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Michael Kay On Criticism Of His Bat Boy Comments: ‘Everybody Sucks’

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During a New York Yankees broadcast on YES Network earlier this week, Michael Kay pointed out the club’s bat boy was breaking several long-established rules, including his hair length and facial hair. The clip went viral on social media, with many criticizing Kay for his comments. On Wednesday, he shot back.

The bat boy — Nate — is the son of Cleveland Guardians radio broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus, and was moved from his usual position as a ball boy down the foul lines to bat boy because the usual bat boys returned back to school at Ohio State.

Kay shared that Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo joked that Nate should let his hair down, which would go against the club’s rules.

“I didn’t do anything other than say the guy has long hair. I didn’t rip the kid,” said Kay during his 98.7 ESPN New York show while responding to the criticism he’s taken.

“I didn’t write the long article in The New York Post about you. I didn’t write that. ” Rosenberg said.

“Who? They wrote it about me?!” Kay asked.

“I didn’t see that,” uttered La Greca.

“Yeah. I woke up this morning to a headline. It was right below the main page: Michael Kay Has Something to Say About Long-Haired Bat Boy.”

“I didn’t say anything about the kid! I don’t Google myself because I don’t think I’d like what I see, but people on Twitter are saying ‘Old man Kay giving this kid smoke.’ I’m not giving anybody smoke! This is really an awful time,” Kay said, with his voice rising. “This is an awful time in our history as a planet and a human race. Everybody sucks. I’m telling you, they really do. To dig into something and say I attacked someone. I didn’t attack anyone!”

When a producer pointed out that the last line of the article says it’s unclear whether Kay was joking or not, Rosenberg joked “Don’t they know he’s performative!”, alluding to Kay’s insistence he wasn’t serious about threatening the job of a producer earlier this year.

“I got ripped on Awful Announcing, too. ‘He’s the same guy that tried to get a producer at ESPN fired’. No, I didn’t, you clowns. You a-wipes,” Kay said. “I didn’t try to get anyone fired.”

“This is truly the bottom line: people suck. Everybody is out for somebody’s throat. The world sucks. I feel guilty sometimes about bringing children into this. This place sucks. They do! They absolutely do! To get clicks, they’ll sell their soul. To get ratings, they’ll sell their soul. I can’t live like that.”

However, according to Kay, there has been some positive news about the situation. He shared that Nate Rosenhaus is the drummer in a band called The Open Doors, and due to the publicity from his comments, the group has booked a show in Brooklyn.

WEEI Set To Close Rhode Island Offices

BSM Staff
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WEEI Set To Close Rhode Island Offices

One of the most iconic names in New England sports is leaving Rhode Island. WEEI programming will still be heard in Providence on 103.7 FM but Audacy is planning to close the station’s offices in the Ocean State.

There are no details available about what closing the office means for WEEI’s sales efforts or strategy in Rhode Island.

Go Local Prov writes that employees learned about the decision this week via email. The site reached out to Audacy but did not get an answer at the company’s office in Warwick, RI.

Audacy was still called Entercom when it acquired the Rhode Island signal in March of 2004. That same month, the company turned off the modern rock format in favor of a WEEI simulcast.

The Providence signal was one of ten that simulcast WEEI throughout the New England area.

Mike Greenberg: I’ll Memorize Information For 130 Players Before NFL Draft

BSM Staff
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The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and as ESPN’s host for the event, Mike Greenberg has a lot of studying to do.

During an appearance on Waddle & Silvy Wednesday, Greenberg shared that ESPN used to do an entire dress rehearsal of the first round of the NFL Draft, which included graphics, analysts, and a fake commissioner announcing selections.

He added that after the COVID-19 pandemic, a five-hour Zoom meeting has since been scheduled. However, he claimed it only lasted about two hours and 45 minutes.

When pressed by the hosts on who the Chicago Bears selected in their Zoom rehearsal for the draft, Greenberg shared that the franchise selected Darnell Wright, an offensive lineman from Tennessee. He then rattled off the accolades that Wright compiled during his career with the Volunteers, including his recruiting ranking and his hometown.

Waddle asked if Greenberg if he could do that for every player in the draft. The ESPN host then said that he’s lucky, because he only has the first two days of the network’s coverage.

“I only do the first three rounds. By the time we get there, two weeks from tomorrow, I will have 130 players done,” said Greenberg. “In my two years doing the event, I think the first year there were three of them I didn’t have. The second year — Bill Belichick keeps taking players nobody saw coming — so I think there were like five of them. So if at any point, you hear the commissioner say a name and all you hear me say is ‘Mel?’, you’ll know that’s a guy I didn’t do.”

John Kincade Says He Has Been Told Flyers May Not Replace Steve Coates on Radio Call

BSM Staff
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John Kincade Says He Has Been Told Flyers May Not Replace Steve Coates on Radio Call

Thursday night will be the last time Philadelphia Flyers fans hear Steve Coates on the radio. The legendary broadcaster announced earlier this month that he is ready to retire after 43 years as an analyst for the team on both radio and television.

It’s not easy to replace a beloved figure in franchise history, and it sounds like the Flyers may not be up for the challenge.

“A couple of little birdies have been in my ear about something,” John Kincade said cryptically Thursday on his morning show on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. “Do you believe that they will replace Cotesy as color analyst?”

His colleagues could not believe the suggestion. Tim Saunders has called Flyers games since 1997 and has never been without a partner. Kincade agreed with the shock saying that it would be “an extreme mistake” to not have an analyst on the radio broadcast next season, but it isn’t a possibility he will dismiss.

“A lot of teams cost-cutting across pro sports and I was just told to keep my ear to the ground on that one, so we’ll watch.”

Producer and co-host Pat Egan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He isn’t saying that it can’t happen. He says he has been pleasantly surprised the franchise did not try to take broadcast crews off the road permanently following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Given the state of the Flyers on the ice though, he isn’t sure why anyone would want to listen to a solo broadcast of the games.

“The last couple of years, the team being the way it is, some of the best moments have been the banter between Timmy and Cotesy that has absolutely nothing to do with the game,” Egan added. “That’s what makes that broadcast so great. They have fun! It’s hard to have fun by yourself.”

Mike Stone: Isiah Thomas Photo That Led to ESPN Radio Hangup Wasn’t That Bad

BSM Staff
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Earlier this week, former NBA Champion Isiah Thomas hung up on ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, JWill, & Max after the show’s television simulcast showed a picture he didn’t appreciate. 97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Stone said it might have been a slight overreaction.

“I’m looking at my picture and, come on, Keyshawn! Y’all doing that to me?…This the picture y’all gonna put up of me? What y’all doing at ESPN to me? Come on, man. That ain’t right,” Thomas joked. “What’s wrong with y’all? Why you doing this to me? Y’all should just take that down. Pictures say a lot. And the way y’all got me cast in this picture. That ain’t me. How ’bout this? I’m gonna hang up and call back in two minutes and thirty seconds, and y’all put a different picture of me up.”

During Stoney & Jansen on 97.1 The Ticket, the Detroit host argued that the former Detroit Piston wasn’t done dirty by the photo.

“I didn’t think it was that bad of a picture,” Mike Stone said. “I understand that in certain situations there are certain connotations of African-Americans when they put their picture up and if they look a different way than they think they should be portrayed, and people think it’s racist or whatever. This was not. This was just a picture of Isiah, and he just didn’t have the smiley Isiah face we’re used to.”

Co-host Jon Jansen then asked if there was a photo used for Stone on an appearance on Bally Sports Detroit that could elicit the same reaction from Stone. The longtime host admitted there was one photo of him that he would prefer not to be used, but did not elaborate further.

Joe Ovies: Radio Should be Spending More Time on Reddit, YouTube Than Twitter

BSM Staff
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Regardless of how they feel about the network or Elon Musk, National Public Radio’s decision to leave Twitter has people in the radio industry thinking about the value of the microblogging platform. Joe Ovies of 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh doesn’t see himself leaving, but in a Twitter thread posted Thursday morning, he noted that other social media platforms have proven to be more valuable to his radio show.

“I don’t see myself leaving because it’s still a fun way to interact with listeners and folks who share interests,” he wrote. “There isn’t a better platform to get local flavor of a sporting event in real-time. Twitter is useless in promoting the show though.”

Radio is part of the broadcasting business, but Ovies says Twitter negates that. He says promoting content via Twitter is actually “narrowcasting” to people that have already chosen to be a part of your audience.

YouTube and Reddit are platforms where users are encouraged to find new content, creators, and discussions. They may be more valuable to shows and talent looking to connect with people that have never consumed their content before.

The internet is virtually endless. Ovies writes that is why no single platform can deliver all of the intended results, “so if one of them no longer works for you…it’s OK to ditch it and invest the others to make up the difference.”

“I would say YouTube is doing more to expand the reach of the station than Twitter can do now,” he concluded. “Messed around w/ TikTok. IG is whatever. So if you’re in my situation, where do you think I should be investing more time? Seems like an easy answer for me.”

Jim Nantz ‘Shocked’ at Viral Reaction to The CW Comment During The Masters

BSM Staff
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During the final round of The Masters Sunday, it appeared that CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz referenced LIV Golf’s struggling television deal with The CW as Brooks Koepka — a LIV Golfer — hit a shot onto the crosswalk.

“There he is, right on The CW. The crosswalk,” Nantz said with a faint chuckle.

However, Nantz has denied the quip was a shot at the upstart LIV tour, Koepka, or the television deal with the controversial Saudi-backed league currently has with The CW.

“I am honestly shocked that there was any reaction to it,” Nantz said during an appearance on the SI Media podcast with Jimmy Traina. “First of all, we were on the air for 29 hours, either lived or taping, so for The Masters to be summed up in a throwaway line on a Sunday morning for me, I find it amazing what people latch onto. Definitely was not a shot. It just was something that I could see that his second shot at 15 ended up at the crosswalk. That’s a rarity, to see someone’s shot end up on the crosswalk. That’s just the way my brain works.

“So I said ‘There he is, on the CW. The crosswalk. I was maybe being a little cheeky. It wasn’t a shot at all. Maybe trying to be a little whimsical, but the bottom line is I think we showed every golfer in that field last week a tremendous amount of respect, no matter what tour they’re playing. It certainly wasn’t an attempt to create a sharper edge or division in the game. To me, it was a nothing.”

Nantz said that like Al Michaels, he has a “little bit of a rascal” in him, but that is mostly off the air.

Traina asked if it was a reference to The CW as “cheeky way”.

“You’re overthinking it right now, Jimmy. I’ll just say that,” Nantz concluded.

Stephen A. Smith on Backlash To Rihanna Comment: ‘Where’s The Crime?’

BSM Staff
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Stephen A. Smith joined Kevin Hart this week on the comedian’s SiriusXM show Gold Minds. During their conversation, Smith was asked to think about times he has taken missteps in the public eye. His mind went immediately to the Sherri Shepherd Show earlier this year.

“I come on Sherri Shepherd’s show. They asked me about Rihanna,” Smith explained “Listen, Kev, all they said to me was we want, literally before the show, Kev, they said, ‘Look, Stephen A, we want to emulate a segment on First Take. So when Sherri brings up something, we want you to basically create a debate’. I said, okay, well, Rihanna’s all that and a bag of chips. She’s a superstar. I love her. I buy her albums. She’s great, but there’s only one Beyonce. And the next thing I know, you would’ve thought I shot somebody.”

The ESPN star caught heat on social media for the opinion. He told Hart that he wasn’t surprised by the love for Rihanna, but he was taken aback by the types of people he was hearing from insisting that he said something wrong.

“They’ll remain nameless, but I had some of your brethren, Hollywood stars, Kev, going like this, ‘Man, you gotta watch what you say, Stephen’. I mean, man. I mean, serious. They came at me like I committed a crime.”

The public backlash was so intense that Stephen A. Smith eventually took to Twitter to issue something of an apology. He even reiterated his fandom for Rihanna in his video.

Stephen A. Smith would continue talking about the controversy on air in the following days and weeks. With time to reflect, he admitted to Hart that he still isn’t sure why he created such an uproar.

“What’s the crime?” he said. “I didn’t say she sucked. She’s great. She’s fantastic. But that’s the world we’re living in. I didn’t know it was gonna be like that, Kev.”

YouTube TV Plans To Address Latency Issue For Sunday Ticket

BSM Staff
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YouTube TV Plans To Address Latency Issue For Sunday Ticket

Earlier this week, YouTube TV unveiled pricing for NFL Sunday Ticket, with some noting that the service is at a high price point than previously expected. One of the potential drawbacks of the service being housed on a streaming platform is the latency involved with the broadcast. YouTube TV believes it will build an experience that limits those issues.

Pro Football Talk reached out to YouTube TV to question how the streaming platform will handle latency issues for subscribers of the league’s premium product.

“The YouTube TV team is working on building a high-quality Sunday Ticket experience,” a spokesperson said. “Overall, YouTube TV is built on the infrastructure that powers YouTube and reliably serves billions of playback every day. Users can check their Live Latency in ‘Stats For Nerds’ directly in the YouTube TV app. We’re always working to find the right tradeoff between latency, buffering, and quality.”

During the broadcast for Super Bowl LVII, YouTube TV was a reported 54-seconds behind the game action on the field. While that number was several seconds faster than other streaming platforms, it was still more than 30-seconds behind the linear television feed on FOX Sports.

Latency issues could result in a potential number of issues. Gambling partners of the league will want the lowest latency possible due to the effect it could have on micro-bets. Viewers who utilize a second screen to discuss games on Twitter or other social media platforms risk having plays and game results spoiled by latency concerns.

Buck Sexton: ‘Factual Statement’ to Call NPR ‘Government-Funded Media’

BNM Staff
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Yesterday, NPR announced it would cease utilizing Twitter after the social media platform labeled it as “state-affiliated media” before switching the moniker to “government-funded media”. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton welcomed the departure.

“NPR — which has existed in this space where it’s a state-funded, liberal propaganda network in this country — has quit Twitter officially, they are saying. Because they have been listed as state-affiliated media. I think now they’re calling it publicly-funded media, which anyone could agree is a factual statement, that they are publicly funded at some level,” Sexton said as Travis also told him PBS was joining the departure from the platform.

“People need to understand that these entities operate not in the free market. If it’s such a big deal for them to have the public know that they’re receiving state funds, then they should just say ‘No more state funds for us’. Sink or swim, PBS.”

“You are paid propaganda. Losers. Good riddance,” Travis continued. “They’re having to fire everyone, cutting costs in a massive way, build your own internet.”

In the announcement of its exit from the social media platform, NPR claimed “We are not putting our journalism on platforms that have demonstrated an interest in undermining our credibility and the public’s understanding of our editorial independence. We are turning away from Twitter but not from our audiences and communities. There are plenty of ways to stay connected and keep up with NPR’s news, music, and cultural content.”

NPR has continually claimed that it receives less than 1% of its annual budget from federal funds.

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