Some sad news. Art was a regular here at one point.
View: https://twitter.com/globechadfinn/status/1491432604402614275?s=21
View: https://twitter.com/globechadfinn/status/1491432604402614275?s=21
Art Martone has died
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
No, oh, God, not Art! At his request, we met in Providence in 2005 to brainstorm on a book of sports remembrances that we planned to coauthor as we were the same age but had different lenses (as a reporter and as a fan). Regretfully, we never acted on it, but we had a great time that day. Art was a brilliant sportswriter - and as kind a man as I have ever met. He was a veritable legend on SoSH in the early days and often posted here. God speed, my dear man.
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Yes, I saw Chad's tweet a few minutes ago and it really hit me hard. I used to love his columns on the Sox back in the late 90's and was very disappointed when he pared that back to focus on the editor role. And the old Projo Sox board was great back then in the pre-SoSH days, and one big reason for it was Art's interaction with the regular commenters. One thing that really shined through in those interactions was that beyond being a talented and extremely knowledgeable writer, Art was just a really good guy. Deeply saddened by this news, condolences to his family.
Oh no! This is so sad. He was great at his job and also as a poster here. Way ahead of his time in bringing reason and thought to writing about baseball.
RIP Art.
RIP Art.
Holy shit. My first real ‘friend’ from the media. We’d email back and first a ton in the early days. Obviously we lost touch but he was one of the most sincere and helpful guys I’ve met here. Back when we moved from EZBoard we’d talk a ton about how to move / what to move / how to handle folks causing trouble / etc.
Art was Joe Posnanski v1.0, which isn't a slam. He was a guy who wrote with a lot of joy and looked at the sporting world very optimistically. These types of people were in short supply in the late 90s/early 00s and he became a favorite of mine for that reason. He was also one of the first that used stats, but not as a crutch and he didn't treat the Internet as some dystopian level of hell. He would interact with people on the old ProJo site and here and just talk and share ideas. He never big timed anyone--though he certainly could.
Martone was a nice and fair guy in a sea of wannabe tough guys and shit stirrers.
Man, I haven't thought of him in a long time. This sucks.
Martone was a nice and fair guy in a sea of wannabe tough guys and shit stirrers.
Man, I haven't thought of him in a long time. This sucks.
Me too. We never met in person, but Art and I were New England sports writers at the same time (I was in Bristol. Conn.) and developed a 25+ -year online relationship beginning with his ProJo site. RIP to a passionate and knowledgeable Sox fan and a wonderful guy.
You really capture him well with the bolded portion. He was thoughtful and analytic and realistic in his assessments and expectations, but the key was that he always maintained an optimistic tone and outlook. That was in particular short supply in coverage of the Sox back then. The national media loved furthering the whole obnoxious 'curse' narrative, and far too much of the local media reveled in poking the fanbase with it as well if they weren't wallowing in the 'woe is me' mentality themselves.
Art reminded us that it was okay to have a glass half full outlook; it was okay to be a Red Sox fan and to believe in them.
Oh man, this one hurts. I was a regular contributor to Art's Off the Wall page on ProJo. It was always a thrill to have him pick your comment or question and riff on it. We were supposed to get together one day to catch a PawSox game but duty called for him at the last minute (he was nice enough to leave tickets for me and my son). He still did a little writing about the local teams on Facebook in recent years. Just a really good guy.
R.I.P., my friend
R.I.P., my friend
A combination of Joe Posnanski and Chad Finn with a wry sense of humor like Ray Goulding mixed in.
Art Martone
@ArtMartone
Follows you
Art Martone
@ArtMartone
Follows you
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Oh man....
Art Martone was "the" man at the Projo board....and how I ultimately found this place.
Others will say it much better than me --- but RIP to a huge Red Sox fan and a media-legend.
Is it appropriate to ask what his screen name was here? I lurked for several before joining, and just curious. He sounds like a terrific guy, and my condolences to those of you who did know him.
He always used his real name, simply Art Martone, as far as I remember. Sadly, I'm not sure how much of that old content survived the many server changes and upgrades through the years.
Nothing like waking up to a shot to the heart and a kick in the head.... Just Ouch.
What a day. Two of the nicest people and biggest Sox fans to both pass on the same day. Another big loss.
Yeah, his member profile states that he had 73 messages but none are visible/accessible.
You know what made Art stand out from his peers? He genuinely loved baseball, the Red Sox and the fans who followed the team unlike a lot of other Sox writers. RIP.
Art was incredibly kind in all my interactions with him. Such a sweet, sincere, kind man. This is just awful news.
And he had an incredible eye for talent. The number of reporters who used ProJo as their launchpad to bigger things is incredible.
Art was a a smart and clear voice in the inter-darkness of the rabbit holes that many of us scurried into when the WWW was almost brand new. We read his stuff and he made us better and smarter fans of the game.
RIP Art
RIP Art
LOL....I hope Art would appreciate this a bit.
To those that didn't know him --- there was a Yankee-fan troll that used to go on the projo message board and kinda' poke us in the eyes when the Sox would lose another big game to the Pinstripes.
I think his name was Lou....from Providence. Many would troll him in return and call him deLOUsional.
In any case --- Art put up with his schtick....and in the end won him over. Art was "that" kind of a guy --- that had soft-skills that others didn't.
Just thought I'd add that random thought.
To those that didn't know him --- there was a Yankee-fan troll that used to go on the projo message board and kinda' poke us in the eyes when the Sox would lose another big game to the Pinstripes.
I think his name was Lou....from Providence. Many would troll him in return and call him deLOUsional.
In any case --- Art put up with his schtick....and in the end won him over. Art was "that" kind of a guy --- that had soft-skills that others didn't.
Just thought I'd add that random thought.
Wow--this is sad news. I had just joined SoSH around the time Art was a regular poster and really loved how he stayed in love with sports.
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I followed him here and on social media, and he just seemed like such a nice guy. This is terribly upsetting. I hope his family is ok.
This is my story as well. I started on the ProJo message board c. 2001, which then introduced me to SoSH. I am a beneficiary of Art Martone's professional ability; everything about his professionalism pointed to his being a good, decent man. Nothing I've heard or read about him would indicate that is an incorrect characterization. Sad to hear of his passing. May you rest in peace and Godspeed to you Art.
You're referring to Louis DiLullo, aka the "Pinstriped Pope" and the proprietor of yankeetradition.com. He was definitely the kind of Yankee fan who lived to chant "1918". He seems to have disappeared from the internet.
Another regular on that board who seemed like a really nice guy was Warren Rosenberg (IIRC). Art used to interact with him a fair amount, hope he's doing well.
Art was smart and talented and thoughtful and was one of those fortunate people who got to do what they loved as a profession. I've always felt that Chad was the person who took up Art's mantle over the past decade or so.
Off the Wall! All day I was trying to think of the name of his page and I couldn't. I knew he wrote Art's Notebook, but I knew the forum had some separate name. It's great to see so many acknowledgements, it seemed like his recognition faded when he moved into the editor role, but he was a really important part of giving Sox fans a smart place to hang out and talk about the Sox. This place isn't the same without that.
I found, like so many others, found SoSH through Art and the ProJo site. I'll never forget his kindness, arranging a special tour of ProJo for my son and me when I was visiting Providence from Wright Patterson AFB while on active duty. A gentleman, a scholar, a true fan, and a fine person. He will be missed. R.I.P.
That sure was a fun board on the ProJo back in the day.
My late father worked for Art at the ProJo at the end of his career. He always had the greatest respect for Art.
And here are a couple of pics from the archives..
.
My late father worked for Art at the ProJo at the end of his career. He always had the greatest respect for Art.
And here are a couple of pics from the archives..
.
I found out about SOSH via the Projo “Off the Wall” bulletin board back in the 90’s. Art and I worked together on making Red Sox digital baseball cards for Projo for the 2004 and 2005 Opening Day paper. May God bless you and keep you Art.
This will bring back memories of what we woke up to almost every morning back then
https://web.archive.org/web/19970415174033/http://www.projo.com/
Every winter he would try to figure out the Red Sox schedule before it was released.
First met him in person when we went to a Spinners game as he was curious about a player I liked (David Eckstein)
Went to a game with him at McCoy for the last time 4 years ago.
He was bitter over the Pawsox leaving Rhode Island. He knew McCoy needed to be replaced and he liked the idea of the Providence ballpark.
I knew he had been diagnosed with a rare brain disease — prion disease — which resembles very fast-moving dementia and the prognosis was dire but was still floored over the news today.
I last chatted with him 3 months ago when a clip of Martin and Woods calling the 1978 playoff game surfaced. He loved watching games in the standing room area just to feel the energy in the park.
How much did he enjoy putting this togther
Isn't that LJ behind Johnny Damon? Or is my mind playing tricks?
Either way, I never potentially wrote a book with Art, nor did he and I have a significant history... (I'm not as relevant as Jack when people pass).
Point is, I grew up in RI, I occasionally corresponded with Art during college, I would see his opinions, and could tell when they were picking upon the SoSH vibe, which he freely admitted to enjoying/valuing, and enjoyed a couple of BBWA dinners as a guest of the ProJo.
Here's what kills me tonight...Art was:
The same age we all were (and what I mean by that is none of us had seen the Sox vs do what they eventually did in 2004, despite living and dying with the Team) and he celebrated the improbability of the ALCS alongside us as we all debated our seemingly non-existent chances to win and simply prayed to god
(NB: I was praying in blind faith while EV, who was apparently better at math than I was, can anyone confirm? Was carefree out in the world, meeting women and telling us that the Red Sox had a 99% chance of winning the final 4 games)
meanwhile Art wrote not only about what he saw, but also about what we saw, which for us, was totally new.
In essence, he was an early adopter of being attentive and in tune to the crap we were selling in 2002ish...which btw, 20 years later, has become the standard. It's a hybrid between "you know the game" and "you cant argue with OBP" if I am allowed to oversimplify in a tribute thread.
I guess, what I'm saying is that Art actually listened to us, well before we were seen as legit by Schilling, Henry and people who wanted the (now late) Jeremy Giambi to start in front of David Ortiz--Full disclosure in keeping with a lifelong tradition of being a moron, I wanted very much for Giambi to bat leadoff or second, and to relegate the "unskilled hitter" we salvaged from Minnesota, to languish on our bench.
Why did Art also have to die this week?
I'm having trouble not getting sadder.
Maybe Cheri can re-rent the Lantana for late Feb/Early March? Ill chip in. This time I'll bring my boys...because the Lantana is, after all, the first place I ever met Dwight Evans, and given my office decorations they might like to see that place..
Even though we don't say it enough:
Miss you all
Either way, I never potentially wrote a book with Art, nor did he and I have a significant history... (I'm not as relevant as Jack when people pass).
Point is, I grew up in RI, I occasionally corresponded with Art during college, I would see his opinions, and could tell when they were picking upon the SoSH vibe, which he freely admitted to enjoying/valuing, and enjoyed a couple of BBWA dinners as a guest of the ProJo.
Here's what kills me tonight...Art was:
The same age we all were (and what I mean by that is none of us had seen the Sox vs do what they eventually did in 2004, despite living and dying with the Team) and he celebrated the improbability of the ALCS alongside us as we all debated our seemingly non-existent chances to win and simply prayed to god
(NB: I was praying in blind faith while EV, who was apparently better at math than I was, can anyone confirm? Was carefree out in the world, meeting women and telling us that the Red Sox had a 99% chance of winning the final 4 games)
meanwhile Art wrote not only about what he saw, but also about what we saw, which for us, was totally new.
In essence, he was an early adopter of being attentive and in tune to the crap we were selling in 2002ish...which btw, 20 years later, has become the standard. It's a hybrid between "you know the game" and "you cant argue with OBP" if I am allowed to oversimplify in a tribute thread.
I guess, what I'm saying is that Art actually listened to us, well before we were seen as legit by Schilling, Henry and people who wanted the (now late) Jeremy Giambi to start in front of David Ortiz--Full disclosure in keeping with a lifelong tradition of being a moron, I wanted very much for Giambi to bat leadoff or second, and to relegate the "unskilled hitter" we salvaged from Minnesota, to languish on our bench.
Why did Art also have to die this week?
I'm having trouble not getting sadder.
Maybe Cheri can re-rent the Lantana for late Feb/Early March? Ill chip in. This time I'll bring my boys...because the Lantana is, after all, the first place I ever met Dwight Evans, and given my office decorations they might like to see that place..
Even though we don't say it enough:
Miss you all
It certainly is. Nice check for a great cause, too!
Somewhat unrelated, but it's crazy to me that these days someone could be a decade or longer member here, and not really know much about him. All I can say is that if it weren't for him, none of us are here now. There would be no here. We all owe him a debt of gratitude that we'll never be able to repay in full. I honestly can't imagine what life would look like had this place never come to be. I just know that I would be oh so much the worse for it.
Oh man, he was Pumpsie here, and he hasn't been around for forever and a day. Given the last 24 hours or so, I'm afraid to look into that too deeply.
Man, oh man. Didn't Warren live in NYC and always talk about drinking whiskey? He posted a ton there but it doesn't seem like he ventured into these parts.
I posted there erratically/sporadically like I do here. One of my posts - defending Manny in 2001 or something - drew the ire of a ProJo poster (who would go on to infamy here), and this was my first introduction to the ugly side of message boarding. I got hit with post after self-aggrandizing post.
So I hit back, then Art took me aside, virtually, and told me not to worry about it and that my twisted adversary would soon have to post elsewhere. Then he recommended a site that he thought I would enjoy based on my posting history at the ProJo. He was right about that, and that was just one of what I'm sure were many acts of kindness from him that made someone else's life that much better. RIP.
Given all the folks we've lost over the past few years - and it definitely feels like we've lost more than normal - it feels like the right time to say this, even if this isn't the right thread. To LJ, all of the dopes who have had to put up with untold nonsense (and perhaps worse) and our fellow members/lurkers- thank you. This place isn't perfect by any stretch but SoSH has added unmeasurable value to my life over the past two decades.
Going back to Art, he deserves credit for seeing the potential of online communities early on in addition to all of his other accomplishments. It seems obvious now but at the time, this was a pretty radical concept.
As an old vet of the amazing ProJo board (circa 1999?), I am heartsick to hear that Art has died. Just horrible news.
Does anyone know how old he was?
Does anyone know how old he was?
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Just 66. Linking a nice tribute by Mark Patinkin, a contemporary of Art’s. Mark shares how early Art got into the Journal newsroom. He was around 16 and started at the bottom and worked his way up. I only met Art a few times. His genuine sincerity was always on display.
https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/columns/2022/02/09/goodbye-art-martone-longtime-journal-sports-editor/6722438001/