Author Archives: @shutupchadjones

98.5 The Sports Hub and Barstool Sports should stay on good terms

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As promised, this is a follow up article to the one I wrote Friday. Earlier this week, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub went on Marina Molnar of Barstool Sports podcast titled, Marina’s Morning Skate. The two discussed the Boston Bruins off-season goals that still need to be resolved. This was a very insightful podcast done by two people who know and care about what Bruins fans want to hear. However, this podcast could lead to more 98.5 and Barstool content in the future.

This is certainly not the first time 98.5 and Barstool have done work together. When Dave Portnoy and three other Barstool Sports members were arrested at The NFL office, Portnoy called Felger & Mazz. Current Barstool Red Sox and baseball blogger Jared Carrabis used to regularly contribute to 98.5. During these past Bruins playoffs, Anderson was given a “Tuukka Rask Is Good” by his, “Friends at Barstool,” as he said. So it seems 98.5 The Sports Hub and Barstool Sports have a pretty good relationship. But can both sides benefit through more content collaboration?

On 98.5’s end, having a good relationship with Barstool makes all the sense in the world. Barstool’s number one city is, and probably always will be, Boston. Even now, with the company’s headquarters in New York City, Barstool does not hide their Boston roots. They have one podcast dedicated to each of the four major sports. Coincidentally, Spittin Chiclets, Mickstape, Starting 9, and Laces Out all have at least one Boston host. 

Also, it would be greatly beneficial for 98.5 to stay on good terms and work with Barstool. There is no doubt 98.5 and Barstool have crossover among fans. 98.5 would also be wise to work with them to stay connected to younger age groups. It is no secret high schoolers and college kids have always been in Barstool’s wheelhouse.

It is also smart business for Barstool to work with 98.5. Since Barstool has such a big viewership in New England, it makes a lot of sense for them to stay connected with the popular Boston sports station. Whether working together for content, or mocking a personality’s take, it is beneficial for Barstool if they pay attention. Also, CEO of Barstool Sports Erika Nardini has said she would consider bringing Barstool back to Boston. If that happens, then there would be a lot more opportunity for radio spots, interviews, podcasts, and videos between the two media outlets. 

I reached out to Ty Anderson after his podcast appearance. I asked if 98.5 or Barstool plans on collaborating with the other for content. Anderson said he does not know for sure, but he believes both could reach out to the other and work together if they desire. As far as working specifically with Molnar, Anderson said they have discussed doing something for content after Bruins games.

Anderson going on Molnar’s podcast could be just that, a podcast appearance. However, it is noteworthy 98.5 and Barstool appear to have pretty solid working relationship. Also with Anderson being pro Barstool, it would not be surprising to see more 98.5 and Barstool related content.

(If you want to learn about Ty Anderon’s journey to 98.5, I wrote a profile on him last spring.)

Photo Courtesy of 98.5’s Facebook page.

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

Ty Anderson talked to Marina Molnar about the Bruins off-season needs

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Ty Anderson covers all things Boston Bruins for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Marina Molnar follows the Bruins for Barstool Sports. Earlier this week, Anderson was the first guess on Molnar’s podcast, Marina’s Morning Skate. They had an interesting conversation about the Bruins’ off-season goals.

The show started with both recapping how they still feel frustrated and disappointed with the Bruins Game 7 loss. Then Molnar transitioned to the contract negotiations of Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy. 

Anderson and Molnar both believe the Bruins and McAvoy should agree to a bridge deal. Molnar mentioned that since McAvoy has had injury problems in his young career, the Bruins do not want to give him a long term extension just yet. 

“And if I were his camp, I would say, ‘do a bridge deal dude,’” Anderson said. “Because look at the Bruins cap structure, right. In the next two years, you have a lot of money opening up there between Backes, Krejci and Rask.” Anderson added that McAvoy could sign a 2-3 year deal at $5.5-6.5 Million a year. McAvoy could see a substantial salary increase if he reaches his potential. 

Molnar also brought up how many Bruins, Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak to name a few, took more team friendly contracts. “Do you really want to be that guy walking into that locker room, at 22, being the highest paid?” Molnar asked. “I wouldn’t.” 

Anderson added the Bruins have been great at finding players to take less money to build a competitive team. “They’ve gotten guys to take less,” Anderson said. “And McAvoy is not going to be the exception there.”

The conversation then shifted to the other young, talented defenseman Brandon Carlo. Anderson asked how the Bruins would value a player like Carlo. “He’s not an offensive guy, he generates almost nothing offensively,” Anderson said. “But he’s a great skater. He’s a great shutdown guy. He’s been huge on their PK over the last three seasons. And I thought he was great in the playoffs for them too.” Anderson said he thinks he is worth just under $4 Million due to his lack of offensive skill. 

Molnar was curious which player would sign first, McAvoy or Carlo. “Him and McAvoy are key cogs,” Molnar added. “They’re so young, they’re going to be key cogs for a long time.” Anderson and Molnar both think Carlo should make just less than $4 Million. However, Anderson and Molnar agreed he played well during his first postseason last spring.

Molnar pointed out that the Bruins have approximately $8.1 Million remaining in salary cap space. In order to sign both players, the Bruins need to shed some salary. 

“I think the Backes contract is the one you have to move,” Anderson said. Anderson would move a first round pick with Backes to help get this core another banner. “I don’t want to trade a good player, like Torey Krug or David Krejci, to keep a bad player in David Backes.” 

Molnar brought up that when McAvoy and Carlo sign, the Bruins will have nine defensemen. “I think a Johnny Moore or a Kevan Miller is probably more likely to be sent out with their low salaries.” 

Anderson and Molnar also got into potential line combinations and bounced around with Twitter questions. This was an insightful look into the Bruins off-season and plans heading into training camp. If you want to learn about Ty Anderon’s journey to 98.5, I wrote a profile on him last spring. 

This will be a two part article where I will dive into what this podcast might mean regarding 98.5 and Barstool’s relationship currently and going forward.

Photo courtesy of Ty Anderson’s twitter account.

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

It has been a year since Kirk Minihane checked himself into a mental hospital with suicidal thoughts

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Last August 2nd, Kirk Minihane checked himself into Winchester Hospital with suicidal thoughts. Later, he was moved to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. Minihane tweeted this explaining his situation. The next day he did what he often does, discussed what was going on in his life. 

Minihane was very candid about what happened during one of the most frightening times of his life. He discussed how much research he did on the topic of suicide. Minihane went into detail about what method he thought about using. He also laid out the factors that were triggering the incredible pressure he felt. Listening to it again, it almost sounds like a therapy session.

Now there are many reasons Kirk Minihane is a compelling media personality. He is very witty and sarcastic. Minihane knows what stories his audience wants to hear discussed. He is not afraid to share his opinions no matter who disagrees with them. However, his willingness to discuss real issues in his life might be his best attribute.

Many broadcasters choose to not be so forthcoming with their personal lives. And honestly, who can blame them? It is often difficult to discuss challenges in life with loved ones. Most media members do not want to share their issues to thousands of strangers. But that is a big reason why Minihane’s fan-base is so incredibly loyal and rabid. He elicits a more personal connection with his audience. They feel like they know Kirk.

Minihane has never been shy about letting his listeners peak behind the curtain. He always loved sharing the local media gossip, especially when it involved WEEI drama. Minihane also opened up when he lost both of his parents to cancer in 2017. However, this conversation about his suicidal thoughts really took his candor to a new level.

Minihane is currently at Barstool Sports and can truly speak in an unfiltered atmosphere. It will be interesting to hear how he addresses this anniversary. He tweeted this out on Friday. 

It is rather impressive Minihane can talk about his mental health issues in a public forum. In such a vulnerable setting, he is letting all of his pain be known. Minihane believes mental health is still stigmatized in our society. He has talked about how hard it is for people to admit they need help.

Minihane has said he now feels much more comfortable talking about his mental health struggles or hard times in life. He also encourages people to reach out to him if they are going through mental health problems.

Minihane is like no other in media member because no conversation topic is off limits, no matter how hard it may be to talk about.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

“We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.”

1-800-273-8255

The photo is from Kirk Minihane’s twitter account. It shows Kirk and his mother at the Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon.

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

“I never imagined playing one year of pro football” Tom Brady tells Willie McGinest

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At the News England Patriots training camp, NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest talked to Tom Brady.

McGinest: “I mean, as athletes, we like to have our nucleus around us and we like to have a certain amount of talented guys. Gronk’s not here anymore. I mean, a big part of this team, this offense, for a long time. You guys had a lot of success together.”

“Does it become tougher losing that type of talent and then waiting for guys to maybe take the next step, or seeing how you gonna go in and game plan without guys like that now?” 

Brady: “Yeah it’s always challenging when you have significant turnover. And I think it’s, I always say it’s like climbing a mountain, you know. And every time you climb the mountain, the next year you start right at the bottom. Right with everyone else. And you have a new group of people. You have a new group of climbers. You got different tools you can use.”

Brady continued and said, “And everyone starts at the same place and you just gotta, there’s no way to do it other than just start working your way up.”

“And that’s what we’re doing now. You can’t get to the top in two days. It’s gonna take a long, you know it’s a long year. It’s a long grind and (everyone of) the guys who make the team, they’ll have earned it. They’ll put us in our best position to be the best team we can be. 

Brady also added, “So, I don’t know how that all shakes out, you know. It’s competitive, you know I’m competing everyday. The receivers are, the line is. You know it’s competitive between the defense and we’ve gotta, you know if we want to be the best team we can be, we gotta compete as hard as we can and see how that competition shakes out.”

McGinest: “And I know you never reflect and never kind of look in the past and talk about it because we’re conditioned not do. But when you’re at the ring ceremony, and you’re putting on the six rings, and you’re sitting back with the family and you are spending some quality time just not doing anything football wise. Do you kind of think about how surreal this whole process has been? And I know the story’s not done, you’re still writing it. But do you just kind of sit back and reflect of how, like, amazing this run has been?”

Brady: “I think yeah, I think for all of us. I mean, if we all look back at our life we can’t imagine, you know, how far we’ve come. You growing up in Southern Cal and me growing up in Northern Cal, I never imagined playing one year of pro football. You know, it was a dream to play, to be the starting quarterback on my high school team, and then I tried to do everything I could to start for Michigan. And then I got here, and I was like, ‘Man, I’m gonna work just like I worked before to try and be the starting quarterback for the Patriots.’”

Brady also said, “And I think that’s the approach I still take, you know. Nothing is given in this game. And in a team sport if you’re not the best, you gotta give the pedestal to someone else. And I gotta prove that I’m the best to myself. I gotta prove that I’m the best to my teammates and coaches so I can earn the respect of those guys.”

There was more to this interview but this was the portion McGinest posted on his Twitter. 

Photo via NFL.com

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

Kirk Minihane is fitting right in at Barstool Sports

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Kirk Minihane had an eventful first month at Barstool Sports. In 22 episodes Minihane has introduced himself to Stoolies around the world. Fans can hear his superb wit, sarcastic tone, and feel for what listeners want. He has already brought in many characters into the show, including a peculiar Patriots beat writer, and a blind former Barstool intern. He has bashed The Boston Globe, WEEI, and a Massachusetts politician among others. 

“The Kirk Minihane Show” is currently the 13th ranked podcast on iTunes in the category of sports and recreation. His most recent episode is sitting at 19 in this department. For context, the show is right in between “FantasyPros — Fantasy Football Podcast” at 12 and “SVP and Russillo” at 14. As far as other Barstool podcasts, the incredibly popular “Pardon My Take” is currently number two in this section. Barstool’s hockey and golf podcasts, “Spittin Chiclets” and “Fore Play”, rank 19 and 25 in sports and recreation. 

While Minihane is no stranger to conflict, he was probably not expecting to face legal trouble so early on in his Barstool career. When “The Kirk Minihane Show” debuted on June 17th, Minihane and Barstool Sports were sued by Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. On June 6th, Kirk Minihane, wait, I mean, Boston Globe reporter Kevin Cullen, had a phone conversation with Mayor Curtatone to discuss Barstool Sports. Curtatone filed a lawsuit sighting Minihane did not reveal his true identity. (Yes, all of this actually happened.)

Minihane can find an interesting angle in any topic brought up. He is very compelling when discussing inside media gossip. Many of his fans would say this is bread and butter. Minihane can also make the listener chuckle with a well placed biting comment during the flow of conversation. However, an often overlooked fact in Minihane’s broadcasting persona is he enjoys hearing dissenting view points. He does not want his show to be a link minded echo chamber. In fact, quite the opposite. He actively seeks out people he disagrees with. 

On his most recent show, Minihane battled with OJ Simpson’s current attorney, Malcolm LaVergne. The highlight of this wild, contentious conversation was near the end of the interview. Minihane was taunting LaVergne throughout the entire conversation. He then mocked LaVergne by asking, “Who do you think OJ murdered first, Ron or Nicole?”  

He has also been of the middle of drama inside Barstool Sports. Such as when he talked to Francis Ellis after Ellis was fired for a controversial blog. Not to mention earlier this week, Minihane went to Barstool Sports Headquarters and promptly stirred the pot like only he can. 

Minihane joked that if he wanted to host Barstool’s Sirius XM morning show he could have the job. Well, Willie Colon, a former NFL player and current host of that show, did not take to kindly to Minihane’s wisecrack. While Minihane was on the air, Colon sat inches away and stared him down. Minihane admits he thrives during uncomfortable radio situations. Naturally, he proceeded to taunt Colon and mock him for not having it out on the air. Well, the next day, they sure did.  

Minihane is succeeding at Barstool Sports doing what he was doing at WEEI before many factors lead to him losing his show (more on this to come). He has an incredibly loyal fanbase that obviously followed him to Barstool Sports. While his adversaries will still probably try to bring him down, it feels like this time, Kirk Minihnae is not going anywhere.

Gerry Callahan posts a 10 tweet thread about leaving WEEI

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At around 10 o’clock last night, Gerry Callahan sent out 10 consecutive tweets about leaving WEEI, thanking specific people, and what played a big role in his departure.

“1) Well, if I had known I was gonna be this popular, I would have gotten my ass fired a long time ago. Can’t complain though: 35 years in radio, newspapers and magazines and my first time getting the axe. I’m just glad they gave me the last seven weeks of the summer off.” 

“2) If anyone from Entercom management had called, I would have thanked them. Maybe tomorrow. I wish I could thank everyone individually who reached out, but I don’t think that’s possible. At last check, more than 3,500 of you have texted, tweeted, emailed or called.”

“3) I appreciate all of you, believe me, but I want to single out a few people tonight. As many of you know, Kirk Minihane and I are done at EEI primarily because of one angry, obsessed, liberal activist who never stopped harassing our advertisers. He had some help from the Globe.” (Upcoming articles will explain this story line.) 

“4) They won in the end, but many companies stood by us and never gave in. I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know. These are people with guts and integrity who deserve your business. If you work for one of these companies, consider yourself lucky. We should all be so lucky.”

“5) I have to start with a man I’ve never met but adore: Ely Kaplansky of Kaplansky Insurance was the first to tell the activist to f**k off. Many others were loyal and strong, including my good friends Dana and Bill from Milton’s, Steve and Mark from DiStefano Hair Restoration,”

“6) and the great Jon Walsh, owner of Liz Grady. And don’t forget Greg from Shea Concrete, the best damn precast company on the planet. There are others – and I will salute them in the days to come – but these people were literally harassed DAILY for the better part of two years.”

“7) They stood strong and I can never thank them enough. Kirk, Mut and I had the two best producers in radio, Chris Curtis and Ken Laird. We had some terrific colleagues, including OMF guys, and we had thousands of loyal listeners, callers, texters, and tweeters. Thanks all”

“8) It was a good run, but these are scary times in the media business. One relentless activist with the help of one alleged media outlet can do a lot of damage. You need a strong and supportive boss who will fight for you, or you need a news job. I need a job.”

“9) I’ll be fine. I watched as my father got the boot from Raytheon after 40 years. I know it absolutely killed him – he loved that company – but he never stopped smiling, never stopped counting his blessings. It was a job. There were more important things in life”

“10) He was a better man and a harder worker than I’ll ever be, and two weeks after he was laid off, he was out roofing houses. I don’t think I’ll do that, but I’ll do something. I’m not going away. I heard Shea Concrete is hiring. Damn good company too.” 

Photo from The Boston Herald

Story by Chad Jones

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

Media members comment on Gerry Callahan leaving WEEI

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Former and current Boston personalities gave their thoughts on Gerry Callahan’s exit from WEEI.

Kirk Minihane, Callahan’s former WEEI co-host, was very opinionated on Callahan’s departure. His first tweet was, “This is all on Entercom. They let Bob Murchison call the shots. A Disgrace. Shameful. I’ve been unfair to Gerry the last few months for sure — misplaced anger. This is just bulls**t.” (Future articles to come about what all this means.)

John Dennis, Callahan’s first full time co-host on WEEI, tweeted, “When Gerry and I were good, we were very good. Loved sharing Boston’s amazing events w/ALL of you– Championships, parades, scandals, all of it tempered by 9-11 & the Marathon Bombings. We got thru it together. But the broadcasting biz lets very few of us walk away on our own terms.”

Mike “Mut” Mutnansky, Callahan’s most recent co-host, had a flurry of tweets regarding Callahan leaving. Mut first tweeted, “Found out the news about @GerryCallahan this AM. I loved working with Gerry. His fearlessness. (Gerry’s) allergic/ honest reaction to boring radio. His honesty. (Gerry’s) ability to get the most from his co-hosts and guests. His efforts for The Jimmy Fund. All of it.”

Alex Reimer, WEEI host and columnist tweeted, “@GerryCallahan is a legend and I love the guy. Don’t @ me.” 

Reimer also posted, “I have had several ICE COLD BEERS and feel sentimental. @GerryCallahan and @kirkmin hosted a No. 1 morning show and gave a weird 20-something with a screechy voice a seat at the table. They supported me and didn’t give a s**t about mean texts. They are the best. Today sucks.”

Lou Merloni, co-host of WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria”, tweeted, “What happened yesterday to @GerryCallahan sucks. He hasn’t lost a step and is still as entertaining as ever. Sometimes doing your job well isn’t enough. He certainly did. Outside influences shouldn’t be the reason why people lose their jobs, but that’s not realistic these days.” 

Dale Arnold, longtime WEEI personality and current co-host of “Dale and Keefe” posted on Twitter, “Found out yesterday afternoon about the departure of @GerryCallahan from @WEEI. Have been friends with Gerry for 20 years and have always valued his passion and enthusiasm for our business. I feel confident we haven’t heard the last from him. I certainly hope not.” 9

Also noteworthy is that a couple 98.5 The Sports Hub hosts shared their opinions on Callahan leaving their main competition.

Scott Zolak, co-host of 98.5’s “Zolak and Bertrand”, tweeted, “Saying this once. @GerryCallahan made me listen to sports radio for years when I played. Talked to many, his departure was handled as an embarrassment. He worked for the competitor but man did I respect him. He will be fine.” 

Jim Murray, co-host of 98.5’s “Felger and Mazz”, posted on Twitter, “Love em or hate him, the guy’s a New England institution and deserved better and was nice to me in my in my few interactions I’ve had with him. Unfortunately serves as an example of how cold the business can be. We’re all just cattle waiting to get it through the skull.”

Moreover, many other media members shared their thoughts, including Callahan’s most recent producers Ken Laird and Chris Curtis. Veteran Boston personalities John Tomase, and Steve Buckley tweeted as well. Lastly, Lisa Scherber of The Jimmy Fund also posted about Callahan on twitter.

In addition to social media posts, long time WEEI host Glen Ordway had this to say about Callahan leaving and what he has meant to the station. Alex Reimer, Jermaine Wiggins, and Rob Bradford also discussed Callahan’s talent, legacy, and departure.

Gerry Callahan is leaving WEEI

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Gerry Callahan has been a fixture on Boston air waves since 1997. For over 20 years now, fans and critics alike have heard his opinion all over New England. Callahan and his morning show often set the dialogue for the city of Boston. Today, he announced Friday was his final show on 93.7 WEEI. 

“Well, that was fun,” Callahan tweeted. “After 20 years in morning drive, I did my last show at WEEI this morning. Thanks to all who listened. Unfortunately, this ain’t a movie. Sometimes the bad guys win. Much more to come.”

Callahan’s current co-host Mike “Mut” Mutnansky will go back to hosting nights for the station. Mut joined Callahan in the morning last September when Kirk Minihane left the station. 

WEEI announced through a press release that longtime 107.3 WAAF host Greg Hill and current co-host Danielle Murr will handle the morning drive slot for 93.7 starting July 29th.

This is a massive shakeup for WEEI, as Callahan was the longest tenured host at the station. Not to mention Callahan is the third full time co-host to leave WEEI since 2018, joining Michael Holley and Kirk Minihane.

Gerry Callahan is one of the best, most successful sports media personalities in Boston’s history. Before he became known as the bombastic radio host, Callahan cut his teeth for the Lowell Sun for six years. He then joined the Boston Herald in 1989 and wrote for Sports Illustrated from 1994 to 1997.

Callahan joined John Dennis to form the very successful radio show “Dennis and Callahan” in 1997. The show got great ratings, and was often number one in morning drive. They famously described their program’s montra as “We talk about what sports fans talk about.” They were just as likely to argue about Pedro’s recent start as they were to mock a Boston Globe article. Dennis and Callahan were also not shy about discussing their political views. Both hosts often had conservative thoughts they wanted to share.

Their show was wildly successful but not without controversy. Between suspensions, a long running feud with the Boston Globe, and many contentious segments, it is fair to say they had their detractors. 

However when the program got stale and ratings dipped in the early 2010’s, a fresh voice joined the show in 2013. Kirk Minihane and Gerry Callahan would develop tremendous on air chemistry. Once John Dennis retired in 2016, the “Kirk and Callahan” show began.

From the Fall of 2016 through the Summer of 2018, “Kirk and Callahan” entertained listeners with their humour, passion, and sense for compelling radio. The show made their bones ripping shoddy journalism or making fun of a co-host’s lack of knowledge. Listener engagement and loyalty was off the charts, as “Kirk and Callahan” was occasionally the number one rated radio show in Boston. 

Unfortunately, Minihane would temporarily take a break from the show during the Summer of 2018 due to suicidal thoughts. Minihane would then leave permanently after a brief comeback. Callahan with Mut formed “Mut and Callahan” that Fall. While the show was still good, it was clearly not the same without Minihane. WEEI’s ratings dropped across the board.

So while Callahan is leaving WEEI, it does not appear he wants to retire from giving his opinion. Since he ended his tweet with, “More to come,” it will be interesting to see what the next stage of Gerry Callahan’s career holds. 

Rest of MLB, take note of how Tigers handled delay

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I was originally going to rip the Detroit Tigers and the rest of Major League Baseball. The Red Sox and Tigers still played after a 4 hour pre-game rain delay on Saturday. That left me baffled and frustrated.

How could an MLB team make their fans pick between two undesirable options? On one hand, a fan could choose to head home after paying for their ticket, wasting their money. The other option is waiting in the park for the game to start, which might not even be played that day.

Having their loyal fans make that choice is nothing sort of disrespectful. This could be many fans only game the entire season. Not to mention, the Tigers are not exactly World Series contenders, at 28-55 before play.

I was going to write how inconsiderate the Tigers and other MLB teams are to their own fans during rain delays. Organizations never refund purchases and also have no problem starting games late at night. They never once consider how their decisions worsen the fan’s viewing experience. Then I heard something interesting from the Tiger’s broadcast.

They said that anyone who bought a ticket to the game would receive a free ticket to a 2019 Tiger’s game. So I immediately needed to edit the topic of my article.

I will give Detroit credit for this awesome gesture as not every team would do this in the same situation. (*Cough Cough, John Henry, Cough*) It appears the Tigers will reward fans who left or stayed with the same deal of a free ticket. Good on the Tigers for paying back their most devoted fans.

However, this game highlights an area MLB needs to improve in, weather delay guidelines. Too many times fans are the ones most impacted by lousy weather. The customers either have to sit through the rain or go home without getting what they paid for. MLB needs to put the fans at the forefront when considering weather delays.

After tonight, it is clear MLB should set a limit on how long a rain delay can be. There simply has to be a cutoff. 4 hours is way too long to be waiting for a game that might be played on a later date. How long the delay can be is debatable, but it is clear MLB needs a set time limit.

There are other guidelines MLB should think about. For example, teams could do what the Tiger’s did today and compensate fans who bought tickets to a delayed or canceled game. MLB needs to remember that the fans should be the number one priority during weather delays, not the players, managers, or owners.

However, this is coming from the same sport who refuses to try and make the game more enjoyable for their customers. (Who doesn’t love watching Marcus Stroman take two and a half minutes in between pitches?) This move, however, seems so obvious even Major League Baseball would see the benefits and make the change. Right!?

Photo Courtesy of Detroit Tigers official Twitter

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones

Torey Krug appears to take shot at Kyrie Irving on Twitter

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On Sunday Torey Krug went to social media to point out past quotes by Kyrie Irving. Krug quote tweeted the now infamous Irving statement before this season with the Thinking Emoji and No Mouth Emoji.

“If you guys will have me back,” Irving said to Celtic season ticket holders , “I plan on re-signing here next summer.” 

Now, on the surface, this was a simple reaction that many people had at the time. Krug was certainly not the only one to bring up this quote and wonder what had changed for Irving since October.

The more interesting part is reading into what Krug actually means by this. There are certainly reasons to believe that Krug was just having some fun on Twitter, as he did earlier this season at Brad Marchand’s expense. If that is all Krug is doing, then there is nothing more to look into.

However, the timing is a bit interesting for Krug’s tweet. He has a year left on his deal with the Bruins and has made it known that he wants to stay in Boston.

“I would personally love to get something done quickly,” Krug told Matt Porter of the Boston Globe in June. “This is an important place in my heart, a place I’ve wanted to play my whole career. Ideally it would be something that gets done.” 

Krug clearly wants to remain a Bruin and could be using this tweet to show he does intend to sign an extension if the Bruins will have him back. That could be a stretch from one social media post, but that is what makes Krug’s tweet so noteworthy. The post is vague enough for fans to apply many theories to its meaning. 

Now this tweet obviously does not guarantee he is going to sign a team friendly extension either. Krug could also be subtly saying he would not treat the Boston fans like Irving if he were to leave in free agency.

Krug went on to tell Porter that the Bruins will do whatever is the best option for the organization, and that is the business they are in. With the NHL being a hard cap lead, Boston will need to make tough decisions. Krug understands the business side of the profession.

Having said that, Krug is being honest about what could happen going forward. He wants to stay and win in Boston. However, he does understand that he might be gone in a year. 

Torey Krug seems to get where the fans are coming from with the frustration with Irving. If Krug leaves in free agency, he will definitely be on better terms with the organization and fans than Irving. 

Obviously this one innocuous post could just be Krug poking fun at Irving’s comments and nothing more. However, it is fair to wonder if there is more meaning behind Krug’s tweet. 

Photo Courtesy of the Boston Globe

Follow Chad on Twitter @shutupchadjones