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There's an awful quarter of a second right before a batted ball hits a pitcher in the head when everyone realizes what's about to happen and no one -- not even the pitcher himself -- can do anything about it. J.A. Happ experienced that worst-case scenario in Tuesday night's game against the Rays, when a line drive by Desmond Jennings sent him to the hospital. Happ is in stable condition, fortunately, and is likely to be discharged from the hospital Wednesday, but something like this inevitably brings the issue of pitcher safety to the forefront. Helmets or other protective gear may be a tough sell, but it could be worth it the next time a line drive hisses toward a defenseless pitcher.

• Michael Sexton: "What happened to facing the hitter when you are done with your windup? What happened to not following through off balanced? If he faces the hitter straight up and has his glove ready to defend himself, he doesn't take it to the dome. That is something we should teach our kids, not how to pitch with helmets on."
• Andy Stewart: "Why aren't pitchers required to wear protective helmets? They are in just as much danger as the batter."
• Bob Lasher: "with all the gear and new technology available, there has to be sort of head protection for a pitcher. It sure was awful to see that injury and we hope and pray he (Happ) will recover and show no long time effect."
• Matthew Culley: "Any kind of helmet or protection device should be focused on the neck. a normal helmet won't do much to protect against whiplash."
• Derek W. West: "They have been playing baseball for, what 200+ years and now all of sudden pitchers need helmets? Better late than never I guess, but if you take all the risk out it, what would differentiate going to a ballpark to say, watching grass grow? Is there a difference now? Most people now adays will say there is little difference."

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• Vote: Is Pedro Martinez even the most interesting pitcher in Wednesday's game?

At least if Pedro Martinez struggles in his initial starts with the Phillies, he's playing for a fan base famous for its patience and empathy. Yes, this should end well.

There was a time when SportsNation would have taken Martinez over just about any pitcher who ever lived. Asked to pick a starter for an all-time AL All-Star team earlier this season, voters picked Martinez of 2000 vintage ahead of the best of Roger Clemens, Lefty Grove, Jim Palmer and Johan Santana. Of course, there was also a time when a majority of people thought Tracy McGrady was a better leader than Kobe Bryant.

As Martinez makes his Phillies debut against the Cubs Wednesday night, he can't even earn enough popular support to merit his spot in the rotation. And considering SportsNation already thinks he's a borderline, at best, first-ballot Hall of Fame candidate, the next few weeks could make those memories of his best years fade away.

• Breathing room? 78 percent of voters expect Marlins to miss the playoffs.
• Does Martinez have more left than Moyer? SportsNation is split.
• A Mets fan can't wait for Martinez to make his first start. No, not because it will help the rest of the NL East catch up. SportsNation blogger tcab2880 says Martinez was a breath of fresh air during the era of performance-enhancing drugs and deserves this chance.

In a past life, Pedro Martinez was perhaps the most dominant pitcher to have ever played the game. He struck out double-digit batters on a regular basis. He made exceptional hitters look confused and silly. The numbers he put up (in the middle of the so-called "Steroid Era," no less) seem like statistical outliers when compared to his peers.

It's a little sad, then, to see a good outing by Pedro in Double-A praised as indicative that he "still has it." For sure, he may well indeed still be able to get major league batters out -- after all, Jamie Moyer is still doing it -- but there's also the danger of Pedro appearing as an old Willie Mays with the Mets, unable to run down fly balls and letting grounders skip through his legs. That being said, Pedro could be a force out of the bullpen, but it still could be a sad end to one of baseball's greatest pitching careers.

Unfortunately, SportsNation isn't confident that Pedro has anything left in the tank. We'll soon see if he'll be able to prove his doubters wrong.

• Before he signed, more than 75 percent of SportsNation thought Pedro would help.
• Most of SportsNation doesn't see Pedro Martinez as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
• Groups: Die Hard Phillies Fans | Philly Fans | Philly Phans For Life!!!

• Do the Phillies need Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee? Vote on trade rumors.

J.P. Ricciardi has another day or two to decide if he wants to keep his ace or be flush with prospects, but for its part, SportsNation isn't sure if the Jays' general manager is Austin Powers or Mike McDermott at the table (come to think of it, among Hollywood card players, John Turturro might be a better fit for the Ricciardi role).

Voters ranked Ricciardi a tepid No. 19 in their GM Power Rankings. That's not Omar Minaya territory or anything quite so disastrous, but it's way down the ladder from the affection SportsNation showed Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. at No. 6. And Amaro is very much in the high-stakes game of dealing for a stud pitcher at the deadline.

Perhaps it's a bluff designed to make Ricciardi nervous, but the Phillies seemed to have turned their attention to Indians ace Cliff Lee after finding the price for Roy Halladay prohibitive. Voters in Pennsylvania remain convinced the Phillies will land either Lee or Halladay, but the rest of the country isn't so sure a deal will get done. Not that many outside Red Sox Nation are convinced the Phillies can't win without a big addition.

Edit: We knew Amaro was a big SportsNation blog fan, but that was an impressive turnaround. We post; he reportedly trades. We feel heady with power).

• 54 percent of voters think Phillies are NL favorites with Halladay.
• 43 percent of voters think Phillies are NL favorites with Lee.
• 21 percent of voters think Phillies are NL favorites without either.
• A Phillies fan, blogger Anthony_Fani hears the talk about keeping the farm system stocked and can't help but think of names like Tyler Green, Brandon Duckworth and Adam Eaton. With a core already in place, he says it's time to stick to winning now.

• Groups: Die Hard Phillies Phans | Displaced Philly Fans | Cleveland Indians Fans