Felger and Mazz - Creating False Naratives one day at a time

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I think that Written Tony has the luxury of having a delete key and editor. He's probably the type of writer that belches everything onto the screen, takes a walk or eats lunch and then comes back to clean it up, make corrections, etc.

On the radio, you can't do that. So while Radio Tony says something stupid like, "The Red Sox are fucked in October because they lost a late-June series to the Padres" I'm not sure that Written Tony would have communicated the same thing.

Again, I like Massarotti and aside from admitting that he didn't watch the Sox late last year, I think that he does a pretty good job. Especially considering the alternatives.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

2:03 Great Felger and Mazz are on let me turn on the radio.

2:04 Fuck Wiggy Wednesday, eh, hopefully he'll have something decent to contribute about the NFL Lockout.

2:05 Can't get past Wiggy's voice, return to work.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Wiggy Wednesday is brutal. Isn't he gone after 4pm?

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Wiggy Wednesday is brutal. Isn't he gone after 4pm?

Thankfully yes.

 

[Phenom]

I will say that Bertrand has really grown in his time on the show. He's a good "third wheel" and always seem willing to challenge Felger.

TSH has done a nice job of infusing younger voices with the "same old same old." Ryan Johnston who does work on weekends puts on a solid show with Mike Flynn as well.

 

[Ahriman]

When will it end? I thought Wiggy left after two hours?

 

[Ahriman]

I will say that Bertrand has really grown in his time on the show. He's a good "third wheel" and always seem willing to challenge Felger.

TSH has done a nice job of infusing younger voices with the "same old same old." Ryan Johnston who does work on weekends puts on a solid show with Mike Flynn as well.

Felger was at his best when surrounded by all of those 'young punks', as he would call them, at 890. Just Felger ranting, doing his usual thing, with those guys sniping at him here and there. Shame that it was all buried under that awful, awful signal.

I don't think the show would miss a beat if Mazz were to leave. I'd definitely listen more, as Mazz is usually the reason why I shut the radio off.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Wow, today was the worst Wacist Wedenesday, I mean Wiggy Wednesday yet. I got in the car around 3:15 and from 3:15-4:15 it as absolutely brutal. I even texted in say it was so bad I had to turn it off.

This is like the 4th time I've listened and its just Wiggy going on about how black athletes are treated unfairly, has no info to back that up and whenever it comes down to it "you wouldn't understand unless you were a black athlete" so you can't even argue with him.

Good for Bertrand sticking up for himself today since Wiggy was all over him. This had to be the worst hour of the year I've heard on 98.5.

 

[soxfan121]

I dunno man. The discussion about Kobe losing his nut spread endorsement was funny.

 

[lostjumper]

Wow, today was the worst Wacist Wedenesday, I mean Wiggy Wednesday yet. I got in the car around 3:15 and from 3:15-4:15 it as absolutely brutal. I even texted in say it was so bad I had to turn it off.

This is like the 4th time I've listened and its just Wiggy going on about how black athletes are treated unfairly, has no info to back that up and whenever it comes down to it "you wouldn't understand unless you were a black athlete" so you can't even argue with him.

Good for Bertrand sticking up for himself today since Wiggy was all over him. This had to be the worst hour of the year I've heard on 98.5.

It was brutal. I tried to listen for a while, but he kept saying Vick was treated unfairly because he's black and now that he's back in the league no one will give him credit for being a good player. Bertrand mentioned that Vick was 2nd in the MVP voting this year which would seem to prove Wiggy was wrong, but no Wiggy continued to say it with nothing to back it up. I had to turn it off. Terrible radio.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

I don't normally get a chance to listen to Wiggy Wednesdays because he's usually off the air before I go home, but I was able to yesterday. Man, he's terrible. I heard the whole conversation about Vick and how it sucks to be a black athlete because the media is always looking to paint you in a bad light. He said something to the effect of, "Why is it when a black guy has a gun, he's a criminal but when a white guy has a gun, he's a hunter?"

Then he talked about Vick and Harrison before I turned it off.

The few moments that I listened to, Felger and Mazz just let him talk. I don't think that they knew exactly what to say because Wiggins was so full of shit but they didn't seem to want to call him on it.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

They way Wiggy talks about black athletes makes the current pro sports media seem like 1950's Alabama. I'm shocked that they can endure the negative press while earning millions of dollars a year.

 

[Phenom]

The few moments that I listened to, Felger and Mazz just let him talk. I don't think that they knew exactly what to say because Wiggins was so full of shit but they didn't seem to want to call him on it.

But it lead us to Felger singing "Behind Blue Eyes" for an entire segment :rolling:

But Wiggy sucks..."Wiggy Wednesday" reminds of the days when we would hear "Butch Stearns in for Glenn today alongside Larry Johnson and Billy Burt." A depressing way to kick off the mid-afternoon.

It's a good thing that Ordway and Holley is such an abysmal show, so Felger and Mazz can really do whatever they want and it won't cost them in the ratings all that much.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

They way Wiggy talks about black athletes makes the current pro sports media seem like 1950's Alabama. I'm shocked that they can endure the negative press while earning millions of dollars a year.

This isn't the first time either, he is always throwing race into the discussion when it has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation at hand, not even remotely.

 

[Billy Jo Robidoux]

Wow, you guys really dislike Wiggins. FUCKING RACISTS!

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Wow, you guys really dislike Wiggins. FUCKING RACISTS!

Obviously, that's why I don't listen to WEEI in the afternoon. I need all white radio.

I guess we've all been figured out!!!!

 

[Phenom]

I think that Written Tony has the luxury of having a delete key and editor. He's probably the type of writer that belches everything onto the screen, takes a walk or eats lunch and then comes back to clean it up, make corrections, etc.

On the radio, you can't do that. So while Radio Tony says something stupid like, "The Red Sox are fucked in October because they lost a late-June series to the Padres" I'm not sure that Written Tony would have communicated the same thing.

Today was a perfect example of this, as Tony blurted out early in the show that he would prefer Drew start game 1 of a playoff series over Reddick. Felger, of course, immediately jumped on him for it and all Tony could muster was "well...uhh...Drew did it in 2007 and I don't know, I just have a hunch he has something left in the tank."

Now the idea that we haven't seen a large enough sample size from Reddick to determine who he is and because of that it would be foolish to cut bait with Drew isn't crazy, and is being discussed right here on the main board. But Mazz just couldn't gather his thoughts fast enough to make a coherent point, and he wound up babbling and back-tracking for the next hour. "Written Tony" would have had more time to carefully craft an argument.

I'm not really sure what it is either. Maybe it's because Mazz thinks this is "just" talk radio and it's supposed to appeal to the lowest denominator anyway so he can get away with saying things without doing any show prep to back himself up. Or maybe he just doesn't work well "under the gun" and doesn't really have a great ability to ad-lib. It also probably doesn't help that Felger is quick witted and doesn't really give Tony much room to breath after he makes a point that he disagrees with (on the rare occasion when that happens).

I still contend that Mazz usually halts the show more than he helps it for these reasons, but the ratings have remained strong so this obviously doesn't matter that much.

 

[dcmissle]

Full of praise of Bob Kraft for his role in today's settlement.. Forthright admission by Felger ("I thought Kraft was one of the hard liners; I was wrong about that.")

 

[teddykgb]

Tony is absolutely butchering a potentially interesting discussion felger launched (but won't follow through on) about the mariners and their explosion season that was attributed to defense.

Now, rather than pull any data, like have the mariners actually continued to be good at run prevention, jazz just chooses to point and laugh at tango tiger and others because the mariners have had a bad record since. I mean, he may even be right and he can't even take the time to make a cogent argument, instead he keeps bringing up their anemic offense and win loss records which actually harm his point in the first place...

I don't expect much out of a radio talk show host, but when they stop even making coherent arguments, it's just way too far for me to handle.

 

[smastroyin]

Well, he also couldn't be bothered to look up who was still on the Sox roster when Felger asked him and said that DL'ing Drew kept Drew Sutton on the roster. Now, it turns out the Sox are going to recall Sutton (and have demoted Weiland today), but that was announced well after this interchange, and Sutton is not on the roster today, an fact easy to look up in 30 seconds on mlb.com. Which would be forgivable I guess except it kind of changes the entire point Felger was making, and Mazz, even as a Drew defender, couldn't come up with even a "maybe knowing Lester is on a strict pitch count they wanted to keep an extra pitcher for a week." Something. Anything that says "I follow the Boston Red Sox on a daily basis the way a media person who makes his living talking about them should."

edit: I just want to be clear. It's ok to get a fact wrong. It's not ok, if your primary purpose of existence is to know the local baseball team, to not even think to look up the facts and instead stumble over the question of "who is at the bottom of the Red Sox active roster?" And it's really not ok to take a stance of "they have not given up on Drew" without doing the 5 minutes of research.

 

[Andy Merchant]

Ugh, just realized today will be Wiggy Wednesday.

It's amazing how the weekly addition of one individual can make me dislike a show that I typically enjoy (or vice versa). Wiggins ruins F&M for me, yet having Sean McAdam on the mid-day show today makes listening to Andy Gresh somewhat tolerable. I think I'm going to listen to the ESPN Boston radio show replay at 2 PM instead...

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Absolutely painful.

 

[Quiddity]

Kudos to Felger, considering his over the top Jets love I fully expected him to accept the Randy Moss going to the Jets talk with open arms and talk about how superior it would make the Jets versus the Patriots, instead he's criticizing the move. There is hope with this guy!

Wiggy on the other hand nonscencically demanding the Pats get a #1 receiver when the team he was on won the Super Bowl without one. Ugh.

ETA: OMG. Wiggins is now claiming that when Troy Brown came in as defensive back in 2004 it was because Belichick benched Samuel. Um, no. Samuel got hurt in that Rams game, its right on the championship DVD, don't you remember? Felger tried to correct him, but Wiggy still insisted he was right. Get this guy off the air!

 

[Beomoose]

Full of praise of Bob Kraft for his role in today's settlement.. Forthright admission by Felger ("I thought Kraft was one of the hard liners; I was wrong about that.")

I seem to recall more than just Felger pushing the notion that Kraft was a "hard liner" in the negotiations. Upon reflection I really don't see why anyone would come to that conclusion.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

At least he didn't claim that Belichick benched Samuels because he was black.

 

[Darnell's Son]

Kudos to Felger, considering his over the top Jets love I fully expected him to accept the Randy Moss going to the Jets talk with open arms and talk about how superior it would make the Jets versus the Patriots, instead he's criticizing the move. There is hope with this guy!

Wiggy on the other hand nonscencically demanding the Pats get a #1 receiver when the team he was on won the Super Bowl without one. Ugh.

ETA: OMG. Wiggins is now claiming that when Troy Brown came in as defensive back in 2004 it was because Belichick benched Samuel. Um, no. Samuel got hurt in that Rams game, its right on the championship DVD, don't you remember? Felger tried to correct him, but Wiggy still insisted he was right. Get this guy off the air!

Yeah, Wiggy also claimed that there was no way Solder could start at LT, because you can't have a rookie LT. When Felger told him that Matt Light was a rookie in 01 when Wiggy was still on the team, Wiggy said that that was different because Tom Brady is a different QB. Now, I can understand not wanting to start a rookie LT, but wouldn't Tom Brady being infinitely better than he was in 01 make it easier on a rookie LT. Is he claiming Brady needs more time now than he did ten years ago?

 

[Andy Merchant]

Weird, did I just hear a fake Tom Menino commercial on TSH that sounded just like the bits often played on the Big Show?

 

[PedroKsBambino]

Today was a perfect example of this, as Tony blurted out early in the show that he would prefer Drew start game 1 of a playoff series over Reddick. Felger, of course, immediately jumped on him for it and all Tony could muster was "well...uhh...Drew did it in 2007 and I don't know, I just have a hunch he has something left in the tank."

Now the idea that we haven't seen a large enough sample size from Reddick to determine who he is and because of that it would be foolish to cut bait with Drew isn't crazy, and is being discussed right here on the main board. But Mazz just couldn't gather his thoughts fast enough to make a coherent point, and he wound up babbling and back-tracking for the next hour. "Written Tony" would have had more time to carefully craft an argument.

I'm not really sure what it is either. Maybe it's because Mazz thinks this is "just" talk radio and it's supposed to appeal to the lowest denominator anyway so he can get away with saying things without doing any show prep to back himself up. Or maybe he just doesn't work well "under the gun" and doesn't really have a great ability to ad-lib. It also probably doesn't help that Felger is quick witted and doesn't really give Tony much room to breath after he makes a point that he disagrees with (on the rare occasion when that happens).

I still contend that Mazz usually halts the show more than he helps it for these reasons, but the ratings have remained strong so this obviously doesn't matter that much.

What makes you say written Tony is any more informed, though?

 

[dcmissle]

Today at 2:

Felger: "He (Haynesworth) is a turd, Tony, a turd ... And as we learned with Randy Moss, once a turd, always a turd ... It's gonna come back to bite them. Maybe not now, but more likely in November or December., when they really him, and Haynesworth turns into a cancer in the locker room ... This is a high stakes gamble to address their drafting deficiencies, their inability to generate a pass run."

Mazz: "It's arrogance, Mike ... hubris ... BB thinks he's God."

 

[smastroyin]

Today at 2:

Felger: "He (Haynesworth) is a turd, Tony, a turd ... And as we learned with Randy Moss, once a turd, always a turd ... It's gonna come back to bite them. Maybe not now, but more likely in November or December., when they really him, and Haynesworth turns into a cancer in the locker room ... This is a high stakes gamble to address their drafting deficiencies, their inability to generate a pass run."

Mazz: "It's arrogance, Mike ... hubris ... BB thinks he's God."

Meanwhile, on The Big Show

<fill in for Ordway because he's on vacation again>: This guy is a defensive player of the year and BB outright stole him from the rest of the league. There is literally nothing this league can do to keep up with the Patriots. BB is the master motivator and the veterans on this team are *not* going to let this guy cause any problems and they are going to make him worth the $100 million dollar contract, mark my words.

<caller> : What about Adalius Thomas?

<host>: BB was actually right about Adalius Thomas you are just too stupid to understand the dynamics. BB is God.

 

[dcmissle]

Meanwhile, on The Big Show

<fill in for Ordway because he's on vacation again>: This guy is a defensive player of the year and BB outright stole him from the rest of the league. There is literally nothing this league can do to keep up with the Patriots. BB is the master motivator and the veterans on this team are *not* going to let this guy cause any problems and they are going to make him worth the $100 million dollar contract, mark my words.

<caller> : What about Adalius Thomas?

<host>: BB was actually right about Adalius Thomas you are just too stupid to understand the dynamics. BB is God.

This certainly is true with regard to the big fellas -- Ordway certainly and DeOssie (though Freddy might have some Moss like misgivings).

I think Holley might be more balanced.

We will see. This is interesting if nothing else.

 

[soxfan121]

Today at 2:

Felger: "He (Haynesworth) is a turd, Tony, a turd ... And as we learned with Randy Moss, once a turd, always a turd ... It's gonna come back to bite them. Maybe not now, but more likely in November or December., when they really him, and Haynesworth turns into a cancer in the locker room ... This is a high stakes gamble to address their drafting deficiencies, their inability to generate a pass run."

Mazz: "It's arrogance, Mike ... hubris ... BB thinks he's God."

I'll take the complete opposite for $2000, Alex Trebek.

I bet he comes on today and proclaims this a "Jets type move! It's short-term, it addresses a clear need and it makes them better on the field in 2011. In 2012? I'm leery - long term, this guy might be Corey Dillon or Randy Moss, but both those guys gave the Patriots great production in their first year, two years and then wore out their welcome. Tony, I love this move. It's ballsy. It might not work out. But you cannot deny that this is the type of move the Jets have made more often, recently, and it addresses a need."

"You're absolutely right Mike. Keep going - I'm interested to see how this Law & Order episode ends."

 

[dcmissle]

soxfan -- If you add a giant (and frankly, deserved) kick in the ass for failing to address effectively the (absence of) a pass rush in recent years, I could see that as well

 

[soxfan121]

Correct - hates the player, loves the trade and Tony is the one making the "why did they trade Seymour?!" kick-in-the-ass.

Of course, that line of thinking ignores the salary cap implications entirely, but it is somewhat valid.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Holy fuck, whoever does these stupid "skits" or comedy bits has to stop, they fucking suck.

Same with whoever allows them to be on the air. They are not brilliant Mazz.

 

[th@tkid]

This certainly is true with regard to the big fellas -- Ordway certainly and DeOssie (though Freddy might have some Moss like misgivings).

I think Holley might be more balanced.

We will see. This is interesting if nothing else.

Holley still cannot bring himself to admit that kicking the field goal on 4th and 12 or whatever it was against the Giants was the right thing to do. Says Bill made the best decision possible.

 

[dcmissle]

Mazz is really pushing the 'dirtbag' point ... "I don't like this move ..."

 

[Corsi]

Settle down, Mazz.

 

[soxfan121]

Settle down, Mazz.

Wow, Beavis is really riled up about this, isn't he?

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

I tuned in today for the first time in about a month. Felger made smart points - why he likes the deal, why the Pats did it and why he hates Haynesworth. But then it went downhill - Tony chimed in. I hate his annoying, stuttering, high pitched voice making the same point over and over. I had to turn it off.

 

[soxfan121]

It's the hyperbole that's annoying. Haynesworth is the "worst, most despicable" player the Pats have ever had?

I mean, yeah, if you only started following the Patriots in 2007 when you got the job as a host on the team's flagship station.

Corey Dillon is a far, far worse human being that Haynesworth.

Tony, just repeating the same thing over and over again does NOT make it true.

If it did, the repeated calls for you to be fired would have come true a long time ago.

 

[Quiddity]

Mazz claims that if the Jets made this move, we'd be bashing it to death; well, he may be right, but let's not deny that both Mazz and Felger would be praising this move excessively if the Jets made it, particularly Mazz. Kudos AGAIN to Felger on his opinion on this, the Pats went for the talent which he always wants, with admittingly some big risks from a character standpoint.

 

[hube]

Today's show - Mazz with Shaughnessy (who I like on the radio, more or less) and Wiggins.

Pass.

 

[jsinger121]

Today's show - Mazz with Shaughnessy (who I like on the radio, more or less) and Wiggins.

Pass.

Its brutal radio today. Wiggins just drags it down to unlistenable

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Turned it on kind of excited to hear what they had to say with a day to think about Ocho and Haynesworth and heard Wiggins.

Turning the ipod back on.

 

[Judge Mental13]

The Wiggy thing is really blowing my mind. Now, I've got nothin' but love for my man Wigs. Nothin' but love. All day every day. But oh my GOD how is this still a thing??? Who is enjoying it? Who is calling the station and saying "I really enjoy the perspective and observations of Jermaine Wiggins on the radio?" What higher up is hearing Wigs on the air and thinking "That's why we're number 1!"

I'm thinking Wiggy Wednesdays is a 98.5 power move. Like basically them holding WEEI down and dangling a loogie over their nose on the playground as if to say "not only are we beating you, but we're doing it while including a mushmouthed ultra-racially sensitive former backup tight end as the afternoon drive third chair!"

 

[soxfan121]

Mazz, Shank & Wiggy.

TSH management just pulled an "Ordway's on vacation, so here's Stearns, Johnson & Burt" move.

 

[lostjumper]

I tuned in and heard Wiggy, but wanted to hear Felger's take, so I kept listening. I listened to 5 minutes Mazz berating the Patriots for "taking in this Dirtbag Haynesworth", and how no other coach in the league would do this and how Kraft would never have allowed this if Myra was still alive. And then Shank chimes in and I realize Felger is off today. 5 minutes of Wiggy spouting nonsense and Mazz's shrill, cracking voice berating Kraft and the patriots that I will never get back...

 

[dcmissle]

Some of us have remarked on the dichotomy that is the Tony on the radio vs the Tony in print. Here is Exhibit A:

http://www.boston.co...ll_Sports_links

All Mazz did yesterday is whine like a bitch about the Pats' selling their soul with Haynesworth. The above on the same topic is different -- nuanced, balanced, interesting and provocative. Some of it I agree with, some not, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the article adds value and minesTony's capabilities.

I understand that he cannot simply parrot on the radio what he puts in writing and vice versa. But God, save at least some of the "good Tony" for the mic.

 

[Phenom]

Mazz, Shank & Wiggy.

TSH management just pulled an "Ordway's on vacation, so here's Stearns, Johnson & Burt" move.

Mazz just said Felger's out all of next week too...I'd be curious to see what their ratings look like on weeks when Felger's on vacation vs. weeks when he's there. I imagine there's an astronomical drop off. I'm a pretty loyal listener and I can tell you that my dial won't touch 98.5 all that often from 2-6 next week.