I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a latecomer
when it comes to being a Red Sox fan. It took more than a decade after we moved
to Boston before I finally went to see a game at Fenway Park. At my first game
I recall walking up the ramp behind home plate and being amazed as the lush
green diamond, the Green Monster (before their were Monster seats), the Coke
Bottles and the Big Screen all rose before my eyes. At that first game, I thrilled
to see Albert Belle hit a grand slam—even if it was for the Orioles. Ever the
lover of the game, I became a member of Red Sox Nation.
By the time our whole family stayed up and burst into
tears watching the tragic loss in the ALCS in 2003, I was a true Boston
believer. And in 2004, when we finally reversed the curse, I actually sent a
message to the mayor, asking him to delay the “Rolling Rally” until Saturday afternoon,
so that the kids going to b’nai mitzvah around town (and rabbis who happened to
be on duty at those b’nai mitzvah ceremonies) could take part. (The Mayor did
not respond.)
Some players transcend team rivalries. That’s why
Pedro Martinez was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year on the first
try, receiving an overwhelming 91.1 percent of the 549 votes cast by the
Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
You don’t have to be a Red Sox fan to admire Pedro.
I’m not a baseball writer, so I won’t go on about
Pedro’s stats or athletic feats. I leave that to longtime HBT member, Michael
Silverman. A sportswriter for the Boston
Herald and friend of Martinez, he co-wrote Pedro, the pitcher’s autobiography,
which came out on May 5.
Michael graciously donated a couple of autographed
copies to the temple for our annual Spring Fling auction. I cherish my personal
copy, and thoroughly enjoyed every page. Michael captured Pedro’s complex
personality, his wacky humor, his fierce pride, and Pedro’s deep desire to tell
the story his way.
Here’s what I think Pedro has to say, not about
baseball, but about living a life of meaning. If he were Jewish, we might say:
Pedro believes in kibud
av va’em (honoring parents) and lifnei
seivah takum (respecting elders). In
other words, Pedro holds his family close. He even stopped playing baseball.to
tend to his dying father.
Pedro is a model of yosher (integrity). Much of what he reveals in this book are
opinions that he discreetly kept to himself until after he retired. Of course,
Pedro wasn’t always quiet and deferential. But he respected certain principles
and refused to make excuses for his own failures.
Pedro is an exemplar of ometz lev (courage). Literally, it means strength of heart. Throughout
the book, we hear that Pedro had “the heart of a lion”, which of course is a
very Jewish symbol.
Pedro is a tsedakah
hero. Not only does he help others financially, but he believes in what
Maimonides called the highest form of tsedakah:
helping people become self-sufficient so they are not dependent on tsedakah. Talk to our custodian,
Socrates “Moreno” Guzman about what Pedro has done for the people of the
Dominican Republic, and why he is so widely respected there. Moreover, Pedro gives
so quietly, he hardly mentions his own generosity in the book.
Believe it or not, Pedro is a man of anavah (humility). In the Jewish Mussar
tradition, humility does not mean modesty. Humility means knowing your place
and acting appropriately to the situation. Pedro’s roots in poverty in the
Dominican Republic continues to play a central role in his life. Like many of
our Jewish ancestors, Pedro faced discrimination, rejection, and the indignities
of learning a new language and culture when he came to the US. He had to prove
himself time and again to get the respect he deserved. The pride and the
arrogance we remember arose from Pedro’s desire to be respected for his skills,
talent and effort in the game. Pedro has never forgotten where he came from or
the people who helped him become one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
Thank you Pedro—and thank you to Michael Silverman for
bringing his story to us!
(Red Sox highlights begin at 2:45)
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