Pedro, Carlos, and Omar The Story of a Season in the Big Apple and the Pursuit of Baseball's Top Latino Stars

The two most heralded free agents in the 2004-2005 offseason, Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, had two things in common: They both signed with the Mets--not the Yankees!--and, like Mets GM Omar Minaya, they are both Latino. Minaya openly said that he would use his heritage to attract top Latin American players, and his signing of Beltran and Martinez brought instant credibility to a much-troubled franchise and proved a microcosm of the most significant trend in baseball today--the rise of the Latin American player. Martinez, baseball's most colorful player, brought an excitement to the Shea Stadium mound not seen since the days of a young Dwight Gooden. Meanwhile, despite an injury-hampered first half, Beltran was voted by fans to the starting lineup of the 2005 National League All-Star team, and his decision to come to New York made other top free agents sit up and take notice. New York Daily News beat writer Adam Rubin delivers a priceless, insider's view of Beltran's and Martinez's first season in the Big Apple. Along the way, readers follow the controversy that Minaya generated in letting go respected veteran Al Leiter, hiring inexperienced manager Willie Randolph, and (at first) unsuccessfully pursuing free agent Carlos Delgado--who initially criticized Minaya for "exploiting" his ethnicity. We also witness the breakout season of Cliff Floyd, the growing pains of young phenom David Wright, the swan-song season of future Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, and the many other storylines of the team that sought to recapture the magic of the Amazin' Mets.Rubin, Adam is the author of 'Pedro, Carlos, and Omar The Story of a Season in the Big Apple and the Pursuit of Baseball's Top Latino Stars', published 2006 under ISBN 9781592288755 and ISBN 1592288758.