 2004, it became a game of chicken between him and Sox ownership, led by Larry Lucchino. As always, Pedro had to win. The Sox offered him less money than they were paying Curt Schilling, which brought out the bulldog in Martinez. How dare they? He was younger than Schilling. He had been here longer. Schilling had no Cy Youngs. Pedro had what he was looking for, a boogeyman, a heckler, someone who just didn’t respect him.
In stepped Omar Minaya, and out went Pedro. It was too bad, but it was inevitable. Maybe he loved Boston, but he loved winning more and in his mind, he had beaten Lucchino and the Sox. Did you see him yesterday? He relayed the story of the day he told Lucchino he got a four-year offer from the Mets, and he smiled like he had struck out the side in the ninth.
“I said, ‘I got four years,’ ” said Pedro. “He said, ‘No! Bullbleep.’ ” He made the Sox look silly, and that is still his favorite thing.
If you want to boo him tonight, you go right ahead. He’s not quite as dominant as he used to be. He could always use the help.
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Gerry Callahan
Boston Herald General Sports Columnist
The charismatic Pedro Martinez.
(Staff photo by Matthew West)
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[continue]
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Rate this article23 Low High
By Gerry Callahan
Boston Herald General Sports Columnist
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 - Updated: 09:51 AM EST
Five days after a piece of human garbage named Brett Myers pitched at Fenway Park, Pedro Martinez will take to the same mound and hear some of the same noise.
Pedro: Related articles, multimedia & images Pedro returns to gloryPedro’s still the ace of their staff: Family cherishes pitcher’s kindness in cancer ordealMartinez feels love at Fenway
You don’t have to love Pedro or root for him tonight to agree that something is a little out of whack here.
Maybe you don’t want to fall over yourself cheering for the opposing pitcher, but it makes no sense to treat him the same way you treated that creep Myers. Martinez is a lot of things, but he’s no Brett Myers and never was.
He’s just a guy who didn’t want to play here anymore.
Myers is a truly vile man who took the mound 36 hours after witnesses saw him punch his wife in the face and drag her down the street by the hair. Myers is 6-4 and weighs 240, exactly twice as much as his wife. There were multiple calls to 911 and swelling on Kim Myers’ face, but there was some good news for big Brett: No one heard him call her “a fag” so Bud Selig did nothing to stop him from taking the mound in a nationally televised game on Saturday.
Phillies management, meanwhile, apparently decided that all the witnesses could have been lying and the swelling could have been fake and all those people who dialed 911 could have been looking for information and trying to call 411. It happens. And besides, as GM Pat Gillick pointed out, Myers is “our best pitcher.” Well, in that case, we’ll just assume little Kim started the whole thing.
It’s not that Gillick wasn’t worried when he heard his ace had pummeled his wife, he probably wanted to make sure he didn’t bruise his pitching hand. You didn’t? Well, then, here’s the ball, big fella. Go get ’em. Throw strikes.
Yesterday, the Phillies finally sent the bum home. They’re calling it a leave of absence.
Red Sox fans, on the other hand, did themselves and this city proud when they booed Myers every time he stepped out of the dugout. They booed that old fool, manager Charlie Manuel, when they saw him, and surely would have booed Gillick if they had the chance. Hell, does Michael Flaherty, the judge who decided Myers does not have to appear for his court date in August, ever show up at Fenway? Sox fans would probably like to boo him, too. Some people deserve every bit of scorn and ridicule that 35,000 people can muster.
Pedro, for all his faults, does not qualify as one of those people. Not close. He is arrogant and egomaniacal and completely self-obsessed, and there was probably no other way for someone his size to reach the pinnacle of his profession. For most fans in New England, he is the best pitcher they ever saw in a Red Sox uniform, and judging by last night’s reaction after a video tribute between innings, they are holding no grudges.
At times their love and adoration presented a problem for Pedro: No critics. No doubters. That’s what happens when you win 23 games or post a 1.74 ERA. Pedro’s favorite thing in the world is making people look silly, and he was running out of candidates.
But he never gave up. He looked hard for the one heckler in a sea of fawning fans, or the lone cynic in a press box full of wide-eyed hagiographers. At times, he turned into J.K. Rowling and dreamed up the boogeymen himself, insisting that some media members didn’t respect him as he walked off with his third Cy Young or that the Red Sox didn’t appreciate him as they paid him more than any pitcher had ever been paid.
For the record: Pedro was never disrespected. He was never underappreciated. He was criticized less than any Red Sox superstar in recent history and he was never really booed. He was a special player, who was, in fact, granted special privileges. When his contract was up after the 2004 season, the Red Sox pursued him harder than they ever went after ****** Damon or Derek Lowe or Mo Vaughn or any player who ever left as a free agent. If he were going to be honest, he would admit there was never a moment when Sox owners could have swooped in, presented him with a fair and generous offer and kept him off the free agent market. It wasn’t going to happen, it couldn’t have happened because he didn’t want it to happen.
As we know, Pedro needs a nemesis, and at some point in 2004, it became a game of chicken between him and Sox ownership, led by Larry Lucchino. As always, Pedro had to win. The Sox offered him less money than they were paying Curt Schilling, which brought out the bulldog in Martinez. How dare they? He was younger than Schilling. He had been here longer. Schilling had no Cy Youngs. Pedro had what he was looking for, a boogeyman, a heckler, someone who just didn’t respect him.
In stepped Omar Minaya, and out went Pedro. It was too bad, but it was inevitable. Maybe he loved Boston, but he loved winning more and in his mind, he had beaten Lucchino and the Sox. Did you see him yesterday? He relayed the story of the day he told Lucchino he got a four-year offer from the Mets, and he smiled like he had struck out the side in the ninth.
“I said, ‘I got four years,’ ” said Pedro. “He said, ‘No! Bullbleep.’ ” He made the Sox look silly, and that is still his favorite thing.
If you want to boo him tonight, you go right ahead. He’s not quite as dominant as he used to be. He could always use the help.
« Previous | 1 | 2 |
Rate this article23 Low High
Current Rating:
Your Rating: You have not rated this article yet
E-mail article Printable version Most popular
Search the site
allany relevancedate
Past 7 days Archives Google
Order home delivery
Save up to 60% ordering Boston Herald home delivery online. » click here
Gerry Callahan
Boston Herald General Sports Columnist
The charismatic Pedro Martinez.
(Staff photo by Matthew West)
Herald Pulse
Who is the greatest pitcher in Red Sox history? Babe Ruth
Cy Young
Luis Tiant
Pedro Martinez
Roger Clemens
Related Articles
Boston Red Sox
A classic 45 - Pedro reminds us why we miss him so much
Boston Red Sox
Sox too hot to handle -- Winning streak hits 10
Boston Red Sox
Martinez feels love at Fenway
Boston Red Sox
Fans cheer for Buckner: Absence doesn’t spoil fun
MLB Coverage
Baseball guru Gammons stricken by aneurysm
More on:
• Brett Myers
• Pedro Martinez
• Fenway Park
Today's Top Articles
Viewed
Emailed
Rated
Updated 3:00 PM
Boston Celtics
C’s breathe life into deal for AI
Local / Regional News
Pedro’s still the ace of their staff: Family cherishes pitcher’s kindness in cancer ordeal
Local / Regional News
Trooper, cop brawl at concert
Boston Red Sox
Martinez feels love at Fenway
Boston Bruins
Bruins hit a new low in firing of Sully
Local / Regional News
Pedro’s still the ace of their staff: Family cherishes pitcher’s kindness in cancer ordeal
Local / Regional News
Trooper, cop brawl at concert
Boston Celtics
C’s breathe life into deal for AI
Opinion & Editorial
The Good War
Business News
Industry group fights reusing medical devices
Local / Regional News
Pedro’s still the ace of their staff: Family cherishes pitcher’s kindness in cancer ordeal
MLB Coverage
Baseball guru Gammons stricken by aneurysm
Golf Coverage
Wie’s will deathly -- Star teen’s a tad stubborn
Boston Red Sox
Martinez feels love at Fenway
Herald Columnists
They’re their own worst enemies: See Murtha, Times self-destruct
View the Herald Top Ten
[continue]
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