Projo Sports Blog

Here's today's transcript. Art Martone will be back tomorrow at noon for another chat. Submit questions beginning around 8 a.m. by going to projo.com/chat, choosing a display name and entering the sports chat room.

Red Sox for life: Art, I don't see any Little League All-Star game coverage. The State Tournament began yesterday and there is nothing listed as far as final scores and upcoming games and locations. I am specifically interested in RI LL Districts 2 and 4 and Massachusetts LL District 6. Thanks.

Art Martone: Hi, Sox for life. We did have some District II scores in today's paper (along with District IV); were they not the ones you're looking for?

Warren: So Pirate fans are planning a protest because of dis-satisfaction with how things are going with the club on and off the field...I think the whole league should protest....the Pirates scout and draft great and the owners hold the door open while talent after talent walks out the door....I am waiting for the day Jason Bay walks...hopefully right to Boston...:whistle::whistle::whistle:

Art Martone: I don't know if you saw the Sox Blog item today, Warren, but FSN Pittsburgh has a) ordered its announcers not to mention the protest, b) ordered its cameras now to show it, and c) deleted any mention of it on its Web site bulletin board.

wolf: I was a season ticket holder back in the day with the Bruins...but then again bench clearing brawls were applauded then...I think they have taken alot of excitement from the game with the new rules every year. Why not bring back fighting in the game and drop the thrid man rule? Maybe there would be more fan interest. Look at the UFC..It seems like fans love the violence of the game and now the NHL is more like the old European Hockey. OOOPs tto late thanks Art, Mike always fun! PS did you ready 38 pitches today? I think Schill is losing it. Catch you later.

Art Martone: Hi, Wolf. We talked a little yesterday about the difference in hockey of the past and hockey today, and my thinking is that it's not so much the fighting as it is the game is choppier and less fluid than it used to be because today's players are so much bigger, stronger and faster.

Warren: Hi Art...The Bruins yesterday canned Assistant GM Jeff Gorton and long time scout Daniel Dore....any thoughts on why ?

Art Martone: None. *Something's* going on up there -- you wait 2 1/2 months after the season ends to clean house, and then you don't do everything at once? -- and we'll see who, if anyone, can get to the bottom of it.

Pam: Pirate fans won't stand for being silenced. I find it kind of ironic that they're giving out Bob Walk Bobbleheads the same day a walkout is planned by fans!

Art Martone: It worked, Warren. You finally smoked her out!

Warren: Hi Pam ;);)

SoxFanatic456: How serious is Joel Piniero's ankle injury?

Art Martone: He seemed to be healing, or at least healing enough that he could pitch yesterday, and there were no thoughts that he'd be sidelined for any appreciable length of time. We'll know more tomorrow, obviously, but I don't think they'd have let him pitch if they felt there was any real danger of further injury.

Warren: Art...I think Wolf is heading in the right direction...we need bigger rinks and more hard nosed hockey and less policing of the fisticuffs...Bring Back the Big Bad Bruins...that's what we want ! Anyone in Boston listening ?

Art Martone: Can Terry O'Reilly and Don Cherry be far behind?

Warren: Art...where is Bud the dud Selig during all this stuff going on in Pittsburgh...Oh I know...looking to play MLB exhibition games on Mars and Pluto !:-(

Art Martone: Don't press your luck, Warren. She already answered you once.

Pam: Hi Warren -- I think Jason Bay will stay in the 'Burgh, by the way. My nephew the Pirates fanatic backs me up on that one.

Art Martone: You guys don't even need me!

wolf: It's hard to get too excited about the basketball draft tonight because the Celtics need so much, but who do you think they will pick, and do you see them involved in a trade?

Art Martone: The latest word -- we were talking about this a half-hour ago -- is that they won't trade the pick, at least not before the draft. If I had to make a guess, I'd say they'll take Yi Jianlian. But it's just a guess.

Warren: Art.... say in about 6 weeks...A Tall strapping Texan appears in the sox owners box...grabs a microphone and says...they came and got me outta New York....any chance this storybook ending happens ?

Art Martone: A *horror* storybook, I'd say! The answer to that is no, no, a thousand times no.

SoxFanatic456: What is the latest on the Celtics #5 pick, are they headed towards the Chinese guy, whose name escapes me?

Art Martone: I snuck in the answer just when you posted the question, Fanatic! (See two questions above.) I think they are, though I certainly could be wrong.

Warren: Art...A 3 game sweep in Seattle...can we get back to Fenway any sooner ?

Art Martone: Is tomorrow soon enough?

Warren: Art...Shea Hillenbrand has been designated for assignment by the Angels...how long before Shea appears in Steinbrenner's box and announces to the crowd that the yanks came and got him outta California ? :whistle:

Art Martone: Of all the dramatic things I've ever seen . . . !

wolf: Hi Art, What to do about Julio Lugo? Why does it seem that the Red Sox cannot fill the position at shortstop? How feasible is it for the Sox to unload Lugo and go after , say Tejada if he is healthy? I really think Franconia has his shortcomings as manager at times when he sticks too long with a player, I mean it has been half a season and all Lugo shows us is his base stealing skills, less than adequate in the field and at the plate has been sad. Do you see any solution here?

Art Martone: Don't blame Francona, Wolf; the organization gave the guy a four-year, $36 million contract and they have a *lot* invested in him. They really need Lugo to succeed, and Francona would be under a lot of heat from his bosses if he didn't do everything in his power to get him untracked. That said, I think we'll see more and more of Cora in the days ahead as they attempt to untangle Lugo from this mess that he's in. But I can't see them going out and trying to get another shortstop; they can't afford to pay someone $36 million not to play shortstop for them (and no one's going to take him off their hands, at least not at this price, at this time).

SoxFanatic456: This isn't a New England Sports questions, its actually more of a opinion questions, but do you see any knocking off my team the San Antonio Spurs, or can you see them repeating?

Art Martone: I can absolutely see them repeating. I wouldn't call it a slam dunk that they will -- and by that I mean their talent level isn't so far above everyone else's that they enter a season as the clear favorite -- but they're the best *team* (in the actual sense of the word) and probably the best organization in the NBA. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they won again.

Warren: the pitching match-ups look like they favor us against Texas this weekend...which is just what we need.....

Art Martone: If I went into any series with the Rangers where the pitching matchups *didn't* favor my team, I'd be a little concerned.

warren: Art...if in .another month the yanks are playing sub .500 ball....do you see the yanks moving or possibly releasing Clemens....

Art Martone: Clemens? Who is this Clemens of which you speak?

Warren: Art...is it true that the yanks got a rebate coupon to fill out when they signed Clemens ? ;)

Art Martone: Ibid.

wolf: Another Red Sox question Art....Given Schillings status, which is an unknown, Wakefield's inconsistency, and Tavares being hot and cold, do the Red Sox wait for Lester and stick with Gabbard this season of do they go after a starting pitcher during All Star break, and any thoughts as to who they may have in mind?

Art Martone: I think their pursuit of a starter will depend more on circumstance than need; for instance, if they find that a starter -- like Mark Buerhle -- is available at a reasonable price, they'll make their pitch. But unless Schilling is hurt worse than feared, or they determine that Lester won't contribute anything, I don't know that starting pitching is a top trade priority,

dste28: Art, do you see Brandon Moss or David Murphy having any kind of significant trade value, or is Ellsbury the only Pawtucket outfielder that could get a decent return?

Art Martone: Hi, dste28. There was interest in both of them last offseason -- Murphy almost went to the Marlins, according to whispers I heard -- but I know what you mean about "significant" value. I don't believe either of them alone could fetch back anything more than a complimentary piece to the 2007 Sox. Moss' name, of course, surfaced in the Buehrle rumors, but from the Boston side; at the Chicago end, all speculation centered on Ellsbury. But you never know what "significant" could end up being. In 2004, the Red Sox had Henri Stanley at Pawtucket and they traded him for Dave Roberts. Who was more significant to the 2004 championship?

Warren: Lugo...we really have no choice but to keep playing him and hope he turns things around...Cora is certainly not the answer on a everyday basis.

Art Martone: You're right, Warren, Cora is *not* the answer on an everyday basis. But, as I said earlier, Lugo is so lost right now that using Cora for a few days while he tries to pick up the pieces might not be a bad idea.

SoxFanatic456: I read yesterday that if Jared Dudley from BC is still available when it comes time for the Spurs to pick at #28, they will take him because they love Dudley and Dudley ultimatly wants to be a Spur. Do you think that is a good fit?

Art Martone: I think it is. I think someone like Dudley is a perfect piece for an established team like the Spurs, where they can use him in a way that maximizes his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses.

Warren: Art...I am curious...is there really ever a off day for a guy like Sean McAdam...doesn't he constantly need to be checking his sources and such to see what's going on with the sox ?

Art Martone: Whenever possible, we try to give the beat writers time off for that very reason: This can easily be a 24/7/365 job if you let it. What we try to do is make sure our guys get time off but never spend *too* much time away from the team.

Warren: Art....any new news with how things are going at the Dunk ?

Art Martone: As I look out my window, it's a mess . . . so that means there's progress. There were a couple of stories this week in the Business section; check them out at projo.com/business

Warren: Art....assuming that David Ortiz continues to put up the same numbers year after year till he retires....does he have a shot at the Hall of Fame ?

Art Martone: He'd have to keep up his present levels of production for a long time, but if he does, yeah, I'd say he has a shot. It's more likely that he *won't* maintain these levels, but he could.

Warren: Art...are the sox adamant about not trading prospects this year ?

Art Martone: Not unless they can bring back exactly what they're looking for, someone they're certain will improve the team dramatically.

dste28: Art, how are the prospects for the URI Men's basketball team looking? Any chance of them making waves in the A-10 this year?

Art Martone: I think they'll do well next year, and by that I mean I can see them finishing in the upper half of the A-10. Certainly the success they had last year, in which they got all the way to the conference championship, will do nothing but help them, especially since they were so young last year and so little was expected of them.

Warren: Maybe we should send Pam to Pittsburgh to cover the Pirate fan rebellion ? ;)

Art Martone: You're playing a little fast and loose with my budget, there, Warren.

Warren: Art....I know this is a tough question....but on paper anyway....is this sox team presently constructed to go all the way...or just make the playoffs and likely exit ?

Art Martone: If Schilling is healthy and pitching like Schilling, then the Sox have a chance to go deep into the postseason simply because of their pitching. (Three top starters, two very dependable relievers.) The question, to me, is their ability to generate offense *against* quality pitching, which I think is more likely to hamper them in the postseason.

Warren: Art....don't ya just hate off days when we lose the night before...and since we have dropped 3 straight I wanna play and beat Texas NOW !:)

Art Martone: You'll just have to wait, my friend.

Warren: Art...I've been reading where the City of Hartford is trying to get a NHL team back....any chance this will ever happen ?

Art Martone: No, but I'd love to see it.

Warren: Art...I am curious...is it frowned upon for sports writers to develop friendships with the players they cover ?

Art Martone: It doesn't happen as much anymore because of the economic disparity between the players and the people who cover them; back in the day when they both made basically the same amount of money, they were more like equals. But, yes, journalists are supposed to keep their emotional distance from their subjects, positively and negatively.

Warren: Art...considering all the additional things the Patriots are planning for the area around Gillette....are the founding fathers of Foxboro going to do anything about the route 1 traffic....it's reminds me of the nightmare on the Jersey Turnpike near Giants Stadium ?

Art Martone: Funny you should mention that, Warren, because I just drove by there the other day and the place is a mess: Construction all over the place, lane restrictions because of road work, etc. All I could think was, if they had a game tomorrow -- I mean a Patriots game, something that would attract 60,000 to the area -- it would be the Mother of All Traffic Jams. Now, they *don't* have a game tomorrow, and I'm sure much of this work will be finished (or scaled back) before the first home exhibition game on Aug. 17. But I, too, am curious to see how this will play out.

Warren: so I guess you and Clemens will not be going out for beers anytime soon ? ;):whistle:

Art Martone: I wish I knew who you were talking about . . .

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