Pedro Martinez still holds grudge against Jorge Posada for insulting his mother and starting famous brawl: Report

The old Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has lost some of its edge over the last few years but whenever you mention Pedro Martinez, it seems like the bad blood is still at full boil.

On Wednesday, Martinez — the newly elected Hall of Famer — admitted that the one Yankee whom he despised most was Jorge Posada.

And it was personal.

Martinez, appearing on Daily News Live, made it clear that he still holds a grudge against Posada, claiming the ex-Yankee catcher carried their running feud too far at one point by insulting the Red Sox pitcher’s mother and instigating the famous brawl when he infamously decked Yankees coach Don Zimmer (video at bottom).

“Between Latinos you don’t mention anybody’s mother,” Pedro said. “And I never forgot that one. To this day.”

Martinez was on the TV show with fellow newly elected Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Randy Johnson and Craig Biggio when he made the revelation.

When host Jonas Schwartz asked why, Martinez said, “Because Jorge always seemed to have a bad attitude toward me.”

And, under further questioning, Pedro admitted to making fun of Posada’s ears at times, saying:

“I call him Dumbo, but that’s no reason for him to want to kill me.”

Martinez wasn’t clear if Posada’s insult helped ignite the brawl or the remark was delivered after Zimmer had charged Pedro and wound up on the ground.

"It was just competing," Martinez said of Posada. "But he was always mad at me for some reason.

“Then he let it go a little bit too far with the Zimmer incident. Between Latinos you don’t mention anybody’s mother. I did not appreciate that. I know it was in the heat of the situation, but that’s sensitive to Latino players."

And it was the mother of all brawls.

Don Zimmer remembered fondly by Yankees after game (VIDEO)

The Yankees not only lost a game Wednesday night to the Oakland A's at Yankee Stadium, more importantly, they lost a valued member of the team's family.

During the game, the players and manager Joe Girardi learned of the death of former Yankees bench coach and mentor to many — Don Zimmer.

After the game, an emotional Girardi and Derek Jeter talked about the man who meant so much to both of them.

Zimmer was Girardi's first manager in the big leagues with the Cubs, was a coach when Girardi was with the Rockies and recommended that the Yankees acquire Girardi before the 1996 season.

"Great baseball man," a teary-eyed Girardi said of Zimmmer, who was 83 when he passed away at a Florida rehab center. "Baseball lifer. He was a mentor to me and I had him 10 out of my first 11 years in the big leagues. So wherever he went I went. I always thought he looked like my grandfather -- build a lot alike, same height, same forearms. My grandfather had a full head of white hair, though. That was probably the biggest difference.

"He taught me a lot about this game. Close friend, and I'm gonna miss him."

Jeter also had a special relationship with Zimmer. The Yankees captain used to rub Zimmer's bald head for luck before games.

"It's a tough one to swallow," Jeter said. "Everyone knows how much Zim's meant to our organization, but [also] to baseball as a whole and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. It's tough news and I'll miss him."

Zimmer, who still worked as a senior adviser for the Rays, would visit with the Yankees when they played at Tampa Bay.

The news came in the middle innings, Jeter said. The Yankees still had a game to play, but they were not able to overcome another poor performance by the bullpen after taking a 4-0 lead in the third inning.

For a lot of reasons now, that doesn't seem so important.

Rest in peace, Don Zimmer. Forever a Yankee: http://t.co/tnAVqX9ei1
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 5, 2014

Baseball mainstay Don Zimmer has heart surgery: Report

Ex-Yankees and Red Sox coach Don Zimmer had surgery Wednesday to fix a leaky heart valve, according to the Tampa Tribune's Roger Mooney.

Whether or not you know him as Popeye, Zip or The Gerbil or remember him in the infamous brawl with Pedro Martinez, the 83-year-old Zimmer has been a mainstay in baseball as a player, manager or coach over a career spanning seven decades.

Zimmer is currently resting comfortably, though he'll stay in the hospital for a few days, according to reports.

Zimmer was the Yankees' bench coach for four World Series wins in the late-1990's after a stint with the Sox.

He's currently in his 11th year as an advisor for the Rays.

Get well Zim.

Bill 'Spaceman' Lee pitches complete game at age 65

Roger Clemens pitching at age 50 has nothing over Bill "Spaceman" Lee's latest gig.  The former Red Sox and Expos lefthander, one of baseball's all-time great characters, became the oldest pitcher to ever win a game after he threw a complete game victory for the San Rafael Pacifics of the independent North American League.  And it wasn't a publicity stunt.

Lee, who won 199 games over 14 seasons in the major leagues went nine innings in the Pacifics' 9-4 victory over Maui Na Koa Ikaika of Hawaii.  Lee signed a contract with the Pacifics earlier that day.

According to the team, Lee is the oldest pitcher to win a professional game — breaking his own record when he won a game in Massachusetts in 2010 at age 63.

Lee threw a few strikes with his famous blooping  Leephus pitch and his fastball was clocked at 70 mph.  He threw 94 pitches with 69 going for strikes, although he struck out no one.

"He threw 100 pitches in batting practice," on Wednesday, said former Los Angeles Dodger Mike Marshall, the manager of the Pacifics.  "He's the only guy the whole season to go all nine, and the rest of the guys are in their 20's."

Lee— who mockingly nicknamed his chubby-cheeked manager Don Zimmer "The Gerbil" when he was on the Red Sox— was pretty serious on the mound but still sounds like he has his irreverent sense of humor to go with his intense hatred of the New York Yankees.

After spotting a Yankees fan outside Fenway Park the other day while attending Johnny Pesky's funeral, the 65-year old Lee did what the the Spaceman would have done forty years ago.

"I flipped him off," he said.