A Labor of Glove

(Boston Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

Twelfth Night

Yes, I Saw That Catch Coco Made
(And No, Damon Wouldn't Have Had It)
Get On Board: The 'Tito Train' Is the New 'Morgan Magic'
How Sweep It Is Again and Again and Again and Again
The Perfect Game: Sox 4, Mets 2

Schilling Digs Deep to Overcome Some Scattered Pregame Applause
And Finds a Way to Pitch a Gem for 10th Win
Tom Glavine Bravely Prevails Against Billerica Boys Club Cheers
From High in Fenway Bleachers to Stay in the Game
DEE-Fense--Clap--Clap--DEE-Fense--Clap--Clap
DEE-Fense--Clap--Clap--DEE-Fense--Clap--Clap
A Steamy Glove Affair: Youk, Loretta, Etc., Etc.
Wish Upon an All-Star: Loretta 12-Straight-Hits a Long Ball
Bringing the A Game: Sox Play Big When It Matters, Small Where It Counts
Same Old Sox: Bunt, Steal, Sac Bunt, Sac Fly
Speedy Ortiz: David Makes a Mad Dash to Third
Then V-Tek Kicked In: Sac Fly Counts, Reyes Been Caught Stealin' Too
A Little Insurance from Big Papi, a Nice Hold from Timlin
Another Save for JonBon, Ties Sox Rookie Record

"I didn't think I was going to get there. I took a leap of faith and, because I was running so fast, I was able to hang in the air." -- 6.29.06, Coco on that catch he made

This Just In ...

Coco Catch Expected to Be Rated 'Sizzling Hot' On
Next Reading of Welch-O-Meter, Stay Tuned

Manny Being Clever:
He Will Honor His Contract with the Red Sox
But Will Probably Miss the All-Star Game

No Show Martinez

(Boston Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

It's a Big Fall From Grace for Sox Former Ace
New Ace of Diamonds Trumps the King of Queens
Boston Rocks New York and Turns It Up to 11, 10-2

(BDD Photo Illustration / Don D.)

The Choke's on Pedro as the Sox Are Just Joshin' on the Mound
'Look at Me' Martinez Couldn't Decide Which Camera to Pose for,
So Petey Blows the Game By Finally Throwing Papi Out at First
Youk, Nixon, and A-Gone Send Short-and-Pete to Early Shower
Lastings Milledge Makes Manny Ramirez Look Like Johnny Damon
Solid Return to Fenway ... for Darren Oliver and Chad Bradford
K-Men Only Need One K to Get Through Return of Their Hero
Too Bad They Didn't Bring the 7 K's Needed for Beckett
Lopez, Delcarmen Pick Up Where Josh Left Off
Game Pics | The Scene | Listen for Yourself
New York Tabloids | Discuss

Emotional Miscue or The World's Lamest Excuse?
"I did get caught up in the emotion a little bit and that threw me a little bit off, especially on that
groundball." -- 6.28.06, Pedro Martinez blames a smattering of cheers on his poor play
Funny, Willie Randolph Just Got Through Telling Us
How You Are Uniquely Able to Stay Focused and Block All This Out

Cheer Up Petey!

(AP Photo)

You Weren't Around Long Enough to Hear the Jeers

Pedro Was Working on His Media Pitches in the Clubhouse
Before the Fans Were Able to Fully Organize the Catcalls to the Mets Dog

Guinness Book Records the World's Quietest Standing Ovation
Pedro's Proud of Half Cheers from a Crowd Half Filled with Mets Fans
If You Sneezed When He Walked to the Mound, You Missed It
What's the Smatter? That Sound You Heard Beyond Polite Clapping
Was the Rumble of a Standing Boovation
Respect? Johnny Damon Elicited 20 Times the Emotion at Fenway

"A few fans were chanting, 'Who's your daddy?' when Coco Crisp grounded to second to end the rally on Pedro's 29th pitch. Finally safe in the dugout, Pedro gave Milledge a pat on the back.

"We saw some of old Pedro when he drilled Loretta in the wrist on an 0 and 2 pitch ('The only time I tried to get a fastball in,' Martínez said) with two outs and nobody aboard in the second. At that moment, fans took hold of their senses and booed the Mets' pitcher." -- 6.29.06, Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

Applause for Pedro Was Over in a New York Minute

(Mets fans cheer Pedro / AP Photo)

Probably Because New Yorkers Were Doing Most of the Applauding

Sox Admit They Rigged Tuesday's Ovation

"We put a [highlight] video on the scoreboard with hopes of cueing such a response." -- 6.29.06, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan talking about Pedro's reception on Tuesday

But What About Johnny Demon's Reception?

"You don't demonize the enemy. You still honor and value the person regardless of what uniform they're wearing." -- 6.27.06, Red Sox Vice President Dr. Charles Steinberg, ESPN The Magazine, on former Sox players returning to Fenway (It must be quite the highlight tribute they are working on for Damon's next visit)

DominiCon Man Wins the Vote ...

(BDD Photo Illustration)

... For Worst Performance by a Motion Pitcher

'I Won My Game, the Most Important Game to Me'
-- Pedro MarTEAMez on the 10-2 Loss to the Red Sox

What Are Omar Minaya and the Mets Fans Thinking This Morning?

"I’m not disappointed at all. I think I won the game on one side. Not even a win would give me the satisfaction I got from the fans... I won my game, the most important game to me.. Regardless of the result of the game, I'll always remember this as one of the best moments of my life... I'm not disappointed at all. The reception I got overmatched what I did out there. I'm extremely happy... I wasn't mentally prepared. I got caught up in the emotions of being received so well here." -- 6.28.06, Pedro MarTEAMez talking about how some polite clapping meant more to him than winning the game for his team

Shame on Some Obtuse Red Sox Fans Too

"They went more nuts for Pedro than for me." -- 6.28.06, Josh Beckett, who dominated and got his 10th win, laying a guilt trip on Red Sox Nation even though he got a real ovation

Theo: 'Computer Geeks 1, Pedro 0' | John Tomase: 'Other Side of Pedro'

“ 'Hey computer geeks!' Martinez screamed [hours after the Sox won the World Series]. 'Computer geeks! This is my World Series, not yours! And now I’m a free agent and there’s nothing you can do about it!' ” -- 6.29.06, John Tomase, Boston Herald

Mnookin: Henry Wanted to Fire Little After Game 7

Need Someone to Cheer?

(AP Photo)

You Can Stop Right Here

In Case You Forget, Beckett's Pitching Tonight
Josh Goes for 10th Win, Sox Turn It Up to 11

How About a Little Root, Hoot, 'Who's...' for the Home Team?

(BDD Photo Illustration)

Party's Over for Petey

Rattle Pedro and the Sox Train Keeps Rolling

Will Fenway Let Mets Fans Cheer Louder for Pedro in Our House Tonight?
Will It Be a 'Let's Go Mets!' Lovefest Again?

The Disingenuous Diva Gets a Reality Check

"...But when Pedro says he wanted nothing more than to return to Fenway and finish out his career with the Sox, a little context would be nice. Pedro–one of the proudest men ever to put on a uniform–hated the fact that Schilling had supplanted him as the team’s ace. He hated it so much that he didn’t travel to New York for Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees, when a bloodied Schilling took the mound and did what Pedro hadn’t been able to do since 1999: beat the Yankees in the playoffs. He resented the fact that the Sox had juggled their World Series rotation so it was Schilling who got the Game 2 start at Fenway. (That way, Schilling wouldn’t need to bat and risk running on his ankle.) Pedro had been a savior in Boston, and he wanted a chance to do the same thing in New York. 'Fenway Park changed almost 100 percent from the time I got there the first day to the time I left,' he told the New York Times earlier this week. 'I’m glad I’m in the middle of it again, changing what seemed to be a dead atmosphere at Shea Stadium.' Pedro loves to be The Man. For almost seven years, he was in Boston, and tonight, he will be again. But let’s not allow the misty-eyed tributes to cloud a clear-eyed view of reality." -- 6.28.06, Seth Mnookin, Pedro 2006: Revisionist history, reunions, and reality

Chilly Reception for Pedro in Sox Clubhouse?

"I heard some of the same things [Sox players kept watching movie when Pedro came in to visit clubhouse] that you [WEEI's Dale Arnold] did and I'm not surprised certainly. I've always said there's this perception in the real world, for whatever reason, that the 25 guys on the Red Sox are all best friends and obviously they're not and there was certainly a rivalry between Schilling and Pedro if that's what you want to call it."-- 6.28.06, the Herald's Tony Massarotti on Boston Sports Radio WEEI

Heroes and Goats

"[Yankees manager Joe] Torre added he's 'curious' to see Pedro Martinez's welcome tonight. 'They beat up on Johnny Damon, so it wouldn't surprise me what they do,' he said of the Fenway fans. 'Johnny was sort of a cult hero over there, more than anyone else, and they didn't treat him too favorably.' " -- 6.28.06, New York Newsday

Pedro Would Be Working for Joe, If the Yanks Had Only Ponied Up the Dough

"Imagine that, Pedro Martinez in New York. How many Dominican flags do you think there would be? I don't even want to imagine... The Yankees and Pedro? I don't even want to think about it... it would be great for George, not for the Red Sox." -- 3.26.03, Pedro Martinez, then of the Boston Red Sox

He Certainly Wasn't Going to Stay with the Red Sox

"I'll make my $17.5 (million) next year and I'm outta here." -- 8.24.03, Pedro Martinez, then the highest paid player in the game

But He Was Happy The Team Picked Up His Option

"I sacrificed a lot of money by not being a free agent the next two years... I'll let you know what I deserve."-- 4.9.03, Pedro Martinez, after the Red Sox picked up his option early

The Nation Won't Be Sleeping
With the Enemy Tonight

(AP Photo / BDD Photo Illustration)

Game On at Fenway

BDD Pedro Archives:
Pedro's Back in Town
Thank Him for 2004? That's What the Parade Was For
Can Pedro Worm His Way Out of Trouble in Boston?
Come to Papa Petey
Fuggedabouthim. Pedro Used the Team in a Highly Unethical Fashion
Diva Defection: Sox Got Punked
Prima Goner: Greedy Petey Gets His Deal with New York
He's the King of Queens... And Full of Beans
Schilling, Schilling, Schilling, Jan Brady Martinez Can't Let Go
Burning Boston Bridges on the Way Out of Town
Pedro's Panic Room

Streak ExTENded

(AP Photo)

Fired Up (and Sometimes Out of Control):
Sweet Emotion for Lester on Bases-Loaded Strikeouts
Def Jams, But Rookie Lefty Pitches Through Them For Win

Mets Are Less Than Impressive, Sox Romp 9-4
Captain Drives in Two to Get Sox Off and Running
Infield Power: Lowell, Gonzo Go Deep
Mets Soler Powered Pitching Needs More Gas
Sox Now 12-1 vs. Senior Circuit Citizens
Lastings Impression: Milledge Miscue Out of Left Field
Rocket Manny: Ramirez Nails Reyes Who Gets Leveled by 'Tek
Hansen, Tavarez Keep Getting Hit
Welcome Back '86'ers

"It definitely helps your confidence when you do work out of it. I wish I hadn't had to go through it, but in the long run this will be good." -- 6.28.06, Jon Lester on his jams

Seth Mnookin: The Return of Pedro and New Attitude on Yawkey Way
Survey Gallery: 10 to Consider | The Buzz: Tejada on the Block?
Extra Bases: Sox Win 10th Straight, 9-4

Fans Greet Pete ...

(Boston Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis)

'They Like Me... They Really Like Me'

Yeah, Either That Or the Red Sox Just Dusted Off the VCR
To Play the 2004 World Series Video to Stoke the Crowd.
The Lovefest at Fenway Was a Pleasure ...
But Tomorrow Night, It's All Business.

Why Can't I Get Ovations Like That? Sincerely, Keith Foulke

The Red Sox Must Still Be Working on the Johnny Damon Highlight Video
And Will No Doubt Show It on the Jumbotron During the Yankees Next Visit

Gammons Stricken,
Undergoes Surgery

(Boston Globe Staff Photo / Pat Greenhouse)

Peter Gammons Suffers Brain Aneurysm
Update: He Is Out of Surgery and in ICU
Please Say a Prayer for Peter and His Family Tonight

"...I work on a national stage, yet my heart is always in New England, and I like to think that I represent New England, which is why being only the second person from the area -- Harold Kaese was the other -- to be elected to the Hall means so much." -- 12.13.04, Peter Gammons to BDD on Heading into the Hall of Fame

Papi and Petey Together Again

(AP Photo)

Pedro's Still Playing the Role of the Jilted Lover
and Spinning His Revisionist History Rap:
Martinez Fires Away at Fenway

Petey's Back in Town

(Getty Images Photo / David Maxwell)

Let's Take a Look Back at the Life and Times of the Dominican Dominator

Is He Sticking to His Story This Week?
Pedro Said the Red Sox Were the Yankees' Daddy, Not Him:
'My Team Was Not Helping Me'

4.13.05 - New York Post, Tempo magazine: You’re known for your calling-it-like-it-is personality. Have you ever said anything you regret?
Pedro: "I speak from my heart. I’m honest. I can’t be any other way. But yes, there were actually two things I’ve said that I’ve come to regret. The first, when I called the Yankees my daddy. I was feeling it that night so I said it, but I was saying it more for my team, than for me. I was feeling like I could not beat them because my team was not helping me."

Pete Threw Mahow, Millar, Under the Bus, Too

(BDD Photo Illustrationi)

What ever happened to Nelson de la Rosa [Pedro’s pal who became a sort of locker room personality with the Red Sox]?
"Nelson needs help. He is a special human being. I haven’t seen him in a while."

But he says you broke his heart.
"He was angry that I signed with the Mets. He wanted me to stay with Boston."

So are you going to bring any lucky charms to New York?
"He was not my lucky charm. I’m not superstitious like some guys. It was Kevin Millar who thought this. I met Nelson through mutual friends and he asked to come to the game. I gave him tickets. And it so happened that we would win every time he came to games and people would go crazy for him, especially kids. Since we won some games, Millar started saying that he was the team’s lucky charm. But I am not superstitious. I only have certain routines that I practice."

Do you want to share them?
"I have two sets of underwear —a set that I wear for practice only, the other set I use to play." -- NY Post's Tempo magazine

But What About Pete Calling Nelson 'Our Lucky Charm'

"My friend is Nelson. His name is Nelson. He's 36 years old. He's from the Dominican Republic and very funny character, and very animated. Everybody's happy with him. He's our lucky charm now. Now a days. The guys are falling in love with him." -- 9.28.04, Pedro Martinez to CBS4's Dan Roche

Reunion is Bittersweet for '86 Sox Who, Along with Red Sox Nation, Suffered the Most Heartbreaking Defeat in the History of the Franchise, Losing in Game 6 to the New York Mets... Pedro's Team.

Eric Wilbur: Electric Billing
NY Times: Pedro Lightens Up, So Give Him a Huge Ovation Tonight... and Thursday Night
(But Not on the Night He Pitches... We Need the Win)

Thank Him for 2004?

(Reuters Photo)

That's What the Parade Was For :-)

(Boston Dirt Dogs Photos / Scott Darlington)

Those Were the Days... Before Pedro Kicked Poor Nelson to the Curb

Can Martinez Worm His Way Out of Trouble in Boston?

(Boston Dirt Dogs / Frank Galasso, cartoonist)

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It's Meet and Greet for
Pete and the Media

(AP File Photo)

But Will the Fans Hold His Feet to the Fenway Fire?

Mike Celizic: 'Red Sox Fans Need to Heartily Boo Pedro'

"For the fans, Pedro’s return to Fenway shouldn’t be about doing what’s right by their former hero. If sports started working that way, the entire player-fan dynamic would be turned on its head.

"He used to play there, and then he went to not just another town, but to the hated Big Apple. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t sign with the New York Yankees, because the Mets haven’t occupied a terribly choice piece of real estate in Boston hearts since 1986 and that episode with Bill Buckner..."

"Reviling old heroes is what makes the game fun, and few are bigger than Pedro. Red Sox fans have already shown what they’re capable of when they booed Johnny Damon on his return. Now it’s Pedro’s turn.

"They’ve got to give him everything they got. To do otherwise would be an insult to what he meant to Boston and a travesty of what it means to be a fan.

"They can cheer him whenever his career is finally winding down and he’s making his last stop. Until then, it’s full hiss ahead." -- 6.26.06, Mike Celizic, MSNBC, (file under Bingo)

Come to Papa

(AP Photo / BDD Photo Illustration)

Just Think of Yankee Fans as Your Weird Uncle, Pedro
'Cause You Ain't Heard Nothin' 'Til You Meet Your Real Daddy

WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY... WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY...

" '[The New York Mets] have shown more respect in days than Boston did in seven years'... They will field the best bad team in baseball history... They'll be stupid not to do Varitek. Varitek is the next one gone. Theo's going to have the biggest problem with him. ... I hope 'Tek is on my team... Theo got really arrogant on Fernando [Cuza, his agent] and I didn't appreciate it... Francona had no say, like he didn't have any say in managing the team. He was manipulated [by the front office]." -- 12.18.04, Pedro Martinez talking about the Boston Red Sox, the team that made him the highest paid player in the game

WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY... WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY...

"...In the end, they [Red Sox front office] scraped and bowed and gave him the perks he requested, all proof he is different from the other players on the Red Sox... In Boston, Pedro was allowed to do whatever he wanted -- show up whenever and take vacations. The Boston media were easy on him for what he had done. They gave him a mulligan for not attending Game 6 in New York..." -- 12.14.04, Hall-of-Famer Peter Gammons, ESPN.com

WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY... WHO'S YOUR DA-DDY...

Back in Boston: Disingenuous Diva Eyes Fenway Return | Photos: Prima Goner with Sox
NESN: What If Grady Had Pulled Him? | Martinez to Mets: How Quickly We Forget
Ryan: Pedro Shows True Colors | Shaughnessy: Words Speak for Themselves
If Pedro Loved Boston Fans So Much, Why Didn't He Take Out an Ad Like Johnny?
NY Post: Gammons: 'There Will Be A Lot of Booing'

'I Was Pretty Much Let Go'
More Revisionist History from Pedro Metinez

"Does he expect to be booed? 'I hope not, but there are some people... I don't know how they feel,' Martinez told Newsday yesterday. 'Knowing my fans and the relationship I had and how much I expressed how I wanted to stay... it wasn't my choice. I wasn't given the choice to actually think about, I was pretty much let go.' " -- 5.3.06, Pedro Martinez: New York Newsday

Gammons on Martinez and Damon Returning to Boston

Comments from Gammons on WEEI's Big Show, May 4, 2006 (Audio Here):

On the Damon reaction at Fenway:

“I thought it went a little bit over the top. I don’t understand the mentality of someone spending hours at home making up some obscene sign. It wasn’t like he was an electric personality here… he was very popular here but it wasn’t like Pedro or Clemens, he didn’t depart simply because of money. It was a prolonged kind of a mixed-up negotiation. And the one thing about him, he always played hard, he played hurt, and he was always accountable. I don’t know, I just didn’t think it needed to be quite so insane.

"I sit down there and I listen to people stand up there with their kids on either side of them scream obscenities at Derek Jeter like their big people because they’ve got a fence in between them and the field so, I guess if that’s what makes people happy… I think sports can be fun too. There are a lot of people that don’t think it’s fun… I just thought that, in Damon’s case, one thing about him… I like Roger a lot, but he did say that, he did complain about things like carrying his bags, and he did go to Toronto and say that he loved it because it was so much like Houston, and Pedro left town with guns blazing because of his relationship with Schilling. But I just thought that the way Damon was always very respectful of the fans… I did not think taking out that ad in the Globe was phony in the least, I think Johnny’s pretty genuine, but that’s it, he’s moved on and I’ll say this, I found this really interesting, Don Mattingly made, and this surprised me, he said to me ‘you know, Damon has really changed our team’… this team had become so businesslike, and so uptight the last three years, Damon is sort of goofy, he comes in everyday with a big smile on his face, he’s up to something, he’s always accountable to the media. He said ‘he’s really changed our personality for the better.’ And if that’s true, and I believe Mattingly’s got a pretty good finger on that team as hitting coach and future manager, then I think that’s pretty interesting. I think the Yankees got more than they thought they got when they signed him."

On Pedro coming back to Fenway:

"I think there’s more hostility towards Pedro [than Damon]. And it’s partly because he’s an electric personality. I think that Pedro will get a pretty rough [reception]. Now he’s not pitching for the Yankees, and that’s a big difference. They won’t have people standing there with their kids and screaming obscenities at Jose Reyes, but I think Pedro will take a lot of heat here. I’ll be interested to see how he is. I think he’s gonna be a little testy when he comes back here."

Are the Sox Really Going to Fire Up New York's Ace with Highlight Clips
Or Will They Keep the Heat on Pete and Keep the Streak Alive?

On Cloud Nine

(Boston Globe Staff Photos / Jim Davis)

Extraordinary: David Does It Again
With A Little Help From His Friends
Nine Lives: Sox Winning Streak Continues, 8-7 in 12

Wake-Lidle Duel Turns to Run Explosion, Both Sides
Youkontinue to Get It Done, Big RBI Tied It Up
Johnny Be Good, Coco Too? Crisp Gets in the Mix, Goes 3-for-5, 2 R
Good Thing Seanez Says He Doesn't Mind Getting Booed
Papelbon... Back to Pawtucket? Trade Him? ... Nah
Can't Blame Them: Lopez, Timlin, Tavarez, Delcarmen
Rheal Deal: Hard to Believe Cormier is Still Getting Guys Out
Be Careful What You Wish For... a.k.a. Hansen Late
What a Release: Mike Holtz, We Hardly Knew Ye (Like Paxton Crawford)
Sox Burn Through 8 Pitchers as Dangerous Mets Come to Town

"He's unbelievable. You just know he's coming through. You're just waiting for the opportunity to jump over the little gate in the dugout and be the first to greet him." -- 6.26.06, Coco Crisp on Big Papi's heroics

Seth Mnookin: More on Manny and Ortiz

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Shaughnessy: Phillies Should Have Stopped Myers's Start
Philly.com: