A while back, when Bleeding Yankee Blue interviewed Laura and Jorge Posada, I asked Laura about Jorge's big hit off of Pedro Martinez in the 2003 ALCS. It was a bloop double into the outfield to tie the game. It was huge moment as a fan and for Jorge and the Yankee. I had to see what Laura thought about that moment. There's that answer:
Laura: "I was right there and that was an Epic moment! Getting a hit off Pedro in 2003 was not an easy task and due to the history of "love" between them, it just made it a little sweeter! As a spectator, you could feel the electricity in your body when he got that double."
Not sure if the reader noticed back then, but at the time, when writing up the interview, I put quotes around love. We wanted to emphasize that word, because for a while there, it was clear that Pedro and Jorge weren't exactly best friends. Now, to be fair, I don't go calling Jorge up asking him his feelings about athletes. But we are both Leos, and I think I understand Leos very well.
I can tell you from my own experience of being a Leo that if someone rubs me the wrong way, I hold onto it and keep my anger and emotion close to the vest until the time is right. If I'm poked again, I come after you hard and all at once. It's not arrogance... it's the way I am made. I am a Leo. I am top of the heap. I want respect, especially when I give it. If I don't get it... you'll get my aggression as if to say, "You're on my radar!"
Now, I'm guessing here... But I see Jorge as that guy as well. I think that's what happened in that "Zimmer game" when Pedro was throwing at Karim Garcia's head and then pointing at Jorge and his own head. Posada, being a leader, felt his need to defend and got angry that day.
It wasn't just because of Karim Garcia. It was because he was harassed by Pedro for years about his ears. How would you feel if someone was making fun of your appearance every time the 2 met? Clearly it festered. I respect what Jorge did that day, because I would have done the same thing.
Now, a few years later, there's some clarity to the quoted Love from that BYB / Posada interview. Pedro Martinez has come out now and stated that he wasn't too fond of Jorge Posada. Well, clearly the feeling is mutual. Pedro said this of Jorge:
“He always seemed to have a real bad attitude towards me... he was so arrogant. We competed cleanly. I never tried to hit him or do anything... He never wanted to talk to me. He was always mad at me for some reason. Then he let it go alittle too far with the Zimmer incident."OK, is it me, or does Pedro Martinez sound arrogant and all high and mighty? Has he forgotten about his harassment toward Jorge?
Then this came out of left field...
"Between Latinos, you don't mention anybody's mother. And I never forgot that one. Up to this day."WHAT?
Here's the thing; Pedro was a tough competitor and he was a great pitcher for a long stretch. No one, not even Jorge Posada can deny that, but when there's name calling and bitching and moaning, especially throughout that stretch of the bitter rivalry, things get said and things aren't forgotten. Here's what we DO know... Pedro Martinez razzed Jorge Posada for a long, long time, calling him Dumbo. Here's what we don't know; I have no idea if Jorge Posada said something about Pedro's mother. There is no evidence of it. There is nothing in print before Pedro announced it. In fact, it's one man's accusation... and that man happens to be Pedro Martinez.
Pedro admits calling Jorge "Dumbo":
"I call him Dumbo, but that’s no reason for him to want to kill me.”Well, going back to what a Leo's makeup is, I can tell you that while name calling isn't a reason to "kill" someone, it is a reason to hold a grudge. Couple that with Jorge's lifetime average against Pedro, .203 average in 74 at bats, and there's mad frustration, no question about it! So... when it comes to screaming at Pedro during a fiery rivalry game.... yeah, it came to a head and according to me... it's warranted to get heated.
But the "mother" stuff? Come on Pedro... I just don't buy it, and I don't even believe it! Why? I'll tell you...
Jorge Posada was known as a quiet leader. That was his focus. He spoke when he needed to and we all know about the famous closed door team meetings. Those meeting usually ended with a guy like Eric Chavez coming out and saying, "Yeah, Posada gave it to us good, and he's right, we need to step it up." But publicly? Jorge was not that guy.
Jorge may have come off as arrogant and "fired up" when it came to playing the Red Sox, but that was passion. Fact. We've seen the guy play, he was a tough competitor.
One thing Jorge is NOT is a sneaky bitch. Now we're back to Pedro...
Martinez had a different approach when he played. He had loose lips. He trash talked, and now, being elected to the Hall of Fame, he's on a big stage. Pedro's got the microphone, and he knows it.
Pedro now can virtually say what ever the hell he wants and people are going to listen, be it true or not. As Yankee fans, you're smart enough to know how hard Posada played. You also know he's not the guy Martinez is painting him as. Even the Daily News headline was careful about how they crafted their headline: Pedro Martinez implies that Jorge Posada ignited infamous 2003 Red Sox - Yankees brawl by insulting his mother.
That's right... Pedro implied it. There's never been one stitch of print about it.
In the end, I think about what Jason Varitek said about Jorge Posada when he retired. It puts it in better perspective than someone like Pedro who's had loose lips for his entire career. V-Tek said of Posada:
"After hundreds of head-to-head games during the regular season and the postseason, I can't say I respect and admire anyone at our position more than I do Jorge. The hard work and preparation he put into catching is a huge reason he has five championships on his resume. He is a true grinder."
Read WHY VARITEK EVEN RESPECTS POSADA...WHO KNEW? That was from January 2012.
What's this all about? Well, 3 things.
The first thing is respect. One thing I do know about Jorge Posada is he respects the game. If he had beef with someone, you'd never truly know about it. What I know about Pedro is he did a lot things that could be considered sneaky and disrespectful to get under a player's skin. It helped him in his career. It really did.
The second thing is about being a fan. Now, I'll get ripped by Red Sox fans for this post and I did nothing to deserve it. In fact, I personally respect how Pedro pitched. He was very, very good. He deserves the Hall nod, no question. But as far as his approach, I never liked it. It always seemed JV to me. Fans need to know where this "mother disrespect" is coming from. It's coming from Pedro. A guy who has always blabbed unnecessarily because he knew the press would pick it up. Here's the truth... we don't know what Jorge said. All we can do as fans is circle the wagons for our member of the Core Four. He was always a great competitor, a good teammate, a fan favorite and he did it with hard work, passion and class.
Here's the 3rd thing and final piece of this puzzle... Who cares? What, Pedro can dish it but someone allegedly says something about his mother and that's wrong? You can't have it both ways, Pedro! I don't believe the story anyway, but if it were true... is Pedro really crying on a stage after being elected into the Hall of Fame? Come on man...
Don't believe everything you read ladies and gentlemen. Keep backing our guy. This is 1 man's account... Pedro's.
Hey Jorge, you will always have our support at Bleeding Yankee Blue. You and Laura and BYB family members are this point. This story is ridiculous, and to be honest, it wasn't worth my post right here... but I felt the need to defend. The whole thing seemed 1 sided for the past 24 hours... that can't happen.
You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter @BleednYaneeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!
0 comments:
Post a Comment