Nice Celtics win last night, huh?

Down nine in the 4th quarter on the road to a team that is second in the East, and which has beaten them physically all night, the Celtics go on an 11-0 run to close the game and win on a Jeff Green layup with 0.5 seconds on the clock.

While most who cover the game had last night in perspective, there are always those who insist on doing all they can to suck any enjoyment out of the game.

During the Celtics postgame on CSNNE last night, they had their tease for the Uno Sports Tonight and admitted Celtics-hater Mike Felger looked like a beaten man. He recovered in time for the show, in which he dismissed the win as just a win against an “Eastern Conference” team. When Jeff Green’s basket and night were brought up, his reaction, and I quote, was “meh.” When Green’s 7 rebounds were brought up, his reaction was “meh.”

He managed to even get a dig in a Rajon Rondo, when he stated that the team would not be enjoying this run of success if Rondo was playing. Maybe that’s true, (I don’t agree) but that’s what you say after a win like this?

Speaking of takeaways from last night, we’ve got this:

THAT’s what he took away from that game last night? How frustrating Jeff Green is?

Look, I get that it’s no longer Glenn’s job to watch and keep up with sports, but is he even aware that since February 1st, Green is averaging over 15 points a game? That’s a 15-game stretch. He had an uneven start to the season, but – and this might be crazy – perhaps he was still finding his way after extensive open heart surgery? Like I said, maybe that’s crazy talk.

Glenn, as is well-documented, was bitterly against the Kendrick Perkins/Jeff Green. I loved Perk, but the same day of the trade, I outlined Why Danny Ainge Made The Right Move.

There has been this huge myth built up around Perkins, like he was the missing piece that kept the Celtics from beating Miami the last two years in the playoffs. That’s nonsense. (Let’s not forget, he likely would’ve been gone as a free agent after that season anyway.) Perkins is averaging 4.5 points and 5.9 rebounds this season, and his name has been suggested as a possible amnesty candidate for the Thunder.

Anyone want to debate that Ainge made the right move? You simply can’t, yet people continue with this revisionist history.

In addition, we’ve got those out there who were screaming that the Celtics needed to “blow it up” at the trade deadline this year. Last night shows why the team was right not to. They’re likely not going to win a championship this year, but this team is still incredibly enjoyable to watch, and there is something to be said for that.

Why can’t we just enjoy a team without  some people consistently trying to be the turd in the punchbowl?

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

63 thoughts on “Media Turds in the Punchbowl Can’t Help Themselves”

  1. one of your best pieces ever on the site bruce, dead on. its remarkable how these talking heads think they know what they’re talking about. the celtics are structually one of the best in the league, great owners, logical gm, brilliant coach…who knows where this team is headed in the playoffs but i have to say this team is a pleasure to watch. go celtics!

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    1. About 8-10 years ago I was playing cards at a friend’s condo with a bunch of guys, one of whom was (at that time) a fairly well known sportscaster on the air in the Boston market and had been for a while. He was there as a friend of a friend type of thing.

      Anyway, as what usually happens in these situations, the conversation turned to sports and we’re all chatting away about various topics, both present and past, involving pro and college sports. The sportscaster, after listening to me and my friends go back and forth for a bit, told us flat out that we all knew more about sports than 95 percent of the hacks on the air — including himself. He was serious . . . and sober at the time.

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      1. Same thing happened to me in the 90’s. A bunch of us were playing a pickup game, and a Boston Celtic was playing with us. After an hour or so he said that we could play in the NBA. He was serious. And sober.

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  2. On a related note,Kris Humphries has been benched in Brooklyn so a guy named Mitra Teletivoc can play. You may remember Kris Humphries as the guy these morons were screaming to trade Pierce for 2 weeks ago.

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  3. Now that’s weird about Felger on Sports Tonight, because at the end of his radio show, he was pumping the game as a real referendum on the state of the Celtics, and that he expected Pierce and Garnett to show up, and for the Celtics to win. I find it curious that he had nothing much to say after the game (though I didn’t see the show, so I’ll have to take your word for it). Maybe he (and Glenn) don’t want to give much credit to Green at all. Though I’ll say this much–if Green plays well in the playoffs, those guys will change their tune. People aren’t even sold on Tuukka Rask at this point, and as recently as a couple of years ago, pre-Cup, Tim Thomas was the focus of many questions. Green’s only hope of changing the narrative is to keep playing well.

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    1. i don’t think it’s odd that he pumped up the game and then was “meh’ in response to the win at all. It’s par for the course for that cretin.

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    2. Did the same reaction after the Ravens AFCC win.

      It’s also a win-win situation. Win, Celtics win, and he can do his thing. Lose, and he can do the “I expected more.” Stated above and the usual agenda.

      I assume it’s because he doesn’t want the call screener to be filled up with Felger-hate calls?

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  5. On Perk–you’re right on, Bruce. Even though I hated the trade (and it looks better in retrospect, though it did destroy the Celts’ chemistry that year) the only reason Ainge could have made the trade was if he thought Perk, at the time of the trade, was not what he had been, and furthermore, would never be that again. Though I wonder…if the Lakers do actually make the playoffs, Perk’s worth as a Dwight stopper might become important again, unless his whole game has slipped.

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  6. Your point is right on Bruce. How many of the supposed knowlegeable Boston Talking heads (Shaughnessy, Ordway, Dennis, etc..) think Danny traded away the Chamionship in 2011. What they fail to remember is Dwayne Wade’s jujitsu like takedown of Rondo in Game 3 of that series. Once that happened, all bets were off. I liked Perk but he wasn’t a 9 million dollar player. Apparently the Thunder are learning the same thing as there are constant rumors that they will amnesty him.

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  8. Unrelated to the specific media personalities referenced above, as well as last night’s game, but does anyone remember how negative Bill Simmons was toward Doc Rivers? These guys swing and miss, sometimes more often than not.

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    1. True, he admittingly was way off based on his evaluation of Doc Rivers. I’ve read enough of his stuff and listened to enough podcasts where he won’t deny that he was wrong. If you remember, Michael Holley along with many others were in the same camp. He used to make disparaging references to “Glen” (real name) Doc Rivers when speaking of the coach. This is common i think in alot of markets I’m happy to have been wrong in this case.

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  9. Is it common knowledge that the Perkins for Green trade was actually Perk for Harden and OKC backed out last minute? Green’s a good player, fun to watch, fun to root for, and if he had been healthy last year it’s possible there would be one more banner in the rafters. While not a “Lebron stopper” Green is one of the better Lebron defenders in the league.

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    1. Wow, you make Heinsohn look like a Miami fan. The difference last year wasn’t Green. It was Avery.

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  10. At some point I hope the powers-that-be tell Felger he has to do his job. Pushing biased agendas and not giving an opinion when he’s asked is not what he’s paid for.

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  11. Bruce your Felger posts are always utter trash. You spin and read into things as you see fit. Felger didnt “dismiss” the win. He predicted they would win before the game, and his larger point was that the Celtics can compete with anyone in the Eastern Confierence. If you ever listen to his show, you’d know that while he personally dislikes basketball, he’s always praising how hardworking and unselfish the Celtics, and is often much more positive about their outlook than even the likes of Tanguay and Dickerson. He’s not nearly as negative as you’d like to believe.

    I honestly don’t understand what your issue is with him. He’s generally fair, will admit when hes wrong. Hes an ass but thats part of the entertainment value he brings. I’d much rather someone who tells it like it is with his real opinions rather than just fake it like Ordway did all those years.

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    1. Are you on crack? He’s more positive than Tanguay or Dickerson??? Admits when he’s wrong? Correct me if I’m wrong but “the cap is crap” still runs rampant on his airways. The guy openly admits for hatred towards Rondo, and his postivity towards the team (when it rarely occurs) is pointed to piss of the Rondo people, specifically Tanguay, Heinsohn, among others.

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      1. Tanguay was on record all of last year saying the C’s were going nowhere and would likely be “one and done”. Felger was consistent all year that he believed in KG, Pierce, and Doc and that they’d be fine. And look what happened: up 3-2 against Miami with a solid chance to goto the finals. Tanguay spins things and is a homer, but he also is one of those homers who can be overly “the sky is falling”, and thats what happened last year.

        The bottom line is Felger said nothing on last night’s ST that was at all out of line. He predicted the C’s would win. He was saying the C’s could compete with anyone in the East.

        He has been correct with the “cap is crap” stuff too. His point was not that the Jets way was superior to the Pats way, just that the Pats way is not the ONLY way to succeed and that teams who have spent big have been able to manage to stay under the cap and keep their good players.

        IMO Felger and Mazz is the best show in Boston, past or present. I dont get the hate for him at all. Hes a douche sometimes but thats part of his schtick, I dont know why people take offense to it.

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        1. Bruce – perhaps you could share the article w/ TD where Felger was asked why he hated the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics and his reply was: “I didn’t say I hated the Red Sox and Patriots”.
          BTW – I totally I agree on Tanguay’s flip-flop status. He’s a complete phony when it comes to the C’s.

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        2. The “hate” is do to the fact that he doesn’t worship everything the Patriots do and he does it in such a smarmy way that it just drives the sheep crazy. And generally the attitude that Belichick is god comes from us guys who grew up watching mostly putrid Patriots teams for decades and now we are so grateful to Belichick that he finished the job Parcels STARTED with PARCELS DEFENSIVE PLAYERS( I always like to remind the bandwagon morons that the Pats were made into a contender before Belichick became the coach) in legitimizing this team and winning 3 Super Bowls.
          I am grateful for that but never to the point that he could do whatever he wants without criticism.

          Lets not give him the permanent free pass.
          The Dolphins did that with Shula and before you knew it it had been over 20 years since his last Super Bowl victory.
          Greatness is never forever.

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          3. I wish I was able to block out the Pete Carroll years as well as you have.

            Also, good to know that the reason the Dolphins didn’t win a Super Bowl in the 80s or 90s is that the fans didn’t whine enough after 12+ win seasons.

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          4. Carroll was here for three years, so Belichick inherited a lot of Parcells’ guys, including Bledsoe, Troy Brown, Tedy Bruschi, and Willie McGinest. And no, fans don’t magically make their teams better. But what’s wrong with a little healthy skepticism? .

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          5. I am aware that several players on that team were drafted while Parcells was there (Ty Law as well), but I don’t think it’s as simple as saying Belichick rode Parcells’ guys to a title. Most of those guys had been coached by Caroll longer than Parcells (Brown being one of the exceptions). The majority of the team was either acquired during the Caroll of Belichick years. dan made it sound like Gruden taking Dungy’s guys in Tampa to a championship the next year.

            Also, there’s nothing wrong with skepticism but there’s also nothing wrong with trusting in the decisions of an organization that has been incredibly successful and that has been right far more often than wrong. I don’t think trusting the decision of a team that wins 88% of their games makes me a sheep. And trying to find a few clouds on a sunny day does not make someone impartial.

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          6. Neither Dan nor I said Belichick rode Parcells’ guys to a title (Dan said he finished Parcells’ job–not quite the same thing). Been brushing up on straw-man construction by listening to Felgie?

            And it’s fair to say that the Patriots could have been even more successful with better drafting in the mid-2000’s. Doesn’t it burn you, as a Patriots fan (as it burns me) to have to put up with “you haen’t won since Spygate” nonsense? Belichick drafted Daniel Graham instead of Ed Reed in 2002 (and Belichick has since had nothing but praise for Reed). Don’t you think that a young safety would’ve come in handy in Scottsdale in January 2008? 20-20 hindsight, of course, but there are times when the Patriots braintrust is as fallible as anyone else. So “In Bill We Trust” shouldn’t be an item of absolute faith.

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          7. Dude…when did I EVER SAY THAT BELICHICK RODE THE TUNAS COATTAILS?

            For the record…Bill Belichick is a better overall coach than Parcells but Parcells is a much better drafter on defense and Bill Belichick should kiss the tunas hairy bean bag that he gave him Law, McGinnist,Bruschi, Johnson,should go on?

            oh how about this one and he was on special teams….ADAM FRIGGIN VINATIERI! Without him the Patriots might only have one super bowl or none. Parcells is the best GM that Belichick ever had.

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        3. I don’t know man, everytime I’ve listened to F&M talk Celtics, their conversations have had an overly negative feel. It’s always been Felger talking about Danny Ainge “not having any sack” or KG being a “fake tough guy” or just some general Rondo hate. I haven’t heard much positive stuff regarding them.

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          1. I dont always agree with him, but his points are usually backed up fairly well. KG does have a tendancy to pick on euro weenies and not really pick on anyone his own size. However he’s still an amazing competitor, and the heart and soul of the team, which Felger acknowledges all the time. Everything doesnt have to be black & white man. Its possible to criticize someone and still respect their game or their makeup.

            He is positive about the Celtics quite often, the problem is they dont usually talk about the Celtics as much as I’d like, but it is what it is. They’re specialties are more the Pats, Bruins and Sox. I think Adam Jones is more of a Celtics guy.

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        4. Felger did proclaim the Jets a superior team to the Patriots numerous times on his program prior to this year and was epically wrong about it. He also proclaimed that the Jets would get Nnamdi Asomugha back in those days because the “cap was crap” and was epically wrong on that too. Felger’s “cap is crap” argument is and has always been just that, crap. I agree that it is the best show in Boston, largely due to him, but let’s not give him a pass on a claim that he fabricated largely to support his Patriots hating schtick.

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          1. Well, there were those two years when the Jets went through the Patriots and got to the AFC Championship. They seemed to have a good thing going but made stupid personnel decisions (LaDainian Tomlinson, among others) and failed to develop Sanchez into even a decent QB, so now they suck again. I’m a Patriots fan, and I can admit that much.

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          1. No, Tannenbaum is out of a job because the Jets’ recent drafts, trades and signings haven’t turned into good starters.

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          2. And since they spent all their money on those busts they are screwed… because of the cap.

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      2. He also admitted, multiple times now, that the only reason he’s watching Celtics games this year is to prove his “Team is better without Rondo” argument, that he’s spearheading. Remind me again how CSNNE brass or TSH is cool with that?

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    2. That you don’t see the irony of pointing the finger at Bruce for “spin(ing) and read(ing) into things as you see fit” for his comments on Felger is probably all that needs to be said.

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  12. As Felger continues to become more agenda-driven, you do as well Bruce. As TD said, he predicted a win yesterday and for the 45 minutes I listened to the show today he was saying that he expects this team in the ECF again if they get a 6 or 7 seed. Hardly a turd in the punchbowl in my opinion.

    Felger is extremely annoying with his petty agendas. He is also terribly overexposed and would be more enjoyable if CSN reduced his role so that his opinions were a little fresher. But he is also well-informed and by far the most free-thinking talking head in the market. He doesn’t flip-flop. Even when he’s wrong he’ll at least make listeners think, and 99% of the time he’ll admit when he’s wrong (see: Flacco, Claude).

    One of the benefits of his constant contrarianism is that you’re simply hearing a different opinion – and as we’ve learned oh so many times in the past, the unpopular opinion is often the correct one (see: Ravens beating Pats in AFCCG). Too many times “mediots” as you like to call them, pick a storyline/opinion and beat it to death, only to have it blow up in their face. This is also known as basically anything ESPN does.

    Felger deserves criticism on LOTS of things, but as usual Bruce, you are like him at his worst. Parsing bits and pieces of an argument to fit your agenda. Save the criticism for when it’s deserved.

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    1. I agree 100% with the above. This is tilting at windmills, as are most of the columns I now read on this site, particularly when it comes to the Patriots & Celtics. Ordway complimented Green’s potential and called last night the best win of the year, yet This is somehow twisted into an attack on Green and Glenn just being a “turd in the punchbowl”? Give me a break. This type of fanboy homerism is just as obnoxious as all this supposed media cynicism you love to criticize so much.

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      1. People conveniently forget that Celts also got first rounder ( fab ) + danny weasled a low 2 which he turned into Lee. Perk was coming off major knee surgery + Mac Mullen said perk was 35 lbs heavier.Dennis the fool says celts would have won title with perk STUPID. Perk was fat and had a terrible +- with okc that year.Celts had a great record with SHAQ as the center not perk. An in shape perk got crushed by Mia in finals

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        1. Right, jmacs–Danny wouldn’t have traded Perkins that spring, if he liked what he was seeing that spring. Plainly he thought that Perk wouldn’t be any help in the condition he was in. My biggest beef with the trade at the time? Not Perk’s individual performance, but the trade’s impact on team chemistry. I think the Celtics lost Rondo (at least, the team-first Rondo) that day, and the traded ruined the big-man defensive chemistry between Garnett and even a still-slow Perkins.

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      3. How do we know Ordway is telling the truth? After all, just 3 weeks ago he told us all everything was an act?

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    2. I agree, Steve. Generally the ones saying the nastiest things about Felger are describing themselves most accurately. Felger is overexposed–there’s only so much one single person can have to say (makes me think of when Mike & the Mad Dog were on-air on the FAN in New York for nine hours a day for a few months after Imus flamed out. There’s only so much you can hear from one person, or two). Tanguay just isn’t a guy to come out with hard takes on anything–it’s not his nature. But Felger’s always looking for a problem, and I actually like that mindset. It’s the mark of someone who’s paying attention, and isn’t just coasting with popularly-held assumptions (witness how he’s continued to criticize Claude even in the wake of the Stanley Cup victory).

      The more I’ve heard Felger deride Garnett’s fake tough-guy routine, it’s become clear to me that he has a problem with NBA culture in general, not Kevin Garnett in particular. There are times–plenty of times–when he’s praised KG’s leadership and playing on the floor. I’ve heard him say on a number of occasions, something very like, “Within the context of that league, the Celtics are a tough team.” And on Rondo, I’ve never heard him ,or Mazz, or any other media guys, say they “hate” Rondo. He might go so far as to call Rondo a punk (which is pretty insulting), or a bad guy (though that’s his favorite expression for Lackey), but his basic point is that Rondo is overrated, and the Celtics are better without him. And since Rondo’s gone down…the Celtics have been better without him!

      Nobody (except the Celtics) expects the Celtics to beat the Miami Heat, Rondo or no Rondo. But to read the comments on this board, you’d think that Felger has committed the unpardonable crime…of having a strong opinion. At least he’s cabable of one.

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      1. Felger’s always looking for a problem= to a hammer, everything’s a nail. Is this what it means to be a fan these days? Not to take any enjoyment from sports, but to make sure the proper amount of criticism is levied?

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        1. Who said he’s a fan? Felger’s pretty honest about his Wisconsin rooting interest–the Packers and Brewers in particular. His job is to comment on Boston area sports. That’s one reason I like his show–he’s not a hometown voice.

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          1. There’s not an honest bone in his body, he turned on the Patriots when Brady stopped returning his calls.

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          2. And you know this how? Hey, if you don’t like him, don’t listen or watch. I find the guy entertaining. And I am very much willing to questions the teams I root for. Anyone who was a Sox fan before 2004 should know exactly what I’m talking about.

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          3. To steal a page from your here’s play book, “I’m not saying it’s true, but I’m not saying it’s not true. We just don’t know.” I’m just throwing it out there. Now you reply with, “YOUR ABSOLUTELY RIGHT CORKY” and boom there’s your shoe.

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          4. It’s pretty common-sense speculation, when plainly we’ll never have many real facts to deal with. Derek Jeter breaks a bone in his foot with no contact–apparently the muscles were strong enough to just break the bone by themselves. Nomar’s muscle ripping off his pelvis several years ago. And any torn tricepts you care to mention. These are all stereotypical steroid injuries. Greg Oden, of all people, packed on 40 pounds of muscle while recuperating from knee surgery during his rookie year. It takes a willful effort to bury your head in the sand not to realize the likely extent of PEDs in pro sports. And that’s not worth talking about?

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          5. I should have clarified- it’s a response to those who would exalt him. He makes the fan experience worse, IMO

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    3. “Cap is Crap” Mike Felger – an unpopular opinion that Mike was absolutely right on once again.

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    4. So let me see if I have this right… Felger is great because he’s a “free thinker” who doesn’t involve himself with petty agendas and his critics really are the folks at fault because they are only describing themselves.

      I’ll ignore the first point for a moment to note that the same themes of derisively going after “Green Teamers” and seemingly finding new and different barbs to toss as various Celtics players/management are apparently not an agenda. They are not something he uses on a regular basis to create his ‘on air persona”. Am I right about that? Or that he’s accused several players, including KG most recently, of using PEDs without any sort of basis for the comment? No agendas there again… just free thinking?

      Lastly, it’s the author of this site, and those who agree with him, that have the belief that the consumers of Boston sports media deserve better than agenda ridden hacks whose ability to drive ratings inappropriately brings them acclaim.

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      1. The guy has his agendas (the Green Teamers schtick is probably the worst), and has been wrong about plenty of things. Who hasn’t been wrong about things? (I’m not concerned with agreeing with the site’s author, or you, or other commenteres here.) I suppose Felger’s harder on the Celtics because he likes basketball less than other sports–in the Big Show’s heyday, they gave hockey even shorter shrift. They ignored it altogether. When folks like you do nothing but call people hacks, it makes me start to think that no one could ever possibly satisfy you, so why should anyone else pay attention to your opinions?

        As for steroids, if two-plus decades of steroid and PED revelations in just about every sport, including many of the most famous (Ben Johnson, Bonds, Clemens, Ortiz, Manny, Armstrong, and plenty of football players), how naive do you have to be to not realize that steroid use could be rampant in every league? Baseball players in particular stonewalled any testing program for more than a decade. They now pay the price of universal suspicion. And with these drugs helping guys get stronger and recover from injury (or even from just training) more quickly, now that athletes are staying elite longer into their 30s than ever before, you’re willfully ignoring logic if you don’t admit that steroid use could be universal. So Felger likes to voice his suspicion. After so many players previous defended as clean (including A-Rod) have turned up dirty…it’s kind of foolish to insist othewise.

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  13. As a businessman I will tip my hat to Felger. He generates revenue for his company, which is his job.

    As a Boston sports fan? I find him to be the perfect embodiment of an Internet troll with a radio microphone at his disposal. The thing with trolls is that their intention when they post/tweet/speak is solely to get a rise out of their audience. After all, this rise is what results in attention on the Internet, and ratings for a radio host. Whether the troll really believes what he is typing or saying is irrelevant to his mission.

    That passionate Boston sports fans are frustrated with Felger’s nonsensical statements is understandable. That people defend his views as if they’re genuine is beyond baffling.

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  14. So is it worse to be a fanboy of a professional sports franchise you’ve followed all your life, or to be a fanboy of a johnny-come-lately charlatan sports radio host whose sole purpose in life is profiting off making real fans of those teams miserable?

    I’m going with the latter.

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    1. Or maybe it’s possible to be a fan, and also an intelligent sports watcher who likes to think about the teams, the athletes and the sport. But it does seem to me you’re using the same tactic that the radio guys do: amplify (and to some extent create) the divisions. Just like when I listen to guys on the radio–I don’t have to agree with all of it. Case in point–from Jack Edwards, to Beersy, to Dale Arnold, to Felger, I heard everyone saying pretty much the same thing after Thornton lost his fight in Buffalo, and again after Chara took down Emelin–the first moment wasn’t the time to fight, the second was. But to hear the on-air guys say it, you’d think nobody agreed with anyone else. Everyone trying to set himself apart is part of the game, it seems. I can ignore that without too much trouble.

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      1. Clarification–Buffalo wasn’t the game for Chara to step up and fight for his teammate, but Montreal was–and I agree.

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