Pedro Martinez

On deck -- Nationals vs. Mets -- Pedro Martinez is scheduled to make his season debut tonight against Washington.

Even though three very worthy first-ballot candidates - Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas - were elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, those who are selected for induction sometimes are overshadowed by those who aren't. The structure of the voting process - which limits voters to make 10 selections on their ballot  - has come under greater scrutiny every year, especially as the candidacies of those from the PED era, like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, converge with strong first-ballot classes.

On deck -- Mets vs. Phillies-- Pedro Martinez of the Mets tries to improve to 6-0 tonight.

Rays' Andrew Friedman Steve Gould Baltimore Sun Baseball's most competitive division features perhaps its three best front office chiefs and one (the Blue Jays' Alex Anthopoulos) quickly on the rise. The Yankees' Brian Cashman and the Red Sox's Theo Epstein have built perennial World Series contenders by assembling All-Star teams while maintaining impressive farm systems. However, the standard disclaimer applies: Because of the payrolls at their disposal, it's hard to evaluate their acumen.

Good morning --Pedro Martinez--Just like in Napoleon Dynamite, Red Sox fans would still vote for you.

HittingJason Giambi, Athletics: 2 HRs, 4 RBIs.Sal Fasano, Royals: 4-for-4, HR.John Valentin, Red Sox: 3-for-5, HR, 2 doubles.PitchingPedro Martinez, RedSox: 6 innings, 0 runs,4 hits.Pub Date: 8/24/98

Quote: "I kept looking for him to hit me, but I never faced him again. Now he's my teammate. Small world."Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez, who says newly acquired Red Soxer Pete Schourek hit him deliberately in a game three years ago.It's a fact: Tigers catcher Raul Casanova is likely out for the season after breaking his wrist while on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Toledo.Who's hot: Kansas City's Jose Offerman, who extended his hitting streak to 25 games with two hits, including a solo homer.

NEW YORK - - When the gates opened Tuesday to Yankee Stadium's Great Hall where Philadelphia Phillies players and coaches sat at tables waiting to be interviewed, hundreds of media members ran to Pedro Martinez's station. It had all the makings of a stampede. Reporters and photographers couldn't get to Martinez fast enough. Everyone wanted his reaction to getting the ball in Game 2 on Thursday for the Phillies. "This might be my last game on the big stage," said Martinez, who is pitching in his second World Series.

Clearly, what the Orioles need to do is hold one of those town hall meetings that are all the rage right now. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail should open the stadium on Thursday's day off and set up a lectern on top of the home dugout and let Orioles fans let loose with their comments, questions and complaints. In another discouraging second-half slump, I'm sure there are a lot of fans who would jump at the opportunity to vent their frustration at the progress of the club's latest rebuilding plan.

He's 36. He's brittle, pitching in just five games last season. And he has made 30 or more starts only three times in his past nine seasons. But when healthy, he can dominate, especially in a pitchers' park such as Shea Stadium. If Pedro is Pedro, the Mets will cruise into the National League playoffs as the favorites behind the 1-2 punch of newly acquired ace Johan Santana and Martinez. But if Pedro can't sustain his health, the Mets come back to the rest of the pack. Here's betting Pedro bounces back with 15 wins after combining for just 12 the past two years.

Break in tradition It was a strange season opener for the Orioles. No orange carpet to run down. No orange and black balloons to loft into the afternoon sky. For that matter, there was no afternoon, no sky. For only the third time in the past 28 years, the Orioles began their regular season on the road, playing against the Minnesota Twins at the sold-out Metrodome. It was the first time since 1995 they didn't open at Camden Yards. It was only the second time in club history they've opened at night and the first start in a dome.

In the spirit of renewal, I'm ready to leave football behind and start singing to the seamheads. For many, this might seem a little early in the year to start talking baseball. We're still almost two months from pitchers and catchers reporting and three from the first meaningful pitch of 2007. But January is as good a time as any to lay the groundwork for a great draft. By mid-March, you want to know this stuff so well that it stands ready for instant recall, like your spouse's birthday or your voice-mail pass code.

The New York Mets have been baseball's best team. They practically wrapped up the National League East before Memorial Day and they seemingly score 15 runs a game. A month ago, they were penciled in to the World Series. Well, get the erasers out. Because Pedro Martinez has a new daddy: his calves. Dominant pitching wins titles. And, when on his game, Martinez projects dominance. He's 6-2 in the postseason with a 3.40 ERA, and that includes hiccups against his old daddy, the New York Yankees.

Good morning --Pedro Martinez--Just like in Napoleon Dynamite, Red Sox fans would still vote for you.

NEW YORK -- It was starting to look like so many other games in this long and frustrating road trip for the Orioles, with a young pitcher making just enough mistakes to lose, and an offense that simply could not offer enough support when it was truly needed. But in the top of the seventh inning last night at Shea Stadium, the home of baseball's hottest team, the Orioles' fortunes finally changed. It started with two walks and continued with a clutch sacrifice bunt from a player making his first appearance of the season.