Marichal, Mets' Martinez Shown at Cockfight

Pitchers were honorary starters of event in Dominican Republic
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 7, 2008 3:46 PM CST
Marichal, Mets' Martinez Shown at Cockfight
New York Mets' baseball player Pedro Martinez, center top, from Dominican Republic, poses for photographers with victims of the flood caused by tropical storm Noel during a visit to a school used as a shelter in Monoguayabo, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)   (Associated Press)

Video of Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez and Hall of Famer Juan Marichal at a cockfight in their native Dominican Republic—where the practice is legal—was briefly available on YouTube today, the New York Post reports. The pair is seen enjoying themselves and even throwing the chickens into the ring as honorary soltadores. Martinez's rooster appears to die on the tape.

The video was taken in the biggest cockfighting venue in the Dominican Republic, where the activity enjoys a wide popularity. Marichal, 70, has been tied to cockfighting in the past: In a 1998 book, he said that he knew his father “lived for the gallos, for cockfighting. I think that's why I’ve got that in my blood,” he continued. (More cockfighting stories.)

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