Pedro Martinez: Greatest Ever?

Back at my old blog I wrote a post titled "Pedro. Is. God." in which, in addition to ascribing sacred powers to the Dominican Dandy, I also posited that he might be the greatest pitcher ever. In addition to engendering what was quite possibly the best discussion we had at Rebunk (the comments are absolutely worth your time) publishing that post also gave a jump start to Bleeding Red, as once my daily diary of the 2004 season had an audience, it seemed real. After he read that post, Dave over at Ephblog asked me to publish my daily ruminations (and sufferings) and things accelerated from that point.

In any case, I reference this blast from the past because over at Sons of Sam Horn, there is a pretty good discussion (make sure to read all of the pages) about Pedro Martinez and the Hall of Fame, but specifically with an argument that is central to ones I made in the conversation in 2004 -- whether or not placed side by side, Pedro is better than Sandy Koufax. Of course I argue in the affirmative. This debate is an offshoot of another ongoing SOSH discussion about whether my favorite player as a kid, Jim Edward Rice, belongs in the Hall of Fame (and whether Dewey Evans ought to go in alongside him). The weight of evidence and argument points to "no," that both belong in the "Hall of the Very Good," but I disagree. With opening day around the corner (yes, I'll be in Arlington to see the Sox face off against the Rangers) it's time to start thinking baseball . . .