I'm happy to say that I've read fewer than five Shank columns in 25 years, though some of these years admittedly fall into the pre-Internet period after I left Boston (1990-1998-ish).
I just don't see the point in wasting precious time on a guy whose love of sports seems to have died almost 30 years ago. He brings no joy, humor, or insight to my experience as a fan. His work is worthless.
In fact, he's the tomato can compared to both his betters at the Globe--the guys from the Glory Days of Ryan, Gammons, McDonough, et al.--or the funnier, more engaging, and/or more analytically inclined writers who came after him, such as Jackie MacMullan, Tom Curran, Mike Tanier, Aaron Schatz, Sally Jenkins, Kevin Curtis, Alex Spier, etc.