Warren: Art...was I dreaming...Last night on New England Sports tonight I could have sworn that Tom Curran alluded to Schilling turning down this past spring a 17 million dollar contract ...what was he talking about ?

Art Martone: My friend Tom Curran would never say that,Warren!

Warren: Art...Charlie Jacobs said yesterday with regard to the Bruins...." We need to be grittier".....WE DUH ! has this man been watching any bruins games for the last decade...we have morphed into ballerina wimps ...What's his next observation that JLO is a woman ? :-o

Art Martone: I think he meant *mentally* tougher, not necessarily physically tougher.

Warren: Hi Art...seems like maybe the Bruins have pulled back on naming Julien coach...is it possible his name was sent out as a trial baloon to see fan reaction ?

Art Martone: I don't know that they've pulled back, necessarily. It's a big step, and they're probably still talking.

Warren: Hi Art...have you ever heard the german word...Schadenfreude ? Seems like there is lots of it in yankee land with the news that Schilling is hurting... I guess the yankee fans really are part of the evil empire ?

Art Martone: And this surprises you . . . how?

Warren: Art....everyone talks about Coco being a disappointment in the same breath as Lugo...I think they might be wrong...Coco when not hitting can at least wow us in the outfield....LUGO...not likely to wow us at Short...

Art Martone: Good point, Warren. I'm not as down on Lugo defensively as many, but Crisp . . . he's taken his defensive game to a whole other level. Last night's spectacular catch was about the sixth one like that he's made this year, and Bill James pointed out a couple of weeks ago that all the defensive metrics are showing what a superlative year he's having with the glove (and how much better it is than last year). If Crisp can hit even a little -- and it looks like he may be starting to -- he'll still have value to the Red Sox.

Warren: Art....are we likely to see Lester and Bucholtz make a start for Boston before the redsox determine whether they need to trade for pitching ?

Art Martone: Lester, probably. Buchholz, probably not. There's no indication they plan to jump him two levels this year. He may soon find himself at Pawtucket, but -- barring catastrophe at the major-league level (and even *that* might not do it) -- there's no indication he'll make it to Boston this year.

warren: Art...when talking about sox minor league prospects why the lack of chatter about Pauley ? I liked what I saw in the kid.

Art Martone: Scouts say he projects out as a back-of-the-rotation starter, at best.

SoxFanatic456: Art, is there any possiblity in the world that the Sox could call up Charlie Zink? From what I've heard and seen Zink has a great knuckleball and a 90 mph fastball that he throws from the same delivery?

Art Martone: If there is, Fanatic, I haven't heard it. I thought they would be more likely to bring up Davern Hansack or Kason Gabbard for a short-term start, which is what I would imagine they'd be doing with Charlie Zink. I've always liked Zink, too, and wonder why he hasn't progressed through the system a little faster.

SoxFanatic456: Is there any possibility of Pauley getting starts if Schilling hits the DL?

Art Martone: Forgot to mention Pauley in my last answer, Fanatic. He also may get a call if Schilling goes on the DL, though, as I said earlier, scouts consistently say he'll probably top out as a No. 4 or 5 starter.

warren: Art...Pedroria for rookie of the year ?

Art Martone: It's very possible, Warren. He's playing very well.

warren: Art....wouldn't ya like to be in Jorge Posada contract seat right now...does he have the yanks over a barrell or what ?

Art Martone: The Yankees almost always keep their free agents, so even though Posada was talking bravely a week or so ago -- how he wouldn't be giving out any hometown discounts, or something like that -- I'd be stunned if he wasn't a Yankee next year.

SoxFanatic456: Art, how long do you think Mike Timlin is going to last?

Art Martone: At the rate things are going, not much longer. He really looks like the tank is empty. I know Francona likes him and he's been a good soldier and all, and I also think they'll give him a much longer leash than they'd give, say, Manny Delcarmen. But at some point he's going to have to start getting crucial outs.

warren: Art...pretty amazing how sox fans have turned Turner Field into Fenway Park South.

Art Martone: Isn't it? And I know the people in Atlanta are disconcerted by it, off what I've been reading in the papers. But the Sox have a huge fan base and I honestly believe the high prices at Fenway prompt some people to look at road games as a chance for a double vacation: Visit another part of the country *and* see the Red Sox.

warren: Art....here's a pleasant thought...the rockies win the next two nights while we win tonight...by Friday New York will be so nice to be in ;)

Art Martone: There's a guy who works here, a Red Sox fan, who's been saying to me, ''Should I be worried yet?'' Tuesday, he said, ''I'm officially panicking.'' And I told him that he was sucking every ounce of joy out of the season, that if all he was going to do is worry that they were going to blow a big lead, then he's going to spend the entire year -- a year in which they have the biggest lead of any team in baseball, and have had it for more than a month now -- worrying instead of enjoying. And I'm telling you the same thing, Warren! You can't rejoice in every victory and despair in every defeat, because you'll be putting yourself on a roller coaster that will eventually just wear you out; when the end arrives, even if they win, you'll be too emotionally drained to have reveled in any of it. Victory will bring relief, not happiness. So stop doing this! Stop hanging on every Red Sox and Yankee game, getting euphoric if Boston wins and New York loses, uncomfortable if they both win or both lose (because they didn't pick up any ground on the Yanks), and despondent if Boston loses and New York wins. You can't live like this! When the Yankee fans start their moronic chatter, just chant "2004" in their faces they same way they used to chant "1918" in yours. They have no answer for that, so eventually they'll have to shut up. And you can back to, as the Mets used to say, baseball like it oughta be.

SoxFanatic456: Art, do you think the Red Sox could possibly make a deal at the deadline or sooner for another reliable arm in the bullpen? Especially since Timlin is going, Donnelly is on the DL, and Piniero has been shaky at times? How likely is it that Wily Mo Pena will be traded for more pitching?

Art Martone: There's nothing imminent that we know of, Fanatic, but we do know the bullpen is one area that they'll be looking to upgrade at the deadline (especially if Timlin continues to struggle). Pena could be a good trade chip for a relief arm, especially from an also-ran team that can afford to give him the 500 at-bats he needs to develop without worrying about the 180-200 strikeouts that will probably come with them.

mark: Whenever the Sox play Toronto you can count on the guys in the Boston media to churn out complimentary pieces about Worcester's J.P. Ricciardi. His team stinks again this year. My question is, how does this guy hold onto his job?

Art Martone: Not a J.P. fan, Mark?

Art Martone: Seriously, though, I think the Blue Jays' rash of injuries have insultated him from any danger this year.

warren: Art....I like the idea of a double vacation...I have to talk to my wife about this ...

Art Martone: Pick a good spot, Warren. You know, Los Angeles or Tampa rather than Cleveland or Detroit.

mike: By the way, you're about to miss the best trip right now: San Diego and Seattle.