Posted on 12/17/2004 10:23:12 PM PST by Roberts
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Pedro Martinez returned home Friday and bashed the team he led to a World Series title.
He knocked the Boston Red Sox for their front office moves and predicted a rough season awaits.
"They will field the best bad team in baseball history," Martinez said at a news conference Friday.
One day after he was introduced by the New York Mets -- who signed him to a four-year, $53 million contract -- Martinez criticized the Red Sox for firing key employees, including team doctor Bill Morgan.
In an interview with the Boston Herald, Martinez also criticized the negotiating tactics of Red Sox officials, saying he repeatedly got mixed signals from team president Larry Lucchino, owner John Henry and general manager Theo Epstein, who he called "arrogant."
"I told (Henry), 'You want to sign me, get it done. Please force them to get it done. I'm willing to stay here. Negotiate with them. I just don't want to be under (Curt) Schilling,'" Martinez said.
He also said he deserved a better deal than Schilling.
"Schilling is 38, I'm only 33," he said. "The fact that I had an off-year doesn't mean that I can be below Schilling. Still, with an off-year, I'm way over Schilling as a pitcher and I've pitched pretty much like Schilling the last few years, if you're going to talk about durability."
Martinez said he was "dumbfounded" to hear that fellow Dominican Manny Ramirez could be mentioned as possible trade bait after winning the World Series MVP.
"After giving seven great years, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe and I were not signed," Martinez said.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner said the Mets "have shown more respect in days than Boston did in seven years."
Epstein discounted the comments and said Friday that Martinez is "a brilliant pitcher ... an emotional person as well."
"It doesn't bother me," Epstein said. "I don't necessarily define myself by what anyone says about me, let alone a player that we just didn't sign to bring back to Boston. We'll be fine as an organization.
"I just don't put much stock in that. It's a heat of the moment-type thing," Epstein said. "I choose to look at the man, not one comment."
Accompanied by Mets vice president Fred Wilpon, general manager Omar Minaya and agent Fernando Cuza, Martinez said Boston had "every opportunity" to sign him in the past two years, even below market value.
"I'm a proud man and I think I deserve a little respect for the work I've done," he said. "I felt disillusioned and hurt by the way the Red Sox let me go so easily."
Henry said the club "offered Pedro exactly what he said it would take to sign him" when team officials visited Martinez in the Dominican Republic on Dec. 8.
"Our organization went out of our way to treat Pedro with the greatest respect over the past three years. I am surprised and very disappointed by the continuing negative comments in that regard," Henry said Friday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Nevertheless, I wish him great success with the Mets."
Martinez said Epstein and Lucchino "weren't getting along in negotiations. Lucchino would say one thing and Theo would show up with another."
He said Epstein treated his agent, Fernando Cuza, poorly during negotiations.
"Theo got really arrogant on Fernando and I didn't appreciate it," Martinez said. "Theo believed that he had me and wasn't the nicest man communicating with Fernando."
He said Red Sox manager Terry Francona played a small role in managing the team, taking his cues from the team's front office.
"Francona is subject to what they decide," Martinez said. "Francona had no say, like he didn't have any say in managing the team. He was manipulated from upstairs."
Asked for evidence to back that assertion, he said, "I was in the clubhouse, that's how I know."
Martinez, 33, said he could retire after finishing his contract with the Mets.
"I don't plan to play until I'm 40 years, but I will have four years to study that decision," he said.
Martinez shook off questions about the condition of his arm in light of a 16-9 record and a 3.90 ERA in his final season with Boston.
"I felt good this year and I feel good now," he said. "I don't know where rumors about my health started. I didn't have a bad year, but it wasn't the norm for me."
Martinez hopes to inject new life into the Mets, who finished next to last in the NL East in 2004 after finishing last the two previous seasons.
"My goal now is to stay healthy and get the Mets back to the World Series and win it," Martinez said.
The Mets will regret this signing before all is said and done. Pedro is all about Pedro and nothing else.
I disagree. Pedro gave Boston everything. Nomar too. The new owners treated them poorly. This will be a one championship team.
I do believe the Mutts are the wrong team for Pedro. But when you've not been shown loyalty, why not go for the bucks? Screwest thou before thou screwest thee!
Lets look at the big picture. Boston spent a ton of money last season to win the series...and they can't sustain that amount of capital going to players. They aren't fools. Manny will be traded away...he simply is a terrific player who could potentially do something real stupid and the Sox know that...so he has to go. As for Pedro...he is supposed to be 34 years old...I'm guessing that he is actually 37. His best stuff was from three years ago...he hasn't performed up to standards over the past year. The Mets will regret this signing by the end of 2005...but its their payroll problem, not the Sox.
As the free agent period continues on...it really turned slow and a number of big names simply sit there (assuming they are in negotiation with someone)....but the teams are being more realistic than in previous years. I can't see folks like Tom Glavin coming up and getting mega-contracts anymore. Once you hit 35...your best stuff is finished. If I were a owner...I wouldn't offer anything over $5m a year to any player over 35 years old. And I sure wouldn't sign anybody to a four-year contract.
that and his shoulder is shredded....
Massholechusetts = 45% White Trash Alcoholics, 40% overeducated snobs, 15% everyone else.
The Sox were better off without Nomar down the stretch. They'll be better off without Pedro. As much as I respect what he did for the Sox, there's only so many innings he has left in him. He's 33, but his arm is 39-1/2....
I will predict right now that Pedro will spend more time on the disabled list versus off over the span of his contract.
Pedro is a prima donna. He got away with murder here in Boston and the media basically gave him a free ride because he was Pedro. The reason Pedro appeared in Game 7 against the Yankees was because he wanted the ball and the Red Sox wanted to give him an opportunity to redeem himself after the Yankees hammered him the entire series. In fact, he was such a team player that he asked to stay behind in Boston while the Red Sox played Game Six so that he could follow through on his Pedro regimen rather than being with his teammates.
Bostonians may not know their asses from their elbows when it comes to electing political candidates, but baseball is definitely something we know well.
I'd take Schilling over Martinez any day of the week.
Plus, Schilling is such a cool guy. Remember when he went of Good Morning America after he won the World Series and said, "Remind people to vote tomorrow. And vote Bush." Man, I love that guy. And, he is a really devoted Christian which I admire a great deal.
You folks are gonna have fun trying to get past the Yanks next year. They're getting the Big Unit from the Snakes.
The Sox offerec him three years and they were wise not to offer more. I don't blame Pedro for taking the extra year and money that comes with it, but there's no need to trash the team when many would say that the three year deal they offered him would be risky enough.
Nomar wasn't treated poorly either. He was sulky and demanding more than he was worth (he wanted as much as Miguel Tejada). The ownership's decision to trade him was their best decision during the season.
Nomar was a great player in Boston for many years. Unfortunately he was a cancer in the clubhouse and many players went on record following his trade and said that the chemistry on the team was significantly improved after he was gone.
Pedro gave Boston everything including an ego the size of Jupiter. In the end, that was his downfall here.
Why can't Pedro just shut his mouth, take the money and run?
I was actually sent up to Mass once while in the military for seven days. I only worked three out of the seven days and drove around the entire state...including the cape. I have to admit that you run into alot of heavy drinkers and alcoholics...even in the middle of the day. The cost of living is silly and you feel like you have to watch your backside for possibly robbery. The cape is overated but its worth a day.
offerc=offered
Nolan Ryan was throwimg at 94 MPH in the 9th inning at the age of 42. But, Pedro is no Ryan. I'm not a Boston fan, but they got rid of a 3.90 ERA. It's nutty that agents can talk about a "quality start" being you allowed 3 or fewer runs in 6 innings. That's a 4.50 ERA!
Well inevitably the one question of every off season is how much money Steinbrenner is going to throw around in an effort to buy a championship. Knowing all the effort he goes through just makes it all the more exhilirating when the Yankees go down in defeat. The rally cry around Fenway to replace 1918, is going to be 2000, because in spite of the fact that they have by far the largest payroll in all of baseball it's been 4 years now since they've won.
Good point. For the last 2-3 years, Pedro has been a 6 inning pitcher while last year we had Schilling consistently pitching into the 7th or 8th. With the way he's taxing the bullpen, why should Pedro be paid more than Schilling?
If you had Senators like John Kerry and Ted Kennedy and a Congressman like Barney Frank, you'd drink a lot too.
Schilling and Johnson led the Snakes in defeating them in 2001. Wouldn't a playoff matchup of those two be fun?
I'd love to see that happen, but the rumor is that Johnson doesn't want to pitch with Schilling again. Johnson wants to go somewhere that he can be the staff ace and not be overshadowed by Schilling.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.