He is the enemy, the villain, the most glorious outsider ever to invade Yankee Stadium. There is no opponent who incites such passion – and venom – from Yankee fans. And he knows it.Geeez, the Phillies sure like to talk a lot, don't they?
“It feels great to have the opportunity to be probably the player that captures the most attention ever between the fans, the people in New York, the stadium,” Pedro Martinez said, sitting at a table in the Great Hall at Yankee Stadium. “I might be the only player that brings fear to the fans. I’m talking to the fans – without throwing a pitch.”
Pedro also described his past experiences dealing with the Yankee faithful:
“It’s never been nice here for me in the other stadium,” Martinez said. “Whatever comes, if there’s a boo, it’s out of respect. If there’s a clap, it’s out of respect. Anything that they do it’s acknowledging that I’m there.He can take it as a positive, but in reality a lot of Yankees fans genuinely hate him. Sure, Yankees fans will boo good players just they're good, and I guess that's a sign of respect. But that's never been the case with Pedro. In the Bronx the loudest boos are reserved for players we hate, and you certainly have received some of the loudest boos I've ever heard.
“I take it all as a positive, regardless of what happens. The fans are here to have fun, to do what they wish. [As long as] they don’t cross that little white line that says hey don’t engage that area, and I don’t think they should, they have no reason to, I would be pleased with whatever. If they boo me it’s out of respect, just like they do to guys like [Derek] Jeter and those guys at any other place because they compete at the level they compete at.”
But since he likes being acknowledged so much I have a suggestion for how fans at game two should deal with Pedro: Don't make a sound. Don't boo him when he takes the mound, don't boo him when they announce his name, don't even acknowledge him.
