Posts Tagged ‘One of the 25’
Meeting Millar in 2003. I was very excited to meet him which explains why I look so nervous in this photo.
Kevin Millar has held a special place in my heart for a long time. Before his time in Boston began in 2003, I had watched him on “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” talking about how he was treated for being a ’scrub’ in 1994 and how difficult it was to decide to play during the strike. Immediately, I was drawn to him and I was excited to see him on the Red Sox. I knew he was no All Star but I’ve always had a penchant for bench players so I had no higher hopes for him than he be successful on his own level and help the team as much as he could.
At the time, I was a very active contributor to the Red Sox Fan Forum message board and the collective interest in Millar (and Todd Walker and other members of the team) turned into a website that I created (numberfifteen.com – now defunct). The site became very popular and I ended up in contact with various people who knew Kevin (including his mom and a former coach). Kevin himself even left comments a few times. He was very gracious and seemed to appreciate the love of the fans. So he really won my fandom.
Pedro reminds Yankees fans who his "daddy? is. (Photo lifted from Getty Images/MLB.com and used with no permissions.)
I didn’t have much time to write yesterday but I tried to get my reading in about Pedro. I’m still smiling. Sure he lost the game but he pitched well and his walking off that mound, smiling at the game…the fans…the situation…will be forever in my mind when I think about him.
Many if not most Red Sox fans consider themselves fortunate to have been able to see Pedro pitch in his prime. I know I do. During his time in Boston, I saw him pitch at Fenway more than any other pitcher. (Tim Wakefield has since taken over as “pitcher I’ve seen pitch the most in person”.) Every outing was an event. The atmosphere around Fenway was electric on any Pedro game day and the fans hung on his pitches like you don’t see them do with pitchers today. Standard procedure for fans of the home team is to make their bathroom/beer runs during the other team’s at-bat. Not many fans left their seats back when Pedro was pitching. I was sad when Pedro left and I was sad when he didn’t have any of the success with the Mets that he had with Boston. But Pedro’s two post-season appearances with the Phillies have shown that while he isn’t as fast, or as good, or as young as he once was – he’s still Pedro.
But when he’s not on the mound, as he stares at what is likely the end of his career, the last restraints on his personality seem to have snapped. As he exited the field Thursday night, Mr. Martinez took a moment to tell a heckler above the dugout that his behavior and language were inappropriate. “‘Your daughter is right beside you,” he said he told the fan. “‘It’s a little girl. It’s a shame you’re saying all these things.’ I had to stop and tell him because I’m a father myself, and God, how can you be so dumb to do those kind of things in front of your child? What kind of example are you setting?”
Matthew Futterman from the Wall Street Journal shares the above quoted passage. Can you imagine? Man’s a superstar, exciting the World Series after putting men on and already with his team behind and he stops to chastise a heckler? Vintage Pedro.
So I’m sorry Pedro didn’t get the win but I’m thrilled he got his chance in Yankee Stadium again and took as much advantage as he could. He struck out 8 (Jeter and Slappy both twice, plus Damon, Hairston, Jr, Cabrera and Teixeira) and he only walked 2. Unfortunately, giving up 6 hits in 6 innings – including 2 home runs – did him in. All in all, I think it was more than many expected from Pedro. And the “Who’s Your Daddy?” chants didn’t seem to have any affect on Pedro except to make him smile as he left the field.
Phillies leave the Bronx with a split – which is good enough to take away home field advantage for the time being – and they do it all over again tonight with Pettitte and Hamels on the mound. 7:57 ET on Halloween Night. Just in time for me to shut off the light and stop giving out candy to trick or treaters!
