Oct. 17 - The Curse of the Bambino lives and Pedro Martinez will have to live with the outcome of Boston’s most recent collapse. It was all but over, the fat lady was sitting behind the Yankee dugout and the beer was flowing in Boston. Only one problem, Pedro couldn’t close the show.

DAVID ORTIZ HOMERED off David Wells in the top of the 8th inning to give Martinez the insurance run that he would probably need to win the game, but the Red Sox still found a way to lose.

As the game began, Roger Clemens had nothing left in the tank to help the Yankees get off to a good start. This was Game 7 in what could have been the last start of his career and the Rocket wasn’t up for the challenge.

Pedro got off to a solid start and was able to keep his confidence after giving up two home runs to Jason Giambi.

All season long, Pedro was handled with kid gloves by manager Grady Little and the Boston media and fans. Everyone knew in advance that if the Red Sox were going to beat the Yankees and get to the World Series it would have to be on the arm and back of their star pitcher.

Little did we all know that Tim Wakefield and the once lowly Boston bullpen would be the stars of this postseason.

That being said this was Pedro Martinez’s game to win and he found a way to blow it. Don’t blame Grady Little for keeping Martinez in the game because Pedro wanted to remain on the mound heading into the bottom of the 8th inning.

BEHIND THE 8-BALL

Let’s look back at the 8th inning of Game 7 where it all fell apart for Boston.

After Nick Johnson popped out to lead off the inning, Pedro made a mistake with no balls and two strikes to Derek Jeter. The Yankee short stop doubled to right field while he was buried in the pitch count and Pedro gave the Yankees new life. I still have trouble believing that Martinez (who had several pitches to waste) gave Jeter a pitch to hit over the middle of the plate.

Bernie Williams then singled to center and Jeter scored to make it 5-3. Pedro still had the game in his hands when he made another mistake on the inside corner to Hideki Matsui. Matsui pulled the ball down the right field line for a ground rule double and the walls began to crumble inside Red Sox Nation.

Jorge Posada then came to the plate and delivered the biggest clutch hit of his career. His hit to center field was another Pedro mistake and the game was tied at 5-5.

We can’t forget that Pedro had one out in the 8th inning with no runners on base and couldn’t get the final five outs of the game. He controlled the destiny of the Red Sox and his own legacy, but couldn’t handle the pressure.

Unless Pedro wins a World Series title in years to come, he will never be considered one of the great big game pitchers of all time. Bob Gibson, Randy Johnson, Whitey Ford and Sandy Koufax all found ways to win the big games when they had to. Pedro found a way to let the Yankees back into Game 7 of the ALCS and continue their dominance over the Red Sox.

BARTMAN, PEDRO’S WORST NIGHTMARES

I had a difficult week explaining to my radio audience that Steve Bartman, the Cubs fan who tried to catch the foul ball at Wrigley Field in Game 6, blew any opportunity for Chicago to go the World Series. Bartman extended the Billy Goat Curse for the Cubs and Pedro keeps alive the Curse of the Bambino.

In today’s society we have a tough time handing out blame, but at least we are good at forgiving individuals who make mistakes. Bartman and Martinez played a role in the collapse of two of the most unlucky teams in sports history. They deserve the opportunity to get on with their lives and redeem themselves in the future. Pedro will get his shot on the mound next season, while Bartman will have to struggle to find peace in his life. Both the Cubs and the Red Sox were five outs away from reversing the curse, but were obviously not ready to take the next step.