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Kirk Minihane Moving to RADIO.COM

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Earlier this week, Kirk Minihane teased that a big announcement regarding his future was coming. He’d been off the air for about two months, and there had been lots of speculation online about when (and where) he would return to the air. Just hours before his highly-anticipated appearance on the the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch dropped, WEEI announced that Kirk will be leaving the “Kirk and Callahan” morning show on WEEI to start his own show on RADIO.COM in early 2019.

There was a lot of speculation online that Minihane was headed for Barstool Sports. Minihane would be a perfect fit for Barstool and Barstool Radio but as he pointed out on Deitsch’s podcast, he’s got a contract with Entercom (parent company of WEEI and RADIO.COM) that runs through 2021. Still, his new position at RADIO.COM sounds awfully Barstool-esque:

Kirk Minihane will launch a new radio show, podcast and column on RADIO.COM, the fastest growing digital audio app in the United States.

Selfishly, I’m glad he’s not going to Barstool Radio (yet). If Minihane went to satellite radio that would be another $20 a month out of my pocket because he is must-listen radio. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that he’s been the most interesting sports-radio personality in Boston the last few years.

Far too often sports-talk radio has fallen to the level of mindless DJ banter, an endless exchange of radio clichés.

What’s worse than that is when hosts discuss topics they obviously have no real interest in. I turn off 98.5 when I hear Mazz breaking down the Bruins third line. At least Minihane doesn’t bullshit listeners into thinking he cares about the Bruins third line or production out of the Celtics bench. For the most part, Minihane covers the topics listeners find interesting.

Minihane made the argument on Deitsch’s podcast that sports-talk radio has reached its ceiling. Recaps, previews, controversies, repeat. If you watch any of the Mike Francesa  clips posted on Twitter by Ƒunhouse, or remember listening to WEEI between the time 98.5 launched and when Minihane joined “Dennis and Callahan,” it’s hard to counter that argument.

By his own admission, Minihane moving to RADIO.COM isn’t quite like Howard Stern moving to Sirius in 2006. It will still be interesting, though, to follow Minihane as he works to shake up the sports-talk radio format in a new setting. This is not going to be another “Big Show Unfiltered.” He might not have the same number of listeners he had on WEEI, but Kirk Minihane unfiltered will undoubtedly still have an impact on the dialogue of Boston sports fans.

Remembering Stan Lee

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Tributes to Stan Lee have been pouring in from all over the place and it’s not hard to understand why. I’m not much of a comic book guy, but by all accounts Lee was a creative genius, a legend in his own time, and an all around great guy.

Red covered that in his post yesterday, but I still wanted to share some of his best cameos from outside the Marvel Universe. Again, I’m not much of a comic book guy, but these are some of the cameos that clued me in to the legend of Stan Lee.

Miller High Life Champagne Bottles Are On The Way

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MillerCoors – Instead of popping the cork this holiday season, the Champagne of Beers wants drinkers to pry off the top of its new limited-release Champagne-sized bottles.

Miller High Life this week launched nationwide for the first time its custom 750-milliliter bottles for the final two months of 2018. The national roll out of the specialty bottles comes after a successful two-market test in Chicago and Milwaukee in 2017 and a single-market test in Chicago a year earlier.

Not even two weeks ago, as the Red Sox were popping bottles in Los Angeles, I wondered how I could get my hands on one of those big red Budweiser champagne bottles that the Sox were celebrating with. The response I got from Budweiser was a bit patronizing:

But as the old saying goes, when God closes a door He pushes you out the fire escape opens a window. In through that window enters the Champagne of Beers in actual champagne bottles!

Brilliant move by Miller. High Life truly is the beer of the people. You don’t need to be a rich famous athlete in order to celebrate with Miller. And at $3.49 a pop, there’s lots of celebrating to do. I plan on buying as many of these bottles as I can store at my house. I’m going to hoard this stuff in my basement how rich guys hoard 20-year-old bottles of wine. I’ll definitely drink a few bottles over the holidays but will be sure to save some for future special occasions, like potential fantasy football championships.

I’ve always been more of a Miller guy than a Bud guy, and this just furthers that. Budweiser can keep its limited edition swill. I’d rather drink High Lifes with the people in the cheap seats any day. I just wish the High Life guy could join us.

Image result for miller high life guy

The New Celtics City Edition Uniform Is Damn Near Perfect

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NBA City Edition uniforms are a mixed bag. Some, like the Timberwolves uniform, are great. Others, like the Suns uniform, suck. They all feel like an obscene cash grab. Still, this Celtics uniform is damn near perfect.

It can be easy for Nike to get a little too creative and make these uniforms too busy and look like costumes. Last year’s gray Celtics uniform is a good example. Others feel a bit dull. This year’s Celtics City Edition uniform strikes a perfect balance.

The Celtics can’t really wear throwback uniforms because they’ve basically worn the same uniforms for 70 years. They’re the Yankees of the NBA, in more ways than one. This uniform feels like a throwback, though, when compared to the Celtics’ old warmup jackets:

Image result for celtics warm up jacket

Some people might call these Celtics uniforms dull, but the introduction of a third color for them is huge. The yellow is a nice touch, much better than going the easy route and just adding in more black. I would have preferred Celtics on the front instead of Boston, but I guess they are “City Edition” uniforms.

The Celtics will wear these uniforms 11 times this season. And of course, they’re on sale now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phoenix Suns Unveil Uninspired City Edition Uniform

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On Thursday we discussed the Minnesota Timberwolves Prince-inspired city edition uniform. It’s clear that considerable thought and effort were put into the design of that uniform. The result is a fresh look, and a clean finished product that includes just enough nods to the Minneapolis legend. It’s also clear that the Timberwolves are carefully crafting Prince theme nights for when they break out their city edition jerseys.

On the other end of the city edition spectrum is the Phoenix Suns city edition uniform. They could’ve just trotted out the Charles Barkley era uniform and every millennial sports fan would have raved about how great the Suns city edition uniform was.

Image result for charles barkley sunsInstead, the Suns city edition uniform looks like a middle school Spanish project that was hastily completed 12 hours before it was due.

I understand that they are going with “Los Suns” to pay homage to the Hispanic heritage of their community, but they couldn’t do better than just adding the Spanish word for “the” to their jerseys? The Milwaukee Brewers do heritage jerseys the best. When they hosted Cerveceros Day this past summer to honor the heritage and importance of Latin American culture to baseball, they wore jerseys that said Cerveceros. Cerveceros is literally brewer in Spanish.

Image result for cerveceros milwaukee

Why couldn’t the Suns go with “Soles?” They do realize these jerseys literally have the word “LOSS” on the front of them, right?

Minnesota Timberwolves Unveil Prince City Edition Jersey

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ESPN – When Prince died in April 2016, Nike pitched the Wolves an alternate “city edition” jersey for the 2017-18 season that would honor him. The Wolves concluded it was too soon. They were already finalizing their 2017-18 jerseys, which would kick off a full-on rebrand — new jerseys, new logo, new court, tweaked color scheme.

But they decided then to prioritize a Prince jersey for this season. They set aside some of Nike’s other proposed Minnesota-centric motifs: jerseys paying homage to Bob Dylan, the Mississippi River (which runs through Minneapolis), and the original Minneapolis Lakers, Johnson says. (You might see some of those ideas down the road.)

In case you haven’t heard, Prince is a big deal in Minnesota. A really big deal. When I lived in Boston, I hardly ever heard Prince on the radio. Living in Minneapolis, though, I can’t go a day without hearing him on the radio. And that’s not a bad thing. As I wrote on Prince Day last year, I was wrong about Prince. Prince is definitely an acquired taste, but he had an incredible list of hits and I wish I had paid more attention to him and his work while he was alive. He was an incredible musician and performer.

It can be nauseating to see some of the half-assed Prince promotions the teams in Minnesota run. Giving out purple hats and playing Purple Rain during the 7th inning stretch is the definition of a half-assed promotion. Thankfully, it looks like the Timberwolves are going above and beyond.

First, they made the right choice of which direction to go in for their city edition jersey. Minneapolis Lakers inspired jerseys? Really? Can you imagine the Baltimore Ravens wearing Baltimore Colts throwbacks? There’d be a revolt in the stands, and understandably so. Second, the jersey itself looks very well done.

If the script font looks familiar, here’s why:

Image result for purple rain

A very nice touch.

And third, the Timberwolves will do much, much more than most teams to actually make their Prince nights a special experience. From Zach Lowe on ESPN:

The Wolves will wear the jerseys eight times this season, five at home. The in-arena trappings at those home games — giveaway shirts, signage, lighting — will turn purple. Tom Thibodeau, the team’s coach and general manager, even let team officials take the players for a separate day of shooting to prepare a special Prince- and purple-themed pregame video that will run on the scoreboard — not a small concession if you know Thibodeau. The team thought about producing a purple court, but opted against it, officials say.

As yet unannounced halftime performers will pay tribute to Prince, and the broader Minneapolis music scene, team officials say. The team will present donations to some of Prince’s favorite charities.

The Timberwolves Twitter feed offers a good look at the special photo day Lowe mentions:

Also, it’s nice to see some restraint from a Nike production like this. No clutter on the jersey and a wise move to skip the purple court. Overall, this looks to be some A+ promotional work from a team that could use some good press. Maybe now the classic rock stations in Minnesota can stop cutting out the best part of Purple Rain on the radio.

Five Thoughts From the Red Sox Five-Game Gentleman’s Sweep of the Dodgers

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1. It’s better to be lucky than good, but Alex Cora was both in October and during the World Series. From starting Nathan Eovaldi in Game 3 of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium, to sticking with David Price in the ALCS and pinch hitting Eduardo Nunez in Game 1 of the World Series, Cora could do no wrong. There was, however, a brief break to Cora’s heater when the World Series shifted to LA.

The first 24 innings in LA weren’t great for Cora. There was no way that Cora could have predicted that Game 3 would go 18 innings, but it felt like he seriously mismanaged the pitching staff that night. The team went to sleep without naming a starter for Game 4 and it felt like the use of the “rover” had finally caught up with them.

Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well in Game 4, but it seemed that Cora got greedy and left him too long. The Red Sox found themselves down 4-0, and it looked like the series was going to have to go back to Boston. Then Cora and the Red Sox caught some breaks. Dave Roberts made some questionable pitching moves of his own, Mitch Moreland got the offense going, Steve Pearce tied up Game 4 and the rest is history.

2. Steve Pearce is the modern day Bernie Carbo. If Game 3 of the 2018 World Series evoked memories of Game 6 in 1986, Game 4 evoked memories Game 6 in 1975. I watched the Red Sox Home Run Heroes video enough times as a kid to belt out Joe Garagiola’s call of Carbo’s home run as soon as Pearce hit his.

3. Nathan Eovaldi was Boston’s most reliable pitcher all month. In his seventh big-league season, he was spectacular in his first postseason. It’s a shame he had to take the loss in Game 3 of the World Series. Had the Red Sox found a way to win that game, a serious case could have been made for Eovaldi to be the series MVP. Still, Eovaldi will get his ring and a hopefully a nine-figure deal this winter. The Red Sox don’t hoist the commissioner’s trophy without him this month.

4. It was very interesting to see Chris Sale close out Game 5 instead of closer Craig Kimbrel. It’s entirely possible that Kimbrel was simply out of gas, having thrown 56 pitches over the last two nights. However, it could also be possible that Cora had seen enough of the high-wire act.

Kimbrel recorded six postseason saves and finished eight of Boston’s 11 postseason victories. He didn’t blow a save or lose a game but he looked very shaky at times, allowing at least a run in his first four postseason appearances. After that, he did settle down to retire 13 of the next 16 batters he faced without allowing a run. But with a five-run lead in Game 4 of the World Series, he gave up a two-run bomb before shutting the door on the Dodgers.

The only Red Sox victories Kimbrel didn’t finish were non-save situations, but he still finished out two World Series games that weren’t save situations. Of course Cora could have just been trying to slam the door in Game 5, but it’s noteworthy that he didn’t think his closer was the man for that job. I don’t think we’ll seeing Kimbrel in a Red Sox uniform next season.

5. The 2018 Boston Red Sox team is the best Red Sox team of all time and the 2018 World Series was the most exciting World Series they’ve played this century.

The 2004 World Series was akin to the 1980 US Olympic hockey team beating Finland in the gold medal game. They did not trail for a single inning that entire series and there was not much drama. The 2007 team was a well-oiled machine, but it was impossible to top the ride from 2004. The 2013 World Series went six games and that team meant a ton to the city, but there weren’t too many guys on that team that stuck around in Boston for much longer.

The 2018 team was loaded with homegrown talent and guys that should be in Boston for years to come. The 2007 team came the closest to repeating, getting to Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, but the 2018 team has the best chance of repeating of any Red Sox champion this century.

I’m Making November 1st a Fast Food Holiday

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Business Insider – Taco Bell is giving away Doritos Locos Tacos on November 1.

Before the World Series, Taco Bell announced it would bring back the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion: If a player steals a base, Taco Bell will give away tacos across the US.

Taco fans didn’t have to wait long for the free tacos to be unlocked. On Tuesday, the first night of the series, the Red Sox’s Mookie Betts stole second base.

Taco Bell’s “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion has always seemed a bit tacky to me. Has there ever been a World Series without a stolen base? Just one, actually. As Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune wrote last October:

Only once in 112 World Series has no one stolen a base. That was in 1944 when the St. Louis Cardinals downed the St. Louis Browns in six games.

Nevertheless, I’m not one to say no to free food.

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I’m also not one to pass up deals. Right now there are plenty of deals in the fast food world, and I’m not talking about $5 boxes. I’m talking about even better deals. So on November 1st, in honor of Taco Bell giving out free tacos, I’m going to take advantage of all of them and hit for the fast food cycle. What is the fast food cycle, you ask?

Image result for burger king nuggets $1

Image result for wendy's fries $1

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That’s 10 nuggets, a large fry, a large Coke and a Doritos Locos Taco all for three bucks (plus tax) on November 1. Name a better fast food meal with more variety for a better price. I’ll wait.

Before you complain about having to drive all over town to hit for the cycle, keep in mind that at least two of these four restaurants are probably right next to each other in your town. I have a Taco Bell literally next to a Burger King on my way home from work. The Burger King in my home town was across the street from the McDonald’s. Hitting all four restaurants will not be as challenging as you think. Even if it is a bit more challenging than just plunking down $8 for a Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald’s, how could you say no this kind of deal?

Image result for cheapness is not a sense george

Make no doubt about it, there has never been a better time in history to enjoy fast food in this country. And don’t look now, but the McRib will soon be back, too.

James Dolan at War with Maggie Gray and WFAN

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New York Post – James Dolan and Madison Square Garden have gone nuclear in their revenge against WFAN and its parent company, Entercom, The Post has learned.

In retaliation for a summer rant by WFAN host Maggie Gray, Dolan’s MSG has ordered all of its businesses across the country to shut down working with Entercom and banned Knicks and Rangers players, as well as MSG broadcasters and personnel, from appearing on the station, according to officials involved in the decision.

Interesting move by James Dolan and MSG yesterday. Of course by interesting I mean petty and shortsighted, because these types of moves rarely work out well.

Full disclosure, I had not heard or read about Maggie Gray’s August rant until yesterday. I also had no idea that Dolan used to be pals with Harvey Weinstein. That’s the main reason why moves like this are wrongheaded. In attempting to exact revenge against Gray, WFAN and Entercom two months later, Dolan only brings more attention to himself and to the rant that got him so upset in the first place. There’s no way I would have come across Gray’s rant two months later if not for this move by Dolan and MSG. They teach this in literally every Sports Marketing 101 class in the country.

If it’s favorable coverage in the media Dolan wants, this move certainly won’t help. That’s another reason why moves like this don’t often work out well. In reacting poorly to unflattering coverage, Dolan only ensures more unflattering coverage. Most media members don’t respond well to these types of actions.

Did Gray go over the line with some of her word choices? That can be debated. But Dolan is worth $1.5 billion. He owns the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. Even if Gray made those comments on the most popular sports radio station in the country, it feels like Dolan is punching down.

It’s unlikely many fans will side with Dolan in this squabble, given the well-documented struggles of his franchises over the last 20 years. Rather than go to war with WFAN and the fans of his teams (i.e., paying customers), wouldn’t it be a better business decision to try and reach some of those paying customers who also listen to WFAN?

I know it can be hard to take the high road some times, but it has to be easier to take your guitar and go home when your worth more than the Powerball jackpot.

 

 

Red Sox Look to Close Out Astros in Game 5 of the ALCS Tonight

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Everything has gone the Red Sox way this postseason. Everything. From Nathan Eovaldi looking like Curt Schilling, to Brock Holt hitting for the cycle, to hitting the instant replay jackpot last night and Andrew Benintendi making that catch, I mean everything. Alex Cora has been good, but he has to have a horseshoe in his back pocket. It’s better to be lucky than good, the old expression goes, but so far this month Alex Cora has been both.

The Red Sox now have a commanding 3-1 lead over the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. In baseball history, teams with a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series have won the series 71 out of 84 times (84.5%). Here’s a quick look at what’s on tap for Game 5:

  • Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston, Texas)
  • First Pitch: Thursday, October 18, 8:09 PM EDT
  • TV: TBS
  • Odds (via Odds Shark): Astros -1.5 (runline) / Astros -200 (moneyline) / 8 (total)

Justin Verlander and the Astros have their backs against the wall, but are big favorites in Game 5. It’s not hard to see why, as the Astros ace pitched very well in Houston’s only win so far in this series. In two starts this postseason Verlander is 2-0, allowing four runs on just four hits in 11.1 innings of work. The Red Sox will counter with David Price.

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There are two ways to look at this if you are a Red Sox fan. On the one hand, Price’s playoff struggles are well documented and he’ll be going on short rest against one of the best pitchers of this era. On the other hand, the Red Sox are up 3-1 in the series and even if they get dusted in Game 5 they’ll still have two more chances to close out the Astros at home this weekend. Could that allow Price to pitch without the weight of the world on his left shoulder?

chris farley idk GIF

Your guess is as good as mine. But if Price does get shelled and the the Red Sox are down five or six runs early, he might just have to wear it. There’s no sense in emptying out the bullpen if the game’s not even close. That’s why last night’s win was so huge. It allows the Red Sox to punt on Game 5 if it goes sideways and focus on getting their house in order for Game 6.

The Astros would appear to be the easy bet tonight but at +170 the Red Sox may offer some good value, especially when you consider that everything has gone their way this postseason. So who knows. Maybe just bet the over and crack a Lone Star Beer? If these games are going too late for you, at least the over should hit before you call it a night.