" The Post is in Pedro Martinez's head.

On the eve of his Game 2 World Series start against the Yankees, Martinez complained about a Post headline from 2004 that still weighs on the Phillies pitcher's mind.

The headline read "The Man N.Y. Loves to Hate," and apparently poor, little Pedro's feelings were hurt.

"I remember quotes in the paper, 'Here comes the man that New York loves to hate,' " Martinez said before the Yankees' 6-1 loss to the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series last night at the Stadium. "Man? None of you have probably ever eaten steak with me or rice and beans with me to understand what the man is about. You might say the player, the competitor, but the man? You guys have abused my name. You guys have said so many things, have written so many things."

During a wide-ranging press conference yesterday, Martinez blamed the media for his contentious relationship with Yankees fans. That hatred (sorry, Pedro) will be on display tonight when a sellout crowd serenades him with boos as he takes the mound for Philadelphia.

"The way people perceive me in New York, I don't know if they got to know me a little bit better after I got to the Mets," Martinez said. "It's totally different than the way I am. I just compete. And yes, I will do whatever it takes to beat you. But I'm a human being after I take my clothes off. A lot of people can witness that any time, anywhere, any moment."

Martinez traced the root of the perception problem back to the 2003 ALCS incident where he threw Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground at Fenway Park. "