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According to the Associated Press, a video of Pedro Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal taking part in a cockfight in the Dominican Republic was posted and then quickly taken off of YouTube last night.
The report writes, “Cockfighting is both legal and popular in the Dominican Republic.”
…but, that doesn’t make it right, said Little Jerry Seinfeld…



I hope he put in little jerry
We are talking about roosters here, right?
Exactly-chickens, forcryingoutloud. The Mike Vick apologists and the cruelty to animals folks are arm in arm on this. People always overlook the fact that we eat millions of these creatures every year. Is cutting off a chicken’s head cruel and unusual? The Supreme Court might fule that it is. Is stepping on a cockroach cruelty? Catching a mouse in a trap? Give me a break. We haven’t started eating dogs yet. And I am pretty sure they don’t in Santo Domingo.
If you want to see real animal cruelty, take a tour of one of the Purdue (or any other company) chicken processing plants in this country. Those poor birds don’t even see the light of day. They spend their whole lives, approximately 6 months, inside a holding pen, then when their time comes they’re hung by their feet from a conveyor belt and lowered into electrified water.
If they weren’t so tasty I’d be really upset.
While I don’t condone what happens in slaughterhouses and processing plants, I think there is a difference between the cruelty those animals are put through for food production, and the cruelty these roosters (or dogs) are put through for amusement, entertainment, and gambling.
Actually, I think you might be wrong on that. In the Dominican Republic, cockfighting is huge. These animals are treated quite well as they can be huge money makers and the people are very prideful when it comes to this. These roosters are not living in conditions like the ones GeorgeThomas describes above. In my eyes, it’s all inhumane and I can’t really see a difference.
I bet the winners are treated well, but the losers are dinner.
mmm…chicken…
But they do eat dogs in other parts of the world.
Are you one of those guys who “hates” on people who don’t do things exactly the way that you do?
Chickens, (as well as cattle, pork, and veal), are bred specifically for the purpose of food consumption. If cows weren’t raised on farms where they are protected they’d probably be extinct.
You can’t have it both ways. If it’s wrong to raise dogs to fight each other, it’s wrong to raise ANY species specifically to fight each other.
It’s genuinely amazing to me, how this stuff comes out THE SAME EXACT DAY that all of the focus in the newspaper should be on Johan Santana.
Not that this amounts to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of things — but it’s funny how the media will always try to draw some attention away from what the Mets do as an organization.
Who gives a flip that Pedro was at a legal cock-fight in the DR?
He didn’t organize it….he didn’t strap on some gloves and box the thing himself — he was there with another Hall of Famer.
*Ahem*….who cares?
(P.S. — Can someone get to work on photoshopping the Little Jerry Seinfeld pic with Pedro’s head on it?)
Welp, I did it, but the link in the comments is filtered out.
It’s ridiculous! On a day that should be focused on the nyc arrival of a special player, the pro-yankee media does their best to smear the mets.
It can never go just 100% smooth for the Mets, can it?
This is going to get crazy and stupid, but it’s also foolish to say it should be disregarded because we kill and eat chickens.
We also eat tons of beef but typically frown on torturing cows.
Right because nobody tips cows or prods them with weaponry. American should stick with its own societal problems and laws. Unless we want to attack Spain and Latin America for the honor of bulls and chickens.
Yes, there are plenty of abuses here too. They’re illegal, and prosecuted.
Viva Los pollos!
Legal or not in the DR, or elsewhere, it’s still disgusting behavior that shouldn’t be condoned.
This is the last sort of news item you wanna see right now on the Mets front, but I hope Pedro does get heat for it. He deserves it.
ha ha ha ha ha ….
ITS LEGAL IN THE DR! why should he get heat for it. If you are raised in a culture where something like that is legal and common practice (see also bull fighting) why should you be punished for that.
Regardless if it is legal there, illegal here, or what your beliefs are - it is how this activity projects on the club. No one was too thrilled when LMillz made a rap video.
Yes, Pedro has every right to enjoy something in his home country where that activity is legal but he is a sports hero in *this* country and everyone who has chosen a life in the public eye in this country , like it or not, I would think should hold himself to a higher standard. Millions here idolize him. Again, he can do what he wants but perhaps some of our stars and heroes need to be a little more selective as to what they do in public, what can be possibly publicized on the internet and how some of their fans may view it.
Oh man. ESPN is gonna eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner….the story, not chickens.
regardless of whether it’s cruel or not, we shouldn’t try to impose our American morals on other countries and its citizens and judge them based on our customs
To say something is a custom doesn’t make it moral. The people who defended Vick said the same thing - ‘well in the south it’s very common to dogfight so it’s okay’. To me, someone who gets Pleasure from seeing animals killed has issues. Knowing that Pedro gets a kick out of this certainly knocks him down a few pegs in my book.
Saying “well in the south” doen’t cut it. Last I checked the South is part of the United States…as long as Pedro doesn’t participate in it here, then what does it matter?
I agree that this stuff isn’t necessarily the best thing to be interested in, but if it’s legal in the DR we can’t really do anything about it
There are 192 other countries in the world. You should try to leave Queens and do some sight seeing. Your definition of morality may be different in other parts of the world.
Why do you confuse morality with legal?
Pedro should not be punished for this, as it’s legal, but I can think less of him for it.
Child molestation may not actually be legal in Thailand, but it’s not prosecuted. If someone goes there to sleep with a 13 yr old child, I can certainly judge it by my moral system. If they’re someone I thought highly of, I would then think less of them.
I’m saddened to see Pedro doing this. I don’t hate him, but think less of him.
Now he needs to find a new pet midgit.
Youre comparing cockfighting to child molestation….come on they aren’t even indirectly related to one another
No, I’m using the example to show the differrence between a moral objection and a legal one. They’re not at all the same.
I hope Pedro receives nothing but some shame for this. That he pitches sucessfully for the Mets this year, and wins 20 games.
I can judge the gov’t of the DR for allowing it to be legal, and choose not to travel there.
When will the A-Rod & Jeter cockfighting video surface?
I don’t want to see it, just askin’
nice one, lol
Do people honestly think that Pedro Martinez is the only MLB player to attend and/or participate in a cockfight in the Dominican Republic? It just so happens that he appeared on film.
A lot of people are going to say that some people are hypocrites for saying “it’s legal there”, but it’s the truth. There are things that are done in other countries that seem wrong, but the same can be said by other countries of the United States.
Guys: The people in the DR would laugh if they see the NY POST article. This is part of the culture in the DR. We can not try to regulate other cultures.
Its like condoning everyone thats been to a bull fight.
Pedro was not doing anything illegal. Again, cock fighting is legal and part of the culture. That should be the end of it.
Where talking about roosters man.. roosters!
In China… the government kills the second born child!!!
dun dun dun!
es, Pedro has every right to enjoy something in his home country where that activity is legal but he is a sports hero in *this* country and everyone who has chosen a life in the public eye in this country , like it or not, I would think should hold himself to a higher standard. Millions here idolize him.
He’s more than just a sports hero in the Dominican Republic though. Millions in this country may idolize him but the ENTIRE COUNTRY idolizes him in the Dominican.
Exactly. Regardless of the local law, on a personal level he’s judged for his actions, not prosecuted.
He’s made his fame and fortune here, and in the public spotlight he’s done something that will cause shame.
What he did is similar to throwing out the first pitch at a world series game, singing the nation anthem at the superbowl, dropping the puck at the NHL championship..
outside of baseball, cockfighting is the DR “national pastime”
This would be completely different if it happend within the US
good to see that an intelligent man with his wealth and world exposure still participates in such a antiquated and uncivilized activity. pedro, you’re better than that.
ny post tampon has some photos:
nypost.com/seven/02072008/news/worldnews/pedros_fowl_ball_475252.htm
You’re all xenophobic a**holes.
First off, Spanish bullfighting is WORSE because humans are fighting animals to the death, with weapons.
It is legal because it’s been a national pastime for generations, how DARE you pass judgment through your cultural mores.
Morality, as always, is relative. You all sickening me.
slavery was legal. female circumcision is legal is some countries. dogfighting is popular and culturally significant in many american rural and urban neighborhoods. violence toward animals is one of the 3 factors in determining sociopaths.
that doesn’t make it okay. there are universal truths.
to say morality is competely relative is sophomoric.
Pedro Martinez is a scumbag…Always was…Always will be…
You can give a low-life jerk-off millions and he’s still a low-life jerk-off…
OK, I’m one of the guys who wants to see Mike Vick rot in prison… Yet, I don’t feel that the Pedro situation is similar.
Yes, they’re both cruelty to animals, and Pedro’s wrong for it, and I won’t defend his choice to partake in these events.
I will, however, contrast this situation from that of Michael Vick.
Cockfighting is not illegal, but legal and very popular, in the Dominican Republic. It is a part of the culture there… Whereas Dogfighting is illigal and not a part of American culture.
I wish Pedro would have used better judgement, especially after watching what happened with Vick, but he didn’t. I hope the Mets relay that to him.