Tag Archives: Barstool Sports

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

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

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.

Rapping with Rapaport

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I had the pleasure of interviewing actor, author, activist, coffee spokesmodel, podcaster, fantasy football analyst and hard core New Yorker Michael Rapaport earlier this week. Michael has had a very versatile and interesting career in the past 20+ years. The fiery red head brings a ton of energy to everything he does. In addition to being in some cult classic movies like True Romance and Beautiful Girls, Rapaport has delved into the world of the sports and rap music throughout his career.

Nice work if you can get it.

And despite his deep and proud Big Apple swagger, Rapaport has recently become somewhat of an adopted son of Boston and New England at large. Recently he has teamed up with several local brands including…

Cumberland Farms: Rapaport serves at their ‘advertising barista’ touting their low-cost, high- quality coffee in their pursuit to steal some market share beans from other local java giants like Dunkin Donuts and Honeydew.

Barstool Sports: the lifestyle and sports enterprise that has taken the country by storm with the audacious content, no-holds-barred credo and up-to-the-minute-of-everything across social media.

DraftKings: The powerful on-line Fantasy Sports engine that is the latest and greatest thing to all happen to sports and gambling junkies.

Rapaport will host an event this Sunday, August 20th, at Gillette Stadium titled DraftKings Fantasy Sportsfest; the premier annual festival for football fans, offering pre-season insight from football insiders, behind-the-scenes access and a day of premium entertainment just weeks from the kickoff of the fantasy football season.

Rapaport discussed the event, his Boston-New York relationship, his upcoming book and even played a spirited game of ‘Speed Round’ where he displayed brutal honesty with Boston Sports Extra.

(Disclaimer: Michael is a world-class talker so I paraphrased his answers for words’ sake! Guy is a hurricane of enthusiasm.)

@BosSportsExtra: You’re a hard core New Yorker. Your New York accent has a New York accent, yet you seemed to be drawn to the Boston scene given some of the brands and companies you have aligned with. What’s the deal?

Rapaport: Look, Boston is an awesome city. I love it. I think New York and Boston will always have a love/hate relationship; but at the same time, we respect one another. We both live and die by our sports teams. We have broken each other’s hearts over the years, but there is just something special about the cities’ rivalry. But I do love Boston and New England as a whole.

@BosSportsExtra: Talk to me a little about Barstool Sports? Dave Portnoy and his company are deeply rooted in Boston but have obviously exploded to a national sensation.

Rapaport: Barstool is absolutely amazing. What they have done is nothing short of remarkable and a I am lucky to be a part of their team. Dave is an awesome guy and we got to talking. He offered me an opportunity and I jumped at it. I cannot wait to see where this company goes. They are unique. They push the envelope. It is incredible what they have done so far. So much respect.

@BosSportsExtra: OK, so the big news of the week is this event happening at Gillette on Sunday, August 20th with DraftKings. Tell us all about it.

Rapaport: Yeah, man. Its gonna be awesome. I’m teaming up with Gronkowski – who I have never met – Pat McAfee, Matthew Berry, Jim Breuer and we are just gonna have an great day with all the fans. People will get an up close and personal feel for Gillette Stadium. We are doing some on the field drills with Gronk and some other players. Some folks will even get to host there fantasy draft right there. Its gonna be incredible. And I really cant wait to meet Gronk. Tickets are still available.

@BosSportsExtra: You two seem like you might get along?

Rapaport: I don’t know…but I love what he brings to the game and to the field. Just seems like the ultimate team player and teammate. Lot of enthusiasm and love of the game. I am really pumped up to hang out.

@BosSportsExtra: You have a new book coming out titled….This Book Has…?

Rapaport: Balls. This Book Has Balls. I put a lot sweat into writing this book. I describe it as a Sh”t Talking Extravaganza”. Ah, I shouldn’t say that…I’ll call it a “trash talking extravaganza”…keep it PG. I pretty much cover everything in this thing. Q & A with Bill Belichick, how Lebron will never be Mike, Tiger Woods needs to get back with the ladies to get his game back, why LT – Lawrence Taylor – is the greatest of all time and my love for Mary Lou Retton.

@BosSportsExtra: You are covering a lot of subjects there?

Rapaport: Yeah, it’s all over the place. It’s a lot of fun. You can get it on early release but it drops officially this fall. October 31.

@BosSportsExtra: And that’s really you on the cover, dunking the ball?

Rapaport: Damn straight. I threw that sh”t down for the picture.

@BosSportsExtra : OK, you seem like a straight shooter. I prepared a little game of Speed Round. Just answer the following 10 questions right off the top of your head. You up for it?

Rapaport: Let’s do it!

@BosSportsExtra: Here we go…..

1. You had a recurring role on Friends as Phoebe’s boyfriend, what was it like kissing Lisa Kudrow?

Uh, refreshing. Lot of gum. Had to keep the breath fresh for those scenes.

2. You were brutally beaten to death by Nicolas Cage in Kiss of Death, on a scale of 1-10, how crazy is he in real life?

I wouldn’t say he is crazy. He is very existential. Very committed to his craft.

(@BosSportsExtra: Yeah sure, moving on. Number 3)

3. You had a starring role Massachusetts cult classic, Beautiful Girls, …who is better looking in person? Uma Thurman or Matt Dillon?

That’s a tough question. Haha. You know, at that time…Uma was right at her peak. Her prime. Absolutely gorgeous. Matt’s not too bad either though.

4. If you could have the choice, would you be an actor, a rapper, or an NBA player?

NBA player, for sure.

5. In recent days you have shown your contempt for racists; what was it like playing budding Neo-Nazi, Remy, in Higher Learning?

That question keeps coming up in light of this week’s events. Movie was a long time ago. I have to say I enjoyed the challenge of the role. It really was challenge and I liked that. I thought we made a great movie and I was happy to be a part of it.

6. You worked alongside some Hollywood heavyweights in True Romance including, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Samuel L Jackson, Brad Pitt…list goes on and on…but in one word describe Christopher Walken?

Professional. The guy really gets in to his characters. But besides that, absolutely hilarious. One of the best senses of humor I have ever been around. We had so many laughs on that set. Can’t even begin to tell you what a funny guy he is in person.

7. You played an FBI agent, Don Self, in the Fox Series, Prison Break. Have you ever served a night in prison?

Oh boy. Yes and no. I spent about 12 hours in a jail cell one time. Not a full night.

@BosSportsExtra: Can I assume no “white bread and olive oil” went down while you were in there?

Oh Jesus, no.

8. You are the Cumberland Farms coffee guy and a NY Knicks fan…Would you rather be caught on camera drinking a Dunkin Donuts coffee or wearing a Larry Bird jersey?

Very good question. But, I would proudly rock a Larry Bird jersey. Guy is one of the all-time greats and I have always appreciated that about him. Just cause I am a Knicks fan, I can still appreaciate that greatness. Not to mention I would look way more handsome that he did!

9. OK…gonna push the limit a bit here. Understanding you are a staunch heterosexual, lets play the game of F, M, K – Brady, Gronkowski, Edelman? GO!

Hahaha. Alright man. (pause) I kill Brady. Sorry, Tom. Love ya, but. I think I would “take Gronk for a few laps” and marry Edelman. But let me say this, I am the husband. He would be Mr. Julian Rapaport. He would need to take my name. Just for the record.

10. Last one, Patriots record on 2017?

14-2. Don’t you even think I am predicting a 16-0 perfect season. Ain’t happening. 14-2 and I believe they will return to the Superbowl.

Amen to that prediction, brother.

You can enjoy all of Mr. Rapaport’s musings on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram