Daily Archives: July 15, 2009
During today’s press conference in Philadelphia, Pedro Martinez said that he wanted to remain with the Mets, but the club didn’t show any interest in him.
Martinez told reporters at Citizens Bank Park:
“I was hoping the Mets would make a move…and they didn’t, so I decided to wait. It wasn’t my decision to not be in New York. It was someone else’s.”
…I am very sentimental towards Martinez and at first, when Maine and Perez went down I thought the Mets should take a look at him, but in the end I felt that it was probably the right thing for them to move on despite the pitching problems the team has had…
…that said, I never thought he would end up with the Phillies and if he does get an opportunity to pitch at Citi Field, I am curious as to how well he would be received by the fans, given the uniform he would be wearing…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
Ben Tulis over at Hot Foot notes some All-Star facts you might not have known, including, “The only save recorded by a Met in an All-Star game was by Sid Fernandez in the 1987 All-Star game.”
Metstradamus joins in the discussion as he gripes over the game.
Seven Train to Shea thinks the winner shouldn’t determine home field advantage in the World Series.
…i totally agree, although it seems to not matter too much since an NL team has won three times since 2003…as for the game, i turned it off after ryan howard struck out and because it was around 11:30…
Lastly, Andrew of The ‘Ropolitans made a cameo on Mets Weekly recently to discuss the state of the Mets.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
In last night’s All-Star Game, David Wright went 1 for 2 with a run scored.
Lifetime, Wright is a four-time All-Star and is 4 for 12 with a home run and an RBI in mid-summer classics.
Francisco Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the National League, striking out one.
This was Rodriguez’s second All-Star appearance and fourth All-Star selection.
Johan Santana did not pitch in the game, and while Carlos Beltran was selected as a starter to the National League team, he did not attend the game due to his knee injury.
SNY will air the live press conference to announce the Phillies’ signing of Pedro Martinez.
The press conference is scheduled for 12:00 pm EDT today.
Update, 1:45 p.m. by Regis Courtemanche:
Pedro Martinez during today’s press conference commented on the Mets’ interest in re-signing him:
“I was hoping the Mets would make a move and they didn’t, so I decided to wait. It wasn’t my decision to not be in New York. It was someone else’s.”
“I knew that one of the teams would need pitching at this time, so I waited. I actually was able to jump into first place without throwing a ball. I’m really glad I’m here. The Mets are gonna go their way, I’m gonna go with Philly in my way. I just have to continue on, no grudges.”
On his time with the Mets:
“I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization. I have nothing to say but God bless them, wish them well, I hope they all get healthy and come back and compete.”
About the Mets-Phillies rivalry, and if he will have extra motivation to beat the Mets:
Tagged Pedro Martinez |“I would love to tell you that, but I can’t hide love, and I have love for those people. I can’t do anything with the hate you have for the Mets fans. That’s between you guys.”
In a report by Mark Hale of the New York Post, Billy Wagner is on a 10-day break but will head back to Port St. Lucie on Sunday to continue his rehabilitation from Tommy John Surgery.
Despite the recent struggles for the bullpen, Wagner doesn’t believe the club will give him a prominent role upon his return, telling Hale:
“I can’t see it. I think that would be foolhardy to even insinuate something like that. I think what I would be is a Brian Stokes-type player. I might pitch once a week. I can’t see ‘em doing that.”
…As much as I would like to see him return to form, I think that Wagner will need to prove to himself and the team that he can pitch back-to-back days while maintaining his velocity in order to be put back into a prominent role…but if he is effective and the team can find it’s way back into the race, I think the Mets will eventually be depending on him late…
Kevin Kernan of the New York Post is reporting that David Wright would like to remain with the Mets for his entire career.
Wright told Kernan:
“I’ve made it very clear to those guys that I enjoy being there. I’ve been through some ups and downs and I kind of want to see it through to make sure that I get the chance to finish the job that I kind of started. . . . It means a lot to me to be able to finish the job and do what I think the New York Mets are capable of doing. I don’t think we’ve done that yet.”
…Wright, to me, has become the face of the franchise and if he were to leave at any time, in my opinion the impact would be similar to when the club traded Tom Seaver which was devastating to both he and the fans…
