The Philadelphia Pedroes

Dan:

As a Red Sox fan, it's been a tough October. But tonight's match-up featuring ol' pal Pedro Martinez against the hated New York Yankees is easy to get excited about.

It certainly conjures up memories of glory days gone by. For Sox fans -- in fact, for all "baseball" fans -- the Pedro Martinez era in Boston was immensely exciting. Pedro provided us with arguably the greatest stretch of pitching in baseball history, and along the way left us with enduring memories -- many against our most-hated rival, the New York Yankees. It's impossible to forget him drubbing Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the 1999 ALCS. Or his 17-strikeout, 1-hit gem in New York; or his epic battle with Roger Clemens in 2000 that ended with Trot Nixon swatting a game-winning homer. Or the Zimmer game. Or his great performance in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS that unfortunately gets overshadowed by Grady Little's all-time absentee-management moment.

Now that our 2009 Sox have been swept aside in the playoffs, Sox fans have worried we'd be stuck watching the Yankees waltz to a championship. Now, after Cliff Lee's amazing performance in Game 1, we see our old hero -- Pedro Martinez -- stepping up in a spot where he can slay the Yankees once again. We know he isn't the same pitcher he once was. But maybe . . . just maybe . . . he can recapture that magic for one more night.

I'll certainly be watching to find out.