Kirk Minihane made his triumphant return from vacation to the WEEI airwaves this morning, and while he acknowledged his apology to Erin Andrews, he and his co-hosts also struck back at “panderers” and others who had been critical of them. He vowed not to change his style.
He also offered this further thought on Andrews.
I used a word to reference Erin Andrews that I shouldn’t have used to reference Erin Andrews. I will completely cop to that, I said it, I admit it. […] I think she stinks at her job. I don’t think she’s very smart. I think Fox only hired her because she’s good-looking. I think if she weighed 15 pounds more, she’d be a waitress at Perkins.
Whatever you think of Erin Andrews’ intelligence or talent, it’s good to know that Minihane has been sufficiently humbled by his experience of last week.
Boston Sports Media Watch 
Podcasts are the best.
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I enjoy many comedy podcasts currently, but does anyone know of any sports podcasts that are worth a listen, even better any local sports podcasts that are any good.
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A couple of football-centric ones for you:
Locally the Patriots.com podcasts aren’t bad. They will improve dramatically now that the season is coming up.
Nationally the Ross Tucker podcast is pretty insightful. Daniel Jeramiah (sp?) of NFL Network used to do one when he was unemployed and it was the most informative football discussion (albeit one way discussion) that I’ve ever listened to. I wish he’d go back to that.
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For hockey fans, Hockey Central at Noon. It comes out of a sports radio station in Toronto, and it’s everything that our local sports radio isn’t: intelligent, thoughtfully analytical, engaging and informative. What it’s not: hysterical, polarizing, moronic and pandering.
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On the plus side, at least they didn’t refer to any of the “panderers” as “METCO gorillas”…..
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As if the only offensive thing about this was his use of one word, rather than the totality of a angry rant that wished death upon someone because he doesn’t like her. It was so vulgar I had to turn it off.
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If you seriously thought he wanted her to drop dead…..wow. It was hyperbole. Just like when you and I and everybody else says “I’m gonna kill you” to someone. Are we serious? No. There was almost nothing he said last week or today that was “vulgar.” Good grief. Calm down with the mock Internet outrage,
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I thought we’d be talking about the big AS Roma/Liverpool match tonight at Fenway?
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(kudos to the evil Twittersphere here)
Tiger Woods, “Wait, Erin Andrews is a waitress at Perkins? Which one?”
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It really sounds like Minihane (as well as D&C) have leverage on ‘EEI. Their new contact will not be as lucrative as before but the 3 of them know that Entercom doesn’t have anyone close to replacing them and maintain the lower but steady ratings they get.
Dammit.
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I think that they may chose to save money at the end of August. Minihane doesn’t need the other two to be controversial, interesting or over the top. Put him with the guys that he was with while Thing 1 and Thing 2 were on vacation and you have a cheaper entertaining show, which younger people will listen too.
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“Gutless bitch” was the only thing he needed to apologize for. Criticizing Erin Andrews for being a poor sideline reporter is nothing new, and fairly accurate. He made a TERRIBLE word choice, like really terrible, but I think people are piling on because they don’t care for EEI.
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He made a terrible word choice because it isn’t descriptive criticism of the job she does. It’s just hateful name-calling.
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Bullock gets “it”!
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In light of all of this whole brouhaha with Dungy, maybe–just maybe–people in the media now understand why BB does the bare minimum in press conferences?
(Yeah, not gonna happen.)
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Yeah…but Dungy bought this on himself. There is a real simple out with the Michael Sam issue for any commentator…Sam is too small to play DL and too slow to play LB. There is no position for him.
Dungy made this into a culture war issue when it had for the most part died. His Christian beliefs are well known. He should have said nothing other than discuss Sam as a football player. Instead he pompously states he would not have taken him in any circumstance. Oh Really? So had Sam been the consensus #1 a sure fire franchise QB who happened to also be Gay…Dungy would not have taken him. Interesting…in a sport where people joke that if Charles Manson could run a 4.3 40″ and catch the ball some coach would give him a tryout…Dungy would not look at a player because he is gay.
He should be fired for being a moron.
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180 more pounds and Erin can be a sports radio personality.
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perfect!
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This guy above takes offense at your comment.
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that’s never off topic
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Cue the media wars:
@LouMerloni Must be fun accusing @kirkmin for saying what he said for ratings. @BostonDotCom, what are you doing? Anything for a page view huh? Joke
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Lou got awfully defensive as soon as his show was dragged into this whole mess. He keeps saying that things were never said, even after Ken Fang, Bruce and others have provided audio proving what was said.
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1. Why’d he use Perkins as the restaurant? I’d never heard of the chain, so I searched it and discovered that there is not one franchise in New England. Why wouldn’t he use something everyone is familiar with? Odd.
2. Why’d he go with 15 pounds? If Erin Andrews gained 15 pounds, she’d probably look better not worse. She’s 5’10”, so at the very least it wouldn’t make any noticeable difference in her appearance. Why not say 50 pounds? Strange.
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They reference Perkins a lot because one of Tiger Woods conquests was a waitress there.
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OK, that sort of explains it then. So what he was implying is that if she were 15 pounds heavier then she’d be fat and thus unattractive. And that status would end her media career. And because she’s also unintelligent then she’d have to be waiting tables. But since he mentions Perkins then that implies that she’s sexually promiscuous because Perkins is where Tiger Woods happened to have met one of his mistresses. In other words, Erin Andrews is nothing but a whore.
To the person on here who questioned Bruce Allen’s assertion that D&C spew hate, read between the lines. They’ve been dropping nuggets in the vein of Minihane’s for years.
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Ordway talked about this in Hour 3, right around the 33m mark, if you want to listen: http://sportstalkboston.com/big-show-unfiltered/the-big-show-unfiltered-hr-three-7232014-graig-murphy-and-jerry-thornton-topics-revis-and-browner-pats-roster-kirk-minihanes-apology-to-erin-andrews-whiner-line
Most interesting part? He said that in the latest weekly Arbitron book, D&C(&M) beat T&R.
@globechadfinn According to parent company Entercom, @kirkmin won’t be suspended or fired for today’s comments on Erin Andrews.
I had to tune into the GearBear show at 6:30, since Minihane is usually on. No Minihane. . Have to figure NBC axed that.
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How is the Big O Show (or whatever the hell it is called) these days? The voyeuristic part of me may enjoy it if they’re willing to dish on some of the sports media gossip that’s anathema to discuss on the two big networks.
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I flip between it and F&M. I never used to enjoy the Big Show, because I think it got stale as F&M was rising in its nascent days, so maybe I’m just enjoying the ‘new car feel’. Maybe it’s just the independence Ordway has ‘unfiltered’, but I enjoy it. Yes, they engage in all media gossip, which would entertain many of us on here, but I’m not sure the appeal outside. Give it a shot? Worst case, you’re right back to what you usually had on.
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I don’t remember the media circling the wagons around Haggs when Kirk went after him. Everybody had a blast with Dennis and Ruesillo. Or all the times Rich goes off on D&C live on the air. But this involves *gasp* a WOMAN! Can’t be critical about any female “reporters.” Erin Andrews was made famous because she stood on the sidelines for ESPN and gave frat boys pants tents across the country for many years. The only difference between her and Jenn Sterger is Brent Musburger didn;t notice her on TV. She can’t interview anybody. She sucks. She’s a pretty blonde who attracts 18-40 year old male viewers. PERIOD.
You think she got Pam Olivers job because she is better than her? GTFO. First they “pair” her with Pam last year and now, see ya! Bye! Ken Rosenthal, we don’t need you either. Put Erin in the dugout so she can laugh about Joe Leland burning a heater. Take away Kirk calling her a “bitch” and you cannot HONESTLY look at your TV and tell me or yourselves that Kirk was wrong in anything he said about her and her job. You can’t.
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Correct, StoJa. But calling Andrews a bitch was bad enough–not only vulgar, but just wrong. Calling her a bimbo would be almost as vulgar, but more accurate. She’s pretty benign (and dull) on the air. Kirk’s tirade went beyond criticizing her work and went straight to the fraternity basement, which is exactly where he wanted to go. How many times have you heard these on-air guys call another male a dick? (That’s the closest comparable I can think of for bitch.)
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Um, A LOT. I’ve heard guys call each other a dick and an asshole very often on air. Not just on EEI but 98.5 and WAAF and other stations not in Boston. CBS has a real lockdown on what can be said on 98.5 otherwise Felger would sound like Howard Stern. Both he and Mazz have to pause and censor themselves almost once an hour.
“We” want things both ways. We want honest opinions but when we get them we act outraged and shocked. We want Kirk to be unfiltered and reigned in all at once. We don’t want cliched radio but we don’t want “hot sportz takes.” IT’S SPORTS RADIO. It’s guys sitting around talking about sports all day. It’s not Mensa. People who opine for “smart, educated sports shows” are delusional. It doesn’t exist in this medium. And if it did it would be the most boring thing on the air. It’s steroids, touchdowns, playoffs, Monday MOrning QB’ing, and second guessing. It’s not NPR.
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In Ordway’s 3rd hour, yesterday, he said the same thing:
Everyone wants the next Howard Stern, but when they become Howard Stern, by saying something that ticks people off, they ask you to stop being the same way.
It’s sad but maybe I shouldn’t try to consider sports talk a form of journalism but entertainment? Sounds like the way things are now and will be.
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The thing about Stern is, though, he’s actually an excellent interviewer. When it comes down to it, he can carry a show, and engage with high-powered guests. I remember Charles Laquidara once interviewing some former wife of Mick Jagger (even back in the 90’s), and all he wanted to talk about was Mick’s gay sex scandal in the 60’s. Charles had absolutely no clue about anything that had happened in this lady’s life since then, and her frustration was obvious. Even Big O came across as a small-timing putz when Bill Cosby came on his show once during the Jimmy Fund telethon about eight or nine years ago. You have to study your guests and have the nerve and the timing to run the show well when they’re on–and Stern can do that. There’s a lot more to his schtick than saying Shocking!!!!1! things and parading lesbian strippers past the mike. Just about none of his imitators can even come close in this.
I would add this, bsmfan–you’ve actually been thinking of sports talk radio as journalism? I’m not blowing snark your way–I’m asking an honest question. I’m pretty surprised that anyone, particularly someone who pays as much attention to sports media in general as you do, would think that. Journalism is gathering and reporting of facts. Even within a newspaper, where there is (hopefully) plenty of news, gathered from first-hand or at least reputable sources, there’s also opinion–commentary. The commentary isn’t journalism, it’s opinion. (Not going into a useless tangent on how TV, and especially cable, news has become an entertainment-based profit center…we’re all aware enough of the results of that.) But sports talk radio is, pretty much by definition, never journalism. Who reports anything, ever, in that medium? (Though Wiggy had the scoop on LeBron!) Just about all information comes through other media sources. The guys on the air are not trying to dig out facts and bring them to light–they’re trying to maintain ratings share. John Dennis, that fat pig, was being honest, and was absolutely correct, years ago when he called himself and other sports radio hosts entertainers. They’re nothing more and nothing less.
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I used to. I no longer do. The “E” in “ESPN” stands for entertainment for a reason. The majority of the industry is either entertaining or acting as a PR firm for their respective leagues/owners/sources. You have to do work to search for what you’d consider old-school journalism.
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Listen to Movin’ the Chains on Sirius NFL radio (if you like football) and tell me that isn’t 1000 times better than what passes for NFL talk around here (save for the WEEI Sunday morning NFL show). Let’s see, you have “the cap is crap” and bemoaning every move BB makes on 98.5 and creating straw man arguments about draft picks, both recent and in the past, on 93.7. Let’s not forget the chorus about BB’s pressers on BOTH stations. I’m sorry, you can do positive, educational radio. All day? No, but there is room for it.
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hey I made this argument when this all started.
Kirk’s schtick is not bashing women, it’s pretending and selling that he’s more objective and “better” than everyone else in the media.
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Why would the national media circle around Haggs?
If you want to make that comparison, I think you’ll have to find an example of Kirk going after a male Media celebrity, not a local nobody.
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So I’m following BB’s opening presser on Twitter and the usual suspects are doing a great job keeping us updated on what he’s saying. Then you have Ben Volin, who is present, tweeting about the Simpsons…
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Did he get BB’s input on what he thinks of FXX airing 522 Simpsons episodes in chronological order? He’d probably utter more words about it than when asked about the 34
pagestexts between him and Hernandez.LikeLike
15 more points added to Minihane’s IQ would make him a waiter. Imagine the gall of a radio media hack–the amoeba of all professions–calling someone ELSE out. What a wee-todd.
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@GlobeChadFinn WEEI’s ‘Dennis and Callahan’ Program Will No Longer Air on NESN When Contract Expires http://bo.st/1nlT4u1
He says it has nothing to do with all the stuff surrounding the show. Ordway just said the same exact thing.
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If this doesn’t say “speaking truth to power”, than I don’t know what does.
He apologized for his comments but punctuated the apology by saying that if Andrews were “15 pounds heavier she’d be a waitress at Perkins.”
Way to stick it to those “mainstream” wimps, Kirk!
/sarcasm off
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Given the news about NESN I might have to rethink if D&C&M have leverage on ‘EEI to keep them around. However, if NESN doesn’t want them anymore (spare me the cost issue – really, how much does it cost to simulcast a radio show?) ‘EEI might be thinking about life without them as well. If your main competitor (T&R) are doing takedown sketches of your show, it might be time to move on.
Moving Dale and Holley to mornings might be a good idea as they might earn better ratings against T&R than against F&M.
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From the Spring book, via Finn: http://bit.ly/1jY7Rep
Why would you move your only show that competes against your #1 competitor? And that’s also gaining ground on them?
I’d like to know what the cost was, just to know who’s telling the truth here. Simulcasts are cheap but were they making money or enough to justify? NESN didn’t even do the full 4 hours on it.
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I just think Dale and Holley would drive more listeners away from T&R in the morning than D&C as it would be more sports related and less offensive. I remember a while back that ratings went up when they had 2 sports journos talking sports for the entire show.
I speculate that the reason of not having the 4th hour to allow ‘EEI to fulfill obligations that were not allowed on NESN (Tom Brady, Doc Rivers when they had the Celts).
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On the 4th hour: I asked in Finn’s chat and here before. No answer. I only once saw either from him or another person who knows the area that it was cost (paying the guy in Watertown, paying more to the hosts). Given NESN’s history, it makes sense that it’s cost. Do I think that the events over the past week(s) had augmented it? Absolutely. They’re sensitive enough about bad PR that the owner incinerated $70M to buy one half of the major print media in town.
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I agree that it can’t be about cost. How much could it cost to run three or four immobile cameras and some mics? They’re already installed. All you’re having someone do is cut from one shot to the next. Also, how is D&C not a “localized” program? I’d say the most obvious reason why they’re dropping it is because D&C have been given the freedom to once again talk non-sports news and politics. Which is understandable, they’re sports network after all.
I disagree on D&C parting ways with EEI, though. They’ve made significant gains in the last year, and they’re the highest rated show. I said it when the ratings came out, T&R will be gone within 5 years. Most likely moved to another local CBS owned station with a different format. I view the sketches as just the opposite. Why would the number one rated show even acknowledge its main competitor? I think T&R know their schtick is wearing thin.
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I think T&R go after D&C because Dennis makes himself such an easy target and takes to Twitter too often.
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I guess this means John Dennis can rip out the stomach staples and get back to his true weight, away from the camera’s unflinching eye.
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Oh Dear. Look at all those poor people who won’t learn the joys of White’s Metal Detectors. And psychological hair plugs for bald people
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http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/general/kirk-minihane/2014/07/25/criticism-host-fair-be-aware-agenda-driven-attacks Kirk on newspapers’ agendas vs show, EEI
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From KM’s article:
” In a country now stuffed with people pretending to be angry about things just because…”
What exactly made him angry towards Erin Andrews? That she’s terrible at her job and only is where she is because of her looks? Who cares? She’s irrelevant on every level. Change the channel or mute the volume for the grand total of 3 minutes she’s on during a game. Isn’t being angry about her pretending to be angry just because?
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