Felger and Mazz - Creating False Naratives one day at a time

joe dokes

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Jul 18, 2005
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Dumping on Tatum for the 50+ point game:

Mazz: 50 point games are relatively meaningless now.

Murray: It was the Hornets. Who cares.

Felger: Let’s see Tatum do it in Game 6 of the NBA Finals like Giannis did against the Suns.

These guys hate fun.
There have only been 7 games in NBA Finals history of 50 or more points. Only 2 since 1993. As always, listeners, either he is an idiot, or he thinks you are.
 

onthereg527

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Nov 16, 2021
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They aren’t well informed at all. They clearly don’t watch any Celtics games and simply look at the box score after. Hence the “shrugging” attitude of JT putting up a 50 spot. “Eh, 50 against the Hornets, tell me when he does it in the Finals” is such an insanely idiotic thing to say (even if it’s not an exact quote but the intent is the same).
 

Quiddity

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Oct 14, 2008
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Expect the takes today to be "Yes, he lost last night, but Brady got further than YOU caller. His division sucking is irrelevant. Dumbest decision in the history of sports for YOU to let him go. (Please forget the fact that I've spent years telling you he's a cheater, takes steroids, had a horrible work ethic and that his play was declining)"
 

Granite Sox

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Interesting listen. I agree with your characterization that he prepares and is smart, but he also comes across as an enormous douchebag. He's got his supporters who swear that he's a "good guy" off air, but the conceit, vanity, and cockiness is hard to ignore.

He states that they do a lot of research to prep for the shows to come up with interesting takes, but he comes across as if he knows the sports he talks about. It is clear they know virtually nothing about basketball, their "nerds are ruining baseball" take betrays their lack of willingness to embrace and integrate analytics into their baseball discussion, and they rely on Bedard, Perillo et al for their football analysis. Hockey is the sport he's most knowledgeable about, but they spent the least amount of time on the Bruins, and he famously recounts the story of how he was kicked off the beat at the Herald for namecalling Jeremy Jacobs. Research to him sounds like "what is going to piss off our average listener". That's all fine and good, but representing it as sports "knowledge" is a little rich.
 
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Patriot_Reign

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Years ago Boston Magazine (or some similar type magazine) did a story on him where he spoke about how he kept a daily journal of what topics they discussed during each segment of the show. And because they were Arbitron subscribers they could get real time ratings in something like 10 minute chunks, so he could look at each day's journal and figure out what was driving listeners to tune in (or out). Came away pretty impressed that he was that focused on his craft.
 

Granite Sox

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I thought the insight about having 4 segments an hour for a 4 hour show, average commute time for their listeners being 20-30 mins, and “re-setting” (i.e. repeating) some of the segments each hour to accommodate audience turnover and to ensure that every Joe Bagadonuts hears their take at least once on the way home was very interesting. He also focuses on preserving a certain pace and cadence that keeps the show moving and eschews guests because “they don’t say anything interesting anyways”. That’s all very savvy.

But when Curtis asks why he leans on the negativity, Felger says “it’s not negativity, it’s ‘being critical’… there’s nuance there”. That’s when it became clearer that he’s full of shit, because Paulie in the truck, Danny in Quincy and all the other celebrity callers that he swears he doesn’t tolerate don’t do nuance. And the articles F&M read to prepare and the “research“ they do doesn’t advance any kind of “critical” discussion, it’s just reading a few tweets and coordinating amongst the hosts on what is going to piss off listeners.

So for all the evidence of real talent and success in structuring and running a show, the content is mostly garbage in, garbage out, because the average caller can’t help themselves and always “takes the cheese”, to use a Mazz expression. It’s insulting to pass that off as their genuine perspectives.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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I thought the insight about having 4 segments an hour for a 4 hour show, average commute time for their listeners being 20-30 mins, and “re-setting” (i.e. repeating) some of the segments each hour to accommodate audience turnover and to ensure that every Joe Bagadonuts hears their take at least once on the way home was very interesting. He also focuses on preserving a certain pace and cadence that keeps the show moving and eschews guests because “they don’t say anything interesting anyways”. That’s all very savvy.

But when Curtis asks why he leans on the negativity, Felger says “it’s not negativity, it’s ‘being critical’… there’s nuance there”. That’s when it became clearer that he’s full of shit, because Paulie in the truck, Danny in Quincy and all the other celebrity callers that he swears he doesn’t tolerate don’t do nuance. And the articles F&M read to prepare and the “research“ they do doesn’t advance any kind of “critical” discussion, it’s just reading a few tweets and coordinating amongst the hosts on what is going to piss off listeners.

So for all the evidence of real talent and success in structuring and running a show, the content is mostly garbage in, garbage out, because the average caller can’t help themselves and always “takes the cheese”, to use a Mazz expression. It’s insulting to pass that off as their genuine perspectives.
Yet, it works.
 

MuzzyField

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I thought the insight about having 4 segments an hour for a 4 hour show, average commute time for their listeners being 20-30 mins, and “re-setting” (i.e. repeating) some of the segments each hour to accommodate audience turnover and to ensure that every Joe Bagadonuts hears their take at least once on the way home was very interesting. He also focuses on preserving a certain pace and cadence that keeps the show moving and eschews guests because “they don’t say anything interesting anyways”. That’s all very savvy.

But when Curtis asks why he leans on the negativity, Felger says “it’s not negativity, it’s ‘being critical’… there’s nuance there”. That’s when it became clearer that he’s full of shit, because Paulie in the truck, Danny in Quincy and all the other celebrity callers that he swears he doesn’t tolerate don’t do nuance. And the articles F&M read to prepare and the “research“ they do doesn’t advance any kind of “critical” discussion, it’s just reading a few tweets and coordinating amongst the hosts on what is going to piss off listeners.

So for all the evidence of real talent and success in structuring and running a show, the content is mostly garbage in, garbage out, because the average caller can’t help themselves and always “takes the cheese”, to use a Mazz expression. It’s insulting to pass that off as their genuine perspectives.
You need to channel your frustration at the listeners. Mazz may be a tool, but Felger is is doing broadcast radio calculus when it comes to the show. It's a ratings game and he's crushing it.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Was anyone listening to Felger and Mazz now? Their producer is tweeting something about Deebo Samuel but I was not listening.
From perusing Twitter, apparently the producer said something on the air about the Pats possibly ‘sniffing around’ on Deebo. Kind of outlandish, seeing as SF just extended him last year after a protracted contract dispute and trading him, even post-June 1, makes little sense for SF from a cap or talent perspective.
 

j-man

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From perusing Twitter, apparently the producer said something on the air about the Pats possibly ‘sniffing around’ on Deebo. Kind of outlandish, seeing as SF just extended him last year after a protracted contract dispute and trading him, even post-June 1, makes little sense for SF from a cap or talent perspective.
they are just trying to drum up content

because if jones fails this year which to me is a non playoff year or under 22 td over 12 ints

then not only would bill be in trouble but so would mac but i think mr kraft will allow bill to pass shula in 2025 so long they are at least 8-9 at worse

to me bill has 3 years left unless they start going 12-5 and getting deep in the playoffs then he will keep going

i think o'brien will be next in line unlees they go like 6-11 3 years in a row
 

onthereg527

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Nov 16, 2021
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Anyone that cites Jimmy Stewart as a source on anything is barking up the wrong tree. The guy is a total chode, he doesn't have any sources anywhere.
 

Patriot_Reign

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lol Felger is doing the show from what looks like some hotel's internet cafe since he couldn't get a reliable connection at the beginning of the show.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Imagine trying to have a serious webex meeting and all you hear behind you is a middle aged bespectacled man shouting things like ‘IM SO SICK OF YOU PATRIOTS BOBOS AND GREEN TEAMERS, GROW UP AND BE MISERABLE BECAUSE HEAT DEATH IS COMING AND WE NEED TO BURY BELICHICK WHILE WE CAN’
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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I heard this in the car on Friday night coming back from the grocery store and had no idea he was talking about a Black guy. That’s a really shitty look.

There doesn’t appear to be any fallout, but if this gets any traction Mazz could be in some trouble.
 

Granite Sox

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Won't listen today. They are going to DESTROY Mazzulla and Tatum. All-Star MVP means more to Tatum than winning a championship... guy who tires late in games plays 35 minutes in a crap game... Mazzulla clueless about protecting his own players... etc. etc.

Edit: saved (today) by the Bruins. Thanks @Patriot_Reign !
 
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GreenMonster49

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When
I heard this in the car on Friday night coming back from the grocery store and had no idea he was talking about a Black guy. That’s a really shitty look.

There doesn’t appear to be any fallout, but if this gets any traction Mazz could be in some trouble.
After Dennis and Callahan had their METCO moment on Monday, 9/29/03, the first mention of it in the print media was a small bit in the New England in Brief rundown in the Metro section of the Globe (in the 10/2/03 Thursday paper). The AP picked up the story later that day and a number of ouitlets had stories starting the next day.

All this is to say that it can take time for there to be traction.
 

yeahlunchbox

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I agree that the apology seemed sincere. I'll also point out that Felger seemed clearly uncomfortable with the comment in the moment Friday but still apologized for not stopping the show as it happened. The cackling hyena Jim Murray who had a great laugh about everything Friday apologized for nothing.
 

BrotherMouzone

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Aug 2, 2010
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Yeah Murray shouldn’t have gotten an apology from Mazz on that, he thought the joke was hilarious.

Got to say, disappointed that Chad Finn didn’t address this besides a RT of Gasper’s comments today. Maybe he’s working on a longer piece, but the fact remains that the co-host of the biggest sports radio show in the market made a blatantly racist joke on Friday and the sports media columnist didn’t say a thing about it.
 

JohnnyTheBone

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Mazz seemed sincere. He sounded like a man that sincerely regrets betraying his true nature as a racist sh!theel and thus jeopardizing his lucrative job riding Felger's coattails.
 

Chad Finn

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Yeah Murray shouldn’t have gotten an apology from Mazz on that, he thought the joke was hilarious.

Got to say, disappointed that Chad Finn didn’t address this besides a RT of Gasper’s comments today. Maybe he’s working on a longer piece, but the fact remains that the co-host of the biggest sports radio show in the market made a blatantly racist joke on Friday and the sports media columnist didn’t say a thing about it.
I’ve been off and mostly up in midcoast Maine helping my dad navigate some personal matters. Alerted by editors to what happened. Chris Price picked it up for me and there should be something posted tonight. I’m sure I’ll touch on it in my Sunday column.
 

Harry Hooper

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When was the last time Finn wrote anything sports media related other then copy/ pasting an WEEI press release?


This is way off. Consider what Chad wrote about the ascension of Adam Jones to the prime slot at WEEI:

Jones, a Northeastern graduate, was an intern and update anchor on Felger’s ESPN 890 program from 2006-08. His approach of contrived negativity is so similar to Felger’s that I’ve occasionally referred to Jones as the intramural version.

But Jones’s approach — “It’s all going to go wrong with that team you like, and you shouldn’t feel good about anything” — lack’s [sic] Felger nuance. Felger mixes a trick play into the playbook once in a while, such as sometimes dismissing a bad Patriots loss as nothing to get too worked up about when listeners are expecting him to take a verbal blowtorch to the team. Jones trashes indiscriminately. It gets old, fast.
LINK
 

Van Everyman

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If anyone’s interested, Mazz’s apology is here about 3’30” in. He sounded shaken as hell, which is good because that was a really dumb thing to say.
 

Myt1

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He didn’t apologize to the guys he made the joke about, did he? Apologized to lots of other people.
 

Billy Jo Robidoux

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Mazz seemed sincere. He sounded like a man that sincerely regrets betraying his true nature as a racist sh!theel and thus jeopardizing his lucrative job riding Felger's coattails.
I don’t think that’s fair. I’ve been listening to Tony Mazz on the radio for close to 20 years, since he was a regular guest on EEI. This is the first time I’ve heard him say something over the line. And I’ve heard him hang up on racist callers, telling them to shut up.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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To the thinnest skin on Twitter? Nope.
There was a time when he was amazing in going after D&C and Ordway, but something changed over time.
You'd think the sports media guy would've penned the Mazz apology story, but nope.
Yes, by all means, the man should not have any time to himself and his family. He should be doing his job, 24/7/365. Screw real life and things that actually fucking matter.

In case you missed it....

I’ve been off and mostly up in midcoast Maine helping my dad navigate some personal matters. Alerted by editors to what happened. Chris Price picked it up for me and there should be something posted tonight. I’m sure I’ll touch on it in my Sunday column.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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I am surprised that people are giving him such a pass on his apology. Yes, he sounded genuine and embarrassed by what he said. But he apologized to his co-hosts and "other people in the industry that deal with this stuff on a daily basis."

Deal with what? An inappropriate comment or blatant racism? He never even says the word racist or racism. And that is what it was. How about apologizeling to the men you were racist towards...no matter if you have no idea who they are or where they are today. Apologize to Felger and Murray? Get the fuck out. I don't think Mazz is a racist (though I don't know him or anyone that does). That doesn't mean he can't make a racist comment for a cheap joke at the expense of a marginalized group and suffer consequences (4 day suspension is a joke). And he has the gall to say that he was trying to make fun of Felger? That makes the apology even worse.