Spoke to Lobel tonight and he wanted to lock in the chat date. So it's going to be Tuesday night, 8:30pm. Hopefully that will work for everyone.

We will start posting questions submitted at around 8:30 PM

We will try to get to as many as possible.

Hello, ready to go.

Hi Bob and thanks for taking the time to do this

first question

ComandoEep

The Internet and Player/Fan Interaction, Dec 9 2003, 08:10 PM



I'm sure you have heard of Schilling's spur-of-the-moment chats on the Sons of Sam Horn message boards the night before his extention and subsequent trade were completed.

Do you think this publicity is going to lead to more players using the internet to directly communicate with fans, and if so, do you see it as a major threat to media (specifically newspapers)? With the development and now widespread use of the net, it seems that a newspaper has only old news to offer to those who browse daily. And now, eliminating the middle man (the media) in the bridge between players and fans is further weakening their purpose. Thank you for your response!

I dont think this will be a general revolution against mainstream media. Those players who have a fondness for internet communication will do it, andwill still be in the minority, and those players that dont, wont. Dont misunderstand me, they'll be in the minority because this takes some thinking and communication skills, not because its not awonderful way to communicate with the fanbase like Schilling did. The stuff Schilling did was great, too bad he was betrayed. Mainstream media is going to have a tougher time adapting to the internet than net users are gonna have shutting off mainstream media. They're going to have to co=exist. Like televisikon and newspapers 10 yrs ago, they were at odds, they competed, and then they realized they were better off together.

TheSandlot

Tellum/Sox Ownership question, Dec 9 2003, 08:27 PM


Mr Lobel,

Now that there is a cat fight between Tellum and Sox ownership, how do you perceive this will play out and what might the ramifications be if the A-Rod/Manny trade does not happen?

TheSandlot

Hello and thanks for chatting with us! I have a question for you. Do you think there is ANY chance whatsoever of A-Rod and Nomar existing together on the Red Sox team? i.e. Nomar or A-Rod playing 2nd or 3rd? Or will the payroll and egos make that impossible?

WHile were waiting for the next question, here's the latest today... Dan Roche was in the Dominican today, I just talked to him on the phone, John Henry reiterated that Nomar and Arn Tellem said was disingenuous at best. The Red Sox were not happy about the Nomar call and their so called position. They have made big time good faith offers to Nomar and have seen no willingness on Nomar's part to even suggest that he might be staying and they decided a long time ago, that if they couldn't get this guy signed by Dec. they were going to move him, and not get nothing. Despite the fact that he bought a house here. A lot of private discussions going on here and the public whining is nothing more than an exit strategy and a negotiation strategy, in my opinon. It has nothing to do with hurt feelings, give me a break.

John Henry told Dan Roche that he had dinner with ARod and his wife down in Florida. They talked about the Manny trade, but they did not talk about a contract. I think that we're all well aware that removing Manny from the local scene is a high priority for the Olde Towne team. While his mother might faint at the prospect, her son is driving this train. It just so happens that it coincides with Nomar becomming a free agent after next year and the RS perception, no matter what he says about his new house and his foundation and how much he's sacrificed on andoff the field, worn the uniform with pride... they obviously feel he would take too much money to resign.

From fenway941827

Hi Bob and Happy Holidays

Clark Booth once desribed the John Harrington led Red Sox as harder to get answers from than the Vatican. How much better is new ownership for you to deal with?

also

I have read that WBZ-TV considers the viewer they want to reach is a soccer mom called Abby. Now I read that John Henning doesn't relate to "Abby" and his airtime has been cutback. Henning knows more about the State House than anybody in town. Doesn't Institutional Memory count anymore?

Agents do what they have to do. They say what they have to say in public. Never believe anything that an agent says in public. And certainly during contract negotiations, never believe anything a player says in public. Who in their right mind would say 'I don't want to play here anymore" and when the situation was brought throughout the season that Nomar didn't want to play here, why didn't he address it then.

What's plan B-Rod? That's why this deal's going to happen.

It might become the biggest deal in the history of major league baseball. And the RS are familiar with big deals. Remember the TedWilliams JoeDiMaggio deal that Mr. Yawkey killed at the last minute. There's another deal that Lou Gorman is writing about in his book, it was a 10 player deal wiht Houston that woudl have sent Roger Clemens to Houston, even Clemens doesn't know about this to this day.. and I doubt that he's online to read about it, but the Houston killed it at the last minute b/c there was a player he didn't want to give up. You'll have to read gorman's book if it ever comes out. Of course there was Rudy-Fingers. This is the biggest of the big.

from BleacherFan

Relief pitching pickup..., Dec 9 2003, 08:50 PM


Hello,

With quality free agent relivers dropping like flies lately , who do you see the Sox going after for the Pen? It seems with every passing day, that Foulke is inching his way back to the Bay area.

Clark was right, with one exception. the reason he couldn't get answers was because they didn't have any.

Pick your poison, Vatican, Kremlin, compared to this ownership, it was like a mom and pop store in the middle ages.

On John Henning question, I gotta leave station politics out of this, but Henning's not guilty and neither is the station.

Hello Mr Lobel,
I have recently heard a rumor that NESN was going to be revamping their programming...would you happen to have any idea what things they are planning on doing with the station? In my opinion, there are so many great things that could reasonably be done with that station, but have not yet been addressed.

Thank,
Much Appreciated!

I hope you're wrong, but sometimes no news is bad news. I just remember what Theo said, his biggest mistake last year was not coming into the season with an established closure. Theo is a Capricorn, and they don't make the same mistakes twice... except when it comes to marriage...

soxfaninyankeeland

Best/Worst Athlete towards media, Dec 9 2003, 08:32 PM




Mr. Lobel:

Thanks for taking the time to come here. During your time here, who were the best and worst local athletes in terms of being accessible and friendly to th media?

Hello and thanks for chatting with us! I have a question for you. Do you think there is ANY chance whatsoever of A-Rod and Nomar existing together on the Red Sox team? i.e. Nomar or A-Rod playing 2nd or 3rd? Or will the payroll and egos make that impossible?

getting the kinks out people sorry if it is a little jumpy

From mascho

Dear Bob:

Thanks again for taking the time to meet with us. A quick question: Should I start pricing flights to Houston for late January? Or more specifically, do you believe this Patriots team will get back to the Super Bowl this season?

Well I think, it's funny, after they leave the clubhouse they become regular people. It's happened time and time again. Maybe Nomar, maybe Manny, maybe Pedro will all become regular people, but right now, as long as they live in that insulated world, they have really no basis in reality and the interesting thing is they have no concept of who we are, and we have no concept of what it's like to be them. But I do know this, to be true, I would prefer to be one of them than one of us.

Rice was really tough, but now he's a delight. Dwight Evans was tough. And I've told him that. We talked about the relationships and now we're good friends. It's always about crossing lines in the sand, and turf, and power. Their first choice is to go on ESPN.

This is from me

Game 6 of 1986 you were outside the clubhouse door at Shea Stadium and said on the air "I don't want to go in there."

How do you compare that moment to what happened 2 months ago at Yankee Stadium?

You gotta have every reason to believe they will. But in the playoffs, it's one and out, and you gotta have luck. Not a whole lot, but just your share. One official's call, one dropped ball. So many little things can derail teams that deserve to go. This team certainly deserves to go. And I think they will. Totally different than two years ago when everything was a surprise. Now you have that dangerous thing called expectations, and that's always dangerous.

Mr. Lobel,

What are you thoughts on the Sox if the A-Rod deal does, in fact, fall apart? What will be the effect of having not one disgruntled star (Manny), but two (Nomar)? Do you think a Nomar deal goes down anyway?

from kgunder
Sports Personality Status
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Mr. Lobel,

I sometimes think that many sports reporters seek and/or are encouraged to achieve "sports personality status." It would seem that that ambition could at times cloud and/or influence a certain way of reporting or writing a column that might not be best aimed at arriving at some sort of truth. How do sports reporters balance the desire to get the story right with the desire and pressure to take in some of the spotlight?

As a follow-up, do you think there is an audience for reporters that are talented and interesting to read, but who really make an effort to have a sophistocated, balanced and reasoned approach, and who aren't concerned with the limelight or with sensationalistic writing/reporting aimed solely at the lowest common denominator in order to sell the most papers?

Thanks,

Kurt

Bob,

What is the most underrated moment in Boston sports history in your opinion?

If Arod ends up here,why wouldn"t the redsox say the two of them could co exsist on the same team to try and get more value for nomar in trade!

What happened 2 months ago at Yankee Stadium was much worse in my mind. That was about negligence and how they defensed the Yankees. They didn't play their double defense which would have permitted Trot Nixon to catch Jeter's ball. If any of us, no matter what our track record was in our jobs, if we were the most outstanding employee for 10 years, and we had one decision of negligence such as the one or two or three that took place in that situation, we would have been fired on the spot. John Henry wanted to fire him right after the game, Lucchino talked him out of it, PR disaster right? Plus in '86 they had another game to play and that makes all the difference in the world, and they were ahead in it. Plus it was the Mets and not the Yankees. Plus the Red Sox had the Yankees beaten and they knew it two months ago. All you have to do is watch the Yankees celebration to know that they dodged a major bullett. Can we not talk about this anymore?

fitch17

question, Dec 9 2003, 08:55 PM



I consider you the best sportscaster in the history of Boston and I am sure that will be the case 50 years from now.

With the ARod deal looking like it is going to happen, Schilling already here, an outstanding young GM, and an ownership group that wants to win at (almost) all costs..... Do you remember being this optimistic heading into a season?

Is this the year?

Dear Mr. Lobel,

Is there any situation where you could see, if Nomar was willing to do it, Theo agreeing to keep Nomar on board for one season before walking at another position? Perhaps center field if they could move Damon's contract? If not, just put those rumors to rest for us.

Thanks,
Mike

Look everybody's gotta pursue their own style and their own conscious and they have to live with the results. You can't fake it day in day out, week in week out, year in year out. You can't fake who you are on a consistent basis. It's the same thing on television. Totally different mediums that require much different skill sets but television is certainly less brain surgery than writing a column 3-4 times a week. That to me would be very tough.

The answer to room for a good writer depends on the paper you're writing for. Major market papers are looking for a much more personality crossover because of the way the two mediums have begun to compliment each other. I say if it's advice you're looking for, and I don't know that that's true, find a small market passionate sports town and let your career go where it takes you.

thesandlot

Re: Post Questions for Bob here
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Mr Lobel,
Now that the Schilling trade is done, do you feel this is enough to overtake the MFY's?

I'm too embarrassed about the first part.

But I'll say this, this is the first year I'm going to buy season tickets for any team, any time. Does that answer your question?

Keep this in mind. We overtook them last year. Don't ever forget that. They're the ones that have to catch up now. Fair? We had them beaten right? This team overcame everything except they couldn't overcome their manager's negligence in the eighth inning. We have overtaken the MFY's.

Mr Lobel Always enjoy watching sports final,but i a"m dissapoineted that a regular guest you always had on your show jumped ship !

Is that you Dan? I'm disappointed too. But he wasn't going to be making as many appearances as he had been and felt like Channel 7 offered him more. I don't have a problem with that, it was a professional decision, and we're still friends. On the other hand I'm thrilled to have Tony Massarotti, Gordon Edes, and Sean McAdam, how can you get three better guys than that when it comes to baseball?

my puter crashed with the overload

From Dirt Dog

So Bob, what do you make of Nomar expressing his desire to stay in Boston? Was that really news? He didn't mention contract offers or he's concerned about the club's flexibility to sign other players as Schilling was when he signed for below market value.

from AJP_9

Have the Bruins fallen completly off the fans radar? Why is Jacobs talking for the first time in 30 years?

Tell the dirt dog this, I still think it's an exit strategy and a negotiation ploy. It was an ill advised attempt at gaining sympathy from Red Sox Nation. the Red Sox front office was not impressed. I don't remember Nomar talking about the contract, the future of the team, or his concern for any budgetary considerations that might come to pass. He was much more concerned with how the fans perceived him.

They're still on the radar, for now. But this is now a two team town, Revolution and Celtics... no, since the Bruins are now in high definition at home you can see the numbers on the empty seats, that's why Jeremy is coming out to talk. And they're a pretty good team, let's face it. They might do some damage before the year's out in this last year before the strike.

gofenway


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Hi Bob

Been a big fan of yours for 20+ years.

How can you explain what is happening the week of Thanksgiving. The Patriots are 9 and 2 and playing as well as anyone in the NFL. The city yawns. Monday there is a "report" that Curt Schilling is being traded to Boston and the city goes bonkers. Are the Red Sox that much more popular than any other team in the city?


Any chance you and Upton Bell will do a radio show again? It was a shame Butch From the Cape ruined your last one.

from SoxForever

fallout from Game 7
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Hi Bob

First thanks for taking some time to answer questions.

In 2003 Red Sox hysteria seemed to reach yet another level. Do you think the stunning events of Game 7 in NY will cause fans to retreat in their loyalty or will the hysteria increase?

My other q is a 2 parter.
In your 20+ years covering Boston sports, what was the most memorable event and most memorable personalty from your end?

Just because there's more talk about the Red Sox day in and day out it doesn't mean that on Sunday there isn't just as much passion for the Patriots. Each sport is played to a different clock. Each sport has its own rhythm. The Red Sox with 162 games, it never ends, especially with this new management group. People are just not accustomed to this pro-active team building that we're getting from the baseball team. Especially since they had the Yankees beaten, but don't take me down that road again. The Patriots are so efficient and have had so many dramatic wins that the excitement and passion generated was every bit as intense as it has been for the Red Sox, it just doesn't last as long. There are no soap operas with the Patriots. The Red Sox are a soap opera.

I'm glad you asked about the Upton Bell show. Butch from the Cape did not screw that up. I should never have left the show, I'm sorry I did. I was wrong in doing it. And my decision was driven by ego and stupidity. It was probably the biggest professional mistake that I've made in my 25 years with the company... so far.

Bob this is a question that about 6 people asked and then we pretty much caught up

Any chance that Sports Final could be simulcast on NESN so people outside Boston and Providence could see it?

The hysteria has already increased.

Most memorable event, and I said it last time, when I drove Carlton Fisk and Bobby Orr back from the Cape to the Sr. Golf tournament in Concord realizing that I had two guys in the car that provided probably the two greatest moments in Boston sports. And I'll never forget the most poignant event, the last time I saw Ted Williams. I was on stage when they were taking him off at his Florida museum. He had a tear coming down his eye. And I took my thumb and wiped the tear off his eye and he just looked up and said 'thank you.' Obviously these were things no on camera, or nothing the public could see, but personal moments that I'll never forget... maybe they'll be in the book.

THat would really be up to NESN. I think we'd love to do it and I'll bring up the subject, it wouldn't be that easy because they're separate entities but we have a really good relationship with them and if it works for both of us then we should do it.

Gotta run and get ready for the 10 o'clock. No video feed but we've got the audio.

Thanks for having me. I love doing this.

I do have an account. I'll chime in. And based on reaction I'll never wear another sweater on television again.

Thank You Bob for taking the time
A big thanks to Dirt Dog who was over at 1170 SFR helping

Sorry we couldn't get everybody answered. This was the first time we tried this with the new software and it took a little longer for me to sort it out.


Thanks again for taking part.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us, Bob, and thanks to the barstaff and Dirt Dog for their help as well!