Posted on 06/06/2003 9:51:36 AM PDT by presidio9
Racial bias in the press has blown out of proportion the saga of Sammy Sosa and his corked bat, Pedro Martinez said yesterday in defense of his fellow Dominican.
``We may be Latin, a minority, but we are not dumb. We are not dumb, we see everything that happens,'' said an agitated Martinez during an extended venting session in the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park before last night's Red Sox-Pirates game. The intense media coverage of the Sosa episode also touched another nerve with Martinez, who said he also has felt the sting of racial bias from the media.
When Martinez walked into the clubhouse, the TV was tuned to ESPN and much of the coverage was devoted to the fallout from the corked bat Sosa used in a game on Tuesday.
Martinez needed no prompting to begin expressing his concern at the vilification of Sosa. Martinez all but agreed with comments uttered by former major leaguer Jose Canseco, a Cuban-born slugger who has been suspected of steroid use. On ESPN Wednesday night, Canseco questioned that if Sosa were white and his bat were found to be corked, there would not be nearly the same level of hysteria.
When Martinez was asked what would have happened if this were to happen to Mark McGwire, he said, ``it would still be a big deal but not like this.''
Martinez said since X-rays of ``a hundred'' of Sosa's bats had turned up no further cork, he wanted to see a reverse smear campaign to repair Sosa's reputation.
``I want to see the same campaign to go on, to put him up, to justify the mistake, I want to see the same campaign,'' said Martinez. Asked about the chances of that happening, Martinez made a circle with his fingers and said, ``Zero, (expletive) zero.''
Martinez said he had watched all of the ESPN and Fox specials regarding Sosa. Those who expressed anti-Sosa comments earned scorn from Martinez.
``Those two (reporters on ESPN), you can read jealous, you can read envy, you can read anger,'' said Martinez. ``Even that guy at Fox, this guy said, `Hey, let's go, smile,' as if that's something that's supposed to be fun. (Expletive), I'm going to go and hunt the guy down.
``One guy turned so red, he looked like a lobster, a steamed lobster.''
When Sosa said on Wednesday that the media had ``got me up there like I'm a criminal,'' Martinez felt that Sosa, whose command of English is not as good as Martinez', could have benefited from speaking in his native Spanish on this issue.
``I know Sammy from my heart and I know Sammy as a person and Sammy does not express himself well and does not know how to communicate well enough,'' said Martinez. ``But I know him and I know he can speak, I know in my heart he wanted to say something else.
``They should have had someone to translate and have Sammy talk from his heart, how he feels. We are in America, I understand, we don't speak the language but we are doing the best we can to express ourselves. I am not defending him because it is illegal (using a corked bat). But I have never cheated but I have been (expletive) robbed.''
Martinez being ``robbed'' was a reference to him being denied the American League Cy Young Award last year - he finished a close second to Oakland's Barry Zito - and also finishing a close second in the 1999 AL Most Valuable Player Award voting.
Martinez said he did not believe that Zito or '99 MVP Ivan Rodriguez were undeserving of winning but he could not understand how he did not place in the top three on some voters' ballots and not appear at all on the ballots of two voters in 1999.
``I was robbed too and no one stood behind me,'' said Martinez. ``The Cy Young could have gone either way but some guys decided not to vote for me. Why did no one make a campaign for me?
``If I were Roger Clemens, would he have won the Cy Young last year?'' asked Martinez. ``I want someone to stand up for me.''
Martinez recalled that ESPN commentator Peter Gammons last fall was supporting Zito for the Cy Young.
Gammons, according to Martinez, said, ``I'm going with Zito because I'm tired of seeing the same face. We need a fresh face. Here's a guy (Zito) who plays guitar, he's cute, he's a white Caucasian. That's why he had his campaign against me for the Cy Young. The same thing for Sammy.''
Thanks for helping us form a better-informed opinion about you, Pedro. Both you and Canseco sank to new lows this week. Hope you enjoy each other's company!
(sigh) I guess this was inevitible.
I am surprised it took this long for that nerd to cry racism.
Well, the Cubs' batboy did...after a few days.
That one is kind of interesting.
Ditka.
Da Bearsssss.
Or Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Da Bearssss.
Admit only what is obvious. Deny everything else. Fight to the death in court. Play the race card. Claim the press is on a witch hunt. Have someone else take the blame.
All he needs to do now is an interview with Ann Curry.
Must be a slow news month. I'm glad the local media is in touch with what is really important.
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