Beware The Ides of March
"Oft expectation fails, and most oft where most it promises; and oft it hits where hope is coldest; and despair most sits."
William Shakespeare

As it was undoubtedly for many others, the luster of this weekend's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games were dulled somewhat by the war news hitting us constantly and from every angle.

Nevertheless, the games did go on as normal: Dick Vitale did not seem to hyperventilate any less, cheerleaders (especially those on Syracuse) did not seem any less enthused or less provocative, and most of all, my brackets experienced their annual meltdown, liberating me from the anxiety and angst of rooting for teams I don't like or barely know, just because I picked them in my pool. Now I can say with certainty that I'm rooting for an All Big East Final Four. Why not?

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One thing even that managed to bring my baseball emotions to the forefront this past week was the remark of a certain waifish and emaciated pitcher for the Boston Red Sox named Pedro Martinez. Martinez, who rarily himself ever stands up at the plate to bat, came to the defense of his equally skinny and cowardly Dominican hermano Guillermo Mota following Mota's back-pedaling, scared schoolgirl act after hitting Mike Piazza in an exhibition game twice in a row. Piazza, whose eyes blazed with an insane fury not unlike those of Nicholson in The Shining as he chased Mota, was criticized by Pedro who felt compelled to try and examine the inner motivations of Piazza's attempt assault on Mota:

"Maybe he felt like he had to show off his testosterone," Martinez said of Piazza. "But this may be more embarrassing than the one before. Why would you go after skinny Guillermo Mota in spring training and do nothing to Roger Clemens in the World Series?"

I've seen Pedro flail away with a baseball bat before, like June 14, 2002 against the Braves. It's painful to watch. Something like a schoolgirl swinging in a coed gym class game. Even Pedro admits it. After that fateful game against Atlanta, striking out twice in three weak at bats, he confessed: "I've got no chance. It seems like I'm lost out there."

Secondly, while Pedro might be well-versed in playing in exhibition games, since he's been in a grand total of ZERO World Series games, I don't think he should comment on how other players, especially players like Piazza, who could easily use Pedro as a toothpick, conduct themselves in the heat of a World Series game.

I used to like Pedro but the more he opens his mouth, the more it becomes apparent that he's better off keeping it shut. Red Sox fans might recall Pedro's remarks last summer about current Met Cliff Floyd after Floyd was traded to the Red Sox in July. Pedro whined and squealed about how the Red Sox didn't need a player like Cliff Floyd. When asked about Cliff Floyd's experience as playing on World Championship team, having a World Championship ring, Pedro replied: "His ring doesn't mean anything."

Yeah. Why would the Red Sox need a player like that when they've won so many World Series' themselves? Likely, Pedro would prefer more Dominican teammates. Mota and his 10-22 career won/loss record. Jose Offerman and his refusal to pinch hit. (Didn't you hear Pedro wax poetic about fellow Dominican Offerman when the clubhouse cancer was on his way out?).

Come to think of it, maybe an all-Dominican team wouldn't be so bad after all. Bartolo Colon, Ramon Ortiz and Pedro heading the starting rotation. Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, and Sammy Sosa in the outfield. Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano and Cristian Guzman in the infield, Octavio Dotel setting up and Armando Benitez closing. That's pretty much an All-Star team from one little island.

So Pedro, while you sticking up for your fellow Dominicans is admirable, two bits of advice: don't stick up for the crappy ones and don't knock Piazza because frankly, there aren't any Dominican catchers out there as good as him right now.

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Favorite quote of the week came from Padres genius GM Kevin Towers:

"You can't score runs unless you get people on base"

What are you talking about? Hey, Towers, ever heard of something called a HOMERUN before?

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I'm sure there are plenty of Mets fans out there with pangs of regret that our little punching bag Rey Ordoñez is no longer with the team. Sweet memories flooded over us all when the Mets played Tampa Bay last week and Ordoñez whined about former teammate Roberto Alomar:

"He talked too much -- about me, with the trade. So I want to see that in his face now. Every day, he said something different about me."

The problem with Rey Ordoñez is that he learned to speak English. He's been putting his foot in his mouth ever since.

Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella said he has noticed that Ordonez has been excellent in the field but that, "offensively, he has been a little overagressive." Hahaha. I guess poor Lou never got to see Rey in action before. Ordoñez is currently hitting a sterling .195 for the Devil Rays.

Provided the war doesn't get too out of hand, hopefully there will time for a baseball preview this week. ONLY 6 DAYS TO GO TO OPENING DAY.