“Wow” proclaimed Ramon Castro, Pedro Martinez’s batterymate, in response to Martinez’s performance in the Mets’ recent spring win against the Tigers.

At 36, following last years late return from a rotary cuff surgery, Martinez is happy when he doesn’t have to ice his arm after a game. Of course it also helps to stick it to your opponent while feeling good. He pitched four shutout innings. He allowed four hits and struck out four. And in the end, the Mets beat the Tigers 7-4.

His pitching velocity is much stronger than in the past. But Adam Ruibin of the Daily News notes:

“Martinez has been frustrated by preoccupation with his fastball velocity, consistently noting that pitching is the art of location and changing speeds . . . But even Castro . . . was compelled to mention the extra life. It was especially evident in a bases-loaded strikeout of Ramon Santiago . . . Martinez then retired Freddy Guzman on a tapper to first base to end that threat unscathed.”

Who knows. Maybe his training stunt of pitching with his eyes shut paid off. I don’t know, but you can’t argue with results.

This may be a beautiful season for a star veteran with a little more heat in his arm. We may all need to buy our Mets tickets quick to see it for ourselves.

I find it hard to believe that one of the most American of books and movies, “Gone With the Wind,” will be adapted to the stage for the first time as a musical, but not on Broadway but in England, in the New London Theater. I guess when you figure that Vivian Leigh was British, it’s not such a terrible crime.

The new production opens in April of this year. It is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn. It will star Jill Paice as Scarlett O’Hara and Darius Danesh as Rhett Butler. I’ve read rumors that Hugh Jackman is being considered for the role when it finally comes to Broadway. If the play is any good, I think it’s a given.

The new play is being documented on Turner Classic Movies channel which will follow the behind the scene moments of the production right up to the opening.

The new play is said to be more heavily based on the book, emphasizing the story through the slaves eyes. Apparently, the entire production will be much darker, especially in it’s portrayal of Rhett Butler. And I’ve yet to read whether they will be including the famous last line of the movie.

If you want to see the new show when it opens you’ll have to go to England. But when it finally comes out in New York, you’ll want to get your Broadway tickets online.

Welcome to this week’s installment of Hot Tickets from SelectATicket.com.

Not surprisingly, this past week saw the Big East Tournament emerge as the event people wanted to see the most. The Big East Tournament comes to Madison Square Garden every March and you can always get great seats from SelectATicket.com.

Here’s the Top 5 Events for the past week at SelectATicket.com:

Big East Tournament

Wicked

New York Mets

Young Frankenstein

Eric Clapton

That concludes the latest summary of Hot Tickets from SelectATicket. Check back next Monday to see the list of what events people are looking for this week at Select A Ticket.

El Duque thinks that even with a bunion on his right big toe he can starting pitch 30 games this season. He might be pipe dreaming given the fact that he hasn’t started 30 games since 1999. But there’s no doubt that he’s looking decent in spite of his foot condition.

Known for his high kick, he’s had to adjust his form to protect his toe. His new pitching stance puts less pressure on the toe. It keeps his foot flat on the mound.

Although the speed of his pitch isn’t anything amazing, it should be pointed out that he pitched 72% strikes with his new form.

Adam Rubin of the Daily News says:

“Mets brass continues to downplay any suggestions that El Duque’s reduced leg kick will drastically reduce his deception. Peterson said Hernandez’s primary deception came from changing arm angles and speeds.”

He suggests that it may be in the Mets best interest to keep him on the disabled list at first, allowing for them to carry a six-man bench, and then activating him as a fifth starter on April 12th when they face the Brewers.

Either way, it’s impressive that Hernandez could learn a new method to play the same game. That is, in my opinion, real athleticism. To see this great athlete in action make sure to get your Mets tickets now.

Although it can be frustrating for those who’ve bought NY Yankee tickets if they can’t see their favorite player due to a minor injury, you’ve got to give the franchise credit for playing it safe with their team members. Such was the case with Andy Pettitte.

He was scratched from the lineup because of soreness on the outer part of his elbow. They defined it as tendonitis, but also classified it as a minor concern. Mark Feinsand of the Daily News quoted Pettitte as saying:

“You all know how it is; they’re extremely cautious here. I guess it’s a good thing. If you want to pitch, it’s kind of aggravating. I understand. They don’t want me to aggravate it any more. It’s spring training.”

Indeed, it is spring training, a gloried practice session. No need to overwork him if there’s the slightest risk of continued injury.

Pettitte underwent surgery in August 2004, repairing a torn flexor tendon. This problem is in a different part of the arm—the outside of his elbow. In other words, it’s far less of a concern for the player. And it’s far less of a concern for a team that wants all of their good players healthy for what could be a great season.

I was reading about the Broadway musical version of “Cry Baby” and something caught my ey. The score is co-written by Adam Schlesinger. For those of you who don’t know who this guy is, he’s a writer from one of my favorite bands, Fountains of Wayne. They are best known for their hit song, “Stacy’s Mom,” which was fun but overplayed on the radio and VH1. They have many other better songs on several other great albums worth checking out.

Anyway, my point is that after noticing his involvement, I really want to see “Cry Baby.” A Broadway musical is only going to be as good as the music. Given Schlesinger’s involvement, I can’t help but think it should be great.

The story takes place in Baltimore in 1954. An innocent young girl starts a romance with a guitar-playing rebel from across the tracks. The original movie starred Johnny Depp and was directed by the ever eccentric, John Waters.

After the reasonable success of the film version of the musical “Hairspray,” maybe John Waters’s movies have found their true place as musical theater, first on stage, then regurgitated back onto film. I hope that they make a movie musical of “Cry Baby.” But until then, we can get our Broadway tickets online for the stage show.

So there’s a hole in their left field and a need for a big power slugger. This raises the question as to whether the Mets will attempt to acquire the famous and infamous Barry Bonds. One would suggest that this would be a terrible time to take on the free agent, facing charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The team would hardly want to get involved in the ongoing steroid debacle, for which Bonds is front and center.

But then again, one has to think that maybe the Mets would be the perfect team for him. First off, because they could use him. And secondly, as Jeff Blair of globesports.com suggests, they’re “a big-market team desperate for a postseason boost.”

He goes on to say,” It would take a club with a great deal of veteran moxie and experience dealing with the spotlight to handle the situation, a club that is a little bit cynical, but also one that has been tested and taken the measure of those doing the testing.”

Mets general manager, Omar Minaya, says that all rumors of such an acquisition are false. But the possibilities are great and certainly enough to make sports writers speculate.

To get your tickets this season be sure to look for Mets tickets online.

Woody Allen said, “80% of success is showing up.” This may be Alex Rodriguez’s motto. When asked recently what his goal was for the season, he said it was the same as every season—to play in every single game.

An article by Kevin Kernan at the New York Post explains what this means. He quotes Rodriguez as saying, “I want to be out there for my teammates every day. That’s the thing I take the most pride in, being a team player and being in the lineup, whether you are banged up or not.”

Kernan interviews A-Rod’s high school coach, Rich Hoffman, who explains the reasons for this star’s success. He explains that most players with his talents and accolades get lazy. But Hoffman explains, ”I gave him a compliment, he tried harder, he tried to make the compliment look good, and it gave him some confidence, a lot of guys if you praise them like that, they’ll coast.” Rodriguez is a player not about to go on cruise control.

A-Rod fits well into the strategy employed by new manger Joe Girardi, who’s bringing a stronger emphasis to conditioning. Training has always been integral to Rodriguez’s success. After having one of his best years, Kernan reports that he’s working even harder in his training. It’s an inspiration, and just another reason to buy NY Yankee tickets this season.

Welcome back for another installment of Hot Tickets from Select A Ticket.

This past week our most popular events were the following:

Little Mermaid

Jersey Boys

Wicked

Bruce Springsteen

The Lion King

Again Broadway Tickets dominate the landscape with only Bruce Springsteen Tickets breaking the most popular events list for the past week!

Be sure to check back next week for more popular tickets from www.SelectATicket.com.

Neil LaBute completes his trilogy of plays about body image, following “The Shape of Things,” “Fat Pig” with the premiere of “reasons to be pretty.” The play will open at MCC Theater where LaBute is their Resident Playwright.

The play will star Piper Perabo as Carly, Alison Pill as Steph, Thomas Sadoski as Greg, and Pablo Shcreiber as Kent.

It tells the story about Greg, who makes an offhanded remark about a female coworker’s pretty face and the fact that his girlfriend lacks this desirable quality. The comment gets back to his girlfriend with disastrous results. Then Greg’s buddy Kent and his wife Carly are drawn into the story, relationships falling apart.

LaBute is well known in both the film and theater worlds, having been nominated for many critical awards, having won many.

Piper Perabo is perhaps the most well known of the cast, having starred in “Coyote Ugly,” and “The Prestige.”

Allison Pill was seen most recently in the film “Dan in Real Life” and has been in many on stage productions, most notably “The Lieutenant of Inishmore,” for which she was nominated for a Tony.

Thomas Sadoski has appeared on Broadway in “Reckless” as well as many other Off-Broadway productions.

Pablo Schreiber debuted on Broadway with “Awake and Sing!” He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in that.

Make sure to look for other Broadway tickets online.