From today’s ESPN Deportes.com and Enrique Rojas :
New York Mets ace Pedro Martinez will pitch the rest of his career wearing a special shoe in order to rehabilitate his injured right toe.
Martinez announced Friday that Nike is manufacturing a shoe that will allow him to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic and with the Mets next season.
“I’m waiting for a special shoe, designed by a physician, which Nike is manufacturing so that my foot won’t keep bothering me,” Martinez told the international channel Color Vision, based in Santo Domingo.
“They’ve got to remove a piece that’s under the damaged area to the shoe I used previously,” he added.
Martinez said the injury emerged from a bad habit he’s had during his career, with the final movement he makes when pitching.
“By having this irregular movement on my right foot, I’ve damaged the cartilage of my toe,” said Martinez.
Let it be noted that the Herald News’ Steve Popper — not a member of Blues Traveler, I’m fairly sure — was all over this sizzling story 3 weeks ago.
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff reports that Padres GM Kevin Towers is considering making a move for free agent C Mike Piazza.
“He still thinks he can catch 70 to 80 games,” Towers said of Piazza. “We can probably carry three catchers.”
Piazza could DH in the Padres’ nine interleague road games, Towers added, and the GM said that he could even envision Piazza playing “10 to 15 games” at first base during the season.
And of course, he can always play cymbal for Alter Bridge.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is of the opinion the Coco Crisp-to-Boston trade will soon be completed. No word on when Peja Stojakovic will report to the Indians, though.