Appearing today on WEEI's 'The Big Show', Red Sox great Pedro Martinez expressed his continued anger over being passed over for the 1999 AL MVP Award. The bestowing of that honor on Justin Verlander this past year (in addition to the Cy Young), re-ignited Pedro's ire. He specifically singled out the two writers who left him completely off the MVP ballot (George King and LaVelle Neal III), and seemed to imply that racism may have played a part. On the infamous 2003 Game 7 ALCS fiasco with He Who Shall Not Be Named, Pedro said:"Grady’s decision, if you ask me today the same thing, can you get Nick Johnson out? I would say yes. Can you get Posada? Yes. Can you get Matsui? Yes. Can you get anybody – can you get any of those players? I would say yes, and I would take the ball again because I never back off a challenge."
But, more tellingly, he went on:
"Don’t ask me. If you want to take me out, just don’t ask me. Take me out right then."
'Nuf Ced.