Thoughts on Martinez and Lopez
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Thoughts on Martinez and Lopez
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
A few things before I check out of the Residence Inn and head down to the ballpark here in Clearwater. . .
1) The more I examine the situation, the more I believe the Martinez signing borders on a no-brainer. According to my calculations, the Phillies have guaranteed Martinez just over $885,000 for the rest of the season. So, essentially, that's the money they are risking. Everything after that comes in the form of incentives, which are presumably structured so that, if reached, they pay for themselves in the form of performance. Granted, it is easy for me to spend other people's money. But it sure seems like $885,000 isn't a whole lot to gamble. Especially if Martinez makes his major league debut in a mid-week game at home that wasn't previously sold out (I don't care how old the guy is -- his debut will be sold out).
The one unquantifiable concern that filled the airwaves in the build-up to his signing concerned his personality. As my colleague Sam Donnellon put it on Daily News Live, the Phillies clubhouse is very egalitarian. While there are plenty of stars on the roster, there aren't a whole lot of superstars. Ryan Howard is the most down-to-earth $18-million-a-year player I have met. Chase Utley would rather be pelted with rocks than bask in his celebrity status. And it wouldn't surprise me if the only two people who can get Raul Ibanez to talk about himself are his wife and Harvey Dorfman. I'm not saying there are no egos in the clubhouse - this is baseball, afterall, where a certain degree of narcisism is needed to survive. But aside from starting pitching, team chemistry was the biggest factor in the Phillies' World Series run last season.
Well, nothing I have seen out of Pedro Martinez thus far suggests that he will rock the sturdy boat that is the Phillies' clubhouse. Sure, it is early, and he is still very much in a honeymoon stage. But two instances yesterday gave me a good glimpse at Martinez the man. When he arrived at Bright House Field, a small group of autograph seekers awaited him. Instead of taking a back route to the stadium, he walked right toward them, chatting them up and signing their keep sakes. Later that afternoon, as he was dressing to leave, he sat with a Phillies minor leaguer and talked to him at length about the trials and tribulations of professional baseball. In neither instance was Martinez aware that there was a member of the media nearby. When he arrived at the park, I was sitting in my car watching the scene unfold from a distance. In the clubhouse, I was in another corner, talking to some Threshers personnel behind a row of make-shift lockers.
I'm a firm believer that true character is revealed only when no one is looking.
2) Most people assume that because I am the beat writer for the Phillies, I root for them to win. They do not understand when I swear that is not the case. Don't get me wrong - I like to see the teams I cover have success. I cover sports because I enjoy watching athletic performance at the highest level. But I don't have Phillies pennants hanging in my room. What I will admit is that I find myself pulling for certain individuals. It is only human. While part of the intrigue of covering sports is seeing how various human emotions reveal themselves in defeat, deep down inside you enjoy when certain guys succeed. The Phillies have a lot of these guys, and Rodrigo Lopez is becoming one of them. Out of baseball for two years, back at the big leagues at 33 years old, the likely lame duck in the rotation, it is tough not to enjoy what he has done in his last three outings.
Here is a stat for you: Since Pedro Martinez's physical, Phillies starters have allowed two runs in 25 innings.
3) Pedro Martinez is scheduled to throw a simulated game in about an hour. Stay tuned for updates.
Good post Murph. So if you don't root for the Phillies, who do you root for?— Left-handed Larceny- Question: has there ever been an instance when 2 teamates hit 50 HRs in a season?— PuPuMan
PuPu: Remember Mantle & Maris in 1961?- To answer the question from above, he'll say "No team. I'm a professional. I am a writer." I used to work for KYW Radio and all the sports guys, minus one, who was a Mets fan were like that. "We don't cheer for teams! Our jobs are so serious." It's baseball. Have some fun. You're a lucky man, Murphy Lee.— chase2kspc
- At least one...Mantle and Maris— bamrinnj
- I am rooting for Lopez also. Many people lose sight of players with character. They become caught up in potential, appearance, and simply skills, like speed and velocity. The Phillies won last year as much on chemistry as talent. This team has stars that play like rookies with enthusiasm and togetherness. Lopez, Happ, Moyer, and Blanton win games for a variety of reasons, but for me they are extremely competitive and composed. They are blue collar. They represent what baseball should be, like the majority of this team. The grass is not always greener somewhere else.— wmontanez27
- Good points all around about Pedro - the only real issue I think he ever had was on the field - the accusations that he was a head-hunter, and of course, that time he threw a 700-year-old man to the ground like a rag doll.— B in DC
Comment removed.- Just because you are a character, doesn't mean you have character.— mcginnir
- Nice post!, I agree...Pedro costs 0 $ why not, if he comes up big in the biggest game... JR looks smart!— PHILLYMARK
- On the money issue for Pedro - it's a lot of bucks when a guy who is worried about a layoff or making his next house payment thinks about it, but it's true - in baseball reality, it's only a small multiple of the big league minimum. I guess it's worth the risk.— Steve2181
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- I grew up following the Phillies. But when you cover sports for a living, your chief concern is providing, fair, accurate and entertaining coverage. A fan's number one concern is seeing his team win. Believe me, I don't have a high-and-mighty view of it like some others in our profession. Sports are supposed to be fun, and I hope I reflect that in my writing. But they also are a business, and need to be covered as such. With the high price of tickets and the public dollars that go to stadium-financing, you need to take something of a consumer-reporting mindset into covering pro sports.
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- Murph, way too logical for the masses who vent their spleens here... Regarding chase2kspc point above I agree it's baseball - I would rather be writing/covering sports than what I'm doing but such is life...— MrJimmy
