MANGO TANGO

The Dominican Diva and His Sugar Daddy

Hench: Time to Say Goodbye to Pedro

"Whoever signs Pedro will overpay. He is a No. 2 or 3 starter who will insist on and get No. 1 money. The Red Sox have already reportedly offered him 27.5 million for two years, yet he is a six or seven inning pitcher with wildly erratic stuff. From start to start you never know which Pedro you'll get."

"His act wouldn't work here, George. Those jags he goes on when he won't speak to the press, when he won't come to the ballpark on time, when he leaves the stadium early . . . all that stuff was tolerated in Boston. That's who the Red Sox are." -- Mike Vaccaro, New York Post

"Martinez told The Boss how much he wanted to be a Yankee, according to one source, and another source said that Steinbrenner gave his Yankees sales pitch to Martinez." -- Ken Davidoff, New York Newsday

"A Martinez departure wouldn't lead to mourning on Yawkey Way. Many in the organization have been fed up by his late arrivals, a frequent diva attitude, mood swings and his thin skin when it comes to dealing with criticism. Should he depart, the team would not have to worry about having the payroll flexibility to sign free agent Carl Pavano, who is schedule to visit tomorrow." -- Jeff Horrigan, Boston Herald

"No matter what he says publicly, Terry Francona has told people close to him that he can't stand Pedro, and is hoping he does take his shenanigans elsewhere so the Sox manager can begin to restore some order in the clubhouse." -- John Harper, NY Daily News