A recent Boston Herald article was about Pedro having fond memories of the Sox:
“I have room in my heart for the good things that happened. I appreciate so much being a Boston Red Sox for seven years. I established, I think, a small legacy when I was there. You know, there’s more good than bad. There’s nothing I can say - you know how I look at all this that happened this winter? Business. I’m mature enough to understand that that was business, regardless of what happened or how I was treated, it was just business.''
…
“No regrets, none at all,’’ Martinez said. “I miss my (Red Sox) teammates - a whole bunch of crazy dudes, the ‘Idiots’ that I had behind me. I miss the fans, I miss the atmosphere and not really that much (else), because New York really takes you when it comes to being in an atmosphere.”
…
Two baseball cards - one a World Series MVP card of Manny Ramirez, the other an ALCS MVP card of David Ortiz - sit atop Martinez’ locker in Shea Stadium.
That’s sweet… It was interesting to me that Pedro still talks to Varitek, at least judging by that article. I guess they’re two of the finest baseball minds around, so why not keep talking? It’s not like Mike Piazza, for all his hitting ability, is a fine defensive catcher.
But I guess both sides are okay now… Pedro has clearly brought some sort of excitement to Shea. You can even hear it in the Mets broadcasters’ voices, and I gotta admit it’s kind of bizarro-nostalgic to see the K-crew replicating itself in Shea, with Mets colours on the K signs. The New York Times notes the Pedro phenomenon:
No matter how many home runs Cliff Floyd hits this season, or how long it takes Carlos Beltran to get accustomed to New York, or how quickly Jose Reyes and David Wright become franchise cornerstones, this Mets season will be remembered mainly for the baseball renaissance that Martinez has brought to Flushing. (Link)
One final quote from the Herald article:
“And I thank God, in the worst year I had in Boston, I ended up winning a championship, thanks to the help of a lot of grinders I had behind me.”
Actually, looking at their bellies, I thought it was Schilling who ate all the grinders. :)