Friday Four-Pack 11.22.24
The story of an unlikely newsbreaker. Robert Kraft denied again. Remembering Larry Johnson.
Pierre LeBrun? No.
Fluto Shinzawa? Nope.
Rich Keefe? For sure, no.
That man who broke the big story in the NHL this week?
And while there’s plenty to discuss in this week’s Four-Pack, the most interesting story is how a little-known podcaster with only a few thousand followers on X.com beat everyone to the news the Bruins had fired head coach Jim Montgomery.
This would never happen in the NFL or the NBA, where insiders like Adam Schefter and Shams Charania are handed their scoops on a silver platter. Teams use their breaking news like currency, hoping that for a piece of information today, these big names will help them out down the road.
But in this case, both local and national insiders got left chasing their tails by a man who coached me in basketball earlier this year.
Besides hosting his own podcast, Beyond Average Podcast, Mick Marks is a major character in the Kirk Minihane Show universe. I know Mick as a wild man, not a newsbreaker. We’ve done Kirk’s show together and he filled in admirably as coach for our 0-6 adult men’s basketball team this summer. I scored a season-high 10 points in that game. But that’s a story for my memoir.
This story is about the details of Marks scooping the hockey world on Montgomety’s firing. We talked on Thursday about how he came into the story of the week in Boston and the NHL.
“Personally, I thought the firing would come after Boston got throttled 8-2 on Halloween night by Carolina,” Marks told me. “It didn’t. But the writing had been on the wall for a while now. After Monday night’s embarrassing home loss against Columbus, I received a text message from my source close to the team - someone I’m also close with. “Word on the street is Monty is done. He’s coached his final game behind the bench for the Boston Bruins. Expect announcements before Thursday's game against Utah.”
To be honest - I wasn’t stunned when I read the message. But I didn’t think for a second I was the first or only person to have this information. This source of mine doesn’t necessarily work for the team but is VERY close with a few members of Boston’s upper management. And in the past, they’ve tipped me off about trades or contract extensions before they were announced. But nothing quite to the extent of firing the head coach - however I trusted the information because of how solid the track record was. So I searched Twitter and other media platforms to see if any credible reporter had broken the news yet….and found nothing. I was shocked. Then I did what any good journalist would do…I reported it.”
As someone who has admittedly held back on posting stories for fear of getting it wrong, I asked Marks if he was worried when his report was the only one out there for almost two hours.
“The only time I got a little nervous was when I saw a Bruins’ beat writer tweet out that Monty would be available for media later in the week. However, I trusted the info and I know this person wouldn’t have sent it unless it was actually happening,” he said.
And make no mistake - Marks had it first. His post on X.com came Tuesday at 11:51 AM. WEEI’s Rich Keefe - who’s being given fake credit from the Boston Globe and others for getting the story first - posted his report at 1:41 PM…almost two full hours after Marks told us what would happen: in reality, what had already happened.
The biggest hockey podcast on the planet, Spittin’ Chiclets, had speculated on the Montgomery news for a week but was quick to give Marks full credit for getting the story first. Does he feel he got the proper respect for breaking such a big story?
“I appreciate both The Kirk Minihane Show and Spittin’ Chiclets acknowledging the reporting,” Marks said. “Ryan Whitney is a fellow Massachusetts podcaster who I’ll always support. But I was a bit disappointed that other members of the local Boston media didn’t take me seriously. I would imagine going forward that will change. And I saw Rich Keefe claim he had the scoop. Maybe he did…but it wasn’t before my tweet.”
Marks plans on recording an episode of BAP on Friday afternoon with his own reflection on his big week. A great underdog story. We’ll see if it leads to even more breaking news from the Cape Cod Insider.
Meanwhile, Bob Kraft gets rejected…again. Details on the latest and greatest casino/sportsbook set to open in New England. And remembering WEEI’s Larry Johnson.
That and more in this week’s Four-Pack.
On the biggest stories in Boston sports this week…
🏈 When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Said just this week on KMS that Robert Kraft would get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this time around. Earlier this year, ESPN’s Don Van Natta wrote a great story on Kraft’s obsession with getting into Canton.
The Hall of Fame’s nine-member contributor committee decides if an NFL owner will get it: Kraft was considered a favorite for 2025 induction. The committee instead selected Ralph Hay, a co-founder of the National Football League and the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922. From Van Natta’s story on the latest rejection for Kraft—
One source who was angry about Hay's selection over Kraft said, "Hay didn't believe players should be paid. He sold the team after only four years. I don't know how he is seen as more deserving than Bob Kraft."
Kraft should be in. As the owner of the Dynastic Patriots and a major player in ending the 2011 NFL lockout, he’s obviously one of the most influential figures in league history. So what’s keeping him out? Spygate? Deflategate? Massage Parlor antics? Jealousy? His poor handling of Bill Belichick’s exit? The easy answer is probably some version of all of the above.
At 83, I get the push from Camp Kraft to get him in sooner rather than later. He will get in: it’s just a matter of when.
The Kraft Family and the Patriots have shown extreme pettiness in keeping the much-deserving Bill Parcells out of the Patriots Hall of Fame. There’s some irony in that same pettiness of the NFL potentially blocking Kraft’s own path into Canton.
⚾ So yeah, a lot of smoke about the Red Sox and spending this offseason. We wrote about it last week and since then, the whispers of big money and Juan Soto have grown louder. Even my former radio partner Lou Merloni is getting into it, changing his X.com avatar to Soto in a Red Sox uniform. I don’t think Lou does that unless he’s also hearing the same things Red Sox Stats, Rob Bradford and Jared Carrabis have been talking about.
Given all the smoke, I reached out to Carrabis, who told me here last month that he was hopeful the team would finally spend this offseason. Is he still confident that it will happen?
“I’m feeling very confident in that, Mut,” Carrabis told me. “I’ve talked to agents, I’ve talked to players who have met with the Red Sox, and I’ve talked to folks within the Red Sox. It is vastly different this time around compared to last year.”
Here’s hoping he’s right. The Sox are talking a big game and telling everyone about it. Now they have to go back it up. Almost will not cut it this offseason.
🏈 I can only speak for our household, where our main TV area is a one-TV set-up. All season, it has been NFL Red Zone on the TV and then the Pats game on the streaming monitor. But I made the executive call to move Drake Maye and the Pats to the TV this week and I don’t think we’re going back as long as he’s healthy. To watch a mobile, strong-armed quarterback after years of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe and Cam Newton…game-changer.
The team is not great around him but the kid is brimming with talent, confidence, and poise. He’s electric. I have no idea if he’s a true Franchise Quarterback, but he’s showing all the signs you’d want to see as a rookie. Let’s hope he keeps playing well and that the team keeps losing, improving their draft position.
I could not have been more wrong about the team’s decision to start him…until his offensive line gets him killed. Then I’ll remind everyone I was right. That’s how it works.
🏀 The people bemoaning the NBA Cup (Rob “Hardy” Poole and many others) are just being negative to be negative. It does not negatively affect the NBA product unless you really care about the souped-up playing surfaces. You’re not NOT watching the game because of the NBA Cup. If anything, a game like Friday’s C’s game against the 2-11 Wizards is more interesting to see if they win and keep their NBA Cup hopes alive.
On your sports media and sports betting notebook…
➡️ Growing up on the mean streets of Pepperell, MA, the closest shopping mall was The Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, NH. On our Friday night trips there, my brother and I always pushed for one of two parking areas - the one next to Lechmere or the one next to Sears. Why? Because those two stores would sometimes have video game systems set up where a kid could play while his mother shopped at JCPenney or Jordan Marsh.
Fast forward 30 years and the old Sears location is set to offer an entirely different type of game for their adult clientele.
In early 2025, New England’s newest casino, The Nash, will open in the two-level, 180,000 sq foot footprint of the former Sears location at The Pheasant Lane Mall. Sources tell MutStack.com that ECL Entertainment is targeting February for its Grand Opening. As you can see, the work is being done as we speak.
While it is almost directly on the NH/MA border, The Nash is technically based in NH and its sportsbook will be affiliated with The Granite State’s only sports betting partner, DraftKings. The sportsbook is expected to be a big feature of the casino.
The casino is likely to be the biggest in New Hampshire and given it’s right on the MA border, should draw significant Bay State traffic. And it will probably be the reason a lot more husbands and boyfriends are willing to go shopping with their significant others starting next year.
➡️ This was just…sad. A few weeks after WZLX moved on from Rich Shertenlieb - thanks to dismal ratings - he posted this on X.com. Radio veteran Josh Innes replied on X.com, “It really breaks my heart. I felt sick when I saw the tweet bc it was sad. Imagine batting .187 for the season but focusing on the game you went 2 for 3.”
I guess this is his way of changing the narrative about the show as he attempts to find his next radio gig. Or maybe he’s just that delusional and thought this would make him look good. It didn’t.
All it did was give his former radio partner Fred Toucher (and Fred’s ex-wife) the chance to eviscerate him the next day. Warning - this is brutal.
🎥 Thanks to Boston Media Critic for the clip
➡️ Meanwhile, after attempting to lure The Boston Globe’s Chris Gasper and others to afternoon drive, Sports Radio WEEI settled on producer Dan Bahl as a new voice from 2-6 PM. Good sources say that the plan is for Bahl to be a producer, in addition to being a very active on-air voice. I will not be surprised if Bahl ends up hosting a weekend show. WEEI’s parent company has followed a similar plan in New York and Philadelphia, where those afternoon shows have a “producer-plus.” Chris Curtis has taken over that role on “The Greg Hill Show.”
I do not think Felger and Mazz will spend much time worrying about this.
➡️ Some pretty big news from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday. After hosting a roundtable to discuss the bevy of sports bettors who say they have been limited by various sportsbooks, the MGC took steps towards possibly regulating how those sportsbooks can limit players. From Bill Speros at Bookies.com—
MGC Sports Wagering Division Chief Carrie Torrisi requested MGC staff be allowed to seek data from all the licensed operators in Massachusetts that details the number and circumstances concerning all players limited.
Commissioners unanimously agreed without a formal vote to allow staff to proceed. Once the data is received and examined, the Commission appears poised to consider first-in-the-nation regulations on player limits.
This has become a major topic nationwide and the MGC has been at the forefront in trying to get sportsbooks to explain how and why they limit players. This a big deal for the industry and bettors alike. Much more to come.
➡️ The Nashua Pride was an independent baseball team that played out of Holman Stadium in Nashua, NH from 1998-2008. Former Red Sox infielder Butch Hobson managed the team for a period. Former Sox first baseman Brian Daubach was the hitting coach. They won a bunch of games in the Can-Am League. But one of their biggest attractions was a mascot named Monkey Boy. He was a wild man in a monkey mask and the fans loved him. Barstool Sports’ Chris Klemmer worked with him in Nashua and is set to release a Monkey Boy Documentary on Tuesday at 8 PM. Having worked in NH radio during the peak of Monkey Boy hype, I’m looking forward to Klemmer’s documentary.
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Week 11: 1-2 /// Season Record: 18-15 (54.5%)
🏈The Side 49ers +3 at the Packers No Brock Purdy, no play.
Saturday Update:
🏈The New Side
BRONCOS -6 AT VEGAS
We end up here with Purdy out...I still may bet the 49ers but I can't recommend it in a semipopular newsletter as any sort of top pick.
The market has been slow to price the Broncos as a good team. But the evidence is they are. Bo Nix is suddenly 3-1 to win OROY. His EPA month-to-month has shown a drastic improvement - and now Courtland Sutton is once a factor in the passing game.
He gets to face a Raiders defense ranked 28th overall DVOA, including a #26 ranking against the pass. They've allowed a bottom-10 QB Rating against of 100.7. This is a good spot for Nix.
The Raiders offense is not good - they lead the league in turnovers. With two RBs ahead of him doubtful, Ameer Abdullah is in line to be the starter for the Raiders...they will find it hard to run here against the Broncos. Denver has a huge advantage on the DL.
Trend is our Friend: Home/divisional dogs the last two seasons 26-36-3 ATS (42%) per Action Network.
Broncos for me and at -6 a use in any teaser pieces.
🏈The Total
Titans vs. Texans UNDER 40.5
Sorry I missed this when it opened at 42. The Titans are operating as the slowest team in the NFL in neutral-pace situations per FTN’s SEC/SNAP pace stats. The Texans are not far behind, clocking in as the 7th slowest. Neither team runs any no-huddle in those same neutral-pace situations—two SLOW teams.
Oh, you want more? Fine. These two teams rank 9th and 10th respectively in PUNTS/DRIVE. They’re 12th and 13th respectively in 3 AND OUTS/DRIVE. These are the 30th (TEN) and 24th (HOU) DVOA offenses in the league—this thing could be a punt-fest. Neither team shines on offense.
And coming off a short week, if HOU does grab the lead, it’s not crazy to think they take the air out of the ball and just try and shorten the game with Joe Mixon.
We could lose those on a terrible Will Levis pick-six, but with two slow teams and two mediocre offenses, the UNDER is the play.
🏈The Prop Kareem Hunt UNDER 17.5 carries (BetMGM +100)
Update: Two hours after posting, Pacheco gets ruled out. Can’t play this now. New prop coming in the Sunday update
Johnny Wilson OVER 3.5 REC YARDS (-110, DK)
The 6′ 6″ Wilson caught a TD in Week 10 and did not see a target in Week 11. With Devonta Smith OUT, we’re playing this for an increased role for Wilson and one catch gets us home…I think. The passing volume should be there Sunday night.
Other Sunday Ideas:
Baker Mayfield OVER 11.5 RUSH YARDS (-110, BETMGM)
I know the sharp money is on the Colts today, but I can’t get there.
I think the Dolphins win and cover comfortably against the Pats.
On remembering Larry Johnson…
Former WEEI host and cartoonist Larry Johnson passed away this week at the age of 75. And it comes as no surprise that once the news of his passing made the Internet, his former WEEI colleagues took to social media to talk about how great of a man he was. Just a quick sampling -
His work as a cartoonist for ESPN.com, The National, and The Boston Globe gave him national attention. His work on WEEI as the co-host of Mustard and Johnson made him one of the main weekend voices of arguably the most important time in Boston sports.
As Tom Brady was becoming Tom Brady..as the Patriots became a dynasty…as the Red Sox finally won…as the Bruins and Celtics followed suit…Larry was there almost every Saturday morning to talk about it all.
Before On Demand and podcasts, Larry and Craig Mustard hosted what was essentially a recap show of the week. Mike Felger admitted this week that his vision for the Friday show on Felger and Mazz came, in part, from wanting to do a show like Larry and Craig did on Saturday mornings.
Larry loved Glenn Ordway’s Big Show, of which he was a frequent guest. He loved NFL Draft talk. And he loved his callers. As Kirk Minihane mentioned on his show this week, it was clear Larry would even talk to them off the air. When someone like “Larry in Newburyport” would finally call in after missing a few weeks, LJ would quickly ask, “Where’ve you been?”
And Larry was the same way off the air. I told Larry in passing one weekend my mom enjoyed his show, and from then on he’d always ask about her. When WEEI moved me out of multiple time slots, Larry was quick to reach out with words of encouragement: he had similar encouraging comments when we’d talk on weekends at the station as I was just starting at WEEI. That was just Larry.
Larry had a thick skin and was okay being a target of a joke or an old Big Show bit. And he’d fire right back. He was happy to fight with Mustard for segments at a time every Saturday. It was all part of the show.
Over the years, I’ve met people I previously listened to on the radio or watched on TV. Frequently, the on-air persona does not match the off-air reality.
In the case of LJ, the kind man you listened to every weekend was the same guy that I and so many others had a chance to interact with off the air.
Condolences to his friends and family.
Next week…Thanksgiving. Best holiday of the year. We’ll have a new MutStack podcast on Wednesday morning and a mini Four-Pack on Friday. That’s the plan.
Good luck with all your bets this weekend. Thanks for reading and (hopefully) subscribing.
Good weekend.
It is such a credit to you that I don't live in Boston, do not understand the dynamics of local sports radio and still read the FFP every week.
You're a decent man and very easy to root for, Mr. Mut.
Loved today's appearance on the show as always.
Sports radio landscape is so over the place right now, who even listens at this point? WEEI has a new host every 3 months. Kraft should be in but if HOF voting works the same in football as baseball, he has definitely rubbed some people the wrong way. (pun intended)
I won't believe anything the red sox say or do until I see it. They can meet and say all these things but, actions speak louder than words.
The millennial in me always sees KMS as kill myself not Kirk Minihan Show.
For what it's worth.
Happy Thanksgiving