Mardo Resurfaces at Houghs Neck's 3rd of July Festival

John "Mardo" Martin who retired from the Hammers at the end of the '07 regular season and has not been seen since, recently resurfaced at the McInnis Carpentry Compound on Manet Ave. during 3rd of July festivities.

He hasn't made a public appearance at a softball field in 11 months, has declined interview requests and passed on annual invitations to visit his former team, the McInnis Carpentry Hammers.

"The perception of Mardo is so completely different than the reality," says Mike Shaw, a friend of Martin who often sees and talks to him. "People think he's out of the game, but they have no idea just how much he's still in the game."

Although Martin declined to comment for this story, friends, colleagues and those in the game say he is slowly returning to softball. They point to the secret hitting lessons he gives to a small group of Neck leaguers and patrons of Cronin's Bar & Grille, and the time in November he nearly became the hitting coach of Yesterdays.

"He would be a tremendous hitting coach," Yesterday's general manager Mike Aupperlee says. "Really, he'd be great at just about anything he wanted to do in softball. He has so much passion for the game, and so much to offer."