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July 12, 2007
Today on projo SoxTalk, sports editor Art Martone and sports producer Mike McDermott look back on a newsy All-Star break. Click here to listen to the audio file. The topics include David Ortiz's knee injury, and how the Red Sox can avoid a collapse like the one they suffered last year; Alex Rodriguez's contract status (the Yankees are now offering to talk during the season to prevent his opting out of his current deal); and this weekend's Blue Jays-Red Sox series at Fenway Park.
Here are some excerpts from Art's comments.
This year's team vs. last year's, and the injury problems: "Theo Epstein made a point to say last year that the injuries just kind of exacerbated teamwide problems that had been kind of hidden by the team's first half, and I don't know if he feels the same way this season. ... If this knee injury is actually going to affect Ortiz's power, I think they're going to have trouble generating runs. Youkilis -- all along they've been saying this isn't that serious; it shouldn't sideline him longer than it already has, however if we come back tonight and we see he's out of the lineup, it could very well be that they put him on the DL, backdated to whenever he last played, because they just can't afford to play this shorthanded. That said, the depth of this team is pretty good right now. .. I think that overall right now they're in a little bit better shape than they were last year to sustain this, but even so, it's not a slam dunk that they can just sail on through. They're going to have to address these problems if they become chronic."
Will A-Rod opt out? "I would be stunned if he didn't opt out ... Scott Boras sees the biggest pot of gold ever at the end of this rainbow, and he's not going to get it if he doesn't get a bidding war going. There are a lot of well-heeled teams lining up for this guy -- the Angels; the Red Sox will be in this, you know they will; the Giants. ... The criticism is all nonsense; this guy is the best player in baseball. If he came to Fenway Park -- I've been saying this forever -- he'd hit 60, 70 home runs a year for the next couple of years ... He would be an offensive force almost unlike any other at Fenway Park. The Red Sox should break the bank for this guy."
Posted by Mike McDermott 
at 11:58 AM to Martone
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lwinlc | July 12, 2007 3:05 PM link
*** | July 13, 2007 5:19 PM link
If A-Rod does indeed choose not to return to New York, I, for one, would not want to see him come to Boston. I've been a RS fan for over 60 years and have revelled in their successes and agonized over their failures. I've aways thought there was a sort of "class" about these teams - whether they be "IDIOTS" or characters. Notwithstanding his undeniable talent, A-Rod would bring more in the way of salacious headlines than integrity to Boston. I so don't think we should "break the bank" for that.