Dan Shaughnessy: Taking a dump in your mouth one column at a time

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
How many times has he written something overly optimistic about a team's chances, even more optimistic than that team's "fanboys", then trashed the team and its fans when it didn't deliver? Usually using "we" to describe his personal opinion (which has annoyed me no end).
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
He wrote that when Shaughnessy sent in a ballot only for Jeter it was unusual (because he is a Boston guy) when in reality it is probably the most on-brand move Shaughnessy has ever made.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
He wrote that when Shaughnessy sent in a ballot only for Jeter it was unusual (because he is a Boston guy) when in reality it is probably the most on-brand move Shaughnessy has ever made.
Pretty sure he only voted for Rivera the year before, so most definitely not unusual
 

Phil Elliott

New Member
Aug 12, 2020
144
The author revealed his lack of historical knowledge of Shaughnessy when he predicted a future Shank vote for David Ortiz. That's no slam dunk by a long shot.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
The author revealed his lack of historical knowledge of Shaughnessy when he predicted a future Shank vote for David Ortiz. That's no slam dunk by a long shot.
He'll probably finally "come around" to voting for Clemens and Bonds next year, but not vote for Arod or Ortiz because they haven't paid their dues on the ballot yet.
 

Phil Elliott

New Member
Aug 12, 2020
144
He'll probably finally "come around" to voting for Clemens and Bonds next year, but not vote for Arod or Ortiz because they haven't paid their dues on the ballot yet.
You're likely right. And Shank's translation of "haven't paid their dues...yet" is "haven't been punished enough yet."
 

Shaky Walton

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2019
717
Shank's predictable "Brady Bests Belichick" column makes the assumption that Bill ran Brady out of town and did not want him back. But it's at least possible, and I think likely, that Brady left because he was tired of playing for Bill and wanted to play for a coach and team who would be more deferential to him.

Whether I'm right is not the point. The point is that the entire column was based on an unstated premise and Dan never acknowledged that Brady's departure could have been of his own volition.

Even by the CHB's standards, it was particularly weak sauce.
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
LMAO. ‘Upton Bell’ sounds like an early 20th century assistant to the assistant Secretary of the Navy or a computer generated name for a fictitious player in an EA Sports game.

I confess I had no idea who he is, but I feel better about that after researching him. He was the Pats GM for two irrelevant years during the Nixon administration.

He could have written that article without an appeal to authority, but if you’re gonna do it you should probably get a better authority on modern roster management.
 

Zedia

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
6,988
Pasadena, CA
LMAO. ‘Upton Bell’ sounds like an early 20th century assistant to the assistant Secretary of the Navy or a computer generated name for a fictitious player in an EA Sports game.
Man, I feel old sometimes. Bell was probably better known as a radio guy, he hosted a show with Lobel. He was kind of ubiquitous in the late 70s/80s.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
Upton Bell was also the son of Bert Bell, who was the NFL Commissioner from 1946 to 1959. Upton is pretty old, but lives in Arlington and has been around town forever doing historical presentations on football and the NFL.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,743
Rotten Apple
Yes, Upton was a hegemonic Boston sports media figure in the 70's, 80's and early 90's. Never quite broke through to national/ESPN Sports Reporters level but it's no surprise that he would be a Shank go-to when you want to stick it to the guy who did it better without him. It all reeks of sour grapes and bad faith history lessons.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,240
Not knocking Bell. He was a real football person in the late 60s and early 70s and a sizable radio personality in the 70s and 80s(?).
 

Mystic Merlin

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 21, 2007
46,769
Hartford, CT
Had no idea, I definitely know Lobel but not this guy. Then again, I remember seeing Lobel on TV during the 90s and 00s, and Bell was before my time.

Mea culpa.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Chad Finn will be an outstanding successor to CHB. Totally opposite in his approach. Positive, enjoys sports, people like him. More likely not to succumb to the power that often corrupts columnists.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
Duxbury followed Shank's recommendation and fired their football coach. One of the few times I have to agree with the man. My only question is: they said this had been going on quite a while; no player ever mentioned it to his parents? Seems like there was a ton of opportunity to nip this in the bud.
 

Hank Scorpio

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 1, 2013
6,915
Salem, NH
Chad Finn will be an outstanding successor to CHB. Totally opposite in his approach. Positive, enjoys sports, people like him. More likely not to succumb to the power that often corrupts columnists.
I write creatively from time to time, sometimes opinion based, sometimes flash fiction and short stories. I will say, I find it much more fun/interesting to write colorfully about something in a negative light, than in a positive one. I wonder if there is something to that with guys like CHB. It's fun to come up with a new an creative way to call something a dumpster fire. To be over-the-top harsh. But to be colorful about something positive? It's tough to pull off without sounding like a sycophant if you're writing on real world events. Writers might even be tempted to make a positive line about a team into one that is dually negative about other teams, i.e. "The 2018 Boston Red Sox trampled the rest of the league, like a raging pack of soccer moms over an unsuspecting group of abandoned, napping toddlers at WalMart on Black Friday."
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
I write creatively from time to time, sometimes opinion based, sometimes flash fiction and short stories. I will say, I find it much more fun/interesting to write colorfully about something in a negative light, than in a positive one. I wonder if there is something to that with guys like CHB. It's fun to come up with a new an creative way to call something a dumpster fire. To be over-the-top harsh. But to be colorful about something positive? It's tough to pull off without sounding like a sycophant if you're writing on real world events. Writers might even be tempted to make a positive line about a team into one that is dually negative about other teams, i.e. "The 2018 Boston Red Sox trampled the rest of the league, like a raging pack of soccer moms over an unsuspecting group of abandoned, napping toddlers at WalMart on Black Friday."
I agree with your point about positivity being more difficult to sustain in such a critical world. High school coaches of losing teams used to call me at my small-town newspaper and complain about lack of coverage compared to winning teams, or critical coverage. And none of our coverage was critical in the sense that we see with top-level college and any kind of professional sports. My answer was always that ”winning teams get better, more positive coverage, than losing teams.” Now transfer that idea to Boston’s current pro teams. The Celtics. Red Sox. Patriots. Those three offer a field day for critical analysis. Losing is often more interesting to write about. Even coaches will admit you can learn more about your team in defeat than in victory.
Funny thing about the 2018 Sox is they won 108 games in the regular season but the Yankees won 100. To me, that’s when sports are fun, when you have that kind of excellence.
 

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Duxbury followed Shank's recommendation and fired their football coach. One of the few times I have to agree with the man. My only question is: they said this had been going on quite a while; no player ever mentioned it to his parents? Seems like there was a ton of opportunity to nip this in the bud.
I assure you the calls for his firing came from many places other than just Scoop.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
Sometimes it is easier to put the reasons for why you don't like something into words than it is explain why you do like something. Anger and frustration are naturally easier to vent than enjoyment; it is why we have "angry rants" and not many "happy rants."

However, if you are truly passionate about something it is pretty easy to write about it. I've written 500+ Op/Eds in my life and while I do enjoy certain aspects of railing against something, especially if I always look back more fondly and my more positive pieces. Anger is much more about instant reactions and time and place; most of the time we can look back at something that made us mad and admit that we shouldn't have been so bothered by that. On the flip side, things that are enjoyable tend to be more eternal.

Shaughnessy to me is a guy who, like many people of his age, look back fondly at things of the past and are less receptive to the ways of the present. It's not a coincidence that most of his "positive" pieces tend to be focused on memories of the past, or catching up with some Boston athlete from the 70s or 80s.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
I assure you the calls for his firing came from many places other than just Scoop.
Oh, no doubt. But usually he rants and raves about something and I immediately consider the source and take the opposing point of view. This one's not debatable on any level.
 

terrynever

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Aug 25, 2005
21,717
pawtucket
Sometimes it is easier to put the reasons for why you don't like something into words than it is explain why you do like something. Anger and frustration are naturally easier to vent than enjoyment; it is why we have "angry rants" and not many "happy rants."

However, if you are truly passionate about something it is pretty easy to write about it. I've written 500+ Op/Eds in my life and while I do enjoy certain aspects of railing against something, especially if I always look back more fondly and my more positive pieces. Anger is much more about instant reactions and time and place; most of the time we can look back at something that made us mad and admit that we shouldn't have been so bothered by that. On the flip side, things that are enjoyable tend to be more eternal.

Shaughnessy to me is a guy who, like many people of his age, look back fondly at things of the past and are less receptive to the ways of the present. It's not a coincidence that most of his "positive" pieces tend to be focused on memories of the past, or catching up with some Boston athlete from the 70s or 80s.
Really interesting post, Kliq. I was actually more critical when I was young and thought I knew everything. When I got older and saw how much I did not know, my writing became more understanding of human fragility. But I was never a great sports writer.

My theory developed over the years is that big-time columnists can sometimes be corrupted by the power of their forum. There’s one in almost every city. Philly has a guy named Marcus Hayes who makes CHB look like an optimist. I think Dan has a place in the Boston sports discussion, whether fans like him or not. He is tremendously experienced in a variety of sports coverage. He earned his spurs as a beat writer in two major sports for 20 years. Maybe he is old and cranky. My guess is he found a writing formula that worked for him. It comes from inside himself. He writes fast and well. Fans hate it but sports columnists are not supposed to be fans. Their job is to be critical. For or against.
 

Shaky Walton

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2019
717
From today's dropping of crap:
What we have now is something altogether different. The 2020-21 Celtics are a team with considerable talent. They are over .500 and bound for the playoffs. But they are infuriating underachievers who don’t seem to care what anybody thinks of them. Celtic fans love them unconditionally, but the Celtics do not love the fans back. The Celtics carry themselves as if they’ve already accomplished something when they have not. Now we officially know they are going nowhere.
The point of my post is not whether Dan per se is right. We all know Dan stirs up nonsense to get clicks and is lazy.

My question is whether others in the media have been saying that about Cs fans and more broadly, is it true?

I don't live in the Boston area or even NE.

But I am a Cs fan and I do not love them unconditionally.
 

Phil Elliott

New Member
Aug 12, 2020
144
Dan loves the low-hanging fruit, so the Celtic situation is perfect for him. While Celtic fans are sometimes overly-loyal when it comes to criticism, I don't sense alot of denial these days that something's really wrong here. And, while I'm not a Shank fan at all, I thought some of his assessments of the situation had merit. But, he's the undisputed Trolling Champion of the World. He's aroused about this to the point of priapism.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2008
11,304
There are plenty of fans that overrate the players on the team and also plenty of fans that want Ainge and Stevens fired and think Tatum and Brown are massively overrated. Probably pretty similar to any other major fanbase.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,671
I totally understand their print deadlines are terrible, but the Globe not having the Celtics result in for the morning paper and instead leading with a Shank column about how embarrassing the Celtics are is a terrible look.
 

Shaky Walton

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 20, 2019
717
I'm not a fan and thought his recent take on Boston fan behavior overly focused on the act of an individual moron while missing the chance to call Kyrie out more squarely for being the tremendous dickehead that he is. But I didn't see much to complain about in the column you linked. And changes were indeed coming and I hope will continue. The existing course was a road to nowhere, as he correctly noted.
 

jezza1918

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
2,607
South Dartmouth, MA
So my Dad texts me this article yesterday and tells me it's worth reading his thoughts on Milbury (my dad knows I loathe Shaughnessy, so always qualifies it if he sends me his link): https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/22/sports/mike-milbury-finally-has-his-say-being-fired-by-nbc-other-thoughts/
Included is this blurb

Boucher was discussing life in the bubble during an Islanders-Capitals broadcast, concluding that the no-fan, no-family bubble was a perfect place for teammate bonding and good competition, when Milbury added, “Not even any women here to disrupt your concentration.” That was it. That’s the totality of his transgression that got him fired after 46 years in and around the NHL, 14 with NBC.
I then called my father and explained to him that Shaugnessy is either A. intentionally not including other transgressions (e.g. within weeks of the above comment, Milbury compared the atmosphere in the bubble to watching NCAA Womens Hockey or B. not bothering to do the research on previous Milbury transgressions (of which there are many). But bottom line is, it's shitty journalism. Moral of the story is that my father now also think that Shaughnessy sucks and I feel like a proud son today.
 

lexrageorge

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
18,096
Shank glossing over Millbury's past issues (like assaulting a kid at a youth hockey game), while also including his obligatory attack against Ortiz (he was supposedly "friends" with someone that ran a gambling ring in 2003), is definitely a bridge too far. It's time for him to cap his pen.
 
Last edited:

Phil Elliott

New Member
Aug 12, 2020
144
It's far past the time to stop dancing around Shank's biases. Ortiz, Pedro M., Pablo Sandoval, the Krafts, Chaim Bloom... Latin people and those of Jewish descent. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
"We shouldn’t have wasted our time wondering. It’s clear who the Patriots will start at quarterback......Cam Newton got the start for the Patriots Sunday. Again. Even after a “misunderstanding” that took him away from the team for five days and would have landed any other Patriot a week in the Cooler. Not Cam. "

Guess you were wrong, Dan.
 

bankshot1

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 12, 2003
24,652
where I was last at
If Shank has a sense of humor and is just a wee bit self-effacing he will admit he was the small-town rube who got hustled by BB's adept sleight of hand in playing, "Where's the QB?"
 

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
"We shouldn’t have wasted our time wondering. It’s clear who the Patriots will start at quarterback......Cam Newton got the start for the Patriots Sunday. Again. Even after a “misunderstanding” that took him away from the team for five days and would have landed any other Patriot a week in the Cooler. Not Cam. "

Guess you were wrong, Dan.
To be fair to Dan, there were a number of other Globe articles saying the same thing yesterday. Including one by a member here.
 

Humphrey

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 3, 2010
3,163
To be fair to Dan, there were a number of other Globe articles saying the same thing yesterday. Including one by a member here.
Of course. But as I've said before, when it comes to football and hockey, there's no solid base of knowledge behind his opinions. Basketball and baseball at least he knows something even if one disagrees with him.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,993
Newton
"We shouldn’t have wasted our time wondering. It’s clear who the Patriots will start at quarterback......Cam Newton got the start for the Patriots Sunday. Again. Even after a “misunderstanding” that took him away from the team for five days and would have landed any other Patriot a week in the Cooler. Not Cam. "

Guess you were wrong, Dan.
This is nothing. Shaughnessy has been wrong a lot of times before with his Captain Misery routine. Like the “pack of frauds” comment in 2004 when the Sox went down 3-0 to the Yankees. He’s generally pretty willing to admit that he was wrong before he goes back to his Captain Miserable routine. It’s part of the process.