Money Pitcher

Boston Globe ^ | 12/14/04 | Dan Shaughnessy

[raccoonradio]

PAY-dro

Meet the Mets Greet the Mets Come on out and beat the Mets (where's the hitting and defense to help Mr. Who's Your Daddy at Shea?)

[KJacob]

He doesn't need the money

Do the Red Sox? Getting the most you can as a professional athlete is smart. It does not matter rather you need the money or not.

[2banana]

Actually, no. Upon further review, it now can be said that Pedro knows only one measure of respect. And that is money.

Almosts sounds like the "Big Dig"

[MadAnthony1776]

Hint Paydough, money don't buy happiness either.

[GSlob]

Needs (and wants) are matters of individual perception. The phrase "He doesn't need the money" stinks of redistributionist arrogance.

[gdani]

Boo f***in hoo, Shaughnessy.

Now I'm supposed to feel bad for the Red Sox & their 2nd highest league payroll?

Personally, I can't wait for Pedro to bat. We'll see how he deals with a 90+ MPH fastball aimed at his own head.

[dead]

Pedro knows only one measure of respect. And that is money. He doesn't need the money. He has more money than anyone ever could spend. All the love and sellouts and Dominican flags and "Keep the Faith" billboards, and championship rings . . . they don't offer any kind of peace or happiness for Pedro.

I’m sure when salary negotiations come up around the Boston Globe, Dan Shaughnessy sings happily:

“Whatever you guys want to pay me is fine! I have plenty of money. The New York Times offered me a forty percent pay increase, but you guys put a nice Irish flag on my cubicle and are usually polite to my wife. That’s all I need.”

[N. Theknow]

Another Mo Vaughn moment for the Mets Mutts.

[raccoonradio]

>>Meet the Mets

Sing along everybody! So much for "Tessie"...

http://www.geocities.com/televisioncity/9083/meetthemets.htm

Hey, "It's Money That I Love" as Randy Newman once sang. He'll put some fannies in the seats at Shea. Maybe he just wanted a change of pace. Won a Series, bunch of awards,
devoted fans at Fenway. Now he goes to NY where he'll
be booed by Yankee fans (during the interleague games)
and by the Mets fans if he doesn't deliver big. Where
he'll have to risk being hit by pitches in retaliation
for when he hits a batter.

Sure, he won't have to face a DH as a pitcher but he'll
have to DH (Ortiz) to help him win games.

Mets have had a great history of signing big-money players. Mo Vaughn did pretty well there, didn't
he? (/sarcasm)

[raccoonradio]

>>Sure, he won't have to face a DH as a pitcher but he'll
have to DH (Ortiz) to help him win games.

oops--that should say HE'LL HAVE _NO_ DH...

[raccoonradio]

>>The New York Times offered me a forty percent pay increase

uh, technically the Times owns the Globe.. :)

[dead]

uh, technically the Times owns the Globe.. :)

That’s OK. Technically, the Yankees own Pedro.

[Rummyfan]

Let him go. Pedro is on the down-side and I doubt he wins fifteen games for the Mets.

[raccoonradio]

"I live for this"

[sittnick]

Some athletes have a problem looking at the big picture.

If Cal Ripken Jr. spent his time as a journeyman, would he have the same respect and marketability as he received as a lifelong Oriole? If Brett Favre or John Elway put themselves on the open market in the NFL, would they have gotten more than they received from the Packers and Broncos? Yes, certainly. But, because both players played through bad times, but ultimately led their respective teams to Super Bowls, and spent their whole careers in the same city, they are absolute gods to the locals, and remembered and respected throughout the country.

So, Pedro can go to the Mets, or the Rockies or the Indians or whomever, but if he just stayed put with the city that won with him for just a few pesos less, he would more than make up for it over his long life with sports show appearences, local celebrity gigs etc. Unlike basketball, where one dominant player IS the team in some cases, even the best starting pitcher is only a factor 25% of the time in this team sport.

[raccoonradio]

April 11, 2005: When Red Sox are given their rings at Fenway in home opener vs. Yankees, #45 will instead be at Shea Stadium for Mets home opener vs. Houston (according to schedules on the respective sites). Be interesting to see some of the signs in the stands.

Will (28" tall) Nelson de la Rosa, Pedro's petite
Dominican pal, be there to accept Pedro's ring on
behalf of the hurler?

[raccoonradio]

Pedro, to quote a certain rock band that once did a show
at Shea Stadium nearly 40 years ago:

I don't care that much for money
Money can't buy me love.

[newgeezer]

As someone said yesterday, it's fitting that a DIVA should become a Met.

[IndyTiger]

Interesting how the BoSox are already announcing how "sad" they are to see Pedro go, when the Mets have still not yet officially signed him! Doesn't appear to be much sorrow in Beantown at losing Pedro. Maybe the Red Sox will sign Matt Clement, a younger power pitcher, to replace Martinez. My hometown Indians would love to get Clement, but his price is probably too high now.

[MoralSense]

Sox are reportedly negotiating with David Wells. Wish they could have gotten Andy Pettitte, but Pettitte was determined to play at his home in Texas, which is very understandable, given major league travel.