“You know what? My phone is off. And I won’t (call Minaya) unless he calls my agent (Fernando Cuza) or he calls me. I have a lot of respect for Omar and the Mets, but I’m not going to go chasing the Mets. I’m not in that bad of shape. I’m okay and they know I am okay. Yeah, I would like to be back (with the Mets). But I’m not just gonna follow the Mets. They have their own plans and they have their own thought process. Yes, I would love to go (to Citi Field) and hopefully have the same success I had at Shea. Shea was a great stadium for me. I hope the new Shea pretty much follows up on the old one. But I have my goals and I have my things that I want to achieve in life. If it’s not with the Mets, it will be with someone else. But if they want a fifth starter who’s been there – I don’t know how much they want me – I’m available.” Pedro Martinez (March 8, 2009)
I loved him as a Met. He had incredible charisma. He was the face of the franchise in 2005 and 2006. Injuries ruined his last two years in New York. I know this is naive, but he owed the Mets and Mets fans for those two lost years. For him to say, he wanted to return, are the all too familiar words, of so many greedy ballplayers. To claim that all the Mets had to do was “call”, is just not true.
In truth, he wanted to return, only if the Mets paid him at least $5M for the year. He wanted the Mets to take all the risk. Pedro would not accept an incentive contract. The result was that no team had any interest in signing him. The Phillies came along in August, and as could be expected, Pedro sold out to the contending Phillies.
Why wouldn’t Pedro accept an incentive laden contract? The answer is that he was never intending to pitch for an entire season . He knew that his body couldn’t hold up. He would never have been able to make 30+ starts. In mid August when he finally did pitch, he was very sharp, but his body and mind had not been worn down by the grind of a long season. In the short time he has been with the Phillies, he even missed a start with a strained neck.
Is he still our hero? Or just another greedy, self-centered baseball player. I think you know where I stand.
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I have always liked Pedro, and I hate to see him in that Philthy uniform, that is a major slap in the face to Mets fans. But, no way he makes an entire year without injuries. Even if he could/would have, and we signed him, and all the stars, planets and moons aligned it would not have made a bit of difference to our miserable year. He didn’t get the deal he wanted either, and I agree he sold out.
I’m a Phillies fan, and you should know that all Pedro talked about was how he would miss playing with the Mets during his press conference. So much so that it made most Phillies fans skeptical at the time. He did want to play for the Mets, your problem is you wanted him to play for free. He owes you nothing. Are you sending IOU’s to Putz abd Reyes and Delgado who raked you for $16 million this season? Injuries happen, deal with it. Go Phillies!
Started off nice, turned into a troll there.
Maybe you didn’t see what he did for the Mets the last 2 years here? I think you can tell why they didn’t take a gamble. It was a Catch 22 for the Mets. Few fans are regretting it. Besides, with all the injuries, he would had made little difference.
Sorry Chris, you’re wrong. This is NY and we know nothing is free, but how does anyone with ANY baseball knowledge, sign a pitcher that was broken down for more then two years (remember his breakdown started before the playoffs in 06 you know just when we needed him most).
Signing him would have been a HUGE mistake, we know it. Lets just say you got lucky that he didn’t blow up or break down for you, in his very abridged season.
As far as “Injuries Happen – Go Phillies”, thats just a typical classless tag on that is ignorant. I’d love to see what golf course your team would be playing at if you lost, Rollins, Hamels, Howard and Victorino for the year (to say the LEAST) All cocky coming to a Mets site and posting now that your team as success two years in a row, good for you, but learn how to win with class, and spread that knowledge to the rest of your classless fans. Two titles in 128 years – wow………send my love to Mitch Williams, Joe Carter sends his regards……..
One more thing, many NYers saw that Press Conferenct too, Pedro has a great PR person that reminded him of the proximity and he said “all the right things”
Hey troll. The question wasn’t “What Phillies fans should think of what Mets fans think of Pedro Martinez”. It was “What Should Mets Fans Think Of Pedro Martinez”. But I suppose reading comprehension is not your strong suit.
He should go steal some more catch phrases. Ya gotta believe…. Phillie fans are dopes!
Just shows what kind of ignorant classes jerks Philly fans are. Wanna name a Philly champ other than last year? How bout them eagles? Way to get whacked by the raiders!
Wow you people are ridiculous. The Phillies are ten times better then the Mets, and all of you know it. Calling them “classless” is one of the most overused and confounding insults because, guess what, you don’t have to have “class” to be better. You just have to be better. You people make me wonder why I even like baseball.
Get a clue man – coming to a Mets site and “telling” them what is wrong and starting off with “I’m a Phillies fan” speaks volumes about class.
Secondly – they are classless and I witnessned it first hand. They came to OUR home, and DURING a ceremony honoring the 69 team they stood up and chanted “LETS GO PHILLIES” THAT IS CLASSLESS. I have NO problem with it during a game, I’m know Met Fans go to that bandbox and do the same thing BUT NOT DURING A CEREMONY of HOFers……
Today they ARE playing better then the Mets (especiallly since the Mets aren’t playing) but WINNING does not equate CLASS!!!
Go win another WS and burn up some more cars, murder fellow fans too……
LEARN TO READ WHILE YOU ARE AT IT – this thread has NOTHING to do which is the better team.
You sound pretty stupid. Glad I don’t know you in real life.
Why stupid, you colossal jackoff? Are you refuting something Kay said? She made actual points about why Phils fans are such gaping A-holes, and all you can do is call the person “stupid.”
I’ll take my fourth place Mets any day over your team, your city, and your sorry Phans. LMAO!
Thanks Russell – I don’t know why I bother with this ignornant jerks..
LGM
I dont like the Phillies you **** ******* retarded b1tch
Very articulate…………
The Phillies did the smart thing. They waited for 2/3 of the seasoon to be gone before going after Pedro. They will not bring him back, unless they do it next August. The Mets can’t use him. He would never last a full season.
God, I am just dreaming the Angels do the impossible, and then go on to sweep the Philth in Phour. WOuldn’t that be justice!!!
The Mets made the right decision. Should a team sign an aging starting pitcher coming off an injury who insists on missing the first 4 months of the year and then possibly maybe offering 5 inngs a start at most?
Pedro is a winner. But his performance now is not to be expected long term. I am happy for him. It’s great to see an aging pitcher going out on his terms. I think this World Series will be Pedro’s John Wayne gunslinger cowboy rising off into the sunset moment. Good for him!
Go Petey!
He is better then Livan Hernandez, Redding, Perez and Maine and Nelson Figerora, so yes i would rather have had pedro then these 4 pieces of S$$$
Thank God you are not the GM then
If Pedro signed with the Mets this year theres a good possiblility that we would have seen him gripping his leg again after the 4th batter.
Look at how Pedro handled some of his injuries with the Mets.
His toe = waits till Spring Training begins to order the shoe that will help his problem. After ordering the shoe a few weeks into Spring Training, it takes Nike another few weeks to deliver it. I think he missed a month just sitting on his butt.
Then because of his sitting he hurts himself in his first game back.
If he had a contract with the Mets how do we know he wouldn’t have repeated the exact same scenario?
The Mets not offering him a contract was the best thing that happened to Pedro. It forced him to actually get ready instead of chilling in the dugout. So that is another thing he owes the Mets besides his rip off of a contract.
SORRY; BUT NO WAY IS PEDRO A FACTOR FOR ANYONE IF HE HAD TO PLAY FULL SEASON. TOAST BU JUN 1. $5M? & SOME SAY CASTILLO & PEREZ MONEY FLUSHED? CERTAINLY, PEDERO WHO WAS OUR VERSOPN OF PAVANO; COULD’VE BEEN MORE $$$ DOWN THE CRAPPER. FIRST THING MOST DO WITH NEW DECK OF CARDS, TOSS THE JOKERS…
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
I TAKE EXCEPTION TO THIS PERPETUALIZED MISPERCEPTION THAT PLAYERS WHO LOOK OUT FOR THEIR OWN INTERESTS ARE SOMEHOW GREEDY. PLAYERS TYPICALLY ARE NOT FANS OF ONE TEAM OR ANOTHER WHEN NO ONE IS SIGNING THEIR PAYCHECK HOW IS IT THAT A PLAYER WHO’S DOING WHAT WE WOULD ALL DO, LOOKING OUT FOR THEMSELVES & THEIR FAMILIES’ BEST INTERESTS ARE LABELED AS SELFISH. WHETHER IT’S A-ROD,BELTRAN,PUJOLS,PEDRO FEW PLAYERS GO INTO A F/A NEGOTIASTION MEETING DEMANDING HUMONGOUS SPECIFIED $. AGENTS DO; BUT PLAYERS NOT SO MUCH. I READ THAT WHEN IN BOSTON, MANNY HAD THE TOP OF HIS LOCKER STUFFED WITH UNCASHED PAYCHECKS… MANNY BEING MANNY CERTAINLY; BUT NOT MANNY BEING MONEY! ALL THIS CONSTERNATION ABOUT PLAYER SALARIES IS REDICULOUS, HOW MANY OF U SEE HOLLYWOOD ACTORS GETTING SUPERBUCKS PER MOVIE OR RECORDING ARTISTS EARNING UBERMONEY ON-TOUR IN THE SAME LIGHT? WHY NOT? THEY’RE ALL PERFORMERS. YET TEACHERS REMAIN AMONG THE LOWEST EARNERS OF ALL COLLEGE MANDATED CAREERS.
I BELIEVE IT’S DUE TO FAMILIARITY, WE ALL WENT TO SCHOOL, THUS TEACHERS HAVE MIXED REVIEWS; WE’VE ALL PLAYED BASEBALL.
What Pedro Martinez did for the Mets first and formost was to bring respectability back to the franchise by attracting other good free agents. He had one very good season but was hurt for much of his tenure here. It is clear that the Mets made a decision not to bring him back at the salary he was asking and if the other starters had done their jobs and had not suffered injuries then we wouldn’t be talking much about this. I loved watching Pedro and still do albeit in a Phillies uniform. What he was asking may have been high but like other greats before him he felt that his past deserved respect and commanded that salary. Hope he gets a chance to pitch against the Yankees in the World Series and shuts them down. Seems to me that even as ridiculous as salaries have gotten that no it is a business with owners looking to save when they can when they are the ones holding the cards. Players should have the same rights…