Ron Borges gets catfished, kisses career goodbye (we hope)

[Otto]

Yee has been Brady's agent for how long? Borges had no communication with him ever till this point and didn't have his number stored and didn't know anyone who did to cross-reference? Forget professional journalists, this is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of in my life.

This is what sticks out to me. Yee has been Brady's agent for almost 20 years, but a guy who writes about the Patriots doesn't have him in his contacts or know what he sounds like (hint: he doesn't sound like "Nick from Boston")? Just one example among many: every nominally engaged NFL writer spends at least some time at the annual NFLPA agent meeting at the Combine in February. During breaks, agents and writers will share information and writers will specifically hit up agents who represent players that matter in the writers' respective markets.

 

[djbayko]

He also called T&R after that as well. What a bozo Borges is, how do you not even try to second source that or just not run with it from an unverified phone number?

This makes me wonder how often we read stories with sources but it is really just one

What Borges did here is over the top, but if we think that sports journalists gossip columnists are second sourcing their stories, we're kidding ourselves. I suspect this could have been pulled off on many a writer, especially if the culprit put in a bit more effort on getting details right and was more convincing.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

From Michael David Smith of PFT: If you've written about football long enough, you've probably caught Ron Borges copying and pasting your work without credit. I know I have. He's a lazy and sloppy journalist. It's not surprising this happened.

 

[Marciano490]

From Michael David Smith of PFT: If you've written about football long enough, you've probably caught Ron Borges copying and pasting your work without credit. I know I have. He's a lazy and sloppy journalist. It's not surprising this happened.

Man, that's a whole page of glorious Borges hate. I forgot Arum was injured when Borges slapped the other writer. I'd also forgotten how much Borges loved that cancer Don King.

 

[koufax32]

Discussing now on local radio here in Jacksonville.

 

[jsinger121]

Ron Borges has been suspended by the Herald pending an investigation and they also apologized to TB12, Don Yee and the Patriots.

 

[dcmissle]

Herald statement here:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2018/02/herald_statement_on_ron_borges_column

 

[CoffeeNerdness]

Ben Volin injecting himself into the story.

 

[snowmanny]

How would he know?

 

[chonce1]

If these screenshots are real Borges is a fool, or on drugs or something. It was so obvious and the stakes so high. He also implied in the story he had :'sources," plural.

 

[dcmissle]

If these screenshots are real Borges is a fool, or on drugs or something. It was so obvious and the stakes so high. He also implied in the story he had :'sources," plural.

That will be the hook if they fire him, misrepresentation.

Ironically, the purported source — the player’s agent — is as good as it gets. You don’t need more than one. All you must do is confirm his identity, which is kind of important because Borges obviously has never spoken with Yee. Identity can be confirmed in any number of ways.

And does Borges not have an editor? Every writer does, and that individual should be suspended as well. “How do you know you’re communicating with Yee, you’ve heard Ron about those bogus Schefter tweets?” “Don’t you think we should check this out — you’re about to report conduct on the part of TB that is belied by his 18 years in a Patriots uniform?”

 

[Byrdbrain]

I'm not listening, no way you could get me too, but I've seen comments on twitter that F&M think the story is mostly true.

Oy

 

[dcmissle]

I'm not listening, no way you could get me too, but I've seen comments on twitter that F&M think the story is mostly true.

Oy

I was about to add that Volin has the wrong station unless he is referring to Kirk. Every other host on every other show on ‘EEI is too smart or too decent for this, with the exception of Callahan, who is too invested in blood and soil to have time for this.

Felger and Mazz are Borges’ spiritual brothers. Two Brady contracts ago, Felger opined that things would “end badly” between Brady and Kraft. He is heavily invested in negative fake news.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

I'm not listening, no way you could get me too, but I've seen comments on twitter that F&M think the story is mostly true.

Oy

I was just listening during my ride home, in no way, shape or form do F&M think that Brady will hold out or is resentful about his contract relative to Garoppolo's. Some of the tangential fluff in Borges's article sounded plausible to them, that's all.

 

[Byrdbrain]

I was just listening during my ride home, in no way, shape or form do F&M think that Brady will hold out or is resentful about his contract relative to Garoppolo's. Some of the tangential fluff in Borges's article sounded plausible to them, that's all.

I can't believe I've been lead astray by "Wil D" on twitter who was saying that Felger thought the article was 75% correct.

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

As a percentage of written words that Felger finds believable, that estimate might be right. But the 25% that he knows is incorrect includes the notion of Brady holding out or being pissed, which is pretty much the only point worth discussing.

 

[Marciano490]

I can't believe I've been lead astray by "Wil D" on twitter who was saying that Felger thought the article was 75% correct.

This is like inception.

 

[shawnrbu]

I can't believe I've been lead astray by "Wil D" on twitter who was saying that Felger thought the article was 75% correct.

Felger did say he thinks Borges' article is 75% true. Doesn't believe Brady would actually sit out and Borges was foolish to fall for Fake Don Yee.

When Felger read the article last night, he thought it was a great article and classic Borges. Felger wanted it all to be true since it would be good for his talk show. Felger does believe the stuff about the Jimmy trade and Josh staying as more evidence that Kraft has chosen Brady over BB.

Mazz took the Ed Werder route and thinks it is crap that some guy sitting on his couch would try to ruin someone's career with a hoax.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

Personally I’d describe Borges’ approach as demonstrating reckless disregard for the truth.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Why would Felger think any of the article is remotely informed?

 

[Harry Hooper]

Ben Volin injecting himself into the story.

That was me. I tried to get Volin to fall for another Kraft Foods rumor.

It's not reckless disregard of the truth by Borges, it's intentional disregard because he doesn't want to give up on a juicy report.

 

[dcmissle]

Why would Felger think any of the article is remotely informed?

He has said Borges is the most knowledgeable football reporter in Boston. But mostly because he wants it to be true. Because it would be good for the show. And because it would make Pats fans sad.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

From Michael David Smith of PFT: If you've written about football long enough, you've probably caught Ron Borges copying and pasting your work without credit. I know I have. He's a lazy and sloppy journalist. It's not surprising this happened.

Man, just shoot this shit into my veins.

 

[chonce1]

That will be the hook if they fire him, misrepresentation.

Ironically, the purported source — the player’s agent — is as good as it gets. You don’t need more than one. All you must do is confirm his identity, which is kind of important because Borges obviously has never spoken with Yee. Identity can be confirmed in any number of ways.

And does Borges not have an editor? Every writer does, and that individual should be suspended as well. “How do you know you’re communicating with Yee, you’ve heard Ron about those bogus Schefter tweets?” “Don’t you think we should check this out — you’re about to report conduct on the part of TB that is belied by his 18 years in a Patriots uniform?”

All great questions. Where was the editing. With all the cuts, the Herald probably has one, half-asleep line editor and an intern to do a quick copy edit.

 

[chonce1]

Anyone know where I can find text or PDF of article?

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Big Cat said a no-no word, so Werder cut off the conversation. Great conviction, there Ed.

Someone else commented "11 out of 12 footballs, Ed #NeverForget," and that man (I'm guessing) is a hero.

 

[Harry Hooper]

Anyone know where I can find text or PDF of article?

How about a JPG? Bruce Allen has screenshots of the back page of the Herald and the article.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Quick, someone text Ron and tell him the Celtics won tonight.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

No Ron Borges thread can be complete without someone posting his famous post-2001 draft recap. Here is Ron Borges, in all his glory. This guy has hated BB and the Pats for almost 20 years. He wanted this story to be true so bad that he fell for something most teenagers are prepared to see through in today's world. I'm not shedding any tears, because frankly, someone who has written so many paragraphs like the one below shouldn't be allowed to write about football on any sort of public stage. Ron Borges everyone:

“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson or the second best tackle in the draft Kenyatta Walker, they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour who had 1 1/2 sacks last year in the pass-happy SEC, and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in the draft Robert Fergusonand settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

 

[jsinger121]

 

[Mueller's Twin Grannies]

Didn't see any chatter on this in the thread... what did he do? Was it the fake Asian voice?

 

[Ed Hillel]

Didn't see any chatter on this in the thread... what did he do? Was it the fake Asian voice?

Think City Wok from South Park.

 

[GoDa]

It was an ill-conceived attempt at humor... kind of funny, at first, when I thought it sounded like the crew was jokingly speculating that the prankster probably called up doing an Asian voice (as Don Yee) and Borges was so stupid he bought it. Then... Fauria just couldn't stop himself from doing it again and again, while reading the text messages, because a white voice was boring.

 

[richgedman'sghost]

The overnight guys at ESPN evidently thought the Borges story was hilarious. They literally were crying from laughter at the prank. To be clear' I am talking about the initial prank and not the Christian Fauria incident. It occured in the 1215 am segment and is worth a listen. I don't think I've ever heard 2 hosts lose it on air as much as these 2 hosts did.

 

[Reverend]

Good lord, who do I root for in this mess?

On one hand, there's Ron fucking Borges who is probably the worst writer* still employed in the Boston Media. * Yes, even worse than Cafardo.

On the other, is Kirk Minihane who just is the plain worst. I think it's pretty hilarious that Borges got catfished, because fuck that guy; but at the same time it's pretty shitty that Minihane had knowledge of it (at the very least) and may have been behind it (at the worst). All because one guy said that the other guy didn't know how to get to Foxboro. I mean, that's a pretty big bomb to drop on a dude who said you don't know anything -- which is something Minihane says no less than 13,000 times a day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not crying for Ron Borges, but that seems like a complete over-reaction.

BTW, who the fuck still listens to Mustard and Johnson? That's the real scoop in this story.

Life Lesson: Never Punch Down

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

No Ron Borges thread can be complete without someone posting his famous post-2001 draft recap. Here is Ron Borges, in all his glory. This guy has hated BB and the Pats for almost 20 years. He wanted this story to be true so bad that he fell for something most teenagers are prepared to see through in today's world. I'm not shedding any tears, because frankly, someone who has written so many paragraphs like the one below shouldn't be allowed to write about football on any sort of public stage. Ron Borges everyone:

“On a day when they could have had impact players David Terrell or Koren Robinson or the second best tackle in the draft Kenyatta Walker, they took Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour who had 1 1/2 sacks last year in the pass-happy SEC, and is too tall to play tackle at 6-6 and too slow to play defensive end. This genius move was followed by trading out of a spot where they could have gotten the last decent receiver in the draft Robert Fergusonand settled for tackle Matt Light, who will not help any time soon.”

The deal got sealed when they traded Bledsoe. He was tight with Borges and a source for him. After that happened, it was bombs away.

 

[richgedman'sghost]

The overnight guys at ESPN evidently thought the Borges story was hilarious. They literally were crying from laughter at the prank. To be clear' I am talking about the initial prank and not the Christian Fauria incident. It occured in the 1215 am segment and is worth a listen. I don't think I've ever heard 2 hosts lose it on air as much as these 2 hosts did.

I was referring to ESPN Radio. I think one of the hosts was Fred Coleman and I did not recognize the other host's name but it is truly worth a listen.

 

[jsinger121]

The deal got sealed when they traded Bledsoe. He was tight with Borges and a source for him. After that happened, it was bombs away.

Agreed. Once Bledsoe was dumped for Brady he lost his connection to anything Pats related has been largely irrelevant covering the Pats since. Hopefully he is fired and kicked out of the HOF voting as well.

 

[Byrdbrain]

Fauria has been suspended for 5 days for his impression of "Nick from Boston as Yee".
Fauria is not a smart man.

 

[Sportsbstn]

Agreed. Once Bledsoe was dumped for Brady he lost his connection to anything Pats related has been largely irrelevant covering the Pats since. Hopefully he is fired and kicked out of the HOF voting as well.

The fact he still has a HOF vote doesn’t speak highly of their standards

 

[Ed Hillel]

The fact he still has a HOF vote doesn’t speak highly of their standards

Rob Parker has a baseball HoF vote, for Chrissakes.

 

[edmunddantes]

Agreed. Once Bledsoe was dumped for Brady he lost his connection to anything Pats related has been largely irrelevant covering the Pats since. Hopefully he is fired and kicked out of the HOF voting as well.

The rule is you keep it till you die or resign, but given the right crime it’s probably be taken away. So we’re stuck with Borges HOF voter until he kicks the bucket I’m guessing.

It’s one the few ways he is still relevant in football.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Tomase defending Borges on WEEI currently is just amazing.

 

[TFP]

Tomase defending Borges on WEEI currently is just amazing.

We're through the looking glass at this point.

 

[Scoots McBoots]

I think it boils down to this: Borges didn't think twice about running this because he desperately wanted it to be true.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Rob Parker has a baseball HoF vote, for Chrissakes.

At least his is diluted a bit by the other 439 (or whatever) voters. You’re certainly correct, but 1/440 and 1/48 is a big difference. If the NFL were so selective, one would think they’d be a little more discerning. Honest question: who decides which voter gets to represent their city? I assume the HoF does? Borges ends up sitting in a room with the other guys and debating the finalists and narrowing it down through multiple votes. I sincerely wonder how some of the more respected guys sit at a conference table and put up with him.



Maybe possible new thread discussion? Which of the four major have the best selection process for their HoF? I’d argue NFL or NBA, but I know nothing about NHL. I do know MLB is the worst.

 

[RedOctober3829]

We're through the looking glass at this point.

Tomase just called Borges the bastion of Patriots beat writers along with Will McDonough. That's an insult to Will McDonough.

Best quote of that segment: "Others have gone to print with less."

 

[DJnVa]

Fauria suspended for 5 days for racially insensitive skit regarding Yee.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Tomase just called Borges the bastion of Patriots beat writers along with Will McDonough. That's an insult to Will McDonough.

Best quote of that segment: "Others have gone to print with less."

I have no doubt others have done so before. Not in this kind of catfish fashion and certainly not before the Twitter age developed, but I’m willing to bet plenty of writers have done it or even flat out made up sources. and without the public outing, it goes by as a rumor and isn’t even a blip on the radar. That’s no reason to excuse it, especially coming out of the mouth of someone like Tomase - who I understand even less how he is employed in the media - but I guess lepers hang with each other. But if ‘Nick’ doesn’t call in to brag, we simply get Schefter or Reiss or whomever that has some integrity file a conflicting report and the whole thing turns into a countdown to OTAs as we hold our breath.

I fully agree with your first point though.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Does anyone even notice Borges' articles aside from this incident?

I literally forget he's still writing on Boston sports 99 percent of the time. What's notable here is how out of touch with their readers engagement with, or respect for, Borges as a writer/commentator some the former print journalists who know Borges are.

Borges has no credibility with the Boston sports fan because he is mean-spirited and doesn't provide sourced information or insight. Yet here you have folks like Tomase defending their bud from senseless attacks on a quality reporter whose only crime is saying mean things about Belichick! What a joke. Tomase, and this is an indictment of him as a radio personality, would be more interesting if he criticized Borges for making the same mistake he did on the Matt Walsh story.