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Distraught Arnold Wishes He Left WEEI When He Had The Chance

February 17, 2011 By

Like many, I tuned into the start of the Dale & Holley program yesterday to see what Dale Arnold would say about the announcement that Michael Holley would be moving to afternoons alongside Glenn Ordway, and the report in the Boston Herald that Arnold would be relegated to fill-in duty.

The first segment of the show was played straight, there was talk about the Bruins game, and then Dale said he would talk about his situation following a quick break. When the show came back, Arnold told the story from his perspective – after Monday’s show, a day in which Michael Holley was off, Jason Wolfe approached him after the show and asked to speak with him. He told him about moving Holley to the Big Show, and then that Arnold’s role would be changing as well.

Arnold said that Wolfe told him his new role would consist of working year-round on Sunday mornings, and serving as the “first guy off the bench” in the fill-in hosting role among the WEEI shows. That apparently also includes play-by-play for the Red Sox and Celtics, as Arnold will do some games for each team. Dale said that the only thing about that new role that appeals to him is the increased play-by-play duties.

Dale then said that he very much regrets turning down NESN’s offer three years ago to do the Bruins games full time. He said that at the time, he turned down the offer out of loyalty to WEEI, where he had just signed a new five-year contract.

Arnold was clearly disappointed and distraught with the decisions, and I can’t really blame him. His show was the one WEEI program I always listened to. It didn’t matter the co-host, Andelman, Neumeier, Holley, I always listen to WEEI from 10-2. Arnold has his detractors and haters (just look at the comment section for the previous post on this site), but I’m not one of them. I think some of criticisms levied at Dale are absurd. He’s a pro. He handled this situation like a pro, expressing his disappointment, yet keeping things in check for the most part.

Glenn Ordway made a somewhat odd comment during his show yesterday, expressing hope that “some outlet” would hire Dale to do play-by-play full time. The options would be limited, as there are only four choices – WEEI (Celtics and Red Sox radio) 98.5 FM (Patriots and Bruins radio) NESN (Bruins and Red Sox TV) and CSNNE (Celtics TV). Most of those slots are pretty solidly filled for the foreseeable future, with the possible exception being the Patriots radio team, which can’t have too many more years left in them. (Gil Santos is 72, Gino Cappelletti will be 77 next month)

I’ll have more in the WEEI situation as time goes on, including in tomorrow’s SB Nation Boston Media column.

Meanwhile, on Facebook, Pete Sheppard promises to have a lot to say about the WEEI situation on Monday.

WEEI host Dale Arnold ‘shocked’ - Jessica Heslam also examines Dale’s comments.

WEEI’s Arnold discusses diminished role - Chad Finn with more from Dale.

In a shakeup, WEEI will pair Holley with Ordway - Finn reports on Holley’s move to The Big Show.

The Celtics were looking shaky in the third quarter, trailing the New Jersey Nets by nine points at home. They turned up their defense in the fourth quarter and ended up posting a 94-80 win in their last game before this weekend’s  NBA All Star break.

Pierce bounces back as C’s top Nets - Scott Souza has the Captain leading the way with 31 points for the Celtics. Chris Forsberg has Pierce bouncing back big from his 0-fer on Sunday.

Home is sweet again for Celtics - Paul Flannery has the parquet settling the Celtics into a win. Rich Levine has more on home court helping out the Celtics.

Bill Russell is monument-al - Steve Bulpett has the Celtics already planning a statue of Russell.

Perkins not the answer in middle for Celtics - Buddy Thomas thinks Kwame Brown, among others, would be a better fit at center for the Celtics. No, really.

West’s return is delayed, but Pierce is fine - Frank Dell’Apa’s Globe notebook has the Celtics holding Delonte West out until after the All Star game. The Herald notebook from Mark Murphy has Pierce looking for a three-point repeat this weekend. The Enterprise notebook from Jim Fenton has more on the home court advantage, and the MWDN notebook from Scott Souza has the Celtics All Stars ready for L.A.

The interview du jour in papers is Jacoby Ellsbury. There is Dan Shaughnessy | Steve Buckley | Brian MacPherson | Mike Petraglia | Gordon Edes | Tony Lee |Sean McAdam all weighing in on the Red Sox outfielder.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is also a popular subject: Peter Abraham | John Tomase | Alex Speier | Gordon Edes

Post-Papi, why not Pujols? - Gordon Edes explores the far-fetched notion that the Red Sox could pursue the Cardinals superstar as a replacement DH for David Ortiz.

Varitek Shows Saltalamacchia The Ropes At Catcher - Dom Amore has the Red Sox with both youth and experience behind the plate. Tomase’s Red Sox Notebook has more on the catching.

Albert or Adrian: Which superstar will perform better during his next contract? - Alex Speier compares the two first baseman to determine which would be the better signing.

Free thinking from Lester - Peter Abraham’s notebook has the lefty looking to limit walks this season.

Deadline hangs over Bruins’ heads - Steve Conroy has the Bruins needing to make a move, soon. Mick Colageo says that the clock is ticking.

Droppin’ the gloves on the B’s - Michael Felger talks Bruins. WARNING- there is also a lot of Spygate talk within.

McCourty hopes this is only the beginning - Tim Britton has the Patriots cornerback talking about his rookie season, and the future.

Good report on Gostkowski - Greg A Bedard has the Patriots kicker saying he’ll be ready to go this fall.

Filed Under: Morning Links, WEEI
  • tl;dr

    My problem with Day-al isn't his professionalism. It's his voice and the way he over enunciates every word. "Pay-tree-ots". It also doesn't help that he's a bland as dry toast and a glass of water.

    Man, I hope that he doesn't take over the Patriots radio broadcasting duties. They could do better. I love Gino but what real insight on today's game does he have (the last pro football game he played was in 1970)? During the broadcast he's mumbling more than usual or just going "Uh-huh" or "Oh". But I'd take him in a heartbeat over Day-al.

    • mandb97

      Yeah, the last thing we want are hosts who pronounce words properly or speak intelligently. We are all worse off for that. (sarcasm)

      • tl;dr

        Reading comprehension…how does that work?

        It's his voice and the way he OVER enunciates every word.

        To dumb it down for you, "he enunciates to excess". Or even further "He says each syllable in each word instead of just telling the words flow in a natural way". Or even further "DUH!"

        • tl;dr

          *letting

        • mandb97

          So let's get this straight, he reads and speaks well and that's a problem. Look tl, I'm sorry Dale said something mean about your mother because that is the only possible way you could come up with enunciation as he reads as a terrible quality.

        • tl;dr

          No. Enunciating every syllable in every word you speak does not qualify as reading and speaking well. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Do you say "PAY-TREE-ots" or "Patriots" like a normal person? Do you say "DAY-al" or "Dale" like a normal person?

          Leave my mother out of this…Since when did this become personal. Hey, I'm sorry your boyfriend got canned but that's showbiz!

        • Jon

          I'd hope any self respecting gay male could do better than Dale Arnold.

        • mandb97

          Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out why you are getting your panties in such a bunch over a crazy belief that Arnold overly enunciates words. That's about as baffling a reason that I have ever read or heard.

  • mandb97

    I will be very interested to see what Sheppard has to say about WEEI. I always felt there was more to him being released than the economy. Right now you can't see what he said as his Facebook page says "currently unavailable right now". A commenter in Bruce's previous post "Desperate WEEI Shakes Up Lineup", did write some of what Sheppard was going write about. I'm only guessing, but I think Wolfe and Kahn are about to get bludgeoned.

    • guest

      I'm guessing too, but I think the English language will be bludgeoned as well.

      • mandb97

        I would like to argue with you on this point, but I can't.

  • latetodinner

    I see a lot of similarities in Dale's predicament with WEEI and what Chuck Wilson went through after 17 years at ESPN. Both bucked the trends of their respective brands. Both were and are consummate professionals who always valued the conversation over the entertainment, who loved the sports they cover and who could easily make the average fan feel part of the conversation. At ESPN Chuck Wilson was originally let go because ESPN wanted to get younger and more hip…read that more Stuart Scott on the radio. Keeping a moron like Amy Lawrence over Chuck Wilson made them unlistenable to me.

    WEEi is at the same crossroads. Dale has consistently had the same numbers regardless of host. He had to deal with jumbalya code words, Fabulous Judy talk, horse race handicapping, numbers, facts, statistics and hip hop. Through it all he never wavered and the quality of his show never suffered. Now WEEI is showing him the door unceremoniously. You have to wonder if Wolfe/Kahn and co are kicking themselves for reupping Ordway and not giving that show to Felger for half the money. Instead they move Holley in which has disaster written all over it…what does he bring to the table…other than a little inside Pats knowledge (but no real football knowledge) and a little hoops….nothing. He is no better than McAdam, Curran, Ryan, Borges, Neumy, MacMullin, Brown or Shilling are as rotating hosts.

    I am not sure where Dale will turn up again…maybe outside the market, maybe Fox or ESPN nation radio, maybe Satellite. I think the Boston talk market will be worse off without him. I think Entercom should be looking higher up the food chain to figure out what is going on at WEEI and why it is having problems against 98.5. Dale Arnold was not the problem…however he has become a victim.

    • curtis

      I wish I could hit Thumbs Up to this comment 15 times, couldnt agree more. And the comparison to Wilson is spot on, although he is now back at ESPN radio in a limited capacity so maybe there is hope that management can and will correct past mistakes.

  • Evan

    I hope all those who object to EEI's tactics email the station – it probably won't do any good but at least they can't say that the reaction has all been positive.

  • jamiefolk

    Seriously why do Khan and Wolfe still have jobs? Look at WRKO and now WEEI. I honestly hate upper management. They make these decisions in a vaccuum without taking people into consideration. Dale is a great person and so so solid. I hope 98.5 have Gino and Gill retire (sadly long overdue) and picks up dale and a former pat (Troy Brown, David Givens whoever) to replace them for the long term. That would be great and paying back some good karma to Dale. He deserves it.

  • Classless

    I don't get the sympathy for Dale. He's been a condescending jaggoff for years now. No one else on that station had his nose up higher at callers than him, not to mention nobody sucked up to guests more than him. Frankly, if his dream was to do play by play for the Bruins, the sport he loves, and he turned it down (?) then he's a dope. Not much else to say about him.

    • http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com Bruce Allen

      I couldn't disagree more, and really have no idea where you're coming from on this. I know that despite your username here, most of the time you're actually a thoughtful, informed, intelligent commenter. I don't recall Dale turning his nose up at callers – except idiots – and don't think he is condescending at all. As far as sucking up to guests, all hosts do that – even Felger.

      Turning down his dream job because he felt obligated to fulfill a contract he just signed? That sounds admirable to me. Nice to see Wolfe return that loyalty here.

      • arp

        While, I don't think Arnold is a bad guy, I don't think we should put him on a pedestal because he stayed at WEEI instead of doing his "dream job." My perception is that he wanted both his "dream job" and also continue working at WEEI (which I am guessing pays more).

        Arnold seems like a smart guy so he should know this is a business and he should understand you do what is in your best interest a the time. Moreover, we all make tough choices and it becomes "easy" to look back and say I should have done it differently.

        • Scott

          I agree completely that at the time of the NESN offer, WEEI paid more money, so Dale chose the money over NESN.Save the loyalty act, Dale–it was all about the $$$$. He had it going all his way for a time, broadcasting home games while hosting on WEEI. Someone else here summed it up perfectly–Ordway fails, so Arnold suffers the consequences. And yet Meter stays afloat———

      • Classless

        Hmmmm I guess we'll agree to disagree Bruce. I don't listen to WEEI regularly anymore so maybe my sample size isn't as big as yours. I won't disagree that the callers are sometimes the worst part of the show. I just feel Dale projects a know-it-all attitude that seems to clash with Holley's more relaxed, open attitude.

        I guess my sucking up to the host comment is based on the interviews with Meriweather, Wilfork, and Peter King in which all I could picture was Dale backslapping and smiling at them. No tough questions. I realize most host do this, but it was pronounced with him.

        Frankly, I'm glad WEEI rattled the cages. I feel like the talent there felt it could continue to work as it, and not progress, much like 98.5 seems to have.

    • Lance_

      I'll disagree slightly too. Not a huge fan of his but when I listened to him it seemed he had a quality missing in many/most radio hosts – empathy. His opinions were sometimes absurd and it was easy to tell when he was having a bad day but I think he tried hard to be fair.

      For me radio isn't a place to actually learn things (unless I'm tuned into NPR) but to be entertained. Trupiano does it for me and Amendolara does a good job too and even CHB is listenable. But Ordway and his rumpswabs? Even the unwashed masses get catered to.

  • Jack

    I don't understand the choice of Mutnansky. He is a nobody from nowhere and this is one of the country's biggest markets. Every other 'EEI host has a much more impressive resume than he does. Is it just because he has a low price tag?

    If Dale is going to have a permanent Sunday show, I hope this means the end for Mustard and Johnson, once the Baseball Show starts up. Now there are two losers who don't belong on the air.

  • mitch allen

    When you have a situtation of two rivals competing over something that is basically a zero-sum gain, they have a tendency to start resembling each other and adpting each other's bad habits. What I like about Dale & Holley is the contrast between the two hosts, not just in style and backgorund but to a large degree, their differing intellects. The contrast between the whitebread, earnest and straightforward Dale, and the hipper, edgier, and cleverer (not necessarily more intelligent) Holley makes it fun. Ordway, to a degree, is closer in style to Holley than is Dale. The result might be a show that resembles Felger & Mazz insofar as the hosts don't clash or provide much of a contrast. I wonder whether it was intentional or not.

    For all of his excellent qualities, marginalizing Dale indicates a goal: an edgier or hipper station. He stood out in that manner. WEEI is now imitating 98.5

    • cakes_are_cooking

      TSH is hip? Aside from T & R who at that station is hip? Felger? Please, don't tell me you regard him as hip. Mazz? He's the antithesis of hip.

      • Jon

        Forget T and R, Adolfo Gonzalez and John Wallach are two styling mofos.
        Damon Amendolara's opening is so over the top, it might be hip ironically.

  • Tony

    I basically like Dale, though when he was the B's play-by-play man his constant defense of the Jacobs' regime's miserly tactics was off-putting (though I certainly understood it–you don't bite the hand that basically pays your salary).

    And Bruce, thanks for the "warning" about Felger's column–Spygate references in a Bruins column? No thanks. I think I'll pass. He's flippin' hopeless–what a tragic waste of what was once some real talent.

    • tl;dr

      It's actually a mailbag. He answers a bunch of different questions.

      • Tony

        Ah, that's different then. Bruce's post wasn't clear about that.

        Thanks

  • mitch allen

    Sorry about the double post–Internet issue on my end. Anyway, to clarify "hip" is a relative term, and subject to indivdual taste. Hence my use of the word "hipper."

    i have no desire to cross swords on a defintiion of Hip-ness, being totally unqualified. My point was that WEEI was imitating an aspect of 98.5 in an attempt to reclaim ratings turf,.

  • Jay

    I dont get the Mutnansky full time hire either…I find him to be boring and alot like every other run of the mill fill in host. I hate to say it, I am a Boston fan all the way, but I will be listening to WFAN now in that slot (I live in CT). I wouldnt listen to the Hub if I could either, that team ZO and Gresh dont do much for me either. I just feel bad for the everyone in the Boston area now.

    The only good thing about this is with Holley in the afternoon, hopefully it cuts down on an option to have Deossie, smurlus, Butch, and Cedric Maxwell on in the afternoon. I also think the Holley/Ordway team will be good, I just wish it was Felger/Holley (as I am sure EEI does as well)…

  • Parcells

    Most people I know feel the same about Dale Arnold—he is a gutless backstabbing phony yahoo who usually–always–put his finger up to gauge which way the popular winds blew. Unlike Holley, Arnold reeked of phoniness. Whiny & dorky too—goodbye–hopefully for good!

    • http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com Bruce Allen

      Again. No idea where this comes from.

      • Rich

        can you get the Ip address? is it coming from wolfe or kahn??

      • Jon

        It's like Holden Caulfield replicated himself.
        Unless you're Dale's neighbor, I don't know where the "phony" comes from.

  • Jack Edwards

    I don't think Ordway's comments are "odd" at all. The station still owes Dale two years on his contract at pretty big money. They are going to ride that rented mule right into the ground and hope he quits. I'm not a Dale fan but he clearly got stabbed in the back on this one. I would call it karma for all the people he has stabbed in the back over the years, but he was always a good soldier for EEI and would bury anyone to stay in the good graces of Julie Kahn and Jason Wolfe.
    Ordway couldn't care less and clearly can't wait until Dale is gone. What would be funny would be if Dale stuck around as a lame duck and pulled a Howie Carr and dump all over the place and hope they fire him and thus have to pay him the rest of his salary.
    Who knows maybe this will force Dale to drop the gold plated phony act that has been his calling card for his whole sports talk career and actually become interesting instead of the insipid phony he has been for all these years.

    • http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com Bruce Allen

      Again. "Gold plated phony act. " "Insipid phony" I'm not seeing it.

      I've seen a lot of very nasty comments about Dale and for the life of me, I don't see what is motivating them. If anything, I can see Dale being called milquetoast . Where does the hatred come from?

      • tl;dr

        Same place all the Pete Shepard love came from when he was canned.

      • Jack

        I don't get all this animosity toward Dale either. Who did he backstab? He would be close to the bottom of any hate list of the Boston Sports Media. Felger would be right at the top. He puts his finger in the air and will ALWAYS go against popular opinion whether he believes it or not. A poster criticized Dale for doing the opposite.

        Jack Edwards is coming across as a real hater of WEEI. Sounds personal to me. That's the thing about message boards. You never know who's writing.

      • Jack Edwards

        I'll answer your question. Earlier this season Dale was asked about Jack Edwards after a particularly over the top rant. Dale said ""I want to be careful here…but his act is just a little much for me." About a month later they played a cut of Cedric Maxwell saying something completely over the top, just like Jack Edwards, and Dale said, and I quote, "I love it, I just can't get enough of Max." It was ridiculous. Dale clearly was not going to be consistent and criticize both, especially when Max works for the station and is a black man, whereas Jack has no affiliation wiith the station and is in a safe category (white male) to criticize.

        That's Dale's whole act and people see right through it. By the way, full disclosure, I'm obviously not the real Jack Edwards.

  • Jack Edwards

    By the way, the real problem at WEEI is Glenn Ordway, but he is under contract at huge dollars so they are stuck with him. He's like listening to Hennie Youngman say, "Take my wife…please." His act hasn't changed one bit and he still thinks the fat jokes are funny. WEEI can dance around it all they want but until they get rid of Glenn nothing will change and they will continue to get their ass kicked by 98.5.

  • CBK

    Bruce, this is the Internet. I hate to sound like a prude, but hatred is everywhere.

    Every single person that thinks Dale's a "phony" would probably sidle up to him at a bar and kiss his backside.

    I'm all for differing opinions (I'm a pretty big Felger fan, but I can see why many can't stand him) but a lot of these comments are obnoxious and fit all of the dumb stereotypes about online commentators. Someone like mandb97 is opinionated without being a prick. Rare, but it happens.

  • Jon

    I'm sorry, wasn't WEEI winning the ratings battles as of last month? Granted the Sports Hub is still competing with them, but I thought they were doing okay. There are plenty of problems, but I keep hearing that it's only us whiny commentators on this site who didn't like them.

  • Cape Cod Greg

    I love sports but have gotten past letting them run (or ruin) my life. They are entertainment and I love to hear real stories from the entertainers themselves, and solid information about the teams & players (first hand whenever possible), presenting in a form that does not include overtalking, yelling, slobbering, or an end-of the-world attitude. D&H were the only guys on EEI that fit that for me and now there will be nobody. If I am driving at lunch time I listen to D&H. If I am driving in the morning or evening I skim the stations and see if there is an interview with a true (active) sports figure, or I move on, usually to NPR so that tells you the presentation I prefer. Then I'll just search for real sports news online later, from great sources like you Bruce. I respect Dale greatly and am sorry for him to have to be controlled by the people that thrive in this crazy world of Boston Sports Talk. He's better than that.

    • tl;dr

      "I move on, usually to NPR so that tells you the presentation I prefer."

      Snooze inducing, left wing radio?

  • SteveFromYellowstone

    Its quite unfortunate that over the last year, EEI, has fired the two personalities that seemed totally on the level with the fans in Sheppard and Arnold and obscenely arrogant blowhards Dennis, Callahan and Ordway remain. Not to mention the worst personality on all of Boston sports radio, Mike Adams still is invulnerable. Its a sad day for EEI, and TSH continues to widen the gap. If TSH had a larger network like EEI, and if Felger & Mazz cut down a bit on the obscenely over the top Patriots and Celtics bashing, I'd probably never listen to EEI again. Still, while not perfect, they are far superior to EEI.

  • Jeffrey

    I have to agree that Dale was screwed. I still don't understand why he isn't keeping his spot with Merloni taking over for Holley. Isn't Dale a proven ratings draw in his timeslot? Unlike Ordway, his show was winning its ratings battle. To me, Ordway is really getting away with murder here (and I understand the money commitment). I think any host, even Eddie, would have had the dominant drive time show with the Big Show's format and lack of any direct competition. Interesting that as soon as Ordway had some legit competition (on a station you can actually hear), he got his ass kicked. Whoever said earlier that they should have just kept Felger and not re-signed Glenn was right. Felger and Holley would have been the real dream team. Sadly, now you'll have the town's two best hosts, Felger and Holley, carrying two guys who I can't stand. Very difficult decision on which show to listen to, but I'll probably stick with the Hub. It's just hard to support a station that employs Dennis & Callahan. Thank God for Toucher & Rich.

    • tl;dr

      It's hard to support a station that employs Felger and Mazz. When they espouse opinions that have no basis in reality (i.e.- the Pats made Brady beg on his knees for a new contract, Ray Allen's 3-point record is meaningless) it means they just contrary for contrary's sake. At least D&C have strong opinions based at least somewhat in reality.

      And come off the whole racist thing, please.

  • Funkhouser

    I find Pete Sheppard's weird rant on his Facebook as well as his call to Wednesday's Whiner Line interesting. Would it be out of the realm of possibilties that WEEI is bringing Pete back for middays in a publicity stunt, a la Morrie locking himself in studio? I just can't buy that they'd hand over that slot to two radio rubes in Merloni and Mutnansky.

  • Siggy

    Where is the imperative to give Lou Merloni a marquee slot on "the most popular sports radio station in America?" He was a very marginal player, so no star value there – I don't care what a backup shortstop who rode the Pawtucket/Fenway Express for a few years thinks or says. I was astounded the first day Ordway brought him onto the Big Show and I remain astounded. I'm not saying Dale is that great, but who are you appealing to when you roll out a Mut and Merloni Show? Good Grief.

    • tl;dr

      Name me a local guy who played for the Red Sox in the last 10 years that could give some insight into the game?

    • Jon

      My only thought on Merloni is that with the self implosion that has gone on at PC with the their athletic programs, they felt like giving the Friars some sort of moral boost. Now if only someone at WEEI could explain "defense" to Keano Davis and Tim Army, that would be lovely…
      As bad as the paring might sound, someone from EEI really needs to create a bumper with Nomar saying "Thanks, beautiful" to Lou because that would be hilarious.

  • mandb97

    Did anyone see any snippets of David Ortiz's press conference today? I will paraphrase what he said, "It's not fair for people to say that you are all done after two games. It makes no sense." The "people" he was talking about was standing to Ortiz's immediate right. That's right it was Dan Shaughnessy.

    One more item about Dale Arnold. Jack Edwards is actually right. Dale did take a shot at him not long after his bitter negotiations with NESN. Was it wrong? yes. Was it vicious? no. It seems like a lot of people here must of had their lunch money stolen by Dale at some point in their life. It makes no sense to me why people feel this miserable about Arnold. The reason I listened to D&H was the fact that they were not condescending. They are smart and open minded. Just listen to who is opposite D&H. Gresh, just like Massarotti, decided to make something up. He was yelling at Bruins fans because all Bruins fans are upset that the team is not making a big time trade for someone like Jerome Iginla. Really, I haven't been hearing that. Fans would like someone like Tomas Kaberle but I have not heard anything about Iginla in over a month. One person calls G&Z and suddenly this person speaks for the entire fan base. But Dale's the jerk.

    • tl;dr

      No, we were saying Ortiz was done after a month and a half of his futility at the plate. It wasn't just after two games.

      • http://www.bostonsportsmedia.com Bruce Allen

        No Shaughnessy wrote a column after two or three games last season saying Ortiz was done.

        • mandb97

          Thanks Bruce, Dan was also on 98.5 saying the same thing. When asked about Ortiz Dan would give his usual response. It was something like this, "I think it's too early to judge Ortiz but he is 1 for 8 with three strikeouts. I think he's done." He would do the same thing when talking about Nomar and steroids. He would say we really have no evidence whether he took PEDs or not then would rattle eight reasons why he did.

  • SportsFan

    Missed Sheppard's call into the Whiner Line. What did he say?

    • Funkhouser

      He was giving Dale tips on playing poker.

  • thegrenade

    As someone who lives in the New York area and a Patriots fan, I really enjoyed Dale & Holley. This was my favorite radio show on any station. It sure beat the blowhards on WFAN, ESPN Radio or any other outlet. I do not understand the hate.

    The best part about the show was that they let each other talk without constantly interrupting either themselves or the callers. What a concept.
    To me it's sad day, and it continues the dumbing down of sports talk radio. Not every show has to be shock worthy.

  • Ghost of Mark Acres

    I agree, never got the whole "rising star" label on Holley. Despite this "Urban Renaissance Man" image he tries to invoke, he's not as hip as he thinks he is. There's a lot of dorkiness there. And if anyone REALLY pays attention to it, his "pre-event" analysis is usually way off.

  • deossieishorrible

    I don't personally know Dale and can only judge him based on his radio persona. He is certainly a capable talk radio host (nobody gives the call-in number better), however, for me he brings very little that is compelling to his job. He is rarely opinionated, his interviews with athletes and "sports celebrities" are often the equivalent of full-body tongue massages, and his over-use of the phrase "I've gotta be honest with you" subliminally says it all: he's often not being honest with his listeners. If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's a duck. To this chronic sports radio listener, Dale comes across as disingenuous, and I am surprised in fact to learn that he has so many supporters among the posters here.

    While he may not understand it, some of his listeners have gone to schools that are better than Bowdoin, but regardless of a person's education, most people can read between the lines and understand that what they get from Dale is very superficial. Criticism of the Patriots or the Bruins? Nope, not when you are in the pockets of people like Stacey James and Bruins ownership/upper-management. Surely as Bruins play-by-play man/employee he needed to walk a fine line as a talk radio host to keep his job with the team, but it is Dale who put himself in that position by agreeing to take on both jobs, and his listeners deserved better than what he gave them in terms of Bruins critical insight. Quite frankly listening to him on 'EEI when he was still calling B's games was embarrassing for his avoidance of any anti-Jacobs/Sinden commentary. Dale is the ultimate house man, and the success of shows like Felger's show that there are many sports radio listeners who think, and who respect and aren't afraid to give divergent opinions.

    I hope Dale is able to find a full-time play-by-play gig, because he is excellent in this capacity. Failing that, he would be a great head of PR for one of the local teams.

  • Southman

    Dale was the best WEEI had to offer . Dennis and Callahan became Fox network. Holley is too noisy. and fat jokes give me indigestion. No need to listen too Weeiiiii.

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