Friday Four-Pack 4.24.26
WEEI dismantles another afternoon show. Mike Vrabel speaks. The Pats draft an OL. The Red Sox suck. MutStack Notes!
Note from Owner of MutStack.com, Dave Portnoy:
No note from Dave. Big day tomorrow as they’ll draw the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and the race that Go Go Greys runner Lovely Grey is expected to enter (per Dave), the Edgewood Stakes. Full coverage on social and the Barstool Blog.
"My previous actions don't meet the standard I hold myself to. They don't."
This story stinks.
And, like, it is a big story. Greg Bedard embarrassed himself on Felger and Mazz this week, trying to suggest that this was not something worth talking about. Same for a few other shows and hosts. No one WANTS to talk about it, but it’s a real story.
Based on multiple rounds of candid pictures and, now, his own words, Mike Vrabel and reporter Diana Russini appear to have had more than just a working relationship for years. They’re both married, both have kids, and yeah, talking about it sucks.
Vrabel was asked about new pictures and declined to talk about them, saying in part, “… my priorities are my family and this football team. In that order. ... My family needs me this weekend, and that's where I'll be."
Indeed, the head coach and final decision-maker for the Pats is missing the third day of the Draft, where the team has seven picks. He did not rule out missing more time when he was asked about that possibility on Thursday night. If the plan is to put family first, that might not be a bad thing.
I’ll only speak for myself, but I thought there was at least a chance Vrabel was going to be fired Thursday, after the NY Post photos of him and Russini allegedly in a NY bar six years ago (!!!) went online. What other photos were out there, and what had Vrabel told the Krafts? Then, on Thursday afternoon, the team released a statement, saying in part
"The New England Patriots fully support Mike Vrabel's decision to prioritize his family first, as well as his own well-being," the team said. "Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment.”
A life raft - this was a big show of support from the team, hours after the new photos came out. And a sign he’s not going anywhere - he was safe. The NFL says they are not investigating, and I don’t think he should be fired.
I feel like Vrabel has handled what has to be a brutal personal situation pretty well - how will Russini eventually respond? Her old tweets went viral in a bad way on Thursday, before she finally deactivated her account. All we have is her Athletic resignation statement, which is not really holding up.
I don’t really have a hot take on this, other than it’s nuts that Bedard and others didn’t see the magnitude of this story. And are Vrabel, his family, and the team prepared for more photos dropping? Are the Krafts?
I’m glad Vrabel is putting family first. But between what might be next, the coach missing a Draft Day (terrible movie), and Russini’s next response, it doesn’t feel like this story is quite over yet. But sorry, Greg Bedard and others, it is a story.
Meanwhile, WEEI has dismantled its afternoon show, again. Plus Red Sox, Pats Draft, and a very busy MutStack Notes.
All ahead in Friday Four-Pack #169
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On yet another afternoon shakeup at WEEI…
It’s not that important, but let the record show we had it first. We had it here last week, when it wasn’t 100% official but was basically 100% official. And Dave Portnoy’s MutStack.com sure as shit had it first Wednesday, before anyone else. Some people, like the talented Jim Murray at 98.5 The Sports Hub, gave us credit. Other industry insiders and major newspapers did not. Noted 📝
First, the news, then the rumors of what’s next.
After another thumping in the ratings (unofficially, Felger & Mazz beat WEEI Afternoons 15.3 (#1) to 2.7 (#14) in the Boston winter ratings. More on these in the notes below), WEEI finally decided to pull the plug on its worst show.
This version of WEEI Afternoons lasted just over a year. It made no impact in the ratings and will go down as one of the worst and least-remembered shows in Boston sports radio history.
Andy Hart, Nick ‘Fitzy’ Stevens, and producer/fill-in host Dan Bahl were told on Wednesday that they were all out. I don’t know if they were told together or individually, but I’m told the timing was surprising to some involved. I’m also told that Nick took it very well and made sure to thank different people around the building.
And that’s not surprising. Nick is a good guy, as is Andy (I don’t know Dan). They were put in a terrible position by their boss, Mike Thomas. To avoid paying Nick more, they let him work 2-3 days a week from home. In the same vein, former Patriot Ted Johnson - who, for all intents and purposes, is the star of the show - works 3-4 days a week and comes in an hour after the show starts. Andy Hart was there every day, asked to host even though he wasn't really a host.
Formatted that way, Mike Thomas built the show for failure. I don’t think it would have been that much better if all three did 20 hours a week together, but it would have helped. I have no doubt Nick and Andy will both land on their feet - both guys are hard-working and easy to work with, based on my experience with them.
There was tension on their show, as evidenced by the blow-up documented here last week. It sounds like there was a bit of an Andy-and-Ted vs. Nick dynamic; Nick was aware of this, and that helped lead to what happened last week. The station sending Andy and Ted to the NFL Draft last year and leaving Fitzy in Boston sent a message to everyone that he was the obvious third wheel from 2-6 PM.
For a multitude of reasons, it was not a good show. As a listener, I’d argue Ted Johnson is the worst part. Based on the hundreds of responses to my post on X.com, I have a lot of company in that same opinion. But Thomas loves him, loves ex-athletes, and he’ll stay.
WEEI is planning to announce the new show on Monday morning at 9 AM during The Greg Hill Show. In a promo read on Thursday, Adam Jones said that “they” would join the morning show and that “this will be a first.” I assume in this case, they would be the new afternoon show cast members.
So, who will they be?
I spent hours trying to get this cold for you, the loyal MutStack subscriber, here for Friday morning. But since we’re in the MutStack Trust Tree, I don’t have it 100%. Mike Thomas is playing this very close to the vest and, to his credit, has done a good job of keeping it under wraps. In his email to staff on Wednesday, he did not say who would host the new show.
I fully expect Thomas to leak this to the Boston Globe or someone else before Monday. But before he does, I’ll give you a few scenarios of how it might play out based on talking and texting with almost a dozen sources over the last 48 hours. Below is just informed speculation.
WEEI Afternoons 3.0: Ken Laird, Rich Shertenlieb, and Ted Johnson (and producer Mike Lockhart).
If you made me guess, this would be the new show. Ken’s position as program director was eliminated when Thomas was demoted a few weeks ago. Rather than lose him, I believe they’re going to put him on-air. He’s been on vacation this week, returning Monday, just in time for the announcement. There’s another on-air spot he could land, but this seems the most likely.
I have heard from three different sources that Shertenlieb is expected to return to Boston radio with this show. Rich famously left 98.5, flamed out at WZLX, then abruptly stopped doing YouTube content a few months ago. A source recently reached out to say that Rich was untagging himself from old WZLX social media posts, suggesting he might be preparing to return to a job in Boston. Thomas talked to Rich when he left 98.5, but the money was not close. WEEI freed up a bunch of money this week, and maybe the desperation of being on the bench and watching Fred Toucher clear bonus after bonus was enough motivation to take a bonus-laden deal with WEEI himself.
Ted Johnson stays because Thomas loves him. But you need two full-time hosts because Ted is not in 20 hours a week.
WEEI's firing of producer Dan Bahl didn’t make much sense until I heard that Rich wanted to bring in producer Mike Lockhart. He’s the guy Rich paid when 98.5 fired him a few years back.
So, this is my best guess as of Friday morning, but it’s only a guess at this point. And it’s not the only possibility.
Ken and Curtis with Ted Johnson. This is what I would do: Ken and Chris Curtis are the best weekend show on WEEI. But is Greg Hill okay with losing Curtis as a producer? I doubt it. But one source said that as part of all these moves, Christian Arcand is moving off nights/Red Sox. Could Arcand replace Curtis as the “sporty” producer for Greg’s show? Red Sox pre/post sounds like it could be a rotating position going forward, with some of the WooSox guys filling in.
Jones and Keefe to afternoon drive. In this scenario, Ted and Arcand (who often hosted together at 98.5) go to midday, and Ken Laird goes to Red Sox baseball. This feels much less likely, but it would not be a total shock.
WEEI talked to at least one national host who never heard back. Maybe a Sports Hub part-timer is coming over, but I have no sourcing around that, and those guys love to talk. Arcand potentially moving shifts throws a wrench in all this, but maybe I have that wrong, and he’s staying at night. There’s no way it’s some national simulacast, right? I guess it could also be Rich, Ted, and Arcand on in the afternoons, with Ken going nights and Red Sox that way. Or Ted, Ken, and Aracand as producer/updates in the afternoon, no Rich, rotation for Sox pre/post.
I have spent way too much time on this. None of these changes will make a real dent in the massive lead for 98.5, unless WEEI really changes course and starts mocking Felger and Mazz. Or getting into more on-air battles. BE DIFFERENT. None of this feels like that, even if Shertenlieb comes back.
Wish I had it cold. I don’t, and am fully prepared to get this wrong, but that’s what I got. We can react in full to the new show here next week and to how WEEI got to such irrelevance in a sports-crazy market. Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts.
On the Patriots’ First Round Draft Pick…
I spent very little time consuming NFL Draft content this year. I had only two wishes for the Pats draft.
Draft an OL in the first round ✅
Draft UConn WR Skyler Bell in Round 2 or 3.
The Pats got one of the seven “can’t miss” tackles in Caleb Lomu late in the first round. Works for me. AJ Brown comes aboard in June. Get me Bell and a young TE and keep making these easier for Drake Maye.
On this video from the Red Sox…
I just can’t get over this.
For sure, it’s a staged video where the Red Sox social crew wanted to get owner John Henry interacting with the fans. Henry has been to most home games this year, which feels like an effort to make him seem more human and less Monty Burns.
So he’s among some players who have walked over from the team parking area at Fenway Park, signing autographs for the loyal supporters who have waited there.
Who the hell is asking for John Henry’s autograph?
There’s one kid who’s in every part of the video, front and center, getting every autograph he can. I get that.
But in another shot, there appears to be a 20-something (30-something?) wearing Red Sox gear, smiling, and getting the owner’s autograph.
Why? Because he made a bunch of money as a commodities trader and hedge fund manager? Because he had a good hunch about soybean futures back in the day? He’s decided to take that same approach with his baseball team, unwilling to risk money on talented players in favor of a more cost-efficient spend on younger players. He’s owned a team that’s moved on from players like Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Alex Bregman because of money.
He’s turned the big-market Red Sox into the Tampa Bay Rays.
As I watch this again, this 100% feels like staged, sad PR play by the social team. But going forward, please don’t ask for John Henry’s autograph unless it’s on a blank check to sign more talented players.
On your weekly MutStack Notes…
⚾ Episode 26 of Dirty Water - A Boston Sports Podcast is aptly titled, They Suck. Because the Red Sox right now, indeed, suck. I didn’t write about the Red Sox here this week because I spent over an hour talking about them late Thursday night with HogDale and Ed. The idea of pitching and defense working in 2026 always seemed silly. The team needs to trade for a BIG bat or fire someone. Or both. Watch and subscribe on YouTube and then listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
⚾ The Red Sox have played 26 games, and in 12 of those, have scored two or fewer runs. That includes six of the last seven 💤💤💤💤😴💤🥱🛌🏻
🏈 Mike Vrabel’s surprise press conference on Tuesday caught WEEI without a live feed, and they had to play clips of the coach talking for the first time since the Diana Russini Sedona photos went live. 98.5 The Sports Hub was able to carry it live and react right away. Major win for 98.5.
📻 Got a couple of texts about The Sports Hub's little Vacation Week, with both Toucher and Hardy and Zolak and Bertrand off all week. It’s a busy week, with the playoffs, the NFL Draft, and the Red Sox/Yankees. So yeah, a little surprising, but these guys have taken this week off before. And given the fact they have no direct competition at this point, it’s a low-risk move as far as ratings go. The audience is smaller during these vacation weeks, and the numbers show it.
🎙️ The numbers. I guess there might be an issue with the winter ratings, so consider these unofficial for now. I have Toucher and Hardy at 18.8 (#1) vs. The Greg Hill Show at 4.4 (#7). I have Zolak and Bertrand at 11.7 (#1) and Jones and Keefe at 2.8 (#11). Plus the afternoon numbers above. Very, very bad book for WEEI, even with the Super Bowl.
🎙️ Oh, one more on Nick and Andy being fired from WEEI- 0% to do with Mike Vrabel talk. Silly Internet bullshit that people are using for clicks and views. The most vocal critic of Vrabel in all this has been Marc Bertrand - I’ll be curious what he thinks Monday at 10 AM when he gets back from vacation.
🎙️ And one more on Ted Johnson - very tough opening segment on his show yesterday talking about Vrabel. Not sure how you can listen to that and think you want to build a show around it. Yikes.
🏀 I am not worried about the Celtics.
🏖️ Barstool Spring Break Co-MVPs: Tate and Dante
👑 Family Feud - Rooting HARD for Team #1
I think that’s enough Stack for this week.
Back tomorrow at the Barstool Blog, talking about which horses can actually win The Derby in 2026. Derby Week! And much more. Good luck with all your bets this weekend. And thanks for reading.
Such a joke they let go of Dan so washed up Rich can bring his own producer in.
Drafting UConn WR Skyler Bell in rd 2 or 3 would be the most egregious act Vrabel did over the past 6 years.