Chamberlain's much-anticipated starting debut didn't go so well: He gave up two runs, one earned, and walked four before being removed in the third after 62 pitches. Alex Rios extended his hitting streak against the Yankees to 24 games and David Eckstein had three RBI as Toronto won 9-3. Roy Halladay (7-5) won his fourth straight decision. Hank Steinbrenner blamed it all on the media, naturally. "Tonight was a creation of the media," he said. "If this had been a first start for any other pitcher on any other team, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal.”

Meanwhile, Martinez (1-0) threw six innings in his return from the disabled list from a hamstring injury, surrendering seven hits, three runs, three walks and striking out three on 109 pitches. He also had two singles and an RBI, the Mets beating the Giants 9-6. Pedro hadn't pitched since April 1. Damion Easley had a three-run double during New York’s eight-run fifth.

• One Town That Won't Let You Down. If the Cubs are going to start swooning, hadn't they better get to it? Before you know it June will be over. Chicago won its ninth straight as Alfonso Soriano had a three-run homer and Mark DeRosa had a two-run shot to lead a 9-6 victory over San Diego. The Cubs have the best record in baseball at 38-21, and even their former players are talking trash.

• Oh Wandy, Well You Came And You Gave Without Taking ... Run-scoring doubles by Lance Berkman and Miguel Tejada and Wandy Rodriguez's six shutout innings in his second start after coming off the disabled list led the Astros over the Pirates 2-0.

• Watchoo Talkin' About, Willis? Jack Cust beat out an infield single in the 11th, driving in Kurt Suzuki from third, as the Athletics beat the Tigers 5-4. Oakland native Dontrelle Willis made his first start and second appearance since coming off the disabled list for the Tigers, pitching four scoreless innings.

• The Bondsification Of Boston. With David Ortiz lost for who-knows-how-long with that wrist injury, The Soxaholic and Boston Sports Blog are both openly speculating on the chances of a certain Mr. Bonds being signed by the Red Sox to fill the void. Whether or not this could actually happen, it's sparked some lively debate with the commenters. Boston beat Tampa Bay 7-4 on Tuesday.

• Wizard Cat Defensive Player Of The Day. Yorvit Torrealba, Colorado Rockies. The Rockies' catcher scored a decent shove to the face and then a fine two-point takedown of the Dodgers' Matt Kemp, following Kemp's strikeout in the eighth inning of Colorado's 3-0 win. Unfortunately that was the end of the action, as everyone else in this benches-clearing "brawl" simply milled about exchanging business cards. Wizard Cat gives this play: Four wands.

"It's taking a toll on me and my family, my dad's situation," Martinez said, referring to a form of brain cancer afflicting his 78-year-old father, Pablo. "I haven't been there for them. I just realized that between last year and this year I haven't been there for my family, my parents.

"That'll probably drag me away from the game a little sooner than people expect. After this season, I'm going to go back home and think about it and I'm going to decide."

Martinez, recovering from a hamstring injury, will meet the team in Atlanta today to throw in the bullpen, and may make a start on Monday at Shea against the Marlins. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is only 12-9 since 2005, and has appeared in only one game for the Mets this year. But even though he has rarely been around recently, I've always enjoyed the idea of Pedro Martinez as a Met, and it would be a shame to see him go.

Pedro Martinez Mulls Retirement At End Of Season [New York Daily News]

No word yet exactly how long Pedro will be out, but it's not going to be soon, which means we hope you like El Duque. Mets fans are somewhat concerned.

Pedro had had such a good spring. I know. I also know, as we all do, that such a good spring means nothing. Just as such a terrible spring means nothing. But a pop in the hamstring of an aging starting pitcher means quite a bit. It means ... well, we'll start to know soon enough, but it probably means no Pedro J. until May. And it certainly means that all of our attempts to tell ourselves that the Mets' problems with age and infirmity were overblown lasted exactly 12 1/3 innings. Less than that if you count Alou's groin and El Duque's foot and Castillo's knees and Beltran's knees and Wagner's back and Delgado's hip. Which we weren't doing yesterday, because it was Opening Day and we won and we were glorious.

• We Still Want To Call Him "Joey" Sometimes. Josh Hamilton's inspiring! return from the occasional moments of awesomeness surrounded mostly by paranoia and fear depths of drug addiction continued last night with a two-run homer off J.J. Putz in the ninth inning to give the Rangers a 5-4 win over the Mariners. Hamilton, once again, heroically resisted the urge to snort the third base line at the end of his home run trot, for which we continue to salute him.

• Troy Glaus Is No Scott Rolen. Glaus' throwing error in the eighth inning — on a very easy play at the plate — helped lead to Colorado's 2-1 win over our Cardinals. Yes, indeedy: Kip Wells and Kyle Lohse had a pitching duel.

• Undefeated! There are three 2-0 teams in baseball. The Washington Nationals (who were off yesterday), the Los Angeles Dodgers (who have beaten the Giants twice, which shouldn't count) and the San Diego Padres, who beat the Astros 2-1 yesterday. Pretty good for a team whose top pinch hitter is Jody Gerut.

Cockfighting is still legal in the Dominican Republic, so Pedro wasn't actually breaking any laws, but there's a reason that it's illegal in this country: It's a hideously cruel, barbaric practice that's nothing short of torture for the animals involved. The damage is done now, sadly, but we're asking Pedro Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal (who was also present at the event) to take part in our "Developing Empathy For Animals" training seminar, which Michael Vick voluntarily attended after being charged, so hopefully some good will come of it. We're also calling on the league to offer animal-sensitivity training for MLB players.

Yes, PETA is calling for commissioner Bud Selig to require all MLB players to attend animal-sensitivity training sessions. I see absolutely no way this will fail to happen. Barry Bonds: "You have to get me signed with a team, Jeff! I don't want to miss that animal seminar!" And, um, how many major leaguers are hunters? I think quite a few.

The letter can be found here. I'm with PETA in the sense that I don't see how cockfighting can be condoned as a sport. It's nothing less than torture, really. The same way I felt about middle school PE.

Pedro Martinez Cockfighting Video [TMZ]
Pedro Martinez Attends A Cockfighting Event [The PETA Files]
This Should Cause The Mets No PR Problems Whatsoever [Deadspin]

Martinez and Marichal laugh before releasing the roosters. The two took part as honorary "soltadores," the word used to describe the person who puts the animal to fight. The animal released by Martinez appears to be killed on the video, which was posted Tuesday on YouTube. The fight takes place in the Coliseo de Gallos (Rooster Coliseum) in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic's biggest cockfighting venue. Cockfighting is legal and popular in the Dominican Republic.

This very well could be a non-story, but as always the court of public opinion will have the final say. And by that I mean there could be some very comical chicken costumes in the stands during Mets away games this season.

We should note: Despite my feeling that people who participate in this "sport" should be dropped from a blimp onto an enormous cactus, it is completely legal in the Dominican Republic. Wait, this post is getting too serious. Um, so, here's this!

Mets' Pedro Caught On Tape At Cock Fight [MSNBC]
Let Us Rid Ourselves Of The Cockfighting PED Menace [Deadspin]

Pedro Martinez is working to help victims of Hurricane Noel — some people had more troubles than just having to find a new wedding venue — and that's a noble goal. When he's done, we suggest hitting the weights. And fast.

Mets Stars Aiding Tropical Storm Victims [Associated Press]

Moises Alou had a two-run homer for the Mets, winners of eight of nine since being swept in a four-game series at Philadelphia. With a six-game lead over the Phillies, it's pretty clear that this race is over. But should Pedro's return signal the printing of World Series tickets in New York? Let's hold up on that kind of talk ... Pedro has pitched only 10 total innings in his two starts since his return; strong outings, yes, but coming against the Reds and Astros. He also had a double on Sunday. If you're like me, don't you have the feeling that the Mets are playing a little over their heads right now? No? OK, forget I mentioned it.

• Red Invasion. Josh Beckett went seven innings to earn his 18th win as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-3. Mike Lowell drove in two runs for Boston, which always seems to draw more fans at Camden than the Orioles do, or at least sometimes it seems that way. The Red Sox finished 6-3 in Baltimore this year and has had a winning record at Camden Yards every season since 1998, going 54-23 during that span, according to AP.

• No, Can't Call This One Yet. The Yankees all but punched their ticket to the playoffs as Alex Rodriguez hit his seventh home run in five games and his ninth in 11, New York beating Kansas City 6-3. The Yankees are four games ahead of the Tigers in the AL wild card, and 5 1/2 behind the Red Sox in the AL East. On second thought, this isn't over yet.

• Alone Again, Naturally. Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun hit consecutive homers to start the game, making Milwaukee the third team in major league history to do so. The Brewers beat the Reds 10-5, while the Cubs were losing to the Pirates 10-5, giving Milwaukee a one-game lead in the NL Central.

• Giants 4, Dodgers 2. The Dodgers didn't do themselves any favors by dropping a series to the Giants, finding themselves 5 1/2 behind the front-running Diamondbacks in the NL West.

He pitched a simulated game today, and didn't look too shabby.

Pedro Martinez threw 5 1/3 innings of a simulated game against a combination of players from the St. Lucie Mets and Gulf Coast League Mets Thursday. With Mets general manager Omar Minaya watching, Martinez allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, and struck out three batters with no walks. He hit one batter, but threw 50 of 67 pitches for strikes.

With the Mets trying to hang on for the playoffs, the mental image of Pedro pitching on a freezing October night is a pleasing one. Here's hoping the Mets play the Dodgers again, and Grady Little tries to pull him, at last.

Martinez Pitches In Simulated Game [TCPalm]

We never really liked the notion of people as mascots, by the way, and now feel even more uncomfortable after reading the following:

de la Rosa's body will be sent back to the Dominican Republic after an autopsy and could be put on display in a museum, his agent said.

When we go, please promise we won't be stuffed and placed in the blog exhibit at the Smithsonian.

de la Rosa Dies At 38 [CBS4Boston]

How are Mets blogs holding up?

• Faith And Fear In Flushing: "Summing up Pedro through cold empty stats has always been a fool's errand — if there's ever been a pitcher whose intangibles and unquantifiables must be spoken of, it's him. Which is one of the reasons this isn't another invitation to cannonball into the East River. Lead the Mets? He already has. We'll never know how many tete-a-tetes on the dugout bench helped the rest of the staff, or how many clubhouse or team-bus antics helped the young players realize they belonged. Here's devoutly hoping he'll drag his protective boot to Shea next week and then to St. Louis or Los Angeles or San Diego or Houston and then (we even more devoutly hope) to destinations unknown, so that wise counsel can be given or a joke cracked when it really matters to some member of the 2006 postseason squad. 26th man, sixth starter, second pitching coach — as long as I see him there, I'll feel better about things. He taught a lot of his current teammates the things they needed to learn to come this far. Those lessons won't evaporate along with his roster spot."

• Metstradamus: "Pedro Martinez was signed by the Mets to help get them to the playoffs. Now, everyone else has to get the Mets through the playoffs, as Pedro's left calf (after all the worrying about the right calf) has a torn muscle. So five months after the Mets were looking for a special shoe for Pedro, now they'll need a dolly instead. Make no mistake, this blows."

• Metphistopheles: "A cynical part of me wondered if this was a covert move by the Commissioner's Office to bring parity to the post-season. One pitching arm tied behind our back just to make it fair, as Rush Limbaugh would say. Other than this, Mrs. Martinez, the play is still excellent."

We didn't realize the Mets actually had a losing record in games Pedro started this year, kind of an amazing statistic. We bet they'd still like him around, regardless.

• 1. Start Spreadin' The News. We're seeing more diving among big-name All-Stars than we've seen in the entire World Cup so far. The latest is Pedro Martinez, who was placed on the 15-day DL on Thursday so there would be no awkward moments when Bud Selig called and asked, "Um, so when you showin' up to the All-Star game, Pedro?" It's Pedro's annual injury (thigh? We're not sure), so that he can get in a little mid-July fishing. This all means that Mike Pelfrey will make his majors debut on Saturday against the Marlins. Oh, on Thursday, David Wright hit his 19th homer, driving in two runs in the Mets' 7-5 win over the Pirates.

• 2. Begone, Devil Fish!. David Ortiz has had enough of the Phenomenon That Is The Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After losing three straight to the Cephalic-Finned Mantas, Ortiz clouted two homers — Nos. 28 and 29 — to lead the Red Sox to a 12-5 win at Tropicana Field (mmmm, orange juice ...). His second homer was a grand slam, in the ninth.

• 3. ... But You Don't Mess Around With Jim. It's turning out to be a spirited home run chase, even if our favorite player with the initials AP is not currently involved. Jim Thome hit two homers and six RBI to lead the White Sox over the Orioles 11-8. That ties him for the season lead in home runs with David Ortiz, at 29. Both hit a grand slam on Thursday.

• 4. LA Confidential. The news was not good for the Dodgers on Thursday. First, someone named Brad Hennessey beat them in relief in part by pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth, with the Giants winning 5-4. LA learned Wednesday that uber-reliever Eric Gagne may need back surgery. Not that you were expecting him back anyway.

• 5. Braves Slightly Less Crappy These Days. Jeff Francoeur's two-out single in the 10th, driving in Chipper Jones with the winning run in Atlanta's 8-7 victory.

• 1. Pedro Offers You His Protection. But don't take it. Pedro Martinez's return to Fenway Park on Wednesday went about as well as Rush Limbaugh's return from the Dominican, only with fewer drug sniffing dogs. After Red Sox fans gave him a nice ovation, they further delighted in their team pummeling the Mets' starter with illegal Ninja moves from the government. Martinez gave up four runs in the first, four in the third and was gone by the fourth as the Red Sox won their 11th straight, 10-2.

• 2. Mauer Power. Have you seen this man? He's hitting .484 in June, went 11-for-13 in a three-game sweep of the Dodgers and is hitting .392 overall. Considered armed and fab-u-lous!, Joe Mauer was 2-for-3 as the Twins won their seventh straight, 6-3 over the Dodgers. Torii Hunter also had a grand slam, but his best contribution was this quote: "What Joe Mauer's doing is sick. He's 23 years old. What's he going to do when he gets man muscles?"

• 3. Welcome To Sealy Posturepedic Select Comfort Sleep Number Bed Day. It was little Timmy's first baseball game. And nine hours after he arrived at Camden Yards, with the Orioles batting in the bottom of the seventh, he also vowed that it would be his last. Baltimore's glorious doubleheader sweep of the Phillies, 7-5 and 12-4, included rain delays of three hours between games and 41 minutes during the second game. But in the first good break he's had all week, beleaguered Phils' reliever Brett Myers didn't have to see any of it, having been optioned to Class-A Clearwater before the game.

• 4. Our Long National Nightmare Is Over. The Cardinals scored the winning run (excuse us as we linger on those words for a bit) on a throwing error in the ninth to break an eight-game losing streak, 5-4, over the Indians. And suddenly, we can taste food again.

• 5. Now Here's A Team With A Real Problem. Have the Pirates officially supplanted the Royals as the worst team in baseball? Well, they both have .329 winning percentages, but Pittsburgh would have to be considered the stinkier of the two currently, we suppose. The Jack Sparrows lost their 13th straight, 4-3, to the White Sox on Wednesday.

When Pedro says he wanted nothing more than to return to Fenway and finish out his career with the Sox, a little context would be nice. Pedro — one of the proudest men ever to put on a uniform — hated the fact that Schilling had supplanted him as the team's ace. He hated it so much that he didn't travel to New York for Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees, when a bloodied Schilling took the mound and did what Pedro hadn't been able to do since 1999: beat the Yankees in the playoffs. He resented the fact that the Sox had juggled their World Series rotation so it was Schilling who got the Game 2 start at Fenway. (That way, Schilling wouldn't need to bat and risk running on his ankle.) Pedro had been a savior in Boston, and he wanted a chance to do the same thing in New York.

Sure, there will be plenty of cheering at Fenway tonight ... but remember, as Mnookin points out, when the Red Sox were in the World Series, Pedro wasn't thinking about a Red Sox title: He was thinking about free agency.

Another Reminder That Reality And Reunions Don't Mix [SethMnookin.com]

From this morning's New York Times:

He is planting. He is pruning. He is talking to his tulips. "What about you, beauty?" he will ask in language rarely, if ever, heard on a baseball field. "Aren't you going to grow up to be so pretty?"
...
"His heart is really connected to God and nature brings him closer to that, which is something I'm learning, too," said [his wife]. "After he talks to his plants, you can really see them perk up. Really, you do."

Sigh. It was so much easier when he was just chilling with little people. Actually, now that we think about it, that time he told the little guy "aren't you going to grow up to be so pretty?" seems slightly more creepy now. And it was pretty creepy then.

Off Mound, Mets' Ace Loosens Up In His Garden [New York Times]

• 2. You've Got To Have Skills. Albert Pujols has a mission; to ensure that every fan who buys an outfield seat at Busch Stadium (or anywhere, really) gets a baseball. On Monday his two-run home run was all the offense the Cardinals would need in a 2-1 win over the Pirates, but check this out: the blast meant he had homered in four straight at-bats, which tied a major league record.

• 3. There's No %$&@! Crying In Baseball. We love a good expletive-filled tirade; there just aren't many good ones these days with Lou Pineilla and Tommy Lasorda in retirement. Fortunately, Jim Leyland is back after seven years away from the bench, and he laid into his Tigers good on Monday following their 10-2 loss to the Indians. The explosion could be heard outside the clubhouse doo , and included language that would make Dick Cheney blush. Exempt, we imagine, was Detroit's Chris Shelton, whose ninth homer of the season made him the fourth player in baseball history with at least nine home runs over his team's first 13 games.

• 4. Ask Your Doctor If Metamucil Is Right For You. In his first start since turning 40, Greg Maddux went to 3-0 after pitching the Cubs to a 4-1 win over the Dodgers, going eight innings and giving up three hits, walking none. The last Cubs pitcher to appear in a game after his 40th birthday? Anyone? Anyone? Ferguson Jenkins, 1983.

• 5. And The Crowd Goes Wild!. Despite the fact that he looks like your accountant, Mark Loretta lived every kid's dream on Monday, unless that kid was Michael Flatley. Loretta's two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Mariners in the annual Patriots Day game, colliding with and flattening an ecstatic Drew Barrymore as he rounded the bases (we added that last part).

Nationals reliever Felix Rodriguez was ejected after hitting Paul Lo Duca with first base open in the eighth inning on Thursday, and Washington manager Frank Robinson was also tossed; an interesting delightful concept, being that Robinson is MLB's former Director of Discipline, preceding Watson. All of this makes us long for the good old days, when players were getting plunked all over the place and no one thought much of it. The Giants' Ron Hunt was the modern-day king, getting hit 50 times in 1971, and never charging the mound once. That was in the midst of an incredible six-season stretch in which he was hit 24 or more times; finishing his career with 243 beanings. Don Baylor was hit 35 times in 1986, and finished with 267 plunkings. The modern-day record is held by Craig Biggio (273). No. 7 on the all-time list? Wait for it ... Frank Robinson, 198.

Guillen, by the way, was hit 19 times last season, making us think that perhaps he's not the innocent victim he claims to be. And of course they can all take lessons from Roger Clemens, who did it old school, all the way.

'Just Cool It' MLB Tells Mets, Nats [New York Daily News]
Best Mound Charges [There's Your Karma, Ripe As Peaches]
Roger Clemens Grounds His Son [Deadspin]

Anyway, other fun pictures include shots of a woman whose breasts have been signed by Cardinals bullpenners Al Reyes and Ray King, Mets non-midget Pedro Martinez sipping what appears to be sangria and A's shortstop Bobby Crosby taking open auditions for a potential future missus. Grand fun, as always.

Not So Blind Items, Part III [On the DL]

Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner: $8 million
Don Garber, MLS Commissioner: $250,000
Joe Torre, Yankees manager: $6.4 million
Willie Randolph, Mets manager: $630,000
Pedro Martinez, Mets pitcher: $13.25 million
Steve Crampton, Newark Bears pitcher: $9,900 ($450 per week for 22 weeks, plus $18 per diem on road trips)

We bet Rickey Henderson made more money than that when he played for Newark, by the way. ("Pay Rickey!"

Who Makes How Much [NY Mag]

But to Mets fans, Kit Pellow's name will always have meaning: He's the guy who broke up Tom Glavine's no-hit bid last year. (We were there. We saw it.) Mets blogging wunderkind Jason Fry looks at the Mets' inability to ever get a no-hitter in the wake of Pedro Martinez just missing last weekend through the conceit of a club consisting only of those who have broken up Mets' no-hitters.

KIT PELLOW I'm Kit Pellow, how the hell are you? I kept Met fans from ever taking a liking to Tom Glavine.

ANTONIO PEREZ
Hey. Sorry, man, I didn't know your name.

KIT PELLOW
That's all right, dude — they know my name in New York!

Much laughter all around.

JIMMY QUALLS
You may not do anything else in your career, kid, but they'll always know your name in New York. Just like they know mine, and Leron's, and Kit's, and those of all these other guys back here you ain't met yet. Now go out to the cooler in back and get us some more beers, huh?

Perez looks reluctant.

KIT PELLOW
It's the rules. You're the new guy.

CHRIS BURKE
Don't sweat, man. I only had to do it for like two months.

The Clubhouse Of Curses [Fear and Faith In Flushing]