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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Pedro puts ball in Boston's court
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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ST. LOUIS — It didn't take Pedro Martinez long to put the spin on his impending free agency. Less than an hour after pitching Boston to a victory over St. Louis in Game 3 of the World Series Tuesday night, Martinez was asked about possibly playing his last game for the Red Sox (Martinez's contract is up after the Series). "I hope I get another chance to come back with this team," Martinez said. "But, if I don't, I understand the business part of it. "I just hope that people understand that I wasn't the one that wanted to leave. They're going to have their chance to get me back in that uniform. "If they don't get me, it's probably because they didn't try hard enough." In other words, if the Red Sox do not re-sign Martinez, they were not willing to pay enough. Martinez, 33, won't get close to the $17 million he received this season. But his market value might be a sticky issue during negotiations. Martinez had a decent season (16-9, 3.90 ERA) and pitched well in the postseason, including Tuesday's gem. But Martinez is getting older. His durability is in question. He can give a solid six innings, seven if things are going well. Also, his best outings usually come after he gets more than the standard four days' rest. But can Boston afford to open the vault when it also has to address other needs, including the need to find more starting pitching to replace the likes of Derek Lowe, who is all but out of here? WHERE MARTINEZ would go is an interesting question. The common thought is that Martinez might go to the Yankees. George Steinbrenner has the money to spend and would like to stick it to the Red Sox. "I can't imagine (Pedro) in pinstripes," Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo said. "He's played such a role in the rivalry." The same thing was said about Roger Clemens. New York may not want Martinez. The Yankees already have enough veteran pitchers who seldom can go beyond six effective innings. If not Boston or New York, Martinez would have to find a free-spending team desperate for starting pitchers. Anaheim comes to mind. CURSE COPIERS: The "Curse of the Bambino" is spawning imitators. A great deal of publicity has been milked from the supposed curse the Red Sox were under since they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. A column in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch claimed the Cardinals are under the "Curse of Keith Hernandez" since trading Hernandez to the New York Mets the season after winning the 1982 World Series over the Brewers. Since then, St. Louis has lost three World Series, to the Royals in 1985, to the Twins in 1987 and the Red Six in 2004. Last week, a New York columnist even suggested the Yankees might be headed for future disappointments, calling it the "Curse of A-Rod." NOTES: The Red Sox have not forgotten Nomar Garciaparra, voting him a full share of their World Series bonus. "He was a big part of us getting to the point we got," pitcher Tim Wakefield said. . . . Red Schoendienst and Lou Brock took part in the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4. . . . Two familiar names were heard on a local radio ad for the Missouri River Otters minor-league hockey team. The team's coach is former Portland Pirates star Kevin Kaminski, and the top player is former University of Maine standout Jim Montgomery. Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:
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