Kirk and Callahan: Done

[HomeBrew1901]

 
What hasn't? Being dicks to reporters? I'm not sure what the antecedent to your pronoun is.

Being dicks to everyone, reporters, fans, team personnel.
 

 
Which makes it strange that Mort would agree to appear in the first place.  I mean, ESPN has had a longstanding issue with their staff appearing on non-ESPN outlets.  It's like Mort was trying to slip some news to D&C without anyone noticing -- but if it was real news, then certainly people would have noticed after the fact.  That wouldn't have looked good for Mort either.
 
Makes me wonder if maybe he never did agree to talk about the tweet in the first place and D&C totally misled everyone just to generate ratings.

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  No, no one at WEEI would ever do that. 
 
That wouldnt' surprise me either
 
WEEI to Mort: Would like to have you on D&C at 7:45 to talk deflategate would you be available?
Mort: Let me check
 
D&C MORT WILL BE ON AT 7:45  WE ARE GOING TO RIP HIM A NEW ONE
 
Mort: See statement above
 
D&C MORT'S HIDING SOMETHING AND CHICKENED OUT

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 
Which makes it strange that Mort would agree to appear in the first place.  I mean, ESPN has had a longstanding issue with their staff appearing on non-ESPN outlets.  It's like Mort was trying to slip some news to D&C without anyone noticing -- but if it was real news, then certainly people would have noticed after the fact.  That wouldn't have looked good for Mort either.
 
Makes me wonder if maybe he never did agree to talk about the tweet in the first place and D&C totally misled everyone just to generate ratings.

 
WEEI is an ESPN outlet.
 
My guess is if this wasn't a stunt, it was EEI booking Mort through ESPN and when Mort caught wind of where he was appearing, he bailed citing his lame excuse of not wanting to become part of the story.  Lame because without his tweet, there wouldn't have been so much of a story in the first place.

 

[AB in DC]

Mort leading off with "You guys made a mistake by drumming up business for the show" sounds like it's a lot more than just a booking error.  An ESPN employee accusing another meeting outlet of "drumming up business" like that is...I can't even.

 

[J.McG]

My guess is if this wasn't a stunt, it was EEI booking Mort through ESPN and when Mort caught wind of where he was appearing, he bailed citing his lame excuse of not wanting to become part of the story.  Lame because without his tweet, there wouldn't have been so much of a story in the first place.

 
Believe the EEI producer said he booked the appearance directly with Mortensen, either through text or email (can't recall which). The producer said he'd been trying to book Mort for months and attempted to contact him dozens of times before he finally agreed to appear. So Mort's theoretical excuse that he was unaware of or misled about the subject matter of the interview doesn't hold much water with me.
 
I think Mort knew what the interview would entail and was told to cancel by his bosses, who were cognizant of how upsetting the interview may be to their NFL broadcast partners and other ESPN sources within the league office. I imagine ESPN wants to fully vet and control of the messaging behind any retraction/correction made to a high profile story going forward, particularly in the wake of that embarrassing Kelli Naqi/Adam Schefter on-air fiasco on Outside the Lines back in February.

 

[ForKeeps]

 
Would that pool be bigger or smaller than the one ESPN has for carrying the NFL's?
 
I'll hang up and listen.

 
I wouldn't know, I barely watch ESPN. Sounds like you might wanna do the same.

 

[ForKeeps]

I don't understand this... so if Dennis was given some juicy inside info by a member of the Kraft family (who Dennis is friendly with from his days at WHDH), rather than share that info with his listening audience, he should have just kept it under his hat to avoid the appearance of advancing the Kraft agenda? And how does reporting a material fact about the source of an erroneous media leak, one which has generated countless hours of speculation and damaged the reputations of numerous individuals, constitute "carrying water" for the Krafts? Don't those who anonymously and deliberately leak false info deserve to be outed and held accountable?

 
Didn't say he should have kept it to himself. Of course he'd be stupid to not run with it.
 
Why do you think Jonathan leaked it to Dennis, aside from the fact that they're buddies? Why not give it to an actual reporter,  even someone who's sympathetic to them, like Curran or Howe? Because those guys would have to follow up on it and confirm it, since that's their job as journalists. Dennis can go on the air and say whatever he wants with a single source. He knows he's just being used to get their agenda out there, that it's not real journalism, that's why it's water carrying (and I was not referring to this one thing, these guys have been parroting every single Pats talking point on this issue since the Wells report came out). More power to him, I would probably do the same thing, I didn't say it made him an asshole. But let's call a spade a spade.

 

[Byrdbrain]

So a "real Journalist" wouldn't have gone with something from Jonathan Kraft(and I'm sure it was him) but would have gone to the NFL to confirm it? You mean like Mort did with the initial report and Kravitz did when he got his midnight phone call? They aren't journalists either I guess.
 
Of course the Krafts/Patriots used him to get the information out for their own reasons just like every source has used the media throughout history.

 

[Erik Hanson's Hook]

Would just like to chime and say these guys have been refreshing to listen to this past ratings period. This trio is, in reality, every bit as acerbic and provocative as Felger and Maz; they just may not quite know how to use it (yet). With Dennis seeing the end of the rainbow and Minihane giving zero fucks, I feel they are currently a worthy counterpoint to F&M.
 
They've been flying under the radar a bit recently (i mean, who talks about Dennis and Callahan anymore?), but i've enjoyed their recent shows. Would possibly pay to see Minihane and Felger go head-to-head.

 

[ForKeeps]

So a "real Journalist" wouldn't have gone with something from Jonathan Kraft(and I'm sure it was him) but would have gone to the NFL to confirm it? You mean like Mort did with the initial report and Kravitz did when he got his midnight phone call? They aren't journalists either I guess.
 
Of course the Krafts/Patriots used him to get the information out for their own reasons just like every source has used the media throughout history.

 
Right. And 99% of the time they use reporters, not radio hosts. Ask yourself why that is. Imagine if Adam Schefter had reported the Kensil story, how much bigger would it be right now? The Pats know that, yet they gave it to John Dennis.
 
By the way, the NFL is guilty of the exact same thing with Stephen A. Smith. We all know he's not a journalist at this point in his career, if he ever was.  I don't hear nearly as much skepticism about this Kensil thing as I did about Stephen A's "report."

 

[JimD]

 
Right. And 99% of the time they use reporters, not radio hosts. Ask yourself why that is. Imagine if Adam Schefter had reported the Kensil story, how much bigger would it be right now? The Pats know that, yet they gave it to John Dennis.
 

 
Do you really think Adam Schefter would undercut his ESPN colleague with this (or be allowed to by John Skipper and company)?  Or that he had no clue about this and needed Jonathan Kraft to tell him?

 

[ForKeeps]

Whatever. Jay Glazer then. Point stands.

 

[grsharky7]

I don't listen to Gary Tanguay very often but is he always so flip floppy?  For the past few days he was staunchly in the Pats camp on D&C, now that the transcript is out he is calling Brady a liar.  Complete 180.

 

[jsinger121]

He's a moron

 

[Granite Sox]

Tanguay is just a really, really dim weather vane.  Tries too hard to be like Shank and Felger, and just doesn't have the brain cells to come anywhere close.  Hence he just sounds like a massive tool.

 

[jsinger121]

His tune would be in the Patriots/Brady camp if he was still working the pre and post game show.

 

[BlackJack]

Yesterday I listened for a minute during a T&R break and Tanguay was explaining away why the league didn't give the Pats a heads up about ball inflation with this analogy: "It's like if you think someone is going to commit a murder, you don't call them up and say 'hey don't commit murder' - they need to do whatever it is so you can catch them"

Because putting someone in jail for murder is clearly the goal, not preventing someone from getting killed.

Ugh.

 

[J.McG]

Tanguay and Volin are obsessing over the unknown content of the 3 Jastrzemski/Brady texts from February 7th, pointing to them as further evidence of Brady's guilt since they "obviously implicate him in something" (paraphrasing).

No mention that these texts were made nearly 3 weeks post-AFCCG, after Wells had returned JJ's phone from the forensics lab. Furthermore, it was Brady's camp that volunteered this supposedly incriminating information. Wells & the NFL had no record of the Feb 7 texts prior to the appeal.

Are we to believe Brady was foolish enough to continue texting about a coverup--assuming there was anything coverup for in the first place--3 weeks into the investigation, and that JJ was dumb enough to continue texting about the conspiracy from his NFL-issued phone, immediately after said phone was subject to a full-cavity search by Wells' forensics team?

 

[TSC]

My god. Tanguay is just terrible. He was just screaming, actually screaming about why Brady didn't turn over his phone and how DoritoDink did, but wouldn't again, while the caller calmly tried to explain that DDs phone was a company phone and he was not protected by the CBA, while Tom Brady only has a personal phone and IS protected by the CBA.

How does someone who's job it is to discuss this intelligently not know the difference at this point?

 

[jsinger121]

My god. Tanguay is just terrible. He was just screaming, actually screaming about why Brady didn't turn over his phone and how DoritoDink did, but wouldn't again, while the caller calmly tried to explain that DDs phone was a company phone and he was not protected by the CBA, while Tom Brady only has a personal phone and IS protected by the CBA.

How does someone who's job it is to discuss this intelligently not know the difference at this point?

 
And this an idiot clamoring for the midday job saying that he's changed since his stint on 98.5. Give me a break Tanguay. 2 teams dumped you in the Celtics and Patriots. You are what you are and that is a fill in at this point in your career.

 

[PeaceSignMoose]

 
You are what you are and that is a fill in at this point in your career.

 
That's extremely generous of you.  You're definitely a better person than I am.

 

[the1andonly3003]

 
And this an idiot clamoring for the midday job saying that he's changed since his stint on 98.5. Give me a break Tanguay. 2 teams dumped you in the Celtics and Patriots. You are what you are and that is a fill in at this point in your career.

ppl want me to believe he is better than Dickerson?

 

[soxhop411]

Bart Hubbuch throwing a fit after D&C mocked him on Twitter

 

[CantKeepmedown]

Tanguay with his daily troll job this morning.  In the 5 minutes I had the radio on, I hear him questioning why nobody has heard from Jastemski or McNally yet?  Obviously, it's because the Patriots organization is paying them off to keep quiet.  Otherwise, TMZ or somebody would've gotten their story by now. Kirk jokingly asked how much they were getting?  Gary surmised about 100K a year.  
 
Dennis said it's much more likely that they are keeping quiet, as most involved are, because that's just what you do.  And they might even be a little scared.  Tanguay said you have to be naive to believe that.  Kirk then asked, "Why haven't we heard from Kensil, or Pash, or Walt Anderson, or even the commissioner himself?  Tanguay, of course, didn't have an answer.  He then went on about how everyone in the station is wearing their Brady jerseys and waving their pom poms.  
 
He's trying way too hard to be the contrarian here, much like Felger. But he comes off like such an idiot.  

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Yeah, it's performance art. Tanguay can't be that (publicly) dense.

 

[soxfan121]

Yeah, it's performance art. Tanguay can't be that (publicly) dense.

 
He can be that petty, though. If he were still drawing a paycheck from the Patriots, he'd be making Baghdad Bob look fair and balanced. 
 
That's what so offensive about Tanguay - not his stupidity, not his opinions - his lack of integrity. 

 

[jsinger121]

 
He can be that petty, though. If he were still drawing a paycheck from the Patriots, he'd be making Baghdad Bob look fair and balanced. 
 
That's what so offensive about Tanguay - not his stupidity, not his opinions - his lack of integrity. 

 
This is so true.

 

[Patriot_Reign]

Bart Hubbuch throwing a fit after D&C mocked him on Twitter

 
I saw this, holy smokes does he have thin skin.
https://twitter.com/barthubbuch/status/629370187150716928

 

[jimbobim]

 
I saw this, holy smokes does he have thin skin.
https://twitter.com/barthubbuch/status/629370187150716928

I got blocked for calling him an idiot and dumb on twitter. Thin skin is almost a charitable description. 

 

[Bunt4aTriple]

 
He can be that petty, though. If he were still drawing a paycheck from the Patriots, he'd be making Baghdad Bob look fair and balanced. 
 
That's what so offensive about Tanguay - not his stupidity, not his opinions - his lack of integrity. 

On the post game show last season he was very critical of the team and in full henny penny mode. He's gotten worse, but he's been playing the contrarian for a while now.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Mad Dog calling in this morning, just arguing in circles for over 20 minutes now.

 

[Dan Murfman]

Well he did have the point that Giselle wearing burqa shows Tom and her show bad judgement.

 

[jsinger121]

He was awful and so uninformed on this subject.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

He was awful and so uninformed on this subject.

Hey, he read one of the 15 pagers submitted to Berman. I don't think he said which, but he did say he read 15 pages while in Hawaii last week. So he's plenty informed.

 

[CantKeepmedown]

That's terrible radio.  Just screaming over each other for 20 minutes. 
 
Pretty funny hearing Russo say that Brady brought all of this on himself and he could have squashed it by just admitting that he likes the balls deflated.  

 

[rodderick]

That's terrible radio.  Just screaming over each other for 20 minutes. 
 
Pretty funny hearing Russo say that Brady brought all of this on himself and he could have squashed it by just admitting that he likes the balls deflated.  

Just like Spygate guys, own up to it and nothing bad will happen! This is the dumbest argument people keep spouting in this whole mess. If Brady did something and admitted to it, there's a chance he's suspended for a season. It sure as fuck wouldn't just go away.

 

[Bleedred]

It was truly terrible radio, and it wasn't D&C and Minnihane's fault.  They tried to let him speak to make his point, but Russo just DOES NOT SHUT UP, EVER.  I know it's his schtick and he's made his living on it, but he was so woefully uninformed as to be useless.   When I have a conversation about DG, I will say to the person I'm about to engage something to the effect of "I'm happy to have a conversation about it, but we need to stipulate that the facts of the situation actually matter.  I've read the Wells report, the NEP response, the AEI report, the RG Decision and the 400+ pages of transcript that were released, so I'm going to lean heavily on the facts."  That has tended to sober most people up very quickly before entering into a discussion.  Not Russo, but most people. 

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

My favorite part is that Russo was on EEI a month ago. Admitted he hadn't read the Wells report. They hammered him for that. Comes on again. Any thinking person would have read it. I mean, he had several weeks, right? Not Russo.

I believe the phrase he used was, "I haven't read it word-for-word." Whatever that means.

 

[MuppetAsteriskTalk]

That's terrible radio.  Just screaming over each other for 20 minutes. 
 
Pretty funny hearing Russo say that Brady brought all of this on himself and he could have squashed it by just admitting that he likes the balls deflated.  

 
Is Russo always that bad? I can't imagine anyone wants to listen to such a shrill voiced uninformed toolbag, but doesn't he have a national show?

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 
Is Russo always that bad? I can't imagine anyone wants to listen to such a shrill voiced uninformed toolbag, but doesn't he have a national show?

 
He has a national show (TV and satellite radio) and he is still always that bad.  He's still riding the coattails of being one half of Mike and the Mad Dog...so's his old partner.  Neither is as good apart as they were together, and neither really belongs on national broadcasts of any kind.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

That's terrible radio.  Just screaming over each other for 20 minutes.

That's not really fair:  only Russo was really screaming.  Tho D&C did have to use their (as my wife calls it when I speak loudly and clearly) "coach's voice" on occasion, just to slow down Russo's diatribes and correct his more blatant mis-facts.
 
But every time Russo presented a scenario or situation, D&C were able to respond with a minimum of word:
 
e.g.:  Why didnt Brady turn over his cell phone?  Because he didnt have to.

 

[CantKeepmedown]

That's not really fair:  only Russo was really screaming.  Tho D&C did have to use their (as my wife calls it when I speak loudly and clearly) "coach's voice" on occasion, just to slow down Russo's diatribes and correct his more blatant mis-facts.
 
But every time Russo presented a scenario or situation, D&C were able to respond with a minimum of word:
 
e.g.:  Why didnt Brady turn over his cell phone?  Because he didnt have to.

This is true. I should have been more clear, as Bleedred indicated, it wasn't really D&C's or M's fault.  
 
The fact that Russo admits that he's read about 20 pages out of a 1000 of documents related to the issue tells me all I need to know about him.  Unfortunately, he's probably in the majority.  

 

[Granite Sox]

I caught about two minutes of Russo's national show today. There was a caller taking him on about DFG, and the caller was hanging tough with facts and supporting evidence. Russo screaming "what about X?" And "what about Y?" and the caller kept parrying with facts. Actually wore down Russo until he was only left with the "then why did the NFL and Goodell try and take Brady down if he didn't do it?!" argument.

I've heard Russo carp about 10X about DFG, and this was the first time I basically heard him take his ball and go home.

D&C must've worn him out a little, though Russo knew what he was getting into going on their show.

 

[Gambler7]

Credit where credit is due. I have listed to this show almost exclusively over the last two weeks and it has been good. It started because T&R have been out most of the summer, but I have been impressed with their coverage of this whole fiasco. Dennis is also clearly a different guy after rehab. 

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Starting to feel badly for Volin. He was just on D&C, and he really no idea how ridiculous he sounds. Saddest comment might have been a reference to himself: I'm not WoodStein, I'm just a reporter.

Callahan (my bad: minihane) outright said that if a caller had said the same things, they'd be calling it a stupid call from a stupid caller.

 

[Gambler7]

That was Minihane that went at him about it, but he was right. I mean I literally think he is just way in over his head. Literally dumb. 

 

[Bleedred]

Credit where credit is due. I have listed to this show almost exclusively over the last two weeks and it has been good. It started because T&R have been out most of the summer, but I have been impressed with their coverage of this whole fiasco. Dennis is also clearly a different guy after rehab. 

I agree.  What's most revealing is that DC & M, Minnehane particularly, have bothered to learn the facts of DG.  They are well informed and mostly reasonable in arguing with those who insist that Brady is guilty because, well, because.   I love Toucher and Rich, and in most instances, I think they are far more entertaining and better than DC & M, but I have to admit that DC&M are far better on the DG story than Toucher and Rich.

 

[grimshaw]

Agree on John Dennis.  He and Remy are both 150% less grumpy this year.
It's like one of those brief Vince McMahon face turns where you can sympathize a little.

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

The thing with Volin today was genuinely uncomfortable. Which is good, i think.

 

[jsinger121]

Chris Chase USA Today another uninformed moron.

 

[ivanvamp]

This dude from USA Today (Chris Chase) is a buffoon.  Says Brady has never denied doing anything, but D&C&M point out that he HAS denied it - in a clear Facebook post AND under oath AND right after the AFCCG.  This guy simply shrugs them all off, saying that a Facebook post is meaningless, that his statements under oath don't count because he was answering parsed questions (never mind that some of them were by NFL lawyers), and that his statement after the AFCCG doesn't count either...just because.
 
Wow.  Just wow.