About George Cain

Michael Felger of “98.5 the Sports Hub”, has spent the last three years purposely tweaking Patriot fans over the New York Jets.

Those who listen to Felger daily know that while he might admit he’s wrong from time to time, he loves to play the “lone wolf” card. He viciously attacked Claude Julien all season last year, portraying him as a coach whose style was unwinnable. Even though he admitted he was wrong about the Stanley Cup Bruins he couched his argument many times mentioning that the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t have Malkin or Sidney Crosby. Of course, you’ll never hear this argument when he discusses the Steelers and Colts winning Super Bowls when the Patriots were without Tom Brady or Rodney Harrison. It doesn’t fit his argument.

Felger, loves to state he is not trying to be contrarian but that’s not true. He’s all about being contrarian, and I don’t begrudge him that. It’s what gives him the lead in the ratings and makes him very successful. Just don’t think I am one of these lemmings who call him up and pat him on the back on how he saved us all from WEEI.

This brings me back to the New York Jets. There is joy in New England today over what looks like another unfulfilled season for the New York Jets. I say “looks” because with their schedule and their resiliency I would not count them out yet. I expect many callers to be taking Felger to task for his constant propping up of the Jets on the radio and in TV. I don’t expect him to back down. He has the high ground. If the Jets fail, he brings up the Patriots loss last year and the fact they went “farther” than YOU the last 2 seasons. By the way, that whole farther-than-you argument is so ridiculous. Mazz has been spouting that crap since he joined the airways. “The Steelers and Colts have been in Super Bowls and won more recently than you.” Well, Tony from 2001 to 2009 the Jets were hardly even in the AFC discussion. It’s a fallacious argument. The Patriots were undefeated during the 2007 regular season and choked in the big game. In 2008, Brady was out for the season and the next year, although Brady played well, he still went into a playoff game with “unconfirmed” badly bruised ribs and without his prime target.  You got me on 2010, bad loss.

Don’t fall into the trap with Felger. He always presents the circular argument. If we’re talking about the Jets then we are talking about the Jets. And today the discussion is that Rex Ryan, who I think is a very good coach, guaranteed a Super Bowl three years in a row and still hasn’t delivered.

“There are no points for second place.” – Viper in Top Gun or the media folks who dismiss the fact that the Patriots were there in 2007.

The Ron Borges of the world love to talk about Belichick’s success being tied to Brady. Like somehow that’s a novel concept. How about Sexy Rexy with Ray Lewis (HOF), Ed Reed (HOF), Terrell Suggs (perennial pro-bowler) in Baltimore and Darrelle Revis, the “hands-down best defender in all of the NFL” with him in New York.

I like Rex Ryan, I think he’s a character. What I don’t love is the way the media gushes over him like a bunch of schoolgirls. “He’s a breath of fresh air.” “He’s great for the game.” I see and hear this all the time and it makes me think wow, if Bill Belichick started doing this he would be considered not just the greatest coach of all time but the greatest MAN THAT EVER LIVED. That’s how easy it is to curry favor with the media.

Ask Philadelphia Eagle fans what they think about Andy Reid’s four losses in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl defeat at the hands of the Patriots in 2004. Let’s just say they are not content with the last 11 years.

If you are going to make it about a title, which is what Rex has done, then it’s about titles. You can’t cherry pick your argument.

I have heard Felger and others rag on Donovan McNabb, Andy Reid and the Eagles for never winning anything. The Jets have 2 Division titles and no Super Bowl Appearances in 42 years!!!

The Red Sox didn’t start getting respect they do today until they WON the World Series. Beating the Yankees would not have been enough.

Bruce Allen was right in his column earlier this week when he talked about perspective. As much as I have been on Belichick lately, Patriot fans have been spoiled in the Kraft Era.

• 10 AFC East Titles.
• 5 Super Bowl Appearances.
• Six AFC Championship games.
• Two Hall of Fame coaches

Oh, and one more thing, we keep hearing, in the biggest matchup in Patriot/Jets history New England lost to their archrival at home. Well, in 2006, the Patriots were just 2 years removed from their 3rd title in 4 years. They had lost a game earlier in the season at home to “Mangenius” and the Jets. The Patriots beat them pretty soundly at home and went on to lose to the Colts. That game had a lot more intrigue to it, Belichick/Mangini, the handshake, another end to the Patriot dynasty. But nope, it didn’t count because Rex wasn’t there. I guess based on personality the media decides what is historic and what isn’t.

Guest Column From George Cain

Once we got past the thrill of a Tom Brady-led last-minute comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys, it turned into another painful week for Boston sports fans. Starting right again on Monday, fans were subjected to endless Red Sox soap-opera babble on radio, TV and the internet.  

Before I get into the locals, I’ve got to comment on Bryant Gumbel’s  editorial during Tuesday night’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO.

Slavery was an unspeakable, horrible disgrace, which has and will forever scar this country. That is why Gumbel calling David Stern a “modern plantation overseer” is beyond revolting. It was pathetic, idiotic, and shouldn’t be rationalized, explained or overlooked.  NBA basketball players and their commissioner, David Stern all who are multi-millionaires, are not analogous with anything that has to do with SLAVERY, plantations or civil rights.  Bryant Gumbel, as an African-American should know that better than anyone.  Is he that desperate to become relevant in the media that he would stoop this low?  So forget who is responsible for the lockout, I am just talking the language.

The failure of the national media and some local stations (98.5) to criticize Gumbel was pathetic. (note: WEEI’s Big Show did spend time on this topic on Thursday.)  Gumbel’s lack of an unforgiving tone makes him as close minded as those he condemns.  Mike Francesa’s rationalizing of a double standard today is also not acceptable to me.  It seems every time someone tries to disparage a group or an individual in a public setting they resort to calling them Nazis, or in this case the worst kind of racist.  Take it from someone who works in the private sector, that stuff doesn’t fly in my world and it shouldn’t be tolerated any place else.

On the MUCH, MUCH, MUCH softer side of things, the Felger and Mazz show was insufferable this week. They continued harping on the Red Sox saga all week and by Friday they had turned it into Larry Lucchino vs The Sports Hub.  If this was a friend of yours talking you would have told them to shut up by now. Felger and Mazz are either very insecure or very arrogant.

Also on the Sports Hub – Tuesdays with Wiggy.  I like Jermaine Wiggins, but so far he’s not bringing much to the table.  Jermaine, I know you were there for some good times with the Patriots, but negativity is not an opinion. You have to have some facts, beyond and I am paraphrasing, “well if Dallas didn’t drop passes…..blah, blah,blah.”  In every NFL game teams on both sides drop passes, fumble, etc.  In the end, the better team usually makes the plays when they need to and we saw that this week.

This brings me to my media idiot of the week.  I have said in this space before I don’t care much for Tony Massarotti.   For years he’s always tried to get a seat at the big table playing the negative angle.  Hey, I don’t like hometown cheerleaders either, I think it contributed to the fall of the Big Show on WEEI, but being negative for the sake of negativity is not only boring, its lazy.

Case in point, Tony Mazz’s belittling of the Patriots wins over the Cowboys and Jets.  Mazz cited that the slightly improved Patriot defense had NOTHING to do with the Patriots and everything to do with the other teams.  There is nothing wrong with that opinion, but when you win it, it can’t be the fault of the other team and when you lose it, it can’t be your fault.  This has become more than a trend on the Felger and Mazz Show but a mantra.  John Henry might be right; Tony is an entertainer, playing a part, the part of the”Angry” talk show host. It’s beneath Tony and beneath the show. Don’t look now, but Felger and Mazz are starting to show the arrogance of success that we saw from Ordway and the crew for the last 10 years. 

In 2003, the Patriots were coming off a second place 9-7 season where they did not make the playoffs.   They were not a Super Bowl favorite, they were hardly an AFC East favorite, but that season they went 17-2 and won a Super Bowl.  The Patriots won 8 games by a touchdown or less, and won 3 games where they scored 12 points or less.  It was a different time with different rules, but the Patriots were a dropped/batted-down pass from going to OT against Tennessee in the first round.  My point, in a single elimination tournament, even teams with the slightest of flaws are vulnerable.

I have been as critical as anyone of this Patriot defense, but at this point you have to take the long view.  The Patriots face some really good QB’s (Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Vick, Fitzpatrick) and some really bad ones (Moore, Beck, Tebow) in the next ten games.   If they win 11 or 12 games it won’t be ALWAYS because of the other team’s incompetence.   

So here’s to you Tony, my media idiot of the week;  you earned it!

A Quick Slant on Quick Slants

If you’re like me, you can’t get enough football. Once Labor Day ends I need a constant fix until March Madness begins. I listen to football talk in my car, in my house, and in my bedroom, where my daughter plays with her toys. Between the NFL Network, Sports talk radio and ESPN, there is enough coverage to keep anyone busy 24 hours a day.

This summer I read the ESPN book, “Those Guys Have All the Fun” In one passage, former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol was commenting on ESPN’s impact and how that has changed the local sports landscape. I am paraphrasing here, but he alluded to the fact that ESPN is a victim of its own success. ESPN programming has led to copycat programming at the local and regional level. And that is 100% true especially here in Boston. Comcast has simply copied the SportsCenter format with their own show SportsNet Central, which focuses on the local Boston teams. It’s a smart move that makes complete sense. Let’s face it, the nightly news has morphed into 13 minutes of depressing stories, 8 minutes of weather, 6 minutes of commercials and 3 minutes of sports. And you don’t need to stay awake till 11:30 PM anymore to get the sports news of the day. Between the internet, smartphones, and cable sports news you are pretty caught up on what’s happening instantaneously.

It’s ironic, because NESN, Comcast’s local competitor, actually came out with its own sports desk show year s before CSNNE came up with SportsNet Central but it has never really had an impact. Somehow all Tom Werner’s television skills seem to have been drained from his brain. Maybe he can only create situational comedies because no rational person would green light that dating show at Fenway or Pizzuti’s Crib show on NESN.

Last year, Comcast expanded its football coverage capitalizing not only on America’s Game, but America’s Obsession. People want as much football programming as they can get and with the success of the Patriots it’s a slam dunk to expand local coverage. DID YOU HEAR THAT NESN? Comcast expanded beyond Ordway’s New England Tailgate show last year adding two new shows, Quick Slants with Tom Curran and Mary Paoletti, and Patriots Pro Football Weekly with Andy Hart and Paul Perillo. This year they have even added a fourth show, New England Patriots Live with Gary Tanguay as host, as if we weren’t getting enough Tanguay in our diet already.

So on to Quick Slants. I’m going to watch the show and give you my observations. It will be similar to a running diary or blog, but I’m too lazy to give you actual minutes and seconds. So this is Season 2 of Quick Slants. Thursday night was the third episode of the season and the first one I watched start to finish. I watched bits and parts at times last year but never a full episode from start to finish. While I have referenced the show in past columns I have never given it a full critique. So here we go.

First off the top, I’m a big Tom Curran fan. I think he’s an excellent football writer. I enjoy him as a guest on Mohegan Sun and SportsNet Central. However, I don’t love him as co-host on WEEI, I think by hour three his brand of humor gets a little stale. But regardless, having him host a show makes sense, he has some charisma and Comcast needs people with charisma. Look what that’s done for Felger. I don’t know much about Mary Paoletti. We were introduced to her in the first season of Quick Slants. At that point her role seemed to “Girl Who Reads Emails.” At least that seemed to be her primary function. I don’t know much about Mary’s background, I know lately she has a more expanded role at CSNNE.com, she currently authors a blog for the website. I think she broke into the Sports business by writing a sports blog that was noticed by someone at Comcast who hired to come over. Mary tweets all the time, CSNNE.com connects to her personal Twitter feed on its website. I am not big fan of the constant tweets unless the tweets are going to offer some sort of sports information. I don’t care if she’s going to a wedding or if she’s watching the Republican debate. (clearly, I read her tweets) It’s a sports website, I would like the tweets to be sports specific, maybe I’m old fashioned that way. Mary and colleague Mike Giardi tweet back in forth on CSNNE.com like two college kids. It’s painful, so my advice is stick to Curran, Rapoport, Reiss and Schefter for the best local and national NFL information on Twitter. So that’s enough background information of the player s involved let’s talk about the show.

So the show begins with the camera on Curran, the studio set has an odd look to it. It looks like he’s jammed in the back corner of a sporting goods store. Tom is surrounded by team footballs, bobble heads and a TV for advertisements. There seems to be some type of studio audience. Did they have this last year and I didn’t notice? Or is he pumping in clapping? I think he is, anyway, we are immediately presented with some brief commentary followed by a split screen with Mary Paoletti. Clearly Mary is no longer, “Girl Who Reads Emails”, but the co-host. One quick comment about Curran; he has a very strange speaking style. It’s almost like he’s seen the movie Broadcast News and has taken it too much to heart. He seems to PUNCH a word in every sentence, HIGHLIGHT, a phrase in every paragraph. That’s Broadcasting 101 but it’s almost distracting. I just asked my daughter to go BRUSH her teeth, before she GETS into bed. OK, sorry, I’m rambling … back to Mary.

Tom asks Mary if she saw anything interesting when they were down in Miami. Now based on Mary’s tweets she could have talked about South Beach, but luckily she takes Tom’s open ended question and relates it to football. It was a throw away story about Nate Solder, but at least it was football related.

So the first segment is My Slant where Curran will start with the hot topic of the Sports week. This week, it’s all Ochocinco all the time. Curran begins his commentary and I am immediately distracted. He has this football in his hands and he tucking it and grabbing and tossing it and pointing it at the TV. I realize I just missed everything he said. On the flip side I am thinking of going on-line and ordering a San Diego Chargers Team football. This is subliminal advertising at its best. During this segment, Mary reads emails from the viewers to Tom and he offers responses. He answers two and then once again we find how we can get in touch with Quick Slants using social media. This show has the attention span of my 8-year-old daughter. But, in a weird way I can’t turn away.

Second Segment: Curran’s Events, a laundry list of the topics of the week. This week’s events included Brady’s lubed comments, Brandon Spikes Twitter, Haynesworth’s snaps and a brief history on drinking at Foxboro stadium with SUPERB FOOTAGE of a car that was set on fire in the old Sullivan Stadium parking lot. Ah, those were the days. Now it’s back to Mary for some more Twitter/Facebook questions. Curran’s is continuing to point and flip the football. I have to rewind the episode to focus on what Curran was talking about. Mary just made a Seinfeld reference, I am taking back some of Twitter criticisms. At about the ten minute mark we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, and it’s the National Slant segment. The weekly guest for this segment is Rodney Harrison. I am pretty psyched to see Harrison, he is a great co-host on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, highly knowledgeable about the game and one of my favorite all-time Patriots. Harrison always frank is here to offer another commentary on Ochocinco. Somehow this has become the most overplayed story in Boston during a week in which the Sox are failing in historic fashion. A clear example of how the tide has turned in this town. Curran has finally put the football down. I actually might be able to focus on Harrison’s comments.

Overall, good segment, solid analysis from Harrison on Ocho, Haynesworth and the Patriots defense of the past few years. This is really what Curran does best, its right in his comfort zone. So National Slants, minus the football, is the best segment of the night. Oh, I spoke too soon, Curran referenced Rex Ryan and then threw some punches in the air. This was an awkward moment that seemed to leave Rodney confused and most likely the viewing audience. God forbid we don’t mention Rex Ryan in Week 2 right before the Chargers game. Now back to Mary for one question and answer, Tom asks for another but then one of the producers clearly tells him he needs to read a promo for New England Patriots Live on Wednesdays. Remember, it’s not about the show, it’s about the other shows that are on when your show isn’t. Still with me? Great! Second commercial break at the 20 minute mark.

Back for the last full segment of the show, the Inside Slant with Jerod Mayo. Other than Mary reading emails this seems to be the only segment I remember from last year. The interview is pre-taped at a restaurant and usually features an abundance of food in front of Mayo and Curran. In this case there is so much food, I immediately start thinking how much of it could I eat in a sitting. And what does Mayo have? Is that a loaf of bread sitting in soup? Whatever it is, it looks delicious. Once again I have been distracted and have to rewind to listen to what Curran was saying. Do we sense a theme here? The interview starts with some small talk but overall the interview with Mayo is good. You can see why Belichick thought so highly of Mayo coming out of the draft, he really seems to have that leadership trait that you see in past Patriot middle linebackers like Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi and even Steve Nelson for you old guys like me.

The last couple minutes of the show features Curran throwing the football up in the air to himself. Nope wait, he’s making football picks of the week. Not a novel concept on a football show, but it’s very important that at least 1000 sports analysts have made a prediction on every game. It gives teams bulletin board material, your bound to get at least 200 people picking against you in a given week. So Curran, makes some picks, not every game, we’re thankful for that. He then points to the camera and make some strange expressions. The show ends with some footage of Curran running on a wet football field. It’s a little embarrassing; Paoletti’s seems to be wondering if that NESN Sportsdesk job is still open. We also get a cameo from Mike Giardi while Curran is running down the wet field. I’m glad he took some time away from his busy “tweeting” schedule to work the stopwatch for Curran.

So that’s a wrap. Overall I would give it a C-. I applaud Curran for taking a chance and not rolling out the same old football desk show. It plays more like a radio show on TV and because of the football and the gestures his analysis gets distracted. Tom might as well be twirling a yo-yo or bouncing on a pogo stick. Just stand still!!! Also, I thought Mary was going to have a more significant role this season, but instead we just see more of her, literally more. The split screen is bigger this season. I think if she’s going to co-host then let her co-host, tonight I saw “Girl Reading Emails” again. So check it out for yourself, if you DVR it, and fast forward through the commercials it’s about 22 minutes. For me it was this or watching the beginning of the Sox/Tampa game live. Given, how slow baseball is I doubt I’ll miss more than four batters. I think next week I’ll give Patriots Football Weekly a shot. And then work my way into Tailgate and Patriots Live. Smerlas and Tanguay, I can’t wait.

THIS JUST IN:  FRANCONA HAS HIS ROTATION AND BULLPEN, RESTED AND READY FOR WILDCARD ROUND BEGINNING ON THE ROAD AND THE BOSTON MEDIA CONTINUES TO PATRONIZE US

I grew up in this town in a time when the Red Sox didn’t get daily backrubs from the media.  Yes, I know the Red Sox are going to be in the playoffs.  But was that the goal for 2011, the Wild Card?  If it is, well then that’s pathetic and not what championships are built on.   In the last month I have been lectured by Jackie MacMullan, Gary Tanguay, Greg Dickerson, the staff at WEEI, the staff at NESN and everyone at CSNNE on how the AL East Division doesn’t matter.  I already know it doesn’t matter to the Red Sox front office.  Not when they are content to go with Darnell McDonald (HE’S HITTING .170!!!!) as a 4^th outfielder and starter against lefties and Franklin Morales as the main lefty option out of the bullpen.  

As of August 18^th, the Red Sox were only 5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers in the loss column.   Texas has a strong rotation, great lineup, and a better bullpen than the Red Sox.  May I also remind you the defending AL Champs happen to play in a stadium that has been a house of horrors for the Boston Red Sox and this rotation the last 3 years?   The Red Sox since 2009 are 6-16 against the Rangers and are JUST 2-7 in Arlington in that time.  BRING EM’ ON!!

It took the Red Sox less than 4 days to let their 2 game lead over the New York Yankees evaporate.  This despite a 10-2 record against the Yankees this year.  I expected to wake up and hear nothing but condemnation from the local media.  I mean this team has a $180 million dollar payroll.  They are supposed to have this juggernaut of an offense.  They had 13 games against the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals.  Seven of those games were at home.  They had a stretch where they played 14 of 17 games at Fenway Park, where they are extremely difficult to beat. 

What do I hear?   Excuses, sarcasm to fans, talking points and apathetic playoff rotation talk.  Sean McAdam might as well be the Red Sox Front Office version of Jay Carney.  (White House press secretary)  His article two weeks ago on how the Yankees series didn’t mean that much was Kool-Aid journalism at its best.   Hey Sean, it seemed important to the Yankees, they pulled their starter in the 5^th inning with 2 outs and brought in a lefty who had maybe 2 minutes to warm up to strike out the Sox best hitter on 3 pitches.  It seems important to them as they are slaughtering the likes of the White Sox and Royals without A-Rod while the Sox are mailing it in on a night by night basis.  Maybe, that is the mentality of a team that has won 26 World Championships and a World Series in 2010.  The Sox recorded a triple play last night.  Did you know that?  That’s all I heard today, I barely heard that their anemic offense of the last 2 weeks had two complete games thrown against them in a double-header while they recorded a total of 6 hits.  It’s a good thing Jacoby Ellsbury showed up yesterday.   Also, someone remind Adrian Gonzalez he doesn’t play in San Diego anymore.  The park is smaller and your team is in contention.

The Boston media should be ashamed of themselves; you are there to report, not to cheerlead for the Red Sox. And Glenn Ordway wonders why there is apathy in the local sports scene. The goodwill that the Red Sox get as opposed to the Patriots is laughable.  The Red Sox because they are media friendly, get a million passes while the Patriots, are under constant scrutiny.  How many times have we heard on 98.5, that the Patriots haven’t won a championship in 7 years?  Well for the Red Sox its 3 going on 4 and I see a team trending in the wrong direction.  You could never tell that based on what you hear or read right now. All of sudden, the Wild Card is all you need.  When this team was rolling 3 weeks ago they were going to run away and hide.  But now that they are slumping while their arch-enemy is shining and all that really matters is second place.  Wow, that’s a mantra to be proud of.  If the Patriots wrap up a playoff berth early this year I hope they start resting their starters.

Of course, a team often takes on the temperament of its manager and front office.  The Red Sox came out of Spring Training thoroughly unprepared for the start of the season.  That led them to a 2-10 record and probably led to them being 8-1 against the Yankees to start the season.   They had to start playing with a sense of urgency in May and June because they were on the outside looking in.  Then right around the start of interleague, Francona started complaining about the interleague rules.  The Red Sox then went on to have their worst performance in interleague play in 7 years.   And what have we seen over the last 4 weeks?  A very content team and manager, and they are playing like it.  Last night’s lineup injuries aside was a joke, maybe that’s partly Theo’s fault.  I think it is no surprise that the Red Sox are 10-9 in their last 19 games.   They, like their Manager, seem to feel these games aren’t that important now that they are not fighting for their playoff lives.

Peter Gammons was one of the few media members to mention that the Red Sox had lost 16 of their last 22 games against the Texas Rangers.  The lone critic of the Red Sox indifference to the AL East crown and #1 seed in the AL seems to be Tony Massarotti.   You know what they say about a broken clock….but in all seriousness Mazz’s critique on is right on. 

It just shows you the huge gap in coverage of the Patriots and Red Sox in this town.   In the eyes of at least half of the media members in this town the Patriots are arrogant.  But what’s more arrogant than playing for second place when the Red Sox charge ridiculous ticket prices and have a huge payroll.  I constantly hear how in 2005 the Patriots threw a game against the Dolphins so they could line up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round.  But there is little mention of the Sox playing for the wildcard almost every season.   Even in 2007, the one AL East title Francona has, they were resting starters down the stretch and seemed content to finish 2^nd despite having a much better team than the Yankees.

Here are a few stats I found interesting.  Since the 2004 season, no Wild Card team has won the World Series.   Of the last 6 AL Wildcards, only 2 have gone to the LCS, and one to the World Series, and that was 4 years ago.  Do you think the Red Sox could have used a home game in Game 7 against the Rays in 2008?  The Red Sox DON’T WIN the World Series in 2007 without home field. That means ONE title in the last 86 years.   Cleveland beat Boston 3 out of the first 4 and if it wasn’t for Beckett pitching twice (which he wouldn’t have in the ALDS) and the comforts of Fenway Park for games 6 and 7, the Sox do not win that World Series.  Sean McAdam keeps trying to scare Red Sox Nation with threats of Justin Verlander’s dominance.  Yes, Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball this year.  But he’s no more dominant than Johan Santana was in 2003 and 2004 and the Yankees still beat the Twins in both series in 4 games.  Minnesota was 2-2 in the Santana starts.   And let’s not forget Cleveland is right there and would be a much easier first round opponent than Texas.

I am sure many people will smirk at this article, I get it, Adams Division jokes and so forth.  Just another sky is falling opinion.  The Red Sox might win 100 games for crying out loud which is quite an accomplishment.   But, this team has injuries and holes, and they are not so much better than their competition that they can throw out the gloves and just win.  I would try to position myself for the easiest road possible.   If the Sox can run through Texas and New York I’ll be the first to write an article to say how wrong I was and the division doesn’t matter now and never will again.  But, what will the media reaction be if they go down in first round like the Patriots did last year?  Most likely, the Sox weren’t that good, Buchholz was hurt, Texas was a better team.  That’s what type of town this is becoming, and it’s up to the fans to take off the pink hats and stop listening to the propaganda.  Remember the media should never control the narrative, the fans should.   As much as a dunce I think Bud Selig is, the quicker he makes the division title an advantage the better for baseball and the better for fans. 

A COUPLE OF HEAD-SCRATCHERS

Franklin Morales…How is he on this team?  Same goes for sub-Mendoza McDonald.  Was Jeff Bailey unavailable?

Is Jason Varitek the only backup catcher the Manager won’t pitch hit for? 

Finally, Carl Crawford is having a historically bad season.  Last night 0-6 with 4 Ks in the double-header.  Everything about this signing looks bad.  A lefty pull hitter in a park made for right-handers.   A guy, who is not cut out to bat 6^th, doesn’t work counts, can’t hit lefties and refuses to steal bases anymore.   Well, I sure hope the Sox have the $120 million to sign Jacoby after locking up $141 million to Carl.  You wanted excitement Red Sox Front Office, are you getting it?   You might have the next Vernon Wells.

Today’s guest post is another contribution from George Cain, who looks at Bud Selig and Major League Baseball. 

Why Bud Selig is the worst Commissioner in Sports OR How to make Major League Baseball better.

By George Cain

Being a Sports Commissioner does not seem to hold the prestige or respect it once did.  Goodell, Stern, Bettman were all feverishly booed by the fans in their last public appearances.   Goodell and Stern are in the middle of labor disputes so that makes sense.  Bettman has never been popular going back to the cancelled NHL season that happened on his watch.   But to me, Bud Selig deserves more boos than all of them.   He is the worst commissioner of the four major sports and he’s done little to improve a game that needs a jumpstart drastically.

Now people have been predicting the demise of baseball for the last 10 years.   It has not happened.  You hear the same complaints, its slow, it’s boring, there’s no action.   Well that may be true, but baseball has two things going for it.   First, from late June till Labor Day Weekend it pretty much unopposed by any other sports.  Second, it’s the perfect sport to have on in the background when you’re at the beach, on the porch, mowing the lawn or just flicking channels on a hot summer night.

Then September comes, ratings go way down and by the time Halloween rolls around its finishing up.  And what do people remember from the season?  Whether or not the New York Yankees won it or lost it.   That’s really the only intrigue that is left.  Peter Gammons and Tim Kurkjian will wax poetic about the fact that baseball has a different champion for 11 seasons now.   Something no other major American sports can claim.    But, the game could be so much better.  And here’s what I am praying the next Commissioner has the “insert word here” to do.

#1 – Payroll Inequity – To be honest, Bud has blanked this up so much I don’t know if it can be fixed.  But according to the Baseball Almanac, in the 1994 strike year when Bud cancelled the World Series, the highest payroll in the league was the New York Yankees at $47 million.  The lowest was the San Diego Padres at $13 million.  But all but two teams were spending at least $20 million.   Bud and the owners went for broke.  Not only did they not get a salary cap, but the Yankees payroll went from $47 million to $204 million in 10 years.  Good job, Bud.  You really showed those players and created a level playing field.  Let’s face it, as a Red Sox fan we love that the Red Sox are going to be in the hunt not just this year but every year.  Yes, there are different winners in the World Series because payroll doesn’t guarantee you a championship.  However, it does guarantee a spot in the playoffs pretty much every year unless your inept like the Cubs and Mets.  MLB has become college football.  Eight teams have a shot at the championship and everyone else is going to the Liberty Bowl.   You might get a Boise St in there every 5 years but for the most part it’s a big market league.  How do you keep a sport interesting when 22 teams don’t have a shot in October?  You don’t, which is why baseball has become more about who people root against vs. who they root for.

#2 – Two rules.  Imagine a 4 pt field goal in the NFC.   Or a 2 pt power play goal in the Eastern Conference of the NHL.  I get it Bud, the NL Owners don’t want to have to pay for DH’s and the players union has threatened you over elimination of the DH.    Well toughen up, make a choice and end this nonsense.   I can’t believe there is not more debate about this issue.  This should have been resolved 20 years ago.

#3 – The MLB Draft.   This could be a whole column itself.   There is a draft, but there is no rookie wage scale.   Scott Boras basically controls this draft and because of that, teams are forced to shell out big bucks to high school kids who are the least sure things of any major sport.  Simple fix, rookie wage scale, and like the NBA, once you draft a guy you own his rights.  If he wants to go to college that’s fine but, he’s yours when he gets out.  This way, these college kids can’t extort teams 2 days before classes start.  Teams like the Red Sox and Yankees also make out like bandits by drafting kids in the 4^th round who already have college scholarships and then paying them 1^st round money.  As for international players, why aren’t they in the draft? At least half of the All-Stars are International Players.  Name another American sport that allows their International Players to be free agents.  These MLB teams set up these Dominican Academies and sign these kids at 16.  Morally it’s wrong since many of these young men are poorly educated and become properties and not people and from a fairness perspective it’s foolish.  This is how the Yankees and Red Sox were able to get players like El Duque, Hanley Ramirez, Robinson Cano etc.  All players should go in the MLB draft.

#4 – Interleague schedule.   The Mets/Yankees thing has worn off.  No one cares that much outside of New York.  The Jets and Giants don’t play each other EVERY season.    The Yankees should not play the Mets, as many times as they play the Tigers.  It is absolutely moronic.   I like interleague, but copy the NFL model.  Play a division and rotate it.  I understand there is a matchup problem in the Central and West with the two extra teams.   But that can be fixed.  And wouldn’t it be more fun if the Mets only played the Yankees every THREE years.

#5 – All Star game.   It’s become just like every other All-Star game, and Bud your stupid idea of home field being determined by the winner makes it even more pathetic that no one watches it.  Just play the game as an exhibition and accept it’s meaningless.

#6 – Length of Games.    This could be #1. In 1967, there was not one game in the 7 game World Series that went 3 hours.  NOT ONE.  Today a Red Sox/Yankee regular season game goes 4 hours.  Playoff games are routinely 4 hours.   How do you fix it?  You enforce or change the rules.  First, each player keeps one foot in the box at all times.  Second, pitchers can’t take longer than 10 seconds to throw a pitch.  Third, shorter time between innings.  And put in a “LaRussa” rule.  Every pitcher barring injury, has to face a minimum of two batters.  It’s called embracing a bit of technology Mr. Commissioner.    I know you’re almost 80 but fans have lives too.

#7 – Starting times for playoff games.  So here’s how it goes.  The networks don’t give a damn about the fan experience or the future of the game.   They buy these playoff games to make money through advertising or to prop up shows on THEIR network.  But here Bud sold his soul again. The games are supposed to start at 8, they start closer to 8:20, get over at 12.   The networks mostly care about 8-10 PM on the East Coast.  That’s where the big ad revenue is.  Anything after that is pure gravy.  Bud, if you really cared about this sport you would realize that you have a generation of fans not able to stay up and watch the games.   Heck, I won’t stay up and watch them unless the Red Sox are playing.  Get tough with the networks, start the games earlier and throw in a few day games too.  The NFL Conference Championships are played at 3:00 and 6:30 PM EST.   The Super Bowl is at 6:45 PM EST.  If you’re not going to speed the game up, start them earlier.

#8 – Scott Boras.  Between the draft and Free Agency he’s too powerful a force.  If you can’t contain his influence during free agency keep him out of the MLB Draft as much as possible.

#9 – Failure to adopt technology.   Bottom line, there are still too many blown calls.  The umpires huddle and then don’t overrule.  All controversial home runs should be reviewed and give each team 1 challenge during the game and have a 5^th umpire in the booth.   If you really wanted to get progressive you could use the K-Zone to call balls and strikes.  But, let’s walk before we run.

#10 – The umpiring union.  At one point this Union was far more wretched than they are today.   Why they got so powerful in the first place I’ll never know.  There are 200 Minor league umpires that would cut off their own arm to be in the Big Leagues and you are still letting this union dictate to you.   Name another sport where the refs get in players faces.   Put together strict rules that lay out how the games are called and how the umpires interact with players.  If they don’t like it well, there are some air traffic controllers from the 1980’s that you should bring in to talk with them.

That’s it.  Ten simple changes to make one of the greatest games better.  It will never again surpass football, but football is a different animal all together.   The goal of sporting leagues should be to evolve and continue to be popular.   Don’t just sit there on your 2 ½ month monopoly.  Now I know Bud isn’t listening, he’s still trying to figure out what to do with Pete Rose. But maybe, just maybe the next commissioner will hear my pleas.

What say you?

Today’s guest column is from George Cain, with a follow-up look at the sports radio wars, and a number of thoughts on sports media personalities. 

The BIG DROP: PART II

By George Cain

Last November when I first wrote about the local Sports Radio competition between 98.5 (The Sports Hub) and WEEI, the two stations were in a close battle for the #1 spot in the local ratings.  Seven months later, the battle is over.  The Sports Hub destroyed WEEI in the May Arbitron ratings book and did it again in June.   There is no doubt 98.5 got a bump from the Bruins Stanley Cup run, but expect this trend to continue.  In November, it was just Felger and Massarotti knocking off the Big Show from 2-6 PM.   Today it is the Sports Hub winning in every time slot and every demographic that counts.     WEEI did not take 98.5 seriously when they debuted after several failures by other competing stations.  They are trying to counterpunch in recent months, but are having little success.   So here is my evaluation of the current matchups and what I see going forward.

Morning Shows – 6AM to 10AM – D&C vs. Toucher and Rich

In a desperate act, D&C has tried to become more hip in order to appeal to the under 35 audience.  They have brought in David Portnoy, aka “El Prez” and founder of the very popular Barstoolsports.com to serve as a guest on Fridays.   But 1^st place is a thing of the past for this show.  They have cut out the political talk, golf talk and readings of Larry King’s columns.  But while D&C seems old and tired, Toucher and Rich have a fresh new feel.   They are funnier, wittier, and can talk sports and pop culture.  Face it, John Dennis comes off as an arrogant, country club snob a lot of the time.  And that was made clear years ago when he foolishly left that message on Ryan Russillo’s answering machine.  Hey John, that “Rotillo guy”, well he’s got a national show now on ESPN radio.

Prognosis – D&C will hang around for a bit.  They will never be number one again.  And they will not recruit new audience without major shakeups.  It might be time for two new consonants.

Mid-morning to mid-afternoon (10AM to 2PM) – Mut & Merloni vs Gresh and Zo.

Despite the ratings win for Gresh and Zo, we all lose here.  WEEI tried to go young but they went unknown.  Replacing the tandem of Dale Arnold and Michael Holley has exploded in their face.  The new duo of Lou Merloni and Mike Mutnansky are putting up pathetic rating numbers.  This “younger” pairing is 17^thin the 18-34 demo.  I love hearing Lou Merloni talk baseball.  I could see him someday replacing Jerry Remy on Red Sox telecasts.  But, as a day to day co-host he just doesn’t have the gravitas that makes you want to tune in and listen.  Mut could be replaced by any of a 100 guys and you wouldn’t know the difference.  As for Gresh and Zo, well, they were failures in Providence and here they have been fortunate.  Yes, they are first in their timeslot. But, it’s like being the show following American Idol, its going to get ratings.  Zo, is similar to Merloni in that he knows one sport well and the rest not very well.   Andy Gresh is an absolute enigma to me.  If you look at polls he’s widely disliked, he arrogant, he’s unrefined, he’s obnoxious (by the way I must credit the movie Bachelor Party for those perfect adjectives) and he’s ignorant.  Just hearing him rail on women’s soccer makes me shake my head.   Gresh and Zo are riding the 98.5 wave.   You could trade the hosts on both shows and I guarantee the numbers on each network would pretty much stay the same.  The good news is most of us are working when these shows are on the radio.

Prognosis – An eventual shakeup at WEEI and more blather from Gresh.

Afternoon Drive – Felger and Mazz vs the Big Show (Ordway and Holley) & the Straw Man

Ordway was once the star of the market.  He was the Mike Francesa (WFAN) of Boston talk radio.  But, like Francesa he fell in love with his voice and his opinions and no other opinion really mattered.  When he had Smerlas, DeOssie and Shepard on with him to talk football, it was one of the absolute low points in Boston Sports radio.  The show became the Patriot Propaganda Network .  Any caller that had the temerity to levy a criticism at the Patriots were talked over, shouted down or hung up on.   Ordway, never a hockey fan, failed to see the Bruin Tidal Wave coming before it was too late.   Pairing him with Michael Holley, whom I consider the second best personality in Boston, was a great move.  But adding Mikey Adams  to the show is a real head scratcher.  His show is meant for a night time audience. It’s meant for a time when I am watching TV.  Holley and Felger would be the dream team but we won’t see that anytime soon.  Felger’s head is big enough so I won’t pat him on the back too much more.  He’s become the dominant sports commentator in Boston.  People love him or hate him and sometimes that’s in the same day; but that’s his appeal.  He’s light years better than when he first started hosting at 890 AM.  Felger has also re-formed himself as the new contrarian.  He is a card-carrying member of the anti-Patriot cartel dubbed by me.  This is a reference Felger seems to wear with a badge of honor.  As an audience I think we just want honesty.   Just because WEEI were propagandists 98.5 doesn’t have to be contrarian to balance it off.  Felger LOVES the Straw Man argument.  He much prefers arguing a point against the Straw Man over callers, who can be annoying.  Regardless, WEEI will always regret letting him get away.  As for Tony Mazz, well, Tony like Mike is the king of the Straw Man argument.  He creates a Straw Man, Pats fans or people that want Jon Papelbon out of town, or Pink hats and argues a whole show or Baseball Reporters segment against it.  His sports knowledge is strong but he’s agrees too much with Felger. “You’re absolutely right Mike!” (YARM) I would like a little more back and forth with these two, it makes for much better radio.  By the way, the segment “Naughty Mazzarotti” is hilarious.  Thank you Toucher and Rich for that gem.

Prognosis – Well Ordway might have a much tougher time in his next negotiation.  The question for WEEI is if he can’t bring home #1 how does he justify his contract?

7PM to whenever – Damon Amendolara vs Mike Adams

The mother ship vs the planet.  It sounds like a plot for a science fiction movie.  Who will win and do we care?  I myself prefer Amendolara.  He has a more well-rounded show and is more listenable if you happen to be driving around or working the late shift.  Nightime is tough; most people are watching TV, so good luck to whoever can make the most out of this timeslot.

Prognosis – Who cares.

The Near Future

I don’t see WEEI making a big comeback in any of these markets.  They need an FM signal in Boston and more tinkering of their lineup.  They should look heavily at Ryen Russillo and Chris Gasper, two budding stars in the radio and print media respectively.   I don’t know what Russillo is pulling down at ESPN but he might be tempted to come back home in a starring role.

The interesting thing to me is that all these media members go head to head during the day and then co-host CSNNE at night.  It shows you the dollar trumps all rivalries.  It also illustrates how bad the programming is on NESN.  Yikes.  But, that’s for another time.

Finally, I wanted to end with a little section I call the Head Scratcher.

Head Scratcher #1 – Gary Tanguay.  Tanguay is a co-host on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight and does Patriot pre and post game on Patriot radio telecasts and Celtics TV telecasts.  I am sure he is a nice guy.  But I just don’t get him. He reminds me of that guy who is always talking sports but then if your really listen to him for 5 minutes you realize…he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  I mean his sports knowledge is so, so limited.  His opinions are not well thought out.  He doesn’t know anything beyond local sports; he’s has no charisma, I find him often embarrassing to watch.  Recently, when talking Red Sox trade scenarios he did such poor homework all he could do was pull up a list of players from a March 2011 Baseball America list.  Hey Gary, do some research sometime!  The Red Sox have 5 or 6 blue-chip prospects at Double and Triple A they could trade for a player rental tomorrow.   They just might not want to let them go.  Part of your job is to educate the audience, not the other way around.  Try soxprospects.com, you might learn something at that website.

Tanguay  is also the king of overstatement. “Vince Wilfolk is gone, he’s gone.”  “Logan Mankins is gone.” “The Red Sox are not going to pay Jon Papelbon.”  “The Miami Heat cannot beat the Celtics.”  He’s almost never right about anything he says.  Guests on the show sometimes look perplexed by his commentary.  I get he has the TV and radio voice but he reminds me of Sam Malone when he hosted the Sports on an episode of Cheers.

Head Scratcher #2 – Taylor Twellman.   Hey I get he’s a nice guy.  He’s a funny guy, he’s a good looking guy and he knows soccer.  After that, he really is just an ex-soccer player that isn’t qualified enough to be on the air discussing the four “primary” sports in Boston.  Sorry, I want someone on there that knows who the Patriots backup quarterback is, who the Red Sox 4^th outfielder is and who backs up Tim Thomas.

Head Scratcher #3 – Greg Dickerson.   Did you see him fill in for Felger on Sports Sunday? Whoa!! It was brutal.   Start with his ridiculous monologue on Woman’s Soccer after they won a historic game that day.   I am NOT a huge soccer fan, but I am a sports fan, and a sports fan knows when a great moment occurs.  Dickerson clearly did not, and that’s why he was probably booted as the co-host of Sports tonight and onto the Celtics sideline as an analyst.  And even there he’s such a sycophant I can’t take any analysis he gives seriously.

Head Scratcher #4 – As I said before, its Andy Gresh.  I don’t get Andy Gresh.  Can someone explain him to me?  He’s like the Dane Cook of the Boston sports broadcasting world.  Does anyone rush to their radio to listen to Andy Gresh?

Thanks for reading my ramblings.  Love to hear yours.