News about Pedro Martinez, Red Sox pitcher, for the 2001 Boston Red Soxseason (September 16-30)

pedro martinez
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News Archive for September 16-30, 2001
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September 26, 2001

Source: Carl comes cheap
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald

If the most recent activity is any indication, Carl Everett will never play another game in a Red Sox uniform. According to major league sources, the constantly misbehaving outfielder, who was sent home to Florida last weekend following a four-game suspension, is being actively shopped by the Sox in trade talks.

One source also indicated that the Sox are so desperate to dump Everett that they may be willing to pay a large part of the $17.15 million he is owed over the final two years of his contract. “They’ll pay almost all of it,” said one general manager, who asked not to be identified. “They realize that that’s about the only way they can move him right now.”

September 22, 2001

More trouble for Everett — Racial allegations surface
Gordon Edes and Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Red Sox outfielder Carl Everett, whose four-game suspension for insubordination ended last night, is not expected to return today and could be placed on the 15-day disabled list. New information surfaced yesterday that Everett’s outburst toward manager Joe Kerrigan had racial overtones, including the player’s allegation that Kerrigan called him a racial epithet in January. …

Also, a day after Pedro Martinez departed for the Dominican Republic, there were new details about Martinez’s run-in with Kerrigan last Saturday, when Martinez ripped off his practice jersey, threw it onto the field, and later returned in street clothes to shake hands with teammates and say goodbye, according to several team sources. Further, Manny Ramirez denied last night the assertion by one member of the team that Ramirez had to be talked out of leaving the club for the rest of the season.

September 21, 2001

Notebook: Pedro gets his program
Mike Petraglia, redsox.com

Pedro Martínez left Boston Thursday for his home in the Dominican Republic to begin the “active rest” portion of his offseason conditioning program. The Red Sox ace was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with recurrent right shoulder inflammation.

“He’ll be on active rest until the end of the month,” Red Sox Manager Joe Kerrigan said. “He starts up light [workouts] in October. He’ll then begin long toss in the first week of December and report again on December 10 for a week with [Rehabilitation Coordinator and Physical Therapist Chris] Correnti. He’s going to come into Spring Training one week early and he’ll have been throwing off the mound before then, but he’s going to come in here and work with us one week early. So he’s made a commitment already for next year.”

Away from team, Martínez still has Kerrigan in corner
Steven Krasner, Providence Journal

While Pedro Martínez was winging his way home to the Dominican Republic, manager Joe Kerrigan was justifying the injured ace’s absence from the team even while other injured Red Sox are sticking around despite the team’s plunge into sinking-ship status. …

The bottom line is that Martínez, who will be 30 next month, will try a different offseason regimen in an effort to stay active a whole season, something he hasn’t been able to do the last three seasons. “He’s made a commitment for next year,” said Kerrigan. “He wants to be the pitcher he’s capable of being. He said he’s going to come back with a new body, as a new man.”  …  “It’s like Manny,” Trot Nixon said. “He needs to do things in the offseason to make sure he can be healthy all year.”

Pedro packs up: Sox send injured ace home to Dominican
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald

Pedro Martínez has departed for the Dominican Republic, vowing to return stronger than ever in an effort to avoid another physical breakdown next season. … Sox manager Joe Kerrigan said that sending Martínez home doesn’t send a message to the rest of the team that a double-standard applies for the team’s stars. … Martínez admitted he exchanged harsh words with Kerrigan last Saturday during a workout at Fenway Park, but denied growing reports that he tore off his practice jersey in anger.

No privileges, just star treatment
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

As the best pitcher in baseball, Pedro Martínez, prepared to bid Boston goodbye yesterday and board a flight home to the Dominican Republic, manager Joe Kerrigan said the Red Sox had not afforded its ailing ace special treatment by allowing him to split from the team with 17 games to play. … Rod Beck, who has played with other superstars such as Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, said it’s no secret in professional sports that the greatest players often are held to separate standards.

September 19, 2001

Pedro Martínez placed on 15-day DL — Season ends for Red Sox ace
Mike Petraglia, redsox.com

The 2001 season is officially over for right-hander Pedro Martínez. 

“We’ve worked with Pedro on a program so that he can go home [to the Dominican Republic] and work on an active rest period, and then he’ll start his rehabilitation program for his shoulder right after the season is done,” Red Sox Executive Vice President and General Manager Dan Duquette said.

“I need to get stronger and that’s what I will be doing this winter — lifting weights,” said Martínez. … “There’s no need for surgery. From the first moment, I was told rehab was the best thing to do. … I would like to pitch. I would like to be in the game. There’s nothing I can do. I have to be smarter than that.”

Martínez is through for the season
Kevin McNamara, Providence Journal

After plenty of contentious talk, the Red Sox and Pedro Martínez yesterday finally agreed that he won’t pitch again this season. … Martínez denied a Boston TV report that he and manager Joe Kerrigan had a verbal confrontation on Saturday. Martínez said the two did discuss his health but a Red Sox source confirmed that the two engaged in a heated argument in the outfield during the workout. “Those are things that happen in our house. We didn’t have any argument,” Martínez said. “We didn’t agree on something, and he said his part and I said my part. We talk and either agree or disagree.”

Martínez shut down for the season
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Both sides had to give a little before the Red Sox finally did yesterday what the ailing Pedro Martínez believed they should have done weeks ago: shut him down for the year.

Martínez officially done for season
espn.com/AP

Pedro Martínez said Tuesday he will miss the rest of the season with inflammation in his right shoulder, confirming what had been expected since the team fell out of contention. “I would like to pitch, but there’s nothing I can do,” he said while standing in the Fenway Park stands in street clothes. “I have to be smart. There’s nothing I can do to bring the team back.” … 

The decision follows a reported weekend confrontation between Martínez and manager Joe Kerrigan. Martínez and Kerrigan apparently had a disagreement at Saturday’s workout. WBZ-TV in Boston reported that Martínez stormed off the field, but team spokesman Kevin Shea denied the TV station’s version of the incident. The Boston Globe cited unnamed sources as saying said Martínez and Kerrigan had “an animated discussion.”

The healing begins: Pedro, Sox help cause
Tony Massarotti, Boston Herald

They returned to the field, appropriately, wearing their customary red socks, white uniforms and blue caps on a night when baseball meant nothing and everything at the same time. … Martínez has been no less or more affected by last week’s happenings than many people. “There were a lot of Dominicans probably working in that building,” said Martínez, a native of the Dominican Republic. He added: “I make my living in America and I respect America because I basically live my life here.”

Curt Schilling’s letter to America

To the fans of Major League Baseball, and the victims and families of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C.,

I’d like to start off by saying that what I am writing is purely my opinion, and my family’s feelings on these issues. I am not speaking for any other players in baseball, or in any other sport across our nation or around the world.

I’ll begin by addressing the trivial items addressed late this week as far as our sport is concerned. The decision made by Commissioner Bud Selig on Thursday afternoon to resume games on Monday was one overwhelmingly favored by the major-league players. In our conference call on Thursday I got the impression that players, just like every other American citizen out there, didn’t need baseball right now, and it was probably best said by Jerome Bettis when he stated, “We are entertainers, and I don’t think America wants to be entertained right now.”

I believe that we all felt this way, and hope that the few people in this country who wanted us to play understand that we made the decision as citizens of this country, not as baseball players.

To the victims and families of the tragedies inflicted on us this past week we send our hearts out to you, and our prayers that you will find some comfort, some solace in the coming weeks as this great country gets up on its feet and defends itself as the world’s greatest nation, with the world’s greatest people.

Like a lot of people, my thoughts Tuesday afternoon steered towards revenge, retaliation, retribution, in just how hard we could hit back.

My first cognizant thought was, “Man, did they pick on the wrong country.” Then, after watching TV, I began to realize that not only did they pick on the wrong country, but they couldn’t have picked a worse target. There is no city on this planet that more represents its nation than New York does in the United States. New York is the true definition of a melting pot. Every race, religion and color are represented in New York, and on Tuesday you saw every race, every religion, every color, come together as one nation of people fighting for one common goal — to save lives. I can honestly tell you that I have never been as proud to be an American as I was that day, to see the men and women of this great country come together and pour their blood, sweat and tears into saving those that could be saved. They continue to do so today, and with no less effort. That in and of itself should make us proud as hell.

My wife, Shonda, and our three young children stepped outside on Friday at 7 p.m., lit a candle and prayed together. We prayed that those heroic men and women of the NYPD, FDNY and the U.S. Government that sacrificed their lives in the minutes following the first explosion at the World Trade Center are now in a safe and beautiful place.

To those families that lost loved ones in the NYPD and in the FDNY, I can only offer our sincerest thank you. Please know that athletes in this country look to your husbands and wives as they may have looked at the men of our profession when they were young, as heroes, as idols, for they are everything every man should strive to be in life and they died in a way reserved only for those who would make the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, and for the freedom we oftentimes take for granted.

Words cannot heal your wounds, not even time will heal the wounds for those who have suffered loss this week. But other than money and blood, which I hope the players in MLB will be giving of both, it is all we have to offer.

We will step on the fields of Major League Baseball on Monday night, but please know that we are not doing this as an aversion to forget what happened on Tuesday. Nothing will ever make us forget that day. But we are doing so because it is our job, and I honestly feel that if you do have a chance to catch a few minutes of a game, and see every sports fan in every stadium stand for that initial moment of silence, and understand when we do so that we do so for you, and for your families. And in the seventh-inning stretch when this nation sings God Bless America, we do so because we can, because in this country men and woman have died so that we can continue on as a free nation, and we will be thinking of you then also.

And it’s my belief that if you watch close enough you will see players, many players in fact, trying in some small way to say thank you, and that we won’t forget you or your loved ones as some of us will have messages scrawled somewhere on our hats or uniforms that you can read.

We will proudly wear the great flag of this country on our uniforms, and it’s something I hope baseball adopts forever.

The flags in this country fly at half-staff to honor those that have fallen, but the flags are the only thing going halfway in this country and it’s my belief that that will not change. I believe our President when he says retribution will be swift and total; as an American it’s all I can go on, but based on what I have seen done these past few days by other Americans it’s more than enough.

To those out there that serve in the military, and to those with children serving in the military, I offer my sincerest thanks, and our prayers are with you and yours in the days and weeks to come. We know you’ll do us proud.

In closing let me say God Bless America and God Bless Americans everywhere.

Thank you,
Curt Schilling

September 18, 2001

Pedro’s season ends on DL
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald

After expressing further concern about his future over the weekend, Pedro Martínez is expected to be placed on the disabled list today, officially ending his abbreviated and unfulfilling season. Martínez and manager Joe Kerrigan exchanged terse words at Fenway Park on Saturday, but a television report exaggerated the extent of emotion.

Word due: Martínez’s year is over
Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

The Red Sox are expected to announce that Pedro Martínez will not pitch again this season, a course of action the team had been expected to take even before last Tuesday’s terrorist attack put the game on hold. But the official announcement today comes in the aftermath of an apparent disagreement at Saturday’s workout between the Sox ace and manager Joe Kerrigan, one that ended, according to WBZ-TV’s Bob Lobel, with Martínez storming off the field.

September 17, 2001

Red Sox fans look to 2002
Garry Brown, Springfield Union-News

When the Boston Red Sox go back to work tomorrow, their final 20 games won’t mean much to them or their passionate fans.

Weary Sox get back in the swing
Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald

Life began to regain some normalcy yesterday for the Red Sox, who returned to the field for the first time in nearly a week with a four-hour workout at Fenway Park. … Kerrigan said members of the team lost friends and family members in last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks, but he refused to get into specifics, other than to say that no members of immediate families were killed. …

The Sox resume their schedule on Tuesday, when they host the Devil Rays in the first of three games at Fenway. Kerrigan said Hideo Nomo, David Cone and Frank Castillo will be the starting pitchers in the series. Rookie Casey Fossum will get the nod Friday against Detroit. Derek Lowe will make his delayed return to the starting rotation on Saturday.

September 16, 2001

Baseball and the tragedy in America
Jim Furtado, baseballprimer.com

I’ve assembled a series of articles related to the reaction of the sports world to recent events. This disaster touches every corner of society.

Sox are home after odyssey of 28 hours
Bob Hohler, Boston Globe

Bleary-eyed and haggard, the Red Sox yesterday straggled into Fenway Park after 28 hours of travel by bus, rail, and air, a grim odyssey made necessary by the terrorist atrocities at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

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