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March 25, 2011

Painting Of Pedro Martinez Unveiled At Smithsonian

El Orgullo y la Determinacion (Pride and Determination)

A 57-inch by 21-inch oil and beeswax painting of Pedro Martinez, completed in 2000 by Susan Miller-Havens (a close friend of the now 40-year-old pitcher), was unveiled on Friday at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Miller-Havens portrayed Pedro in a white Red Sox uniform, wearing a blue cap with a dark red "B". She replaced the American League patch on his right sleeve with the flag of the Dominican Republic.

Pedro:
She was talking about my hands. What she said to me was that she focused on my hands. She was always analyzing my long fingers, and how I used them to do art ... This is something as important as Cooperstown. It's one of the largest museums in the world and the largest one in the United States. I hope it's only a warm-up for Cooperstown. It gives me great pride and joy.
Martinez, who said there is "very little chance" he will pitch in the major leagues again, will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Also attending the ceremony was Pedro's mother, Leopoldina Martinez; wife, Carolina Cruz; 11-year-old son, Pedro Jr.; brother Ramon; and Rafael Avila, the Dodgers scout who signed both Pedro and Ramon. Pedro's father, Paulino (Pablo) Jaime Martinez, passed away in July 2008.

19 comments:

  1. She was always analyzing my long fingers, and how I used them to do art ...


    Years ago, my wife ran in a half-marathon in Bar Harbor and for a few yards was a stride or two behind summer visitor Sandy Koufax (then he smoked her....)--she said she had never seen such large hands on a man. I asked her if his left hand was particularly large, but, alas, she never noticed that detail.

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  2. Shame he's not in a RS uniform....

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  3. Shame he's not in a RS uniform....

    Apart from the flag, it looks like he is.

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  4. Looks like a B on his cap to me.

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  5. From mlb.com:

    Created by artist Susan Miller-Havens, the painting is 57 inches by 21 inches in size and was created with oil and beeswax on Baltic birch in 2000. It features Martinez wearing a Dominican Republic uniform.

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  6. Benjamin posted a big-ass version of the whole painting at SoSH -- which is where I got it, though it comes out smaller here. In that big one, his cap sort of looks like the old Detroit "D", but there is also a smudgy line in the middle that makes it look like a "B".

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  7. MFY sign Millwood, trade Mitre to Brewers. Rotation: Nova 4, Garcia 5, and Colon to pen.

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  8. laura k said...
    9C with the research! :)


    With the internet resarch has changed quite a bit, even dolts like me can find info..

    Hope all is well in Canada.

    L and A, I have been watching the Holmes on Holmes program quite a bit here in the states... Is Mike Holmes somewhat of a hero in Canada?

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  9. Is Mike Holmes somewhat of a hero in Canada?

    He's hugely popular. I guess if you're into home reno shows - there seems to be a million of them - he's the top dog.

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  10. laura k said...
    Is Mike Holmes somewhat of a hero in Canada?

    He's hugely popular. I guess if you're into home reno shows - there seems to be a million of them - he's the top dog.




    He has become my must see tv. I have all his stuff tivo'ed

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  11. Nice to see the whole painting! Very cool.

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  12. Maybe I am being spacey, but I have absolutely no clue who Mike Holmes is.

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  13. Maybe I am being spacey, but I have absolutely no clue who Mike Holmes is.

    You just don't watch much HGTV.

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  14. Maybe I am being spacey, but I have absolutely no clue who Mike Holmes is.

    I wish I didn't either. Nothing against him, I just don't know how these shows that I don't watch end up seeping into my consciousness.

    Sometime when you're at the gym, look at the home-reno channel they have on (can't remember what it's called in Cda). If he's not on, there's sure to be commercials for his show, "Holmes on Homes".

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  15. A war resister friend of ours works installing solar energy panels, and the crew was once on Holmes' show. It was a Big Thing. Apparently awful if it's your house - incredibly disruptive and time-consuming - but a Claim to Fame.

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  16. Matsuzaka doing well yet again vs Twins.

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  17. As a follow-up, I got an email from the artist, who said the painting:

    "does indeed have him in a white Red Sox uniform. I removed the league patch on his sleeve and replaced it with the Dominican Flag. His cap is blue with a dark red "B".

    ***

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