Ex-Met Martinez gets opportunity of a lifetime against his “daddy”
It was thrilling enough to watch Pedro Martinez pitch against “his daddy” in the American League Championship Series.
But now, Pedro Martinez pitching at Yankee Stadium in the World Series? Really?
In what could be one of the most memorable games in baseball history, there could not be another player on the Philadelphia Phillies postseason roster that would want to beat the Yankees more than Martinez. Martinez has had his fair share of experiences against New York, as we all know. His performance in the 2003 ALCS led to his manager’s departure, and his performance in the 2004 ALCS led to a World Series appearance — followed by victory.
Let’s also not forget his episode with former Yankees’ coach Don Zimmer, who charged Martinez at full speed. In a story for Sports Illustrated, Lee Jenkins displays a quote which Martinez used to describe his initial thought when Zimmer began charging him.
“I thought he was going to just give me advice or something, just go ‘Pedro, you need to slow down or something.’ … His reaction was totally the opposite. He was trying to punch my mouth and told me a couple of bad words about my mom.”
Martinez may say some silly things, but that is what you will find with most professional athletes. Despite the drama surrounding him, he has been known as one of the best Latin American pitchers to ever climb a pitchers mound in the history of the game. With stints in Los Angeles, Montreal, Boston, New York, and now Philadelphia, Martinez has had memories on every corner of the western world.
The league-wide consensus in the mid-2000’s was that Martinez’s grip on dominance was slipping, but that he had some fuel left in his tank to at least make some memories with one other team. After he achieved what every player dreams of: winning a World Series, he had no problem leaving the Red Sox for another team to help wind down his career and collect a few extra bucks. By signing with the Mets, his popular image helped dig the team out of a deep hole by giving hope to a helpless franchise. By this point, he knew that if he didn’t win a World Series, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But what happened in the second half of his four-year stay in New York changed the way he pitched forever.
Injuries to both his arm and leg at different times set Martinez back. Any player could have called it quits at that point, especially with the money he had and the life after baseball he has to look forward to. But Martinez fought harder than he ever had in his life and turned himself into a different pitcher, a better one.
Maybe his fastball wasn’t blazing in the mid-90’s, but his off-speed pitches were decent and the accuracy of his fastball helped keep hitters from shelling him. He was forced to become more creative as a pitcher, and after working as hard as he did, he changed his mind about the World Series desire.
He wanted to come back to the Mets following the expiration of his contract, but the team wasn’t buying into his injury-prone body. Teams kept him waiting until the middle of the season, when he finally received a call from a potential buyer: The Philadelphia Phillies.
What a perfect storm for Martinez. He could have the opportunity to get back at the team that no longer wanted him, the Mets, and stay in the National League and have the chance to win the World Series on a contending team. Staying in the National League also meant the potential of playing “his daddy” in the World Series.
After working as hard as he did, I would want to do all of that too.
Giants face must-win in Philadelphia
Eli Manning and the New York Giants could be in second place by Sunday evening.
That’s just how fast the standings can flip on you. When the Giants travel to hostile Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia this weekend, they need to move the ball effectively and keep the Eagles’ offense off the field by forcing as many three and outs as possible.
The Eagles are always a dangerous team, and it is not uncommon to see them go from worst to first in a matter of weeks. It happens every season. The Giants’ defense should put their focus on Eagles’ wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who had both rushing touchdowns and passing touchdowns against the Redskins in week 7. Both of those scores were plays that were over 50 yards, so it will depend on the Giants’ secondary to keep up with him.
The offensive gameplan for the Giants needs to be based around short passes mixed in with the run. In the past two weeks, the Giants have thrown bombs down the field on first and second down, putting all the pressure to execute on third down. Had the Giants just gained a handful of yards on each down, they would have kept moving the chains and would have avoided three and outs.
The winner of this game will most certainly have the edge heading down the stretch. With that being said, the Giants have yet to play their fair share of divisional games. The Giants have made the most of their divisional opportunities by beating the Redskins and Cowboys, but the real tests start coming later in the season.
The schedule down the road isn’t looking so easy for Big Blue, but in my opinion that is great. If the Giants are able to capitalize on the tough games and push their way to the postseason, they will enter the playoffs as a proven and balanced team who beats the teams the need to beat and wins the big games. If they don’t, they could risk missing the playoffs.
The Giants are used to these situations, though. Eli Manning has led this team to victory in many big games, and I don’t just mean the playoffs. In 2006, the Giants were 0-1 and were down by several touchdowns against the Eagles when Manning led the team to overtime. Manning lobbed a pass to then-receiver Plaxico Burress for the game-winning score.
The Giants should act like this week’s game is the fourth quarter of the game in 2006. Or better yet, fourth quarter of the Super Bowl against the Patriots. As long as they take care of business, they will escape Philly unscathed with a 6-2 record.
Warner, Cards knock off reeling Giants
5-0 seemed like a great record, right?
Funny what two weeks can do. The New York Giants dropped their first game of the season last week in a game where Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan’s squad allowed an excruciatingly high 48 points against the New Orleans Saints. Just a week later, the Giants found themselves with their fingers on the panic button.
Although the Giants submitted a fairly solid, all-around effort, the Cardinals executed when it mattered the most, especially when it came to turnovers. Eli Manning launched solid passes to his go-to receivers throughout the entire game, and despite an amazing wrestle-and-catch from tight end Kevin Boss, the Giants found themselves in the same situations multiple times thereafter. With just over a minute remaining in the game, the Giants were marching down the field to answer the Cardinals’ seven-point lead when Antrelle Rolle snatched Manning’s pass and sealed the victory for the suddenly-surging Cardinals.
Manning’s unfortunate interceptions, coupled with a fumble late in the game by running back Ahmad Bradshaw, kept the Giants behind in a game New York hoped to use to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
The defense did a pretty solid job, you have to give them credit. They had New York’s offensive turnovers working against them the entire second half, wearing them down toward the end of the game.
The Giants will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, who are 4-2 on the season following their victory over the Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday night. The Giants’ secondary will be keeping their eye on Eagles’ wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who hugged a handoff and broke free for a 67-yard touchdown score early in the game. Just when you thought he was doing well, he did great. Jackson added another score to his statistics, only this time he sprinted past the Redskins’ defenders into the end zone for a 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Donovan McNabb.
If the Giants are unable to escape Philadelphia with a win this Sunday, they officially need to push the panic button as the Eagles will have leapfrogged the Giants into first place in the NFC East standings.
On the other hand, if the Giants are able to go on the road and hold off the high-flying Eagles offense, it would result in a serious momentum boost and a key divisional victory down the stretch.
Giants host Cardinals in primetime showdown at The Meadowlands
The New York Giants’ top-ranked defense will have their hands full for the second straight week — this time it will be against the dangerous Arizona Cardinals passing attack. Former Giant Kurt Warner will look to silence Giants Stadium and hand Big Blue their second consecutive loss.
The Giants won’t be falling down that easily, however. Although the Giants defense should fear Arizona’s passing attack, they should look to capitalize on their strong run defense. The Cardinals’ running game has been almost non-existent, averaging only 57.6 yards per game. By stopping the run and limiting the passes, the defense should try to hold the Cardinals to as many three and outs as possible, as Arizona has only converted 32% of their third down opportunities on offense.
New York’s offense will look to dig down into their deep group of wide receivers and attack the Cardinals’ defense by spreading the ball around. Wide receivers Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, and Hakeem Nicks have all scored touchdowns in the past few weeks, and with a healthy quarterback at the helm, there shouldn’t be much difficulty moving the ball down the field.
Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride needs to do a better job at calling plays for this weekend’s game. Last weekend, he called for unnecessary bombs downfield when the team just needed to run the ball effectively and move the chains. Brandon Jacobs was stopped completely in the first quarter of the game in New Orleans, and Gilbride refused to give Ahmad Bradshaw any carries. When it was nearly too late, Bradshaw finally was given the opportunity, and made the best of it. Had the Giants played their cards properly, the running game could have taken over and produced points. This week, all of that needs to change in order for Big Blue to win.
MLB wisely takes away C.B. Bucknor’s World Series umpiring job
C.B. Bucknor is one of the more negative umpires in Major League Baseball, and I know that from experience.
When I was the bat boy for the New York Mets in Spring Training of 2007, Bucknor explained to me that I was handing him the baseballs the wrong way when he asked for them between innings. He said that I should have handed the baseballs to him with my hands on top, and his hands on the bottom so that it is “easier for him.”
That was one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard. After I realized that he had a miserable attitude, I began to look for him on highlight reels to see how well he would do as an umpire. Not surprisingly, I would repeatedly turn on ESPN to find him starting a fight or dragging one on without actually trying to settle it down. He would have this smirk on his face, then eject a player or manager and an evil smile would just light up his face.
The latest news has me laughing in joy. According to the Associated Press, Bucknor was slated to suit up for this year’s World Series. However, after blowing two calls in game 1 of the Division Series, his supervisors changed their mind, choosing to go with a 100% experienced umpiring crew for the World Series. This is surprising news coming from the league, considering 24 of the past 25 World Series have had at least one umpire who never did a World Series before. This was a tradition to keep the rotation of umpires in the World Series fresh for the upcoming years.
The Associated Press has Joe West, Dana DeMuth, Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman, Jeff Nelson, and Mike Everett listed as umpires for this year’s World Series. After hearing this news, we shouldn’t have to worry about any controversies surrounding Mr. Bucknor in this year’s fall classic.