Hughes Relates To Pedro

The Journal News has Phil Hughes' reaction after witnessing Pedro Martinez suffer an eerily similar injury to the one the young Yankee did during his terrific start against the Texas Rangers last year.

The Mets #2 starter likely faces an even more arduous recovery period since he is roughly 16 years old than Hughes was when the then 20 year-old went down with a hamstring tear:

It was May 1 of last season when Hughes suffered the same injury in Texas. Seven outs away from a no-hitter, he limped off the field.

"Right when I saw what happened to Pedro on television, I thought, 'Oh, man,' because I remembered that feeling," Hughes said. "It looked like the same thing happened to him that happened to me. I really feel for him."

"The legs are your foundation," Hughes said. "You throw the ball with your arm, but it starts from the feet up. If there's a broken link somewhere in that process, it's tough."

"I thought initially it would be 4-6 weeks like they told me," he said. "It ended up being three months. But I didn't really get my fastball back until September. I was still tentative in August because I was afraid I'd hurt it again. It's tough to get over."

Martinez injured the same leg as well - the left one - which receives the most stress, pressure and weight from a righthander's delivery. It's this leg which provides the extra late-life and velocity pitchers need on their fastball.

Pedro-Santana Rift Already?

An article from The Sporting News discusses Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte, exploring the possibility of both New York pitchers falling on their faces this season. More specifically, the idea of Pedro resenting Johan Santana is presented:

For Martinez, it is a matter of accepting that he no longer is the lead dog in the Mets' rotation.

Martinez said he was "jumping up and down" when the Mets obtained Santana from Minnesota and welcomed his arrival. However, Martinez also has an oversized ego, which has served him well.

He rejected the suggestion that Santana was just what the Mets needed to recover from last season's collapse. The Mets had a good No. 1 starter last season in 13-game winner Tom Glavine, Martinez said. The Mets need a full season from Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Martinez, he said.

"What this team has been lacking is health," Martinez said. "Even though Glavine was healthy, he couldn't do it by himself. I wasn't there to help him. El Duque got hurt. We're all healthy now."

Mets manager Willie Randolph must carefully maneuver to keep Martinez engaged and productive. Santana seems willing to do his part. He is deferential to Martinez and expressed no reservations about watching him get the start on Opening Day.

Regarding Pettitte, the article wonders "how deep the psychological damage runs" stemming from his role between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee. The upcoming season will certainly be a challenging one for Pettitte, but photos like this one seem to paint a pretty relieved individual.

Pedro Martinez likes to cockfight. According to the NY Post story, Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal are seen in a video [since pulled from Youtube] laughing as a "gruesome cockfight" ensues at Coliseo de Gallos - the largest cockfighting venue in the Dominican Republic. The two pitchers "are seen grinning before releasing two roosters." Unlike the United States, cockfighting is legal in the Dominican and seen as an acceptable, popular practice. While Mike Vick sits in prison for his involvement with a dog-fighting ring, it's interesting to see a country some 100 miles from Florida allow a similar cruelty toward animals. Then again, in Pamplona, Spain, there is the annual running of the bulls and in countless other countries come comparable traditions.