Potrait of Pedro Martinez to be shown at Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery

A portrait of Pedro Martinez, untitled "El Orgullo y la Determinacion," was unveiled Friday at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.  The title is translated as "the pride and the determination" and features Martinez in his Dominican Republic national team uniform.

Peter Gammons was on hand and put out a great article about Pedro as a player, and his work throughout the Dominican Republic and in his hometown of Manoguayabo.  Gammons says:

"He was the most dominating pitcher of all time in a span of seven years and the most exciting player I have ever seen." 

Incredible praise coming from Gammons, who seemingly has more baseball knowledge than anyone the Dominican Baseball Guy has ever seen.  Gammons goes on to talk about all Pedro's work in his hometown.  Martinez has built churches, and donated a lot of money for children and elderly care.  His latest project is the Pedro Youth Academy and Ballpark in his hometown, of which he repeated the following purpose statement several times:

"I want children in the Dominican to have the educational opportunities that people in the United States are afforded, so someday college teams from the Dominican Republic can play against the great colleges and universities in the United States. In the end, education means opportunity."

This is the most poignant statement the Dominican Baseball Guy has ever heard in regards to the problems of Dominican prospects.  Many people say that prospects are exploited by big league teams, and that they miss out on educational opportunities, but the fact is there are few educational opportunities available in the Dominican Republic.  It seems that Pedro Martinez realizes this and is making education the forefront of his academy.

Even the President of the Dominican Republic took notice of this event, as he often does with baseball related matters.  President Leonel Fernandez released the following staement:

“It’s a pride for the Dominican nation and government, and for baseball fans, whose career will be preserved for the posterity of present and future generations for his  masterful performance in the sport, but mostly for the actions he conducts in benefit of the children and youngsters to orient them toward becoming exemplary beings.”

The Dominican Baseball Guy agrees with Peter Gammons and sees Pedro as the greatest and most exciting pitcher ever.  There is no other pitcher of which the Dominican Baseball Guy would want to tune in a game.

Pedro Martinez with the Mets, by Bryce Edwards on Flickr