Starting today, I’m going to try to run a quick noontime opinion question each day regarding a member of the Boston sports media. This idea is ”borrowed” from the great Deadspin.com, so I want to make sure credit is given there…
The concept is simple. Each day I name a Boston sports media member, and you vote - either Approve or Disapprove. You can then add your thoughts on the person in the comments section.
Today’s subject is WEEI’s Michael Holley.
Holley started out in Boston with the Boston Globe, then left for Chicago, only to come back a few months later. He rejoined the Globe, and then left again. He has been the midday co-host on WEEI’s Dale and Holley show for the last several years. He is the author of three books on the Boston sports scene, profiles of Bill Belichick, Tedy Bruschi and Terry Francona.
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Popularity: 46% [?]
Got to meet Mike Holley at a Celts game. Just bumped into him. Super-nice guy. Starting to look a little like Sherman Douglas, however …
Probably #1 on my very small list of good Boston sports media members. Seems genuinely nice. Doesnt take crazy stances to get attention. Doesn’t routinely bash the local teams to try and prove he’s not a homer. If given a choice to meet and hang out with any member of the Boston media, Mike is my man.
Holley is the MAN! My friend met him and said he’s the nicest dude…I’ve enjoyed him even more this week without Dale.
Patriot Reign is one of the best sports books I have read. Michael Holley is one of the few Boston sports reporters who actually writes based on research and facts, rather than his own baseless opinions. He is the anti-Shaughnessy.
One thing that I do not understand is the love that Michael Holley gets. I agree that he seems to be a nice guy but when it gets down to entertaining radio and sports knowledge, I just don’t see it. He consistently speaks aggressively about subjects that he knows little about. Just recently, he was rambling on and on about how there is no way Andy Pettitte would have thrown at David Ortiz during a spring training game, despite there being post-game comments from Pettitte the day before saying exactly that, that it was intentional.
Also, the music thing is getting out of control. To the point where sometimes it slows down the show while the producer searches for the right song. It was ok when he would throw out an “outstanding” here or there but now its just corny.
Michael Holley is miscast as apartner to Dale Arnold. He would be much better with a knowledgable more hip host who could bring out more of his engaging personality.He has great knowledge of the Boston landscape even though he didn’t grow up here and unfortunately being stuck with the vanilla, uninformed, fraidy cat Dale Arnold a lot of his talents don’t appear. I have met him before and he is a very nice guy who talks to everybody he sees.
Exactly right. Holley shines when Flanders has the day off, though the “woka woka” sound effects and music are turning the show into a real life version of “Dingo and the Baby”.
He might be the best of a bad lot when compared to the rest of the chuckleheads on ‘EEI, but when you take them out of the equation I just don’t think he’s that good.
I posted this comment in another article but feel it bears repeating here.
“Can’t disagree more on the Holley love. His incessant need to poke holes in anything that anyone, caller or guest, has to say in order to prove he’s the smartest guy in the room has reached Buckleyesque proportions.”
Interesting. I actually don’t listen to his show, but I’ve read his stuff. seems like even good writers turn into idiots when they get on the radio. I generally avoid talk radio.
Michael is by far the best of a shakey crew at weei. His knowledge is second to none.he does not talk down to his audience.
Dragged down by the hideous phoney Dale Arnold but still the best in Boston … by far.
Holley is the ONLY reason to listen to that station. Best move they could have ever made was getting him on there.
I have an immense amount of respect for Michael. First, Dale is dry without him, and their clashing styles balance out well. Michael challenges point that make no sense, he’s not insulting to his callers (unless they make no point or cannot support their assertion whatsoever) and is very intelligent. Plus, Michael continues to grow into the role. He’s much better now than he was when he started, and he wasn’t bad then. I listen to the midday show on the Net from Illinois and rarely miss it. Dale and Michael is much more tolerable compared to D&C and Ordway’s show. D&C are smarmy and too caught up in being RIGHT all the time. I feel like I need to wash my hands after five minutes of them. Ordway, for all his clout, too often lets his show dissolve into shouting matches that I just turn off. I don’t often turn of D&M.
I agree that he is knowledgeable, but the music is not getting out of control,it is out of control. He’s trying too hard to be a comedian. It seem like he’s trying to tell the audience that he’s cooler than they are. Also the man-love toward Ellis Hobbs is a bit much and this “Lightning Round” crap is just dumb. Since he signed his new contract he’s turned into Bozo the Clown.
Agreed he does some goofy stuff, bu you need to remember that the show has few, if any, hard and fast rules. It’s constantly in flux. It’s possible that the “Lightning Round” gets dumped because Michael begins to agree with you. Or it gets modified to your liking.
But what has been consistent is Michael’s steadfast commitment to making intelligent points and appropriately challenging callers who have no cogent or relevant point.
I can’t figure out why his approval rating is so high. Horrible writer. His columns in the Globe may Carrot top look good. I cannot listen to EEI at noon anymore since he has a terrible presence on the radio - boring, unintelligent.