Mut and Merloni

Status
Not open for further replies.

Phenom

as if andy gresh and gary tanguay had a baby
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
998
Every weekday show on EEI and "The Sports Hub" has their own thread, so why not these two?

Mutnansky and Merloni start tomorrow, and I'm curious to see what kind of "vibe" the show has. They will obviously be a lot "quieter" than GRESH! and Zolak, but will that also mean that the show's just plain out boring?

I don't think it's a secret that Lou Merloni has been given this full-time gig because with "The Big Show" changing its' format, he needs to work regularly in order to justify the increased salary he now receives from EEI (remember, they signed him to a new deal in 2009 to keep him away from 98.5).

Merloni has continued to improve over the past couple of years, and has seemed to graduate a little from the "ex-jock" label. His analysis of sports outside of baseball still needs some work, but that can sort itself out over time. Plus, Merloni talking hoops and hockey can't be any worse than Zolak trying to do the same thing across the dial, right?

It's still kind of a mystery as to why EEI felt the need to dump Dale and bring in Mutnansky. Many, including myself, would like to think it was purely a financial decision, but Dale is signed through 2012. The only way that theory makes sense is if Dale will now only earn a "base salary" with less incentives/bonuses for airtime and stuff like that. Or maybe with Dale becoming the permanent fill-in host, a whole stable of guys like Buckley, DeOssie, Smerlas, Stearns, Tom Curran, and other former "Big Show" regulars have been shown the door for the most part and will no longer collect any salary from Entercom.

At the very least, this show should be very strong on baseball. But how entertaining will it be? Will more holes in Merloni's game show, since he'll no longer be working with a veteran like Ordway who can cover stuff like that up? Will we ever be able to distinguish Mike Mutnansky as a "unique voice" in Boston sports talk, or will he forever be considered an "inoffensive fill-in guy?" Questions, questions, questions...
 

Harry Hooper

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 4, 2002
34,367
As Bruce Allen noted, the official WEEI announcement was only issued last Friday afternoon:

The WEEI Sports Radio Network today announced their next step in a bold new programming lineup. WEEI is pairing two of Boston’s rising stars Lou Merloni and Mike Mutnansky to form the “Mut and Merloni,” show which will debut Monday, March 7.
 

Phenom

as if andy gresh and gary tanguay had a baby
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
998
Oh...well then consider this a forum to drum up the anticipation!!! WOOOOO!!!!
 

Andy Merchant

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2010
1,646
Boy, I'm really having a hard time listening to Zolak & Greeeeeesh today. If I don't bother with Mutt & Merloni I'll be free of WEEI, but 98.5 isn't making it easy from 10-2. :( I should probably switch to podcasts of "Hunting Talk With Jimy Williams & Grady Little" or something else that would be an improvement.
 

the1andonly3003

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,371
Chicago
Boy, I'm really having a hard time listening to Zolak & Greeeeeesh today. If I don't bother with Mutt & Merloni I'll be free of WEEI, but 98.5 isn't making it easy from 10-2. :( I should probably switch to podcasts of "Hunting Talk With Jimy Williams & Grady Little" or something else that would be an improvement.
Tom Caron and Steve Buckley isn't that bad...The Bridge Show is actually pretty good, maybe they should be the new midday show
 

Andy Merchant

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2010
1,646
Tom Caron and Steve Buckley isn't that bad...The Bridge Show is actually pretty good, maybe they should be the new midday show
I have a hard time listening to Buck. One can only take so many tales about an old timey player named McGillicutty known for his trademark handlebar mustache.
 

the1andonly3003

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,371
Chicago
Neumy and Caron today...Tom Caron was joking that Neumy put it in his contract that he is dubbed as the host (controls the board) of any show he does (except for The Big Show)
 

the1andonly3003

New Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,371
Chicago
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/03/04/merloni_is_finally_a_lineup_regular/?p1=Upbox_links

Chad Finn chimes in
 

Gambler7

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2003
3,752
People really like "Mut"? I know a criticism of Dale was he was bland and boring (I never felt that), but this guy SCREAMS bland and boring. I am really missing the Dale and Holley show today, but I'll give these guys a chance for a while considering the other options in this time slot.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2006
14,181
It seems like there's really only two ways to win at being a radio show host: be extremely knowledgable so that listeners feel they're learning something, or be highly entertaining so that listeners don't care how deep the knowledge is because they're laughing and having a good time.

Merloni is very knowledgable about baseball, and comes off as knowledgable about other sports, in that he knows locker rooms and coaches, even if he doesn't know xs and os. Plus, he gets in some good lines from time to time.

Mutt? He never really sounds like he knows more than the average fan and he's not particularly entertaining. He's kind of a yeller, even when he doesn't have much of a point. I've heard him on the weekends a couple times and thought he was a decent weekender, but I have a hard time thinking this guy can carry half of a daily show.
 

AquaNarc

New Member
Jan 21, 2010
146
I like Merloni. He is by far the most knowledgeable person wrt baseball on the radio right now (not that that's saying much). It's too bad EEI locked him up, Merloni/Felger would be a great show.
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
It's kind of nice to hear Merloni forced to really have opinions and carry a show, he's a lot better on his own show than he was on the big show imo.

but the show is really just a similarly nondescript version of the previous show....no real juice to it thus far
 

shoebooty

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 2, 2009
99
Massachusetts
Mut kept embarrassing himself today when early in the show he kept referring to Max Pacioretty as Max Paccerelli. Guess Lou isn't as knowledgeable as he thinks he is as he did not correct him. This went on for over an hour.
 

Gambler7

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2003
3,752
Mut is brutal. This move is worse than I ever imagined. He literally whines when someone disagrees with him. Whines. I don't get the love from WEEI for this guy. I've tried to give this a few weeks, but nothing has changed, and hasn't grown on me.
 

Gene Conleys Plane Ticket

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
3,342
Mut is brutal. This move is worse than I ever imagined. He literally whines when someone disagrees with him. Whines. I don't get the love from WEEI for this guy. I've tried to give this a few weeks, but nothing has changed, and hasn't grown on me.
Glad to hear this. I was wondering if it was just me, but this show just isn't working. Maybe it needs time to find its way, I dunno. But Mut seems to go out of his way to force every discussion into a controversy and ultimately an argument between him and Merloni. I get that that's what talk radio is about, but on the good shows, the back-and-forth comes naturally. Here it seems awkwardly shoehorned.

I like Merloni, but he just seems out of place as an "in-your-face-opinions" guy. He's best bringing his perspective as an ex-athlete who also happens to be a native New England sports fan, not as a guy with a "take" on everything. If I were running 'EEI, I'd find him a co-host who cam bring that out in him and focus the show around interviews rather than on a strained back-and forth between hosts.
 

LMontro

New Member
Aug 4, 2007
667
Live Free or Die
Glad to hear this. I was wondering if it was just me, but this show just isn't working. Maybe it needs time to find its way, I dunno. But Mut seems to go out of his way to force every discussion into a controversy and ultimately an argument between him and Merloni. I get that that's what talk radio is about, but on the good shows, the back-and-forth comes naturally. Here it seems awkwardly shoehorned.

I like Merloni, but he just seems out of place as an "in-your-face-opinions" guy. He's best bringing his perspective as an ex-athlete who also happens to be a native New England sports fan, not as a guy with a "take" on everything. If I were running 'EEI, I'd find him a co-host who cam bring that out in him and focus the show around interviews rather than on a strained back-and forth between hosts.
Agree with all of the above. I never got the "Mut" thing and always thought he was brutal with Bradford on the weekend. This whole change at EEI feels almost as awkward as when NESN changed Sports Desk to NESN Daily (which is now back to essentially being Sports Desk). Hopefully it won't be long before Mut is in the Uri Beranguer witness protection program.
 

gammoseditor

also had a stroke
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
4,219
Somerville, MA
Yeah, I drive to work while this show is on and always listened to Dale and Holley. This show is terrible. I usually listen to music now. Every now and then I give it a chance and regret it. The exception is Thursday when they have Jackie Mcmullan on, but that's because she's interesting.
 

Gambler7

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2003
3,752
The Sunday show is actually more entertaining than anything WEEI puts on during the week now. Tells you everything. I have no reason to listen to the station anymore unless I see a twitter update with a certain interview I want to hear on the station.
 

Huntington Avenue Grounds

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2008
1,899
Lunenburg, MA
I've given them a few shots and aside from the voices there doesn't seem to be a whole lot different in the new show over D&H. I'm curious how the ratings will go vs TSH, this doesn't seem to be a move that will result in a rating bonanza.
 

WayneHousieHOF

wants you to hate boston teams like him
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2004
693
295 corridor
I can't stand listening to Mut. I never really had much of an opinion on him until listening to this show. Now, I just can't listen to him. Merloni is decent, but I actually think he's better in more of an ancillary role.
Mut just doesn't seem to bring anything new or fresh to the show. I don't know, there is no 'wow' factor here, and I think that's what the station kinda needed, or at least hoped for.
 

sum dood

New Member
Feb 14, 2011
12
If only the Mut Man could bring it like he used to on "Back Talk"!


I would honestly tune into this every day. Couldn't be much worse than Mut & Lou are now.
 

taoofoj

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 16, 2007
227
laserbeam high school
Started listening to this show at work since they installed a firewall that blocks streaming media. It blocks 98.5 and WFAN but somehow EEI gets thru. At any rate, and as evidenced by the lack of chatter about this show, it's pretty boring, though I like Lou.

What's odd to me is how much Mut actually sounds like Dale Arnold. Their voices sound alike. EEI ditched Dale Arnold for a cheaper, younger, and blander version Dale Arnold. Mut is a young guy and maybe he'll get better but right now I'd rather have Dale with Merloni.
 

HomeBrew1901

Has Season 1 of "Manimal" on Blu Ray
SoSH Member
I'm really disappointed in how Merloni turned out. When he came on the scene a few years ago I was pretty excited, one because I respected him as a player and having to perform while on the Merloni Shuttle and two because I thought he would bring a young, fresh and local voice to the radio.

Instead before the end of the first week he went from being pretty likeable to a thin skinned "Did you play in the MLB" type. Now we have a AAAA guy talking down to callers like he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and sticking up for his old buddies like Tek even when the evidence proved that he was full of shit.

I still think he has potential, but he needs to be more like Mike Flynn on TSH where he uses his time in the pros to explain his position and what players go through, instead of talking down to people because he played some MLB ball. I think the biggest mistake initially was putting him with Ordway who would kiss his ass, instead of a guy like Felger that wouldn't be afraid to call him on his shit.
 

soxfan121

JAG
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
23,043
he needs to be more like Mike Flynn on TSH
Flynn is an ex-athlete who is going to have a long and productive career in the media/broadcasting. He's really terrific for having no real experience. It probably helps that he had to "work his way up" because he was not an ex-Patriots player and a former offensive lineman.

Merloni has had the exact opposite post-playing career experience - he is a local guy, former Red Sox player and began working in drive time on (at the time) the highest rated drive time sports talk in the market. He had his ass lovingly licked by Ordway and WEEI, was offered a huge contract to jump to TSH and landed a mid-day job within 18 months of his media "debut". And, as HomeBrew points out, Merloni specializes in only one thing - "I played the game".

When talking baseball, Merloni's jock-sniffer attitude is somewhat endurable. He has a very limited and provincial view of baseball and the Red Sox, openly mocking any attempts to quantify the game. He does know a lot of behind the scenes stuff that, when he isn't using it as a cudgel to remind you "I played the game" can be interesting. I don't think he'll ever embrace stats, advanced analysis or broader themes but if he can tone down the attitude, he'd be worth listening to on baseball.

However, his worst quality - "I played the game" - becomes insufferable and indefensible when he applies it to other sports. Particularly bad is any football commentary. He understands less about the game than my wife. He makes locker room analogies based on his own experience - remember, "I played the game" - that don't pass a basic smell test. He has trouble discerning the X's from the O's and he makes authoritative statements like "Player X cannot play" which are either patently untrue or completely irrelevant. And when he refrains from doing any of the above annoying things, he still sounds less educated about the sport than 99% of the callers.

Merloni is the proverbial "hot prospect" who can't hit major league pitching. He's the Andy Marte of sports talk - huge hype, huge potential, no results.

The deferential way that Mutnansky treats Merloni suggests that Lou is just as thin-skinned and bitchy behind the scenes at WEEI as he was when he rode the Pawtucket Shuttle. Have you heard the way Merloni sulks and becomes defensive when Mutnansky (rarely) challenges him on anything? The two of them have negative chemistry - you can tell they don't like each other and can't hide it on air. Instead, they both try to avoid each other, often making the same point back-to-back, as if the other guy had shut off the headphones and ignored what was being said on air. Mutnansky, whom I liked a lot when he was in NH, has completely changed his "game" at WEEI. He used to be a guy who argued effectively - a developing "issue" host (a la Felger) who controlled the flow of the show and it's discussion topics with strong "takes" of his own and a willingness to debate with callers. With Merloni, Mutnansky is trying to be a pass-first moderator/host (a la Ordway) and "setting up" Merloni. He's awful at this. I blame Merloni because Merloni has only ever worked with that pass-first moderator/host situation - I've heard Mutnansky do it other ways and I know he's better at them.

In any case, the show is a train wreck. I try to listen nearly every day and I find myself tuning out earlier and earlier every day - usually when Merloni launches into last night's Sox game and how "I played the game..." Since I refuse to listen to GRESH!, ever, it's hard to find listening material between 10-2.
 

Andy Merchant

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 2, 2010
1,646
Patriots Football Weekly in progress is great 12pm-2pm 3 days a week from Foxboro
ESPN Boston radio (streaming) with Adam Jones isn't bad either from 12-2pm. There's very little Gresh-like foolishness and contributors like Mike Reiss and Gordon Edes pop in regularly.
 

Seonachan

New Member
Jul 16, 2005
58
Northampton via Haverhill
I'm sorry for reviving this thread, but did anyone listen today? I flipped it on and heard Mutt try to come up with an over-under for the number of children Sandusky raped. I turned it off, then made the mistake of turning it on again a bit later. There was a caller relating his own horrific story of abuse, and Merloni's final response was "Did you see the movie Sleepers?" Please tell me this level of radio was the exception and not the rule today.
 

Jackson

New Member
May 31, 2008
129
I'm sorry for reviving this thread, but did anyone listen today? I flipped it on and heard Mutt try to come up with an over-under for the number of children Sandusky raped. I turned it off, then made the mistake of turning it on again a bit later. There was a caller relating his own horrific story of abuse, and Merloni's final response was "Did you see the movie Sleepers?" Please tell me this level of radio was the exception and not the rule today.
It was not the exception. These two guys get worse and worse all the time, particularly Mut (now, there's an appropriate nickname.) I had relatively high hopes for Merloni at one time, but he's been disappointing. I'd take Arnold and Holley (the "old" Holley before Ordway contaminated him) back in a heartbeat.
 

BoredViewer

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
3,092
An entire week of Bobby Valentine talk broken up with clips of Merloni acting like a tough guy. Possibly the worst week of radio, ever. Lucky me for being able to listen.
 

ForKeeps

New Member
Oct 13, 2011
464
In how many different threads are you going to make the same banal point over and over and over again. Yes, we understand that nobody literally has a gun to their head when they listen to the radio. Thanks for the valuable insight.
 

ForKeeps

New Member
Oct 13, 2011
464
Edited by HomeBrew1901, Today, 08:09 PM.

You had two shots at that post and that's the best you could come up with.
 

Darnell's Son

He's a machine.
Moderator
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Apr 23, 2010
9,532
Providence, RI
Saying "HEY IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN STOP LISTENING/READING/WATCHING IT!!!1!1!11111!!!!" is a stupid argument and I'm seriously sick of it.

We come to this forum to discuss sports media. If that discussion goes to praise, ridicule, or making jokes, then so be it. I cannot stand posters shouting down other posters because there are complaints(yes Homebrew and Sparky, I am looking at you). The complaints are usually from people that want better coverage of sports(Jackson doesn't count). If we didn't care, then we wouldn't post. We all know that Felger, Mazz, Holley, Ordway(maybe?), and Callahan can contribute positively to the sports discussion. We come here to say "Hey, why are these assholes not contributing positively?"

If you're a sports fan in New England, and on the road, then you want to listen to relevant and intelligent sports talk. Getting mad at posters because they are mad at hosts that they know are smart, but are spewing shit, is counter productive. Stop telling us what to do. If you don't like posts that are critical, then go to espn.com and contribute to that community. SOSH is made for discussion, and telling people to stop listening to things that they want to like is the opposite of discussion.
 

HomeBrew1901

Has Season 1 of "Manimal" on Blu Ray
SoSH Member
Edited by HomeBrew1901, Today, 08:09 PM.

You had two shots at that post and that's the best you could come up with.
Spelling mistake from typing on an IPad.

So far I haven't seen you contribute anything other than snarky one liners about how much the media in this town sucks so yeah your posts suck.






edit: because Forkeeps likes to keep score, private joke was added that didn't work.
 

HomeBrew1901

Has Season 1 of "Manimal" on Blu Ray
SoSH Member
[quote name='Darnell's Son' timestamp='1344399255' post='4274198']
Saying "HEY IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN STOP LISTENING/READING/WATCHING IT!!!1!1!11111!!!!" is a stupid argument and I'm seriously sick of it.

We come to this forum to discuss sports media. If that discussion goes to praise, ridicule, or making jokes, then so be it. I cannot stand posters shouting down other posters because there are complaints(yes Homebrew and Sparky, I am looking at you). The complaints are usually from people that want better coverage of sports(Jackson doesn't count). If we didn't care, then we wouldn't post. We all know that Felger, Mazz, Holley, Ordway(maybe?), and Callahan can contribute positively to the sports discussion. We come here to say "Hey, why are these assholes not contributing positively?"

If you're a sports fan in New England, and on the road, then you want to listen to relevant and intelligent sports talk. Getting mad at posters because they are mad at hosts that they know are smart, but are spewing shit, is counter productive. Stop telling us what to do. If you don't like posts that are critical, then go to espn.com and contribute to that community. SOSH is made for discussion, and telling people to stop listening to things that they want to like is the opposite of discussion.
[/quote]I may have been a bit harsh on BoredViewer because his post above wasn't as bad as some. It's the middle of August with a sucky Sox team and NFL hasn't started yet, but a lot of this section of the board has become just that... an espn.com message board where one liners about someone sucking have started to become the norm and it doesn't add to the discussion. A lot of these threads have become nothing more than Game Threads lately and that's what is getting annoying, especially when it is the same posters like ForKeeps and others, that don't add anything to them except bitchy one liners.

We know what we have right now in the Boston Sports Radio Market. Calling Felger a Douche, Callahan a racist or Merloni a fake "tough guy" and lamenting that you "have to listen" doesn't add to the discussion and neither does constantly beating that drum. Explaining why Mazz is wrong about a particular topic or why you disagree with a host's take on an issue, that leads to discussion.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.