Pedro's Plea
By John Bonini
Friday night marked the first time in the history of this heated rivalry that Yankee fans and Red Sox fans alike had the same reaction to one specific incident. As Pedro Martinez uttered the words, “I just tip my cap to the Yankees and call them my daddy,” Pedro seemed as vulnerable to the Yankees as Superman to kryptonite.
Has it finally come to this for Pedro? Have the Yankees finally become too much for Sox Superman? After two consecutive poor outings against the Bronx bombers, it becomes a possibility that the Yankees have finally taken over the head of Pedro Martinez. But has this been meltdown waiting to happen?
The numbers will show that Martinez hasn’t exactly been the Yankee killer over the years, but in the past 12 months, it seems he’s become a Red Sox killer, self-destructive to his own team. Dating back to the ALCS of 2003, Pedro Martinez lost two extremely pivotal games in that epic series. Game 3, which gave the Yankees both momentum and confidence, and of course the infamous game 7, in which one couldn’t help but see Pedro as a little boy pleading on the mound, ‘but daddy I don’t want to go to bed, I want to stay up and play.’
Daddy was fired after the conclusion of that series, but has since been replaced, not by Terry Francona, but apparently by the boys from the Bronx. Evidently Pedro doesn’t want to play anymore, at least not with those bullies from New York. Pedro’s wishes for the Yankees to “disappear and never come back” won’t solve anything for the Red Sox with the exception of a possible new slogan brought to you by Kevin Millar.
Pedro’s choice of words after Friday’s game wasn’t the best way to inject confidence in the fans and more importantly his teammates with October approaching. What does this say to Red Sox Nation when their portrayed ruthless leader suddenly wants no part of the beef they might have to take a bite from in a few weeks? In just a few short weeks these two teams could possibly be fighting for a first class ticket to the Fall Classic, and as a Yankee player, how can you be intimidated facing a man you know wants know part of you, and has referred to you as his “daddy”?
These are all questions that remain to be answered. If these two teams remain on course for a meeting in October, it will make for an interesting battle between fear and confidence. If Pedro’s white flag remarks rub off on his renegade-like teammates, they’re in for a grounding that will last all winter, compliments of "Daddy."
