Chad Finn: Underrated

[gmogmo]

Not sure if I'm alone in feeling this way, but feel like he's the best writer at the Globe/boston.com at this point.  Recently started doing a Sunday notes column (only available on boston.com, not in Sunday globe which is absurd) which I think has been fantastic.  (link below)  With Bob Ryan only writing once a week now, would love to see Chad elevated at the expense of Shaugnessy (obviously) and even Gasper (I've been underwhelmed with his stuff since his "promotion").  I know his focus has been on sports media in the past, but feel like he's shown clear ability to branch out beyond that. 
 
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2013/08/sunday_mail_dodgers.html
 
 

 

[jacklamabe65]

Unquestionably - he is a must-read, and there's no one left on The Globe except for chad who is.

 

[Dotrat]

I started reading him when Bill Simmons used to link to his column for a Nashua paper (I think) and ever since have thought that he is one of the best columnists around--funny, sensible, passionate, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating. I love his Friday chats and have been digging his Sunday mailbag. I hope that he gets to do bigger and better things. Plus, he seems like a solid, grounded guy, which is a plus.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

Chad is most assuredly blushing in reading this thread - he's a frequent poster here and maybe hopes to be just one of the gang. 
 
That said, he's definitely excellent. He's on the air on WJAB in the afternoon weekly up here in Maine and has good chemistry with Chris and Javier and has even come into the studio for some shows form time to time. 
 
While sports media has been his beat, that beat has also led him to consume a ton of contemporary sports media, and he's become a rare generalist because of it, with interesting thoughts on all the major sports and a bit of a meta perspective, with the ability to look at situations very rationally and to laugh at absurdities when he sees them. 
 
Chad's also good at disagreeing with people without them taking it personally and arguing strongly for a position without yelling or engaging in hyperbole (unless it's ironic). 
 
I definitely enjoy his writing and agree he's under-rated. But his under-ratedness is part of his charm, too. 

 

[FelixMantilla]

Back in the day on BSMW Bruce Allen linked Chad often when Chad worked in New Hampshire.

 

[Dalton Jones]

Class act. Very informative. Tireless. Always entertaining.

 

[Granite Sox]

I started reading him when Bill Simmons used to link to his column for a Nashua paper (I think) and ever since have thought that he is one of the best columnists around--funny, sensible, passionate, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating. I love his Friday chats and have been digging his Sunday mailbag. I hope that he gets to do bigger and better things. Plus, he seems like a solid, grounded guy, which is a plus.

I concur. He's the best around.

 

[JCizzle]

Totally agree, love reading the guy and one of the few twitter follows I need to get the info I want. 

 

[Major Offense]

I definite agree with everything above. And for someone who consistently hits the mark (informative, thoughtful, funny), he's remarkably humble. One of the writers whose columns I always keep an eye out for...

 

[bankshot1]

I enjoy Brother Finn's work. I think he brings a nice mix of analysis history, and tongue in cheek humor to his work. I don't know if
he's underrated, underappreciated, under wraps or underpaid but it should be understood he's fun and a very good read.

 

[leetinsley38]

Funny this thread should come up, was just thinking about this the other day and I agree.  It's a bit shocking to first come to the realization considering the long lineage of HOF writers the Globe once rostered (no offense to Chad who I know is a member).  Finn has continuously improved, seems like a genuinely good guy and actually cares about the job.  I mean this all of this as a compliment too - he has shades of early Boston Sports Guy at times with a voice of the real fan that which is a nice departure from most Boston media.  The effort is appreciated Chad.

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

With Ryan (pretty much) retired, Speier and Finn are my only can't miss guys for local coverage at this point. My only issue with Chad is he doesn't think Tony Mazz sucks.

 

[mattymatty2000]

Chad is fantastic.

 

[Sprowl]

Unquestionably - he is a must-read, and there's no one left on The Globe except for chad who is.

 
It's funny to read all these encomia, because I don't read the Globe, and therefore I don't read the Chad.
 
Do you have a blog, man? Because your echoes sound great.

 

[Laser Show]

 
It's funny to read all these encomia, because I don't read the Globe, and therefore I don't read the Chad.
 
Do you have a blog, man? Because your echoes sound great.

 
Here's his blog on the Globe website:
 
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/

 

[joe dokes]

What's interesting is that his regular Globe gig is really as a copy editor. (Or was until recently).  Some arcane union rules might be why his stuff is almost exclusively on the dotcom side and not the glob side. (Please correct if I'm wrong.)

 

[the1andonly3003]

this thread is so meta...

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I think that Chad is a tremendous writer too, but in his column from Friday he wrote this about Carl Crawford:
 

Carl Crawford: He put up with some unnecessary and even cruel nonsense while he was here.
 

 
I really don't remember Crawford putting up with anything. In fact, I was under the impression the people (writers, fans, teammates) bent over backwards not to rip the guy. What am I missing?

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Did you forget about the "Monday" flap?

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Did you forget about the "Monday" flap?

That doesn't really count though does it?  That was one yahoo at a Fishercats game in NH and it was by an off duty cop that has since been fired. 

 

[Montana Fan]

Finn, B-Mac, Speier...the good old days are now.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

Did you forget about the "Monday" flap?

 
I did forget about it, but that was pretty minor, no? Nomar dealt with more crap. Pedro, Manny, Clemens, Mo, Yaz, Rice, pretty much every Sox star before Ted Williams deals with some ration of BS and they didn't wilt.
 
Crawford makes it seem like he was ripped in the press and booed on the field from the moment he signed his contract until the day he was traded last year. There could be more stuff, but aside from the Monday thing, I don't know about it.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 
Crawford makes it seem like he was ripped in the press and booed on the field from the moment he signed his contract until the day he was traded last year. There could be more stuff, but aside from the Monday thing, I don't know about it.

 
I remember thinking on many occasions, particularly in 2011 when he was ostensibly health and relatively unproductive, that he seemed to be getting a pass from media and fans alike.  The comparison that I think exemplifies the pass is with JD Drew.
 
Drew never got over with some most members of the media.  He was, objectively, a superior hitter to Crawford prior to and during his time in Boston.  Subjectively, he was every bit the defensive player Crawford was.   Yet according to most of the media here, he was always the overpaid, under-performing man of glass no matter what he did on the field.  Even now, two years after the end of his contract/career, he still gets shit on every once in a while.  Crawford got paid 50% more (AAV) and never got the crap Drew did.
 
If Crawford thinks he had it bad in Boston, all he needs to do is walk a day in JD Drew's shoes.  And Drew performed, when he was on the field.  Hard to say the same about Crawford.

 

[Chad Finn]

I just hope John Henry reads this.
 
Much appreciated, guys. Been a SoSH member since ... I don't know, when Simmons mentioned it during his digital cities days. Don't chime in much, but I learn a lot reading the threads pretty much every day. 

 

[JimD]

 
I remember thinking on many occasions, particularly in 2011 when he was ostensibly health and relatively unproductive, that he seemed to be getting a pass from media and fans alike.  The comparison that I think exemplifies the pass is with JD Drew.
 
Drew never got over with some most members of the media.  He was, objectively, a superior hitter to Crawford prior to and during his time in Boston.  Subjectively, he was every bit the defensive player Crawford was.   Yet according to most of the media here, he was always the overpaid, under-performing man of glass no matter what he did on the field.  Even now, two years after the end of his contract/career, he still gets shit on every once in a while.  Crawford got paid 50% more (AAV) and never got the crap Drew did.
 
If Crawford thinks he had it bad in Boston, all he needs to do is walk a day in JD Drew's shoes.  And Drew performed, when he was on the field.  Hard to say the same about Crawford.

 
Completely agree with this post.  JD Drew was a key cog in the 2007 championship team and he still seems to offend some in the media and the fanbase to this day.  Heck, did any member of the media rip Crawford from day one the way Bob Ryan went after Drew?
 
In sum, Carl Crawford has no idea how easy he got off in this town.

 

[jhipporey]

 
I did forget about it, but that was pretty minor, no? Nomar dealt with more crap. Pedro, Manny, Clemens, Mo, Yaz, Rice, pretty much every Sox star before Ted Williams deals with some ration of BS and they didn't wilt.
 
Crawford makes it seem like he was ripped in the press and booed on the field from the moment he signed his contract until the day he was traded last year. There could be more stuff, but aside from the Monday thing, I don't know about it.

 
My thoughts exactly. It always seemed like (in general) people were trying to find excuses/reasons for Crawford's poor performance (re: injuries, recovering from injuries, playing on grass instead of turf, being shuffled around in the lineup, etc.) vs. ripping him constantly.  

 

[Patriot_Reign]

CHAD? CHAD FLYNN NEVER HEARD OF HIM WHO'S THAT
/ John Dennis

 

[AlNipper49]

I like Edes too. Much like with Chad, even when I disagree with him I get the sense that it's because I disagree with him. Shocking I know, but a decade of disagreeing with people like Shaughnessy because I hated what he was trying to do it's really a refreshing thing.

Basically it's nice to have journalistic integrity alive and kicking.

 

[SoxLegacy]

Agree with all the upthread posters--Chad, along with Alex Speier, is a must read for me.

 

[teddykgb]

Agree with everyone. Finn is honest and always worth reading. Wish he had a better platform than Boston.com which at this point is so riddled with ads, slideshows, paywalls, and other antagonistic bullshit that I generally try to avoid visiting

 

[JimD]

I like Edes too. Much like with Chad, even when I disagree with him I get the sense that it's because I disagree with him. Shocking I know, but a decade of disagreeing with people like Shaughnessy because I hated what he was trying to do it's really a refreshing thing.

Basically it's nice to have journalistic integrity alive and kicking.

 
I'd add Sean McAdam to this list with Finn, Edes and Speier.  Some good younger writers too on various sites covering the Sox and Boston sports.

 

[The Gray Eagle]

 
Completely agree with this post.  JD Drew was a key cog in the 2007 championship team and he still seems to offend some in the media and the fanbase to this day.  Heck, did any member of the media rip Crawford from day one the way Bob Ryan went after Drew?
 
In sum, Carl Crawford has no idea how easy he got off in this town.

 
Other players who were part of a big Red Sox choke get brought up for the rest of their lives, and even beyond. Pesky was still blamed for holding the ball for decades after he retired. Buckner, Torrez, Aparicio falling down, Jim Burton, Stanley & Gedman, etc., etc.
 
But Carl Crawford, hyped and paid for his defense and speed, didn't catch the catchable ball that ended the biggest regular season choke in team history, and got NO blame for it from the media. They were all going off on the chicken & beer crew. Yet Carl Crawford now is the one who is bitching about the Red Sox? For the grave insult of paying him way, way too much money? He got an absolute pass from the fanbase and media but he is crying about it still. What a baby and what a loser.
 
JD Drew is a grand-slamming Red Sox World Champion and hero. Carl Crawford is a flyball-dropping, choking little whiny bitch.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

To be clear, had Crawford caught the ball that game would still have been tied since Papelbon had already puked up a hairball and blown the save. That fact didn't help Bill Buckner over the years, but still, Crawford technically didn't blow the game.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

In fact, here's Kirk Minihane trying to figure out why no one is pointing out how epically bad Carl Crawford is. This is before the 2011 meltdown, so maybe some of the free pass ended after the collapse and the injury in 2012, but I don't think that happened. I think Minihane makes a decent argument as to what happened:
 

But my personal theory as to why Crawford's 2011 ineptitude is being ignored? No one likes to be wrong. J.D. Drew was an easy target for the media and fans because he was a first-guess. Everyone was against the $70 million deal, so it was victory lap time when it turned out that some of the things about Drew turned out to be true. Same goes for Rasheed Wallace, and get ready for the buffet of I Told You So's if Albert Haynesworth is a bust.
Some people thought Crawford wasn't worth $142 million, but everyone saw him in Tampa and knew, just knew, that he was going to be at least very good in Boston. Some of those same people thought he'd be better than Gonzalez. So, those people are going to take their time before rendering judgement. That's fair, but not very consistent when you look at the treatment given to other first-year guys around here. 
Carl Crawford is having a nightmare season, easily the worst of his career. And no one seems to care very much.

 

[crystalline]

Chad Finn continues to be the best writer around.

http://mobile.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2013/12/bills_patriots_ii

As was said above- he is always informative, positive, works hard to develop new info, and a good prose architect as well. A shining example amongst the negative click-chasers discussed in this forum. He and Reiss continue to show everyone else how it is done.

 

[gmogmo]

http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2014/01/paul_pierce_and_kevin_garnett.html?camp=twit:tatb&dlvrit=845880
 
Thread consistently needs a bump.  Absurd that he's not a feature writer for the Globe.  One of the must reads for me along with Wojnarowski, Wetzel, and Joe Pos.  Wojo's artcile on KG/Pierce was just phenomenal as a sidenote:  
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/for-paul-pierce-and-kevin-garnett--a-boston-goodbye-comes-with-cheers--tears-and-a-forever-bond-061946502.html

 

[RIFan]

.  Absurd that he's not a feature writer for the Globe.  One of the must reads for me along with Wojnarowski, Wetzel, and Joe Pos.

Agree 100% on this. He would have been a great guy to elevate after Ryan retired. Gasper is a good, insightful writer, but there isn't anything compelling about what he writes. He is just decidedly bland. I'd like to see what Finn could do with a regular featured column. He's shown the ability to heap praise when warranted, but call someone out when necessary as well. Contrary to other columnists, he manages that without appearing mean spirited or vindictive. In that way, he would be a worthy follower to Ryan.

He's also a great follow on Twitter.

 

[allstonite]

Chad's Friday afternoon chats are the perfect end of week follow at work very much like Simmons back in the day with his Friday chats. Just catching up on this week's (12:00 start?) and it had this
 

 
 


12:18



 

Comment From Neil (DC)
It's creepy to obsess over the hand-size of guys in their early 20s right? I needed a shower after going through my Twitter feed this morning.

 
 





12:19



 

Chad Finn: 
It's a little odd. Have to admit I was surprised to hear Brett Favre had huge hands, though. Kinda destroys that myth, right?

 
Great line Chad and I love the chats.

 

[jacklamabe65]

Agreed on the Friday afternoon chats. Always informative, respectful and yet irreverent at times. He can through out names like Gary Geiger or Toby Kimball with the best of them. He knows his Boston sports. I nearly spilled my coffee one Friday afternoon when I asked him a question via the Globe Chat and he answered, "Well, Shaun/Jack...."

 

[Dalton Jones]

Agreed on the Friday afternoon chats. Always informative, respectful and yet irreverent at times. He can through out names like Gary Geiger or Toby Kimball with the best of them. He knows his Boston sports. I nearly spilled my coffee one Friday afternoon when I asked him a question via the Globe Chat and he answered, "Well, Shaun/Jack...."

Love the Toby Kimball reference. There can't be many on this board who know who he was.....

 

[Don Buddin's GS]

Love the Toby Kimball reference. There can't be many on this board who know who he was.....

 
You mean the former Celt who looked like he was 40 years old while still enrolled at UConn?

 

[Spud]

"For those of us left behind in the gray New England of February to plod through the dirt-snow toward spring, Fort Myers, Florida is a destination to envy."

http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2014/02/bogaerts_is_capable_of_instant_stardom.html

Given the dreck that is the rest of the Globe's baseball crew, is there any conceivably reasonable explanation why Chad is plodding through dirt-snow instead of covering the team in Fort Myers? I don't understand this at all.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Probably because he just started watching Breaking Bad and he's prioritizing his life around binge watching it.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

"For those of us left behind in the gray New England of February to plod through the dirt-snow toward spring, Fort Myers, Florida is a destination to envy."

http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2014/02/bogaerts_is_capable_of_instant_stardom.html

Given the dreck that is the rest of the Globe's baseball crew, is there any conceivably reasonable explanation why Chad is plodding through dirt-snow instead of covering the team in Fort Myers? I don't understand this at all.

 
Probably because he isn't a baseball specific columnist.  I could be mistaken, but I don't believe Chad covers any team from the press box or in the clubhouse/locker room in the same vein as a Shaughnessy or Buckley does.  If he's not doing that, I can't see why he'd be going to Ft Myers on the Globe's dime.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

IIRC, Finn is primarily an editor and writes on the side. So he wouldn't be able to go to Florida because of that too.

 

[Spud]

Thanks for the info. I read the first sentence (in yet another terrific article) and wondered whether it was a hint of some professional jealousy or whether, like the rest of us, he is just sick of being cold.

 

[Chad Finn]

Thanks for the nice words, guys. Edit rarely now, JMOH. Just write -- I replaced Gasper as the boston.com columnist when he went to globe.com -- and do the media reporting. And I'm mostly just sick of the cold. I could probably be there had I pushed to go.

 

[Spud]

I, and I suspect others, wish you had pushed. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy Breaking Bad!

 

[riboflav]

Terrific and touching article by Finn today especially for those of who follow Flanagan's career and thought for a moment, even if briefly, that she might defy all the odds and cross the line first.
 
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2014/04/boston_marathon.html

 

[mabrowndog]

Terrific and touching article by Finn today especially for those of who follow Flanagan's career and thought for a moment, even if briefly, that she might defy all the odds and cross the line first.
 
http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2014/04/boston_marathon.html

 
Superb writing. It's always a challenge to present an emotionally-tinged story without being too maudlin. Chad really nailed this one.