WEEI: Midday with the Big O (and Merloni and Fauria) NOW IN PM DRIVE TIME!

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The big mistake was not pairing Keefe with someone remotely young and interesting. Keefe was fantastic with just Holley. Dale is just not a good listen and never has been.
 

Haunted

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The big mistake was not pairing Keefe with someone remotely young and interesting. Keefe was fantastic with just Holley. Dale is just not a good listen and never has been.
I agree completely. Rich Keefe is the best talent the station has to offer, in my opinion, and it seems that WEEI has no earthly idea what to do with him.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I agree completely. Rich Keefe is the best talent the station has to offer, in my opinion, and it seems that WEEI has no earthly idea what to do with him.
I love Keefe and listen to most of his #dork podcasts except for his stuff on Marvel since I never watched those movies. If the under 54 demo is what they are going for he fits the mold well and loves the NBA. Bringing in Ordway is playing to the 50-70 demo.
 

Rich Garces Belly

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I really liked Keefe with Jones, they played well off of each other. WEEI should have poached him for afternoon drive and moved On from Dale.
 

Maximus

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The big mistake was not pairing Keefe with someone remotely young and interesting. Keefe was fantastic with just Holley. Dale is just not a good listen and never has been.
This. Dale is great on the NESN Bruins pre and post game shows but is a terrible listen on radio.
 

Rusty13

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This. Dale is great on the NESN Bruins pre and post game shows but is a terrible listen on radio.
There has been a LOT of bad sports radio over the Boston airwaves since EEI made a big push in the mid 90's, but "The A Team" still stands out as the worst show of them all (yes, even worse than Mustard and Johnson). I've never heard Dale more miserable than he was on that show. Although who can blame him?
 

taoofoj

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(yes, even worse than Mustard and Johnson)
I started listening to EEI ~2000 so I missed this A-Team you speak of, but it is hard to fathom a worse program than Mustard & Johnson. There is unlistenable (for me that's K&C, F&M but YMMV), and then there's the soulsucking experience of a show that is completely devoid of talent and not compelling or interesting in any way whatsoever. I will never understand how Larry Johnson got on the radio.
 

Rich Garces Belly

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It’s that silky smooth made for radio voice obviously.

The A team was Dale Arnold and Eddie Andelman, and yeah it was...not good.
Come on you didn’t like them saying who the turkey of the sports world was “gobble gobble” for 4 hours the day before Thanksgiving?
Or just yelling “jambalaya” during the Pats Super Bowl run?
 

Vinho Tinto

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Or what felt like the year round promoting of the Hot Dog Safari.
I liked the A-Team because it was extremely apparent that they hated working with each other. It was ahead of its time as a anti-humor sports radio show. Ted Nation had a similar vibe, but the tension was between Ted Sarandis and his listeners.
 

Haunted

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I enjoyed the A Team for the same reasons. The "Apple Snapple" reveal was one of the not-intentionally funny things I've ever heard on the radio.
 

gryoung

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Eddie A lost his fastball over time (don’t we all?).

The Sports Huddle with Andelman/Whitten/McCarthy was something else though. Can’t-miss Sunday night radio. Probably one of the cornerstones of sports talk radio around here.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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No, what show does that?

The nonstop Kowloon talk was annoying as well.
T & R does that

Eddie A lost his fastball over time (don’t we all?).

The Sports Huddle with Andelman/Whitten/McCarthy was something else though. Can’t-miss Sunday night radio. Probably one of the cornerstones of sports talk radio around here.
I've got their book somewhere.
 

Dotrat

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Eddie A lost his fastball over time (don’t we all?).

The Sports Huddle with Andelman/Whitten/McCarthy was something else though. Can’t-miss Sunday night radio. Probably one of the cornerstones of sports talk radio around here.
It's really sad how Andelman became the kind of guy he made fun of in the early '70s--and how goofy, irreverent, and still passionate the glory days of Sports Huddle were.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Eddie A lost his fastball over time (don’t we all?).

The Sports Huddle with Andelman/Whitten/McCarthy was something else though. Can’t-miss Sunday night radio. Probably one of the cornerstones of sports talk radio around here.
I'm convinced that the only reason the Sports Huddle worked and never really got stale or trite or annoying is because it was one night a week. Where almost all sports (and frankly, news) media goes wrong is trying to be "on" 24/7/365. For a sports radio show, filling 3-4 hours five times a week is hard...and repetitive. It's no wonder that every act out there either ends up being boring and vanilla like Dale Arnold, annoying and sad like Andelman, or hot-takey garbage like everyone else.
 

berniecarbo1

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I'm convinced that the only reason the Sports Huddle worked and never really got stale or trite or annoying is because it was one night a week. Where almost all sports (and frankly, news) media goes wrong is trying to be "on" 24/7/365. For a sports radio show, filling 3-4 hours five times a week is hard...and repetitive. It's no wonder that every act out there either ends up being boring and vanilla like Dale Arnold, annoying and sad like Andelman, or hot-takey garbage like everyone else.
Used to listen to Sports Huddle when my family was driving up from the Cape on Sunday nights. Agree with the Hawk that it worked because it was once a week and and was not crowded out by a lot of competition. It probably would not work today. Bear in mind you had the Huddle and Guy Miniella weeknights for 2 hours (6-8) and that was pretty much it back in the late 60s-70s.

Sports radio is over saturated now and beat things like a dead horse (much like the 24/7/365 news channels on TV). If you walk away from this stuff for a few weeks, when you DO tune back in, its like the person yakking on the phone...you put it down, take a leak, grab a soda and pick up the phone again "yup, I hear ya"....lather, rinse, repeat.

But I will tell you....for all its faults (and there are many) Boston has some of the best sports talk in the country. Out here in California, local sports talk is a wasteland. But I rarely tune in on the internet anymore to Boston sports radio. Don;t get much out of it any more....(but I do watch WCVB news at 8:00 out here, gotta get my Maria fix).
 

DisgruntledSoxFan77

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Used to listen to Sports Huddle when my family was driving up from the Cape on Sunday nights. Agree with the Hawk that it worked because it was once a week and and was not crowded out by a lot of competition. It probably would not work today. Bear in mind you had the Huddle and Guy Miniella weeknights for 2 hours (6-8) and that was pretty much it back in the late 60s-70s.

Sports radio is over saturated now and beat things like a dead horse (much like the 24/7/365 news channels on TV). If you walk away from this stuff for a few weeks, when you DO tune back in, its like the person yakking on the phone...you put it down, take a leak, grab a soda and pick up the phone again "yup, I hear ya"....lather, rinse, repeat.

But I will tell you....for all its faults (and there are many) Boston has some of the best sports talk in the country. Out here in California, local sports talk is a wasteland. But I rarely tune in on the internet anymore to Boston sports radio. Don;t get much out of it any more....(but I do watch WCVB news at 8:00 out here, gotta get my Maria fix).
Agree with this completely. I really jumped with both feet into sports talk around the time of the A-Rod to the Sox saga and stuck with it for a couple years. Then I started listening to Toucher and Rich (pre sports) and that ended sports talk for me. I dropped both for a few years and came back to T&R to get the best of both worlds and have listened for a couple years now, but the past couple weeks I stopped listening to them and devoted More time to podcasts and now I think I'm checking out again. Guess I'm back into the "phone down, grabbing a beer" portion of the call..
 

Dirty Sanchez Forever

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What’s Keefe’s best quality: the way he says suffering suckatash, or the way he articulates no more than 50% of a thought at a time? Not a big talent and that’s why he’s being demoted.
 

Don Bradman

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I don't get the love for Keefe. To me he's another in the long line of Minihanes, Mutts, Beetles, Jones, and others who bring nothing special to the table. Say what you will about OMF, but, like Dale, Callahan, Holly, and F&M, at least each of them have some credibility as former players or former reporters/broadcasters. Whether its from playing and being on the field or covering a team and having the experience of speaking with and knowing many of the players, not to mention watching more games more carefully than any fan, they have something to tell us, something we don't know. Yes, the delivery among all those guys varies to a large degree, and some of them are now very far removed from the experience that got them on the air in the first place, but why the freak should anyone care about what Keefe and the rest his type say about sports?
 

bigq

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The difference for me is Keefe does not participate as actively as many others in antagonizing/bating and hot taking his listeners. To me he seems like a guy who just likes sports and talking about sports without acting like a jerk.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I don't get the love for Keefe. To me he's another in the long line of Minihanes, Mutts, Beetles, Jones, and others who bring nothing special to the table. Say what you will about OMF, but, like Dale, Callahan, Holly, and F&M, at least each of them have some credibility as former players or former reporters/broadcasters. Whether its from playing and being on the field or covering a team and having the experience of speaking with and knowing many of the players, not to mention watching more games more carefully than any fan, they have something to tell us, something we don't know. Yes, the delivery among all those guys varies to a large degree, and some of them are now very far removed from the experience that got them on the air in the first place, but why the freak should anyone care about what Keefe and the rest his type say about sports?
This post is the entire problem with sports media. Jones is awful as is Minihane but this is the whole lodge mentality. You know why I like Keefe? He’s not an entitled DB and loves doing his job. It’s refreshing.

I love you citing Felger, Mazz and Callahan as a reference point. They’re even worse because they know better. They understand what the beat job is like and how it works. They just don’t give a shit because being hot take machines and playing it up makes them money. I don’t blame them but if they’re your reference point that’s not helping
 

grimshaw

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Keefe is somewhat rational and can talk with a straight face. That pretty much puts him in the top 3 on WEEI regardless of every other trait he has.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Yeah, I don’t have issue with Keefe but I think I listen for different reasons based on what people are being critical of here. I’m not tuning in for he #hottakez and rabble rousing. I just want updates and discussion. I find Kirk and Minihane fucking infuriating and actually avoid the show when they’re on. I’m not going to sports radio to listen to two ass holes stir the pot or get political. Dale and Holley was my favorite pairing until Holley left. Dale is fine by me. Yes, he’s milquetoast but I like that. He’s like the adult in the room. Ordway fucking sucks and is an idiot, I’m a little disappointed about the change (or that they ever brought him back to begin with) but whatever. Merloni is fine but sometimes doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it’s not baseball. Taurus I could take or leave.
 

Don Bradman

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This post is the entire problem with sports media. Jones is awful as is Minihane but this is the whole lodge mentality. You know why I like Keefe? He’s not an entitled DB and loves doing his job. It’s refreshing.

I love you citing Felger, Mazz and Callahan as a reference point. They’re even worse because they know better. They understand what the beat job is like and how it works. They just don’t give a shit because being hot take machines and playing it up makes them money. I don’t blame them but if they’re your reference point that’s not helping
In no way am I am defending or promoting Felger, Mazz, or Callahan. I dislike all of them and no longer listen to their shows. I was merely trying to point out that people like Keefe, who appear to have no real "credentials", or relevant direct experience with actual ML sports, besides talking about it on the radio, don't really motivate me to spend time listening to them.

I wish there were new people coming to these stations who had experience playing or covering sports and could offer us insight and information that we wouldn't otherwise receive. That does't seem to the trend on terrestrial radio. Instead, we get these radio guys who have minimal sports experience but are mildly informed, have a decent voice, and try to be funny. We all can adjust our listening habits given our preferences.

I agree that Keefe doesn't seem like an "entitled DB", at least compared to Minihane, and he is more thoughtful and rational than others. But still, there's no real insight in anything I hear from him. If he indeed loves his job, good for him. I'm pretty sure he knows what he needs to do to make money, for both him and the company; but maybe that hasn't gone very well recently.

I think this has more to do with the overall weakness of sports talk radio and not the merits of Keefe and other individuals.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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The thing about people coming to the station who have experience playing or covering sports is that the only reason those people were hosting shows 10-15-20 years ago is because there was no training ground for it. It was a relatively new medium. Guys like Keefe grew up listening to sports radio and pursued it as a career. Why go the route of doing beat reporting or play by play if the end goal is to host a show? Like it or not, but there will be more like him in the future (though sadly they'll probably all trend more toward the #hottakez style) than not.

Also, I'm not sure what some of these guys' experience covering teams really adds to the conversation anymore. The games and the players are fundamentally different than they were when these guys were in the thick of it. I'm not sure that Ordway's takes on the 2018 Celtics are any more informed or relevant than Keefe or Bertrand's would be just because Ordway used to sit "high above courtside" next to Johnny Most. Or Mazz's insights on the Red Sox are more knowledgeable or worthwhile than, say, Christian Arcand's because Mazz was a Sox beat reporter 20 years ago. Shit, Mazz doesn't even watch the games anymore. His opinions are beyond worthless.

Give me hosts that watch the games regularly and can have rational and grounded discussions about the teams, the games, and the sport in general. No need for expert opinions, just informed and reasoned ones.
 

grimshaw

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I don't mind sprinkling in the athletes from time to time, but they are just out of their element for other sports so having them on for 4 hours doesn't make for great radio.

Ninkovich (non player style Nink where he gave you nothing) was entertaining recently because he had stories about his career and about Belichick. I'd substitute him for an hour rather than a 3rd guy for 4 hours. I probably wouldn't dislike Fauria if he was that guy. But he's irritating and clueless about other sports and thus exposed.

On the flip side, Speier who the majority of us would probably enjoy the most because he's the closest thing to a sabremetrics guy we have, would probably be rough over 4 hours because of his blandness otherwise.

I'd even take beat guys who can give you ideas about players personalities on top of being informed. If Bradford could share that stuff without being so unbearably full of himself on radio, then that's what I'd prefer.

It's tough to be all things for all listeners and be profitable for your radio station. Instead EEI breaks it down into chunks so we can pick our poison.
 
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Red(s)HawksFan

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I don't mind sprinkling in the athletes from time to time, but they are just out of their element for other sports so having them on for 4 hours doesn't make for great radio.

Ninkovich (non player style Nink where he gave you nothing) was entertaining recently because he had stories about his career and about Belichick. I'd substitute him for an hour rather than a 3rd guy for 4 hours. I probably wouldn't dislike Fauria if he was that guy. But he's irritating and clueless about other sports and thus exposed.

On the flip side, Speier who the majority of us would probably enjoy the most because he's the closest thing to a sabremetrics guy we have, would probably be rough over 4 hours because of his blandness otherwise.

I'd even take beat guys who can give you ideas about players personalities on top of being informed. If Bradford could share that stuff without being so unbearably full of himself on radio, then that's what I'd prefer.

It's tough to be all things for all listeners and be profitable for your radio station. Instead EEI breaks it down into chunks so we can pick our poison.
This is where the old Big Show format really worked well. Maybe not for a full four hours every single day, but the way they mixed things up with the different co-hosts meant that on most days you were hearing informed thoughts from different voices so things didn't get stale and recycled (except for Ordway, of course). Plus, you could tell what the quality of the show was going to be just by the guest hosts...McAdam and Curran = good, Smerlas and Larry Johnson = music day.
 

shaggydog2000

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The thing about people coming to the station who have experience playing or covering sports is that the only reason those people were hosting shows 10-15-20 years ago is because there was no training ground for it. It was a relatively new medium. Guys like Keefe grew up listening to sports radio and pursued it as a career. Why go the route of doing beat reporting or play by play if the end goal is to host a show? Like it or not, but there will be more like him in the future (though sadly they'll probably all trend more toward the #hottakez style) than not.

Also, I'm not sure what some of these guys' experience covering teams really adds to the conversation anymore. The games and the players are fundamentally different than they were when these guys were in the thick of it. I'm not sure that Ordway's takes on the 2018 Celtics are any more informed or relevant than Keefe or Bertrand's would be just because Ordway used to sit "high above courtside" next to Johnny Most. Or Mazz's insights on the Red Sox are more knowledgeable or worthwhile than, say, Christian Arcand's because Mazz was a Sox beat reporter 20 years ago. Shit, Mazz doesn't even watch the games anymore. His opinions are beyond worthless.

Give me hosts that watch the games regularly and can have rational and grounded discussions about the teams, the games, and the sport in general. No need for expert opinions, just informed and reasoned ones.
I really don't think that just because a guy used to play a sport, that means he has something interesting to say about that or any other sport. Sometimes they do, and can speak from actual on-field experience. But a lot of them just spout repetitive stupidity that glorify their former status and provide no new thoughts.
 

NortheasternPJ

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What horrible programming from 2-6. WEEI has accomplished me not listening to either station from 2-6. They've also accomplished splitting my time 10-2 which I guess is partially what they're going for? 2-6 is now an awful time slot.

I hope the OMF ratings drop like a stone and they start over, which is what they've needed to do for awhile.
 

Haunted

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I hope the OMF ratings drop like a stone and they start over, which is what they've needed to do for awhile.
I don't usually wish for people to lose their jobs, but I'm with you here. The station needs an overhaul. Pretty much everyone not named Rich Keefe can go. Dale Arnold can stay too, I guess.

After T&R, there isn't a single show on either station I find interesting.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I don't wish usually anyone loses their job and I had no problem with OMF in midday. Boring, stupid 1990's talk radio. It just sucks that there's nothing from 2-6 that's listenable.

I like T&R, Beetle & Zo and Keefe & Dale (well Keefe)
 

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I heard a bit of this in the car yesterday and I had to check the calendar to make sure that it was 2018 and I didn't get sucked into a time vortex and found myself in 1998. Haven't we gotten passed this type of bullshit sports talk?

I agree with the previous posters that I don't root for anyone to get shitcanned, but these guys are not good.

I do have to say that when it comes to baseball, I like Merloni. In fact, I'd rather hear him on Felger's show than Mazz.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I heard a bit of this in the car yesterday and I had to check the calendar to make sure that it was 2018 and I didn't get sucked into a time vortex and found myself in 1998. Haven't we gotten passed this type of bullshit sports talk?

I agree with the previous posters that I don't root for anyone to get shitcanned, but these guys are not good.

I do have to say that when it comes to baseball, I like Merloni. In fact, I'd rather hear him on Felger's show than Mazz.
I turned on F&M yesterday and Mazz was going on some rant on the cycle and why it's dumb, should be ignored and anyone who likes it is dumb. Funny enough Zo & Beetle said that Mazz's opinion was everything that's wrong with baseball. You have a 10 game lead in the division, they're having some fun, fans get excited about it, but Mazz says DUMB DUMB DUMB.

I really don't care about the cycle, it's pretty fun when it happens cause it's different but we all know it doesn't mean anything. It's a 162 game season, people can enjoy stuff occasionally.

I lasted all of 2 minutes and went to Amazon Music.