(Pedro modeling the latest in garish action-wear)
Your humble correspondent was on airplanes most of Friday so perhaps you’ve already discussed this one to death. When not taking shots at Theo Epstein, Larry Lucchino, Terry Francona and Curt Schilling in an interview with the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman, Pedro Martinez saved special mention for his new battery-mate, Mike Piazza.
Q: Who do you think they’re (Boston) going to re-sign?
A: I have no idea, but they’ll be stupid not to do Varitek. Varitek is the next one gone. Theo’s going to have the biggest problem with him.
Q: You think he’ll be gone?
A: (Laughs) I hope he is gone.
Q: Why?
A: I hope ‘Tek is on my team.
Q: Mike Piazza won’t be happy to hear that.
A: I do want Piazza, too. Piazza is a good hitter. We can move him to first or somewhere. I would like every good player that is out there to be on my team. I want ‘Tek. ‘Tek is a good player, a good catcher.
I guess Pedro didn’t watch many Mets games last year, nor was he familiar with Piazza’s adventures at 1B (what, they don’t have ESPN on basic cable in Boston?). “We can move him to first or somewhere.” Where might “somewhere”, be? There’s no DH in the NL (as Omar Minaya reminded everyone in that spectacular bulk e-mail this week) and we all know how well things worked out the last time the Mets tried to move a power-hitting catcher to the outfield. Or at least Bobby Valentine and Todd Hudley remember.
I had the misfortune of hearing Don Imus’ WFAN program this morning and was struck by the not-so-slight racist tone in the way the I-Man & peanut gallery were cracking themselves up over a tape of Pedro’s combative interview with Chris Russo and Mike Francesca the prior afternoon. Given that New York is, y’know, the big melting pot and all, I wouldn’t think that Martinez’ accent would be such an object of ridicule. If Imus can’t imagine that any of his listeners aren’t grumpy white guys from Westchester or Long Island, you’d think the radio station — a broadcast partner to the Mets — might think about it a little bit. Or was this what the Mets had in mind when they talked about energizing their Dominican fan base?