Back to Manny and Pedro.

While Manny Ramirez is definitely a problem for the Sox, now more than ever thanks to the latest move from Yawkey Way to put him on waivers (Dan Shaughnessy and the Bambino's Curse think that this was a clever move on the front office's part, a way of showing the lackedaisical left fielder and his agent how little interest there really is out there for his overpriced slugging talents; perhaps, but it also needlessly humiliated the man, and unfortunately Manny doesn't need much provocation to take a mental holiday, even when there's a playoff berth at stake), the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Pedro Martinez is the problem, however good a pitcher he is. And make no mistake about it, he's the best.

Pedro however also has a sense of personal honor that would put Achilles to shame; and like Achilles, when Pedro gets angry, it's his teammates that suffer the most. Witness the madness that was Game 3 of the ALCS. Martinez, unhappy with his inability to dominate the Yankee hitters in the first few innings, throws for Karim Garcia's head and sets off a chain of events that, thanks to Manny Ramirez's overreaction to an inside pitch, resulted in a bench-clearing brawl and Don Zimmer's infamous charge. Now some people don't object to the practice of "headhunting" - when a pitcher deliberately tries to hit a batter in the head, for whatever reason - but I think there's no place for it in the game, especially when a baseball to the noggin can cause permanent injury or even death. Pedro could have plunked Garcia without endangering him, but you see, that's not Pedro's way. And we let him get away with it. Why? Because he's the best.

Never mind that we lost the game, never mind that Boston's already not-so-good name in the world of sport was dragged even further down into the mud, never mind that all the negative press and bad vibes that followed no doubt put Pedro in an angry mood for Game 7, making him feel that he had to vindicate himself out there on the mound, pitch count be damned. And who was Grady Little to oppose the wrath of Achilles? Pedro wasn't giving up that ball, not after Game 3. The fans can scream until they're blue in the face about how they would have taken Martinez out at the end of the seventh inning, or if not then at the first sign of trouble in the eighth, but the fans are full of shit. Just like the son of Peleus refused to walk away and live to fight another day, another war, Pedro also opted for undying glory and made his final stand that night in the Bronx. But at least Troy fell in the end, along with Achilles - what did we get for our troubles? Absolutely nothing.