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Don La Greca: I Get Angered By Michael Kay Caring What ‘Powerless Imps’ Say

BSM Staff
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Don La Greca: I Get Angered By Michael Kay Caring What ‘Powerless Imps’ Say

Michael Kay has been accused of having thin skin in the past. A recent quip about the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick set off Kay’s co-host Don La Greca.

While speaking with Joe Buck ahead of Monday Night Football this week, Buck said Mushnick could write a headline that read “I Have Evidence Joe Buck is the Spawn of Satan” and he still wouldn’t read it.

After the conversation with Buck concluded, Kay accused co-host Peter Rosenberg of bringing Mushnick’s ire on the program for dissing the writer, which led La Greca to go off about Mushnick and the newspaper industry as a whole.

“What does it matter? He’s not a powerful man. He writes for a newspaper, which in 2023 is like graffiti in Queens. I mean, no one is going to care. So he has the right to defend himself. And how dare you say, ‘Oh, well, now Phil’s gonna get you’,” La Greca said. “You know how many people are gonna tweet me and say ‘Phil Mushnick wrote about you’? Zero! Because that’s how many people read him. So who cares?! My god! All of them! Stop getting out of 1974, Michael. 1974 doesn’t exist anymore. It’s not 1984, not 1994, not ’04…These people don’t matter. They never did matter. But now there’s no audience, Michael. They’re screaming into an empty box.”

Michael Kay disagreed, saying the newspaper writers matter because they’re getting information leaked to them by executives, which La Greca balked at.

“Those executives are morons. If there’s an executive that’s gonna judge Don La Greca’s quality of work because Bob Raissman, or Phil Mushnik, or Andrew Marchand wrote about him, is a functioning moron executive that doesn’t belong to have a job nor anybody that I’d ever want to work for,” La Greca concluded.

He continued by noting that The Michael Kay Show host’s stance on the matter actually angered him.

“I never saw anybody on this planet give more power to someone with zero than you. It makes zero sense. I’m actually legitimately mad at you for this. Most of the time, I know we have fun, but I get angered by the fact that you give these yo-yos power. These are powerless imps and you give them power, Michael. What’s the matter with you?”

Mike Felger: Why Does Every Network Show an Ode to Bob Kraft During Every Patriots Game?

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Mike Felger: Why Does Every Network Show an Ode to Bob Kraft During Every Patriots Game?

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been one of the more forward-facing NFL owners since purchasing the team in 1994. 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Mike Felger wonders why, even after all these years, networks continue to heap praise onto the owner each and every game.

During Felger & Mazz Monday, the program played a montage of clips featuring FOX Sports announcer Kenny Albert praising Kraft for his work as the team’s owner.

“We’re used to it by now. He’s not the only owner but he might feel like he insists on it because we really get it every Patriots game. And I don’t know if I get it every single game with the Chiefs and the Hunt family or maybe I do and I just don’t notice it but I really noticed it here, obviously. And it’s like, ‘Here comes the Kraft tribute’,” said Felger of the FOX broadcast.

“It’s like, ‘Oh, god damn’. It is all a little sour when that comes in this moment. We’re going to do this now? This whole thing, kiss the ring. We’re all gonna get on our knees and kiss the ring. The network tribute to Robert Kraft in the middle of a last-place season. It’s like ‘Oh, come on guy. Can you spare us one week of this?'”

Felger continued by hypothesizing that because Kraft is friendly to the television broadcasters, they return the favor by heaping praise on the 82-year-old.

97.1 The Freak’s Jeff Cavanaugh Makes Good on Promise, Gets Texas Rangers Tattoo On-Air

BSM Staff
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97.1 The Freak’s Jeff Cavanaugh Makes Good on Promise, Gets Texas Rangers Tattoo On-Air

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo created a stir during the MLB Postseason by promising to “retire on the spot” if the Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series. He later reneged on his promise, drawing the ire of the sports media world. 97.1 The Freak’s Jeff Cavanaugh was in a similar situation, but he didn’t step away from fulfilling his promise.

Earlier his season, when asked about the team’s chances to make the postseason, Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters “The only thing I need to know right now — (Rangers catcher Austin Hedges) what’s the number on your ass right now?”, with many speculating that Hedges was keeping track of the “magic number” of wins needed to win the World Series.

While following the Texas Rangers throughout the MLB Postseason, Jeff Cavanaugh exclaimed on the air, “If the Rangers win it all, I’ll get a tattoo with the number zero on my ass!” after the team beat the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS.

So Monday, The Speakeasy — which features Mike Rhyner, Cavanaugh, Julie Dobbs, and Michael Gruber — welcomed a local tattoo artist to the studio to ink Cavanaugh with the number zero inside the Texas Rangers logo on his posterior.

“I’m a man of my word, so we’re gonna tat up my butt,” Cavanaugh said on the air before the artist began working.

Cavanaugh remained part of the on-air discussion while his gluetus maximus was tattooed, with constant ribbing from his co-hosts.

If you would like to see the tattoo and video of the event, it is available on 97.1 The Freak’s Instagram.

ESPN Plans Veterans Week Programming

BSM Staff
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ESPN Plans Veterans Week Programming

As Veterans Day approaches, ESPN has announced its plans for its Veterans Week initiative.

As part of its weeklong coverage, SportsCenter will present a Veterans Day Special on both Thursday and Sunday. Michael Eaves will host the special program, focusing on military-themed features presented on past iterations of the program.

“ESPN is proud to honor our veterans and their families for their incredible sacrifice and service to our country through our multi-platform storytelling,” said ESPN Vice President of Corporate Citizenship Kevin Martinez. “Through our collaborations and grants to veteran organizations, as well as our employee volunteer efforts, we strive to help veterans and their spouses build pathways to employment.”

Additionally, First Take will present its “Salute to Service” on both Thursday and Friday, and will recognize the U.S. Marin Corps birthday and honor each of the six military branches.

The network has released the complete list of Veterans-themed programming to be presented, which is available here.

Courtney Cox on First Job: ‘It Was a Grind’

BSM Staff
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Courtney Cox on First Job: ‘It Was a Grind’

A viral TikTok video has drawn both support and criticism from internet users after she discussed how her life has changed since graduating college. During the user’s tearful remarks, she conveyed a sentiment of displeasure and resentment towards her eight-hour work schedule and how it has upended her life. Since she commutes to work, her 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule extends longer, rendering it difficult for her to have time for other things.

“I know I could be working longer,” the user said, “but I literally get off [and] it’s pitch black. I don’t have energy. How do you have friends? Like how do you have time to meet a guy? I don’t know – how do you have time for dating?”

@brielleybelly123

im also getting sick leave me alone im emotional ok i feel 12 and im scared of not having time to live

♬ original sound – BRIELLE♉️

At the end of her TikTok video, the user asks others if she is being dramatic, to which WEEI morning co-host Courtney Cox replied, “Yes, yes you are,” on the air Tuesday. Cox, who is a Boston College graduate that started working with the ACC Digital Network as a production assistant and host out of school, explained how she treasured the long hours and difficulties associated with her formative years in the business.

“The best part about graduating college was that tough job that you have right out where you’re working the 10-12 hours because you learned how to make sacrifice,” Cox said. “I didn’t have weekends [and] I didn’t have holidays. It was a grind.”

Morning show co-host Greg Hill initiated the discussion after the show played audio from the TikTok video, sardonically expressing that the government should mandate workdays that only last four to five hours per day. If this were to happen, he surmises, the user would have more time to hang out with her friends, explore dating and prevent having to drive home when it is dark outside. Show co-host Jermaine Wiggins backed the sentiment from Cox that sacrifice is necessary in the professional working world.

“Welcome to our real-world life,” Wiggins said. “Everybody does it. Then when you have kids, guess what? Your days get even shorter.”

A listener of the show sent a message through the station’s text line wondering who genuinely works eight hours at this point. Although Hill believes that most people only work eight hours a day, Wiggins believes the number is even lower because of the amount of remote work that has permeated within enterprises. According to Forbes, 28.2% of employees work in a hybrid model and 12.7% of full-time employees work in a fully remote position.

“Five hours,” Wiggins estimated to be the average amount of time people work each day,” unless you’re actually out there working; like you’re a blue-collar person. Yes, nowadays you’re probably working less than that. Think about how long you are just chilling, sitting there staring at a blank screen or not making any calls.”

Rece Davis: Pat McAfee ‘Connects With People in a Way I Haven’t Seen in My Career’

BSM Staff
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Pat McAfee is a divisive figure in sports media circles. Some love him, some hate him, but College GameDay host Rece Davis believes he’s one of the most unique people he’s ever met.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Davis was asked if Pat McAfee would be playing the “villain” role on GameDay. Davis argued that the ESPN host is simply being true to himself.

“I’ve never met anybody like him. He’s got such an innate ability to connect with people. And the crowd responds to him in a way that I haven’t seen in my television career. He just understands how to do it,” Davis said before telling an anecdote about the way McAfee is received by viewers.

“My wife’s aunt is 88 years old, right? So she’s a loyal watcher of the show first, because she’s a college football fan, and hopefully because she tolerates me. And when Pat first came along, she didn’t have any idea who he was. She’s like, ‘Who is this? Well, I don’t know if I like him’. And now, I think that she likes him better than she likes me,” Rece Davis joked. “She watches every week. She loves him.

“He has an ability to win people over who might doubt and he’s able to connect, and he’s been a fabulous teammate, so I’ve been happy to have him. But he’s not afraid if he needs to be the villain is something he believes. He is not afraid.”

Donald Trump Court Sessions Should Be Televised Live

BNM Staff
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Monday’s Donald Trump court appearance demonstrated exactly why these historic sessions should be televised live. He claims the proceedings, (like the election he clearly lost) are rigged. He belligerently insulted the judge and the District Attorney sitting in the audience. And after causing a scene, went on to incriminate himself, as he often does.

At first, the twice impeached, four times indicted former President refused to answer direct questions, and when the judge admonished him to do so, threatening to remove him from the stand and strike his entire testimony, Donald Trump argued with the man in black robes who has the power to fine him $275 million dollars and stop him from doing business in New York State.

Few but Trump himself have claimed he is brilliant, and this obvious strategy to provoke the judge in his own courtroom into making a reversible error did not work.

After a break, the judge seemed to realize what was happening and let Trump ramble on, admitting he was involved in the valuations of his inflated properties, saying he had “suggestions”. A statement that undercut his lawyers’ defense, that it was the appraisers Trump hired who should be responsible for the fake loan documents the Trump Organization routinely filed with lenders, insurance companies, and the IRS.

The former, now disgraced President railed at prosecutor Letitia James, calling her a political hack while on the stand, as she sat only a few feet away in the audience. He loudly claimed the judge was unfair and had already labeled him a fraud.

The judge has already ruled Trump’s documents are fraudulent. “He called me a fraud, and he doesn’t know anything about me”, pointing at the judge sitting only a few feet away. The judge returned the disrespect with what those in the courtroom described as a grin. Refusing to let the defendant get under his skin.

So why should the public witness this historic embarrassment to our democracy in action? First, he is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination and currently leads President Joe Biden in the polls. The voting public needs to see Donald Trump away from the campaign, in a courtroom where he does not control the setting or the audience.

Those listening to his tirades are not sycophants, not members of his cult-like MAGA nation. Instead, he is under oath, in a high-stakes setting, where his reputation is legitimately questioned and he does not set the rules.

Secondly, how Steve Bannon and Sean Hannity cover this trial, through a right-wing “Trump as victim lens”, is dangerous. Those in the media bubble of Fox “News” and other pseudo-journalists from the right will never see the accounts of what really happened in that courtroom and the overwhelming evidence against him.

Live television should be the unvarnished mirror that exposes Donald Trump’s courtroom conduct. Will it make a difference to the 30% of the voting public who believe he does no wrong? Doubt it, but it will make a difference to the students of democracy and journalism to come. And it will make a difference to the independent voter that decide the election and are now leaning to Donald Trump.

As Bill O’Reilly famously screamed in an internet favorite, “Let’s do it live”.

Mark Levin to Sid Rosenberg: I’ll Call Out Whoever I Want

BNM Staff
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Mark Levin to Sid Rosenberg: I’ll Call Out Whoever I Want

Last week, conservative radio host and Fox News weekend host Mark Levin took criticism for his inaccurate statements about the family heritage of CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, and his statements about Jake Tapper. But Levin isn’t backing down from his position.

Levin incorrectly claimed Blitzer’s family had not been affected by the Holocaust. In reality, all four of the venerable news anchor’s grandparents perished at the hands of the Nazis. Levin called media figures like Blitzer, Tapper, and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell “self-hating Jews”. In response, both CNN and the White House condemned the comments from the longtime radio host.

While appearing on Sid and Friends in the Morning with 77 WABC’s Sid Rosenberg, Levin’s statements were brought up by Rosenberg.

“I find that when Jewish people don’t side with Israel 100%, I find them to be more dislikable and dangerous than maybe even Hamas,” Rosenberg said. “Those two guys at CNN are part of the problem.”

In response, Mark Levin claimed he will continue criticizing those he believes need criticism.

“Look, I’m going to call out whoever I want to just like you do, and it’s particularly upsetting a lot of non-Jews don’t understand that,” Levin said, before turning his attention to Blitzer.

“My point was, you’d think he’d have more compassion, as a child of the Holocaust. You think he’d have more compassion, but he doesn’t…And Jake Tapper says the same thing. To compare Israel fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, to the Russians, it’s like, are you out of your mind? And so the question is, are they more Democrat and more leftist? Or are they’re going to be journalists at all?

“And so I’m not going to stand back and allow them to get away with this, whatever their backgrounds are. And then to come at me, CNN, Washington Post, the White House. Ask me if I care. I fight back. I kick them back, and I’ll continue to do it and I’ll continue to expose them, but I don’t care about them. They are a huge problem in this country.”

Jon Jansen on Cowboys Announcers: ‘You’re Not Going to Outlaw Jason Kelce, Are You?’

BSM Staff
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On Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys on America’s Game of the Week on FOX by a final score of 28-23 on the strength of another strong performance by quarterback Jalen Hurts. Midway through the third quarter on a third-and-1 play, the Eagles, led by center Jason Kelce, utilized their famous “Brotherly Shove” play, essentially a modified version of a quarterback sneak, to secure the first down.

Dallas Cowboys radio announcers Brad Sham and Babe Laufenberg had the foresight to speak about the play before it happened, recognizing the alignment. After the play concluded, Laufenberg gave his thoughts on what had just occurred on the field and weighed in on the debate regarding its legality and place in the game of football.

“Stephen Jones is on the competition committee, right?,” one of the announcers stated. “He’s got to stand up in that room and say, ‘We need to ban this.’…. You’ve got to play Philly twice a year; you’ve got to play Hurts, [and] you might even see them a third time. You get up there and you say, ‘This is not football, right?’”

Jon Jansen, a former NFL offensive tackle and current morning co-host on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Mich., preceded the playing of the clip by explaining how the play itself is similar to the traditional quarterback sneak. After listening to the Cowboys radio announcers, he was surprised to hear that they were framing their sentiment towards the play through the lens of imploring ownership to do something live on the air.

“I’d like to hear these dorks’ version of football,” Jansen said on Tuesday’s edition of Stoney and Jansen with Heather. “‘This is not football?’ What’s not football about it? It’s physical; low pad wins; physicality; aggression. All of those things are what define the game of football.”

“Well they admit why they don’t like it because the Eagles are in their division, and Stephen Jones – that’s [Jerry Jones’] son for those of you who don’t know – he’s on the competition committee,” co-host Mike Stone replied, “and he wants them to use his leverage to change the rule because it’s against his team basically.”

Jansen understands that the play is difficult to stop and explained that it has not been successfully replicated with consistency across the rest of the NFL or college football. Moreover, he expressed his disappointment that the broadcasters would incorporate the competition committee into the conversation to change a rule just because the play is harming the Cowboys. In watching the play from afar, Jansen can see that it is obvious that a critical athlete within the action is Eagles center Jason Kelce. As part of the play, Kelce is responsible for snapping the football to quarterback Jalen Hurts so he can sneak it past the first down line.

“First of all, it’s not easy to snap and do what he’s doing on this and make sure that the quarterback gets the ball, but then to be able to get as low and drive the way he does, that’s what really sets this apart,” Jansen said, “and you’re not going to outlaw Jason Kelce, are you?”

Kelce, of course, is the co-host of a podcast with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, with Wave Sports + Entertainment. New Heights is one of the most popular sports podcasts in the world and has recently seen its popularity boost because of the rumors surrounding a potential relationship between Travis Kelce and award-winning singer/songwriter Taylor Swift.

“No,” Stone said. “You can’t outlaw Jason Kelce; he’s one of the best centers in the league.”

“Yeah, so that’s my point though,” Jansen replied, “is you have one of the best centers in the league doing something that nobody else can do. Okay, that’s why he’s one of the best centers in the league.”

“Yeah, absolutely, and he’s a cult hero too,” Stone added.

Gregg Giannotti: Video Production for Sal Licata, Mets Manager Reaction is ‘Outstanding’

BSM Staff
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On Monday, several Major League Baseball teams reportedly made decisions on who would serve as their next managers, an important hire that will execute in-game strategy and contribute to the conversation regarding player development and how to maximize the value within talent. The hectic day began with the Cleveland Guardians announcing that they had inked former MLB catcher Stephen Vogt to a contract to succeed Terry Francona as the team’s manager, a role in which he will seek to bring the team back to the playoffs after falling out of contention last year.

Once that hire was made, all of the attention centered on Craig Counsell, the esteemed savant in the dugout who was expected to make a decision that afternoon. His incumbent organization, the Milwaukee Brewers, along with the New York Mets, were viewed as the finalists, but the picture became slightly more clear, at least to many onlookers, when Jon Heyman of the New York Post posted an update on X. It happened to coincide with a segment live on The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show on WFAN, leading to a moment that will likely live on for years to come.

“Oh no dude; oh no,” Licata said. “Jon Heyman just tweeted this. Are you kidding me!?…. Come on! Mets are hiring Mendoza to manage, this according to Heyman and Joel Sherman.”

Licata was referencing New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, who is reportedly leaving the organization after 15 years to go across town and manage the New York Mets. Tierney, who is a Yankees fan, could sense Licata’s indignation and exasperation towards the hire bereft of any major-league managerial experience. As a result, Tierney allowed Licata, an avid Mets fan, react live on the air to the situation that was unfolding.

“I knew it Counsell, you bum! I knew it, BT! All you guys sucked me into it…. I knew it! He didn’t want to be here; he wanted to stay in Milwaukee; his heart’s there,” Licata exclaimed regarding the managerial candidate, who ended up joining the Chicago Cubs later that day. “Fine, and the Mets had to go Mendoza, a Yankees bench coach. I am beyond, beyond disgusted with this – beyond disgusted with this!”

Tierney, trying to hold back his laughter, ended up spitting his coffee out on the air, audio that Boomer & Gio played several times on Tuesday morning to see if they could identify the moment. The video of Licata’s reaction has amassed more than 360,000 views on X as of Tuesday morning, eliciting comments from both New York baseball fanbases and listeners at large.

“As good as the audio is, whoever produced that video – I’m not sure who that is – but that person did an amazing job,” Giannotti said. “The cutting back and forth, because what was really great was they cut to BT when he wasn’t even saying anything, and his facial reactions were tremendous. They were just absolutely great, so I don’t know if that was [Anthony] Gallo or [Tom] Izzo. Whoever did that, it was awesome.”

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