Wait, what?
I mean Springsteen, of course. While I honestly don’t mind, and actually enjoy his music, I am SO glad he’s finally finished up his local concerts at Fenway and Gillette.
What is it with sports media and Bruce Springsteen? What exactly about him turns middle-aged white men into quivering teenage girls? I’m reminded of the packs of screaming young women lined up to catch a glimpse of the Beatles on their first visit to America.
I’m just glad it’s over for now.
The Red Sox continue to flounder, losing two of three to the Yankees over the weekend, but as is par for the course for this team, there was more drama off then field than on it.
First is Carl Crawford and his elbow, which he apparently will have Tommy John Surgery on tomorrow. Why he hasn’t had the surgery already is a mystery, given that this team is going absolutely nowhere, and that has been obvious for some time now.
Pete Sheppard had a great rant on this and on the Red Sox and their ownership in general while on WEEI this weekend.
Then there was this story from the New York Daily News:
Adrian Gonzalez off the hook as NY Mets’ Kelly Shoppach takes fall for Boston’s text mutiny
Essentially, the story claims that Gonzalez grew weary of his teammates constant complaints and bickering and allowed them to use his phone to text management, knowing that the face that it came from his phone it would hold more weight with the owners, but that the first basement had nothing to do with the content of the message.
OK then.
Roger Rubin one of the co-authors of the story, appeared on Toucher and Rich this morning to discuss it.
End of the road for Red Sox – Sean McAdam says that the show is over.
Josh Beckett not worth it – John Tomase says the Red Sox need to jettison Beckett however they can before next season.
The Patriots take the field tonight for the second preseason game, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles on ESPN. It doesn’t appear that Tom Brady and several other veterans will play much, if at all tonight, (The Eagles have said their starters might play into the third quarter.) with another game on Friday and another next Wednesday, the team needs to evaluate the lower end of the roster.
Get all the coverage over at PatriotsLinks.com.
Last week Boston.com add Alice Cook’s She’s Game Sports blog to it’s offerings. So far Cook, Kathryn Tappen and Stephanie Silva have posted entries. Cook’s entry, The evolution of the female fan looks at how far things have come since she started in the business in 1985.
It’s worth a read.
Boston Sports Media Watch 
Totally agree Bruce. Watching all these media guys, both locally and nationally, swoon after Springsteen — posting his “play lists” and talking about going to his concerts every night, from Kirk Minihane to Mad Dog and Peter King among numerous others — is beyond tiresome. Could care less.
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1) From the Rob Bradford book of spin – “If you get rid of Beckett, who are you going to replace him with.” – I am stealing this line from Felger but where are we ever going to find another pitcher that has an ERA between 5-6? That’s like finding Jimmy Hoffa.
2) Like everyone on the air has been saying today, who lets someone else use their phone nowadays, and even worse, let that person text a message to their boss? This reeks of Hohler 2.0. While the horse exits the barn, kick him in the ass! Then turn that same horse into dog-food.
3) Randon meaningless note: Does anyone happen to remember Felger bitching and complaining in late 2011, early 2012 about how we have too many days off as Americans? He said there were too many holidays, vacation days and people just needed to work? It was very Larry David-esque and made me chuckle. However at this point in the summer, it reeks of hypocrite (and groin from Tony Mazz). While some are happy that the WISC DB is taking 2 days off every week, I remembered his earlier rant and just feel like calling him out on it. Nice to practice what you preach Mike. Though I’m sure all main hosts vacay days are coming to an end with football around the corner.
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Winning I was just about to post the same thoughts you made about who uses someone else’s phone and seriously…all the issues in the club house were generated by Kelly Shoppach. Good thoughts by you…lets see if any of the illustrious BBWA members call bull pucky to this or will they let it go so the story dies and they stop looking like fools.
One other thought…let’s say Gonzo did lendhis phone because he was fed up…are we really supposed to believe that someone with enough gravitas to say…”shut up and play” decided instead to be the stooge who lent his phone? I don’t think so. Nor do I think the meeting would have happened had he known he was going to look like a moron. No the original set of events makes more sense and the only reason there is any spin is because the story got out. Not that it matters too much because in 2 weeks when football starts absolutely no one will be watching this team.
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Bruce, did Cook leave BZ on her own or was she forced out?
To bad, she was very good on tv and was far more prepared/knowledgeable than Steve Burton IMO.
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I believe Alice was forced out.
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wonder how much of Springsteen concert they actually saw?….I think most of them spent the concert playing with their cell phones tweeting minutia …..as far as tonight’s Patriots game I think alot of the media are WAY OFF. Tom Curran was on “Pro Football Talk Live” he thinks Pats starters will play “deep” into the game and I agree
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THanks for the Springsteen comment Bruce. I was a HUGE Springsteen fan in the mid-70s and early 80s. But a 63 year old, “1 percenter” who’s a “working class hero”? No thanks. Just going through the motions.
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So, the first domino to fall:
Anyone watching Sports Tonight? Rob Bradford claims that Bobby V “hired” Bob McClure. He’s still putting up this “you’re not there so you can’t report” — honestly, I don’t think he realizes that people have been doing rings around him when it comes to his job. Maybe he’s got some guarantee from WEEI like MLB players do?
Felger is challenging him a bit on this..
Did I miss something that McClure was hired by Bobby Valentine? Even though he was in before Bobby Valentine was made manager? This is what Rob Bradford is claiming..
Seriously, either there is bad information out there or is something else going on?
The last guy I saw doing this in the media was a writer for SI.com that covered the PL, was Jen Chang. Basically, the writer had homered up over the past year or so, even with SI’s brand/shield, and wound up getting the job offer when FSV cleared house at Anfield in the offseason. Just a thought..
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NFL news.. game is still on.. but man Cannon/Solder make me think of Wayne Hunter sometimes.
Too bad for Philly fans, Vick can’t stay healthy.
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Gordon Edes wrote this for ESPNBoston ( http://es.pn/SioRN9 ):
“But by this point in the season, McClure knew he was a short-timer, even if the team tried to make a few cosmetic changes by going out to the mound more than he had been earlier in the season. Even though Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington was so eager to have McClure on board last fall he hired him weeks before hiring a manager, and even though Valentine had signed off on McClure when he was named manager, the relationship had soured.”
Signed off. I have a trepidation with that word. I’ve heard it before and had it “thrown” upon me at jobs and when I bought my last car. Signed off meant “now that we’re all happy and you’re the most vulnerable, we need you to ok this this and this and we’ll ‘promise’ x y and z” .. but it’s not in writing. Legal 101: not in writing = not gonna happen. Thankfully, I learned my lesson early on but I’d like some clarification here on this story.
I can’t call Gordon a Shill for the team but I’d love to have this clarified by someone who isn’t just covering up for the team. If “signed off” meant that Valentine was promised that McClure was only going to have a minor role and be out of the picture, but then later forced to “deal” with him as he was signed on and not going to be fired, well that’s your creative usage of “signed off”.
Maybe we will never know, or only will know when Valentine is gone from the Sox and he inks a book with someone around here. Who knows, but the clarification is critical here. I’ve got to assume we’ve all been “promised” things like this only to have them never to happen and the situation blow-up in our faces. With how things are going, I get the impression that Lucchino signed off on having McClure to placate Cherrington, basically as a pacifier.
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Michael Felger’s reaction to Rob Bradford on Sports Tonight was absolutely priceless. As much as I’m hot and cold on Felger, Bradford has become the biggest tool in this town and Felger knocked him around for the whole first segment of the show. The reaction of Dickerson sitting there as Felger ripped into him was also memorable.
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