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Pedro Goes ‘Psycho,’ Unleashes ‘Loid Rage

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Times Staff Writer

Judging from the headlines in the New York tabloids Sunday, Pedro Martinez may be public enemy No. 1 in New York after a wild Game 3 in the American League championship series Saturday.

“FENWAY PUNK” and “Psycho Pedro” screamed the New York Post on its cover.

“Bombers Bean Boston Bozos,” read a headline on the cover of the New York Daily News.

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Meanwhile in Beantown: Martinez may not be all that popular in Boston, either. Comments from readers of the Boston Globe included:

* “I think Pedro is gutless.”

* “Regarding Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox team: Bush League.”

* “It was a joke. Pedro and Manny [Ramirez] are punks.”

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Trivia time: Gene Mauch once said of a former pitcher: “He throws a ‘radio’ ball, a pitch you hear but don’t see.” Who was he talking about?

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Short memory: Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News quoted Roger Clemens as saying of Martinez: “You’re a great pitcher. Be great.”

Added Lupica: “Then Clemens, who apparently has developed amnesia about the night he hit Mike Piazza in the head, said, ‘Just because you’re being hit around doesn’t mean you get to stick one behind somebody’s head.’ ”

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Premonition: Did the Post know what was coming? “Rocket, Pedro Set for Fenway Fight,” read a headline in Saturday morning’s editions.

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Reaction everywhere: The Game 3 incidents Saturday made the Sunday morning football pregame shows as well.

On CBS’ “The NFL Today,” after Warren Sapp was shown skipping along the sideline and bumping into referee Greg Meyer, Boomer Esiason said, “I can’t say that it was an accident. It’s like Don Zimmer going after that guy, a little craziness.”

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Camera shy: A Morning Briefing item Saturday was about a photographer spooking Storming Home, the horse that tossed jockey Gary Stevens at the Arlington Million on Aug. 16. Something similar once happened to Bill Shoemaker, who died Sunday.

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Jeanne Jones, ridden by Shoemaker, had a six-length lead in the stretch of the Juvenile Fillies race in the 1987 Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park but lost by a nose to 30-1 shot Epitome. After the race, Jeanne Jones’ trainer, the late Charlie Whittingham, blamed a photographer for spooking his horse and causing her to swerve. However, Shoemaker was not thrown from the horse.

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Looking back: On this date in 1960, Bill Mazeroski opened the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 with a home run off the Yankees’ Ralph Terry to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series championship.

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Trivia answer: Sandy Koufax.

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And finally: Boxer James Toney, in a recent conference call with reporters, was asked if Evander Holyfield punches like a heavyweight.

“It felt good to get hit by a heavyweight,” Toney said.

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.

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