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July 6, 2007

Projo Sports Chat transcript

Here's the transcript from today's sports chat. Join us Monday at noon for another chat at Art Martone. You can submit your questions beginning around 8 in the morning: Go to projo.com/chat, choose a display name and enter the sports chat room.

Art Martone: Hi, folks. I'm here and ready to go.

Warren: Art....I am curious...when projo reporters travel with the team from city to city....who makes up the travel, lodging and transit arrangements for the reporters ? And how far in advance is this done ?

Art Martone: It's done by an in-house travel department. We try to make the arrangements as far in advance as we can.

Warren: Art...the impression I get is that the present day Red Sox management is the most cerebral of all sox management....is this just a image I get or do these guys really give lots of thought to things that prior sox management didn't ?

Art Martone: Absolutely. These guys think of things that *many people* don't think of.

Warren: Art...because of the big bucks involved all around is there more pressure for clubs today to play through lousy weatther that years ago would have been rained out ?

Art Martone: I think so, especially for the Red Sox. They sell out every game so the only way they can reschedule rainouts are on off-days or as part of separate-admission doubleheaders, which need player (i.e., union) approval. For another, there's no longer any economic incentive to play doubleheaders, the way there was 30 or 40 (or more) years ago; on the contrary, losing a single gate can mean losing a lot of money.

Warren: has all the renovations the sox have made to fenway in the last year affected the wind currects in the park ? Might this be one of the factors in a drop in Homeruns by Manny and Oritz...

Art Martone: No, most of the renovations have happened below the roof lines, which last were changed in 1989/

Warren: Art...short of a economic recession ( God Forbid) and or a few seasons out of the money...are the sox impervious to a dip in attendance ?

Art Martone: Oh, no. A few bad years and you'll see attendance drop off. Look at the attendance figures over the years. It never fails.

Warren: Art....was there a sense of relief that the sox offense really busted through last night ?

Art Martone: Would have been more of a relief if it had come against someone better than Tampa Bay.

Warren: Art...I keep thinking about How people say Gretzky was the greatest and Gretzky did this and that....For my money Orr was the greatest and he did most of it on one leg....Has anyone ever asked Orr what he felt he might have been able to do had modern medicine had the athroscopy procedure in Orr's days instead of the old massively invasive technique ? The doctors with each operation actually sped up the clock on his knees disintergrating.

Art Martone: I heard a story once about a fan approaching Gretzky and telling him, "I think you're the second-greatest player of all time," to which Gretzky replied, "So you're from Boston, I see." As great as Orr was, most objective observers -- who don't live in Boston -- think Gretzky was the best ever. I know Orr has talked about the timing of his career, that if he'd been born just 10 years later things might have been different with his knees.

Warren: Art....I was reading the other day about Larry Doby and discovered that one of the players when he broke in the was pretty nice to him was Ted Williams and ironically Joe DiMaggio was the opposite...rather interesting considering the image painted of both men...

Art Martone: I've heard the same stories. It *is* interesting. Williams also made a point to play catch with Pumpsie Green when Green broke the color barrier with the Red Sox, a very public symbol of acceptance. It was hard for other players to freeze Green out if Williams embraced him, and I'm sure Ted knew that.

Warren: Art...Sean McAdam raises the subject today in projo about a contract for Lowell...I know the sox don't give long term deals to players as they get up there in age...but taking a look around at what is available...assuming the sox don't go after A-Rod...what combo is better out there than Lowell at third and Youk at first ? I don't see the sox signing or trading for a replacement for Lowell that will be better unless they want to weaken themselves elsewhere...I think Sean's mention of maybe a two year deal might be the way to go..I know in the past what you've said...but are you starting to re-think your opinion on this ?

Art Martone: No, not really. I just continue to think that we're seeing the best of Mike Lowell right now, and that signing him to a two-year deal would be signing yourself up for two years of declining production at a position where you need offense. The Red Sox didn't re-sign 30-somethings like Kevin Millar and Bill Mueller for a reason, and today we can see the wisdom of those decisions. I hope they continue to be as wise regarding Lowell . . . even though I think he's a gentleman, a consummate professional, and I like having him on the team.

Warren: Art...based on the way some yankee fans are talking about coming back and winnning it all...I think we should also not overlook Tampa....they are only 20 out ? besides they are playing the choke artist sox as yankee fans would say... a ton of games still ...Tampa by whipping us as evidenced last night can easily get back into this thing.

Art Martone: I think it's *one* Yankee fan -- someone we all know (www.yankeetradition.com) -- talking that way. For most of them, the 1978 dreams are in hibernation.

Warren: Art...can you ever recall in sox history a player more than David Ortiz who is expected everytime up to belt one out

Art Martone: Carl Yastrzemski in late 1967. Other than that, no.

Warren: considering the hordes of media following every step the sox make...is it more and more difficult to get that exclusive " news breaking" story ?

Art Martone: Very difficult, although we did have two this morning: That the Sox would bring up Jeff Bailey from Pawtucket, and that Clay Buchholz is going from Portland to the PawSox very soon.

Warren: Does MLB do anything in the way of policing to make sure that home teams have not created any spy cameras to steal signs ,etc from the visting teams ?

Art Martone: I'm sure they do, and I'm sure the umpires are somehow involved, but I can't say for sure what, exactly, it is.

Warren: Art....big test this weekend vs the tigers....while it's not critical ,don't ya think it's important that we at minimum win the series and go off to the break on a high note ?

Art Martone: I don't think it's all that important, not with the lead they have. It is a test and it would be nice to win and *is* interesting, but critical? No. And I can't imagine it would have any carryover, positively or negatively, not with three day soff.

Warren: Art...exactly what is " Patriots Place" going to consist of ?

Art Martone: It's going to a shopping/business development area that will include the new Patriots Hall of Fame. It'll make the stadium area a destination spot in ways that it can't be as just a stadium, and the Patriots are probably ahead of their time in thinking of it.

Warren: Art...I read in the paper where the Bruins are about to open a developmental camp .....is this a new trend or am I missing something ?

Art Martone: Our hockey expert, Mark Divver, says other teams have had these for years, but this is a first for the Bruins.

Warren: Will Projo be covering the bruins developmental camp ?

Art Martone: No, next week is a busy vacation week and we won't be staffing.

Art Martone: One other note: Mark says college players can attend the developmental camp on their own dime, and then return to school in the fall.

warren: so when do the sox and bruins have their own version of Patriots place...

Art Martone: I don't see how they can, considering where their venues are located and the fact they don't own the land surrounding them.

warren: do you plan on watching the ESPN series...the Bronx is burning...I think it might be amusing and worth watching....

Art Martone: I don't plan on watching it, but you never know what'll catch your eye as you're flipping from channel to channel. As I think I might have said before, this topic would probably have zero interest to non-Yankee fans -- even to someone like me, whose team was battling the '77 Yanks for the division title -- so it'll be interesting to see how ESPN makes it appealing to a broad audience.

warren: I know adverstising revenue is important but I think it would be kinda fun if NESN broadcast for the folks at home ,when they play Sweet Caroline at the ball park so the fans at home can enjoy the fenway experience too !

Art Martone: Maybe tape it and play it back. Can't lose that ad revenue!

warren: Art....do you think that considering how things have played out so far , Schilling is going to have to lower his asking price if he wants to pitch in Boston next year ?

Art Martone: With Schilling's physical condition in question, he's not a position to demand much of anything right now. He's going to have to a) come back, b) come back healthy and c) come back effectively. If he doesn't, no one's paying him $14 million next year, not for a 41-year-old question mark. It's not to say he won't -- we've all learned by now not to bet against Curt Schilling -- but just to say he has to.

warren: it's always about money isn't it...isn't anything done purely for the fans anymore and money is secondary ?

Art Martone: They don't call it "professional" sports for nothing, my friend.

warren: Only in New York....I read where a company in Brooklyn has come up with a t-shirt that replies to Mrs.A-Rod's t shirt of the other day...it says..( I will be discreet) NO blankety blank you A-Rod...only in New York...only in New York.

Art Martone: Or maybe in Boston next year, if the Red Sox sign him . . .

warren: Art...this is lunch hour...now I need some tums

Art Martone: A-Rod hitting 65 home runs at Fenway next year will settle your stomach.

Posted by Mike McDermott at 1:15 PM | Permalink

July 6, 2007

Projo Sports Chat transcript

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