Friday Four-Pack 4.3.26
UConn is in the Final Four!!!! The Red Sox stink. A WEEI personnel move. A meeting with Coach Hurley. MutStack Notes!
Note from Owner of MutStack.com, Dave Portnoy:
Lots of people are saying if UConn loses, it’s Mutt’s fault. I’m saying if UConn beats Michigan in the final, it will be the worst thing to ever happen to his career. Good luck to all the teams this weekend
Note from MutStack.com Founder, Mut:
100% of the focus is on Illinois. One game at a time. Go Huskies.
A wild 24 hours.
On Tuesday, Dave tweeted that if I was able to get a video plea from UConn head coach Dan Hurley to send me, a UConn Grad and fan, to the Final Four, Dave would take me along to Indy.
This post from Coach Hurley at 12:10 AM Wednesday morning showed he was at least aware of it. So on Wednesday morning, I drove down and got a good spot in line at the UConn Final Four send-off on campus in Storrs, CT. I had some signage that might get his attention. Between that and his post, I felt pretty good. Then I talked to the guys on Picks Central.
“What if he doesn’t stop?”
I hadn’t really planned for that. But once they said it, I panicked. I texted Big Cat, who has just had Hurley on Pardon My Take. I responded to some random DMs who offered help. I was getting nervous.
Then I saw Tom Moore.
Tom Moore is the UConn Basketball GM. Before that, he was a UConn assistant. Before that, he was the head coach at Quinnipiac. Before that, he was a UConn assistant under Jim Calhoun. And before all of that, he was the coach at Worcester State here in Massachusetts. There, he coached Chris Dube, my 7th and 8th-grade coach at Varnum Brook Middle School.
Coach Dube had Coach Moore come and speak to our 8th-grade team at the end-of-season banquet. After the event, I asked him about what basketball camps might be good to attend that summer for a short, slow point guard. He promised to send me a list. Sure, he would…
Well, he did, along with a nice note. A note that I kept and actually brought with me on Wednesday.
When I saw Moore, he was walking out towards the parking lot, about 75 yards away. I grabbed the note from my bag and chased him down. He seemed startled - and then he seemed very surprised when I showed him the note. We talked for a minute, and I explained what was going on. He seemed like he kinda understood - maybe just being nice. Then he told me that the coaches would not be walking out the same place as the players. Not good.
Then, for some reason, he took pity on me. He took me to where Coach Hurley might be coming out and told me to wait. Five to ten minutes later, well, the result is above.
Luck? Fate? The silver linings to being a hoarder? All of the above, I guess.
But without Coach Moore, I never get the video. I owe him big time.
Thank you, Coach Hurley. Thank you, Tom Moore. Thank you, Dave. #thankyoukirk, always.
Meanwhile, UCONN IS IN THE FINAL FOUR. LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOO.
The Red Sox stink. We have a shakeup at WEEI. And the usual MutStack Weekly Notes.
All ahead in Friday Four-Pack #166.
Baseball season! ⚾⚾⚾
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On an abysmal start to the 2026 Red Sox season…
I need Breslow to get boo’d off the field Friday like I need air to breathe.
On this UConn Final Four run…
I mean, wow. WOW. The win over Duke was an all-timer. Of course. Basically, it was the 2004 ALCS played out over a few minutes vs. a few days. UConn had no business winning that game. It was the first game in a long, long time where I just sat and watched the last 8-10 minutes over and over. So many things had to go right to win.
All that being said, 1999, UConn 77 Duke 74 remains the biggest game and win in program history. I’ve seen some people online saying this one tops 1999; it does not.
Between 1999 and 2004, and again in 2026, UConn and Duke have played three of the best Final Four games of the last 30 years. I think the fact that they don’t play in the regular season, really ever, makes the games more special. It also helps that UConn keeps winning these big games.
There’s probably a list of 1000 good reasons why UConn is here, but a few stand out as the most impactful to this UConn graduate.
🏀 Dan Hurley turned down the Lakers. He’s not going to coach forever, but his impact is just immeasurable. He’ll play anyone. He can recruit at the highest level. His in-game coaching is A+. His offense is NBA-level good. The stat that doesn't get enough love is his 17-1 record in the last four NCAA Tournaments. The one loss was a 2-point loss last year to eventual champ Florida. I mean, he’s doing this in Storrs, in the Big East, with a smaller budget than many of his biggest rivals. He’s also so good for college basketball. I had my doubts about this team at times, but never about Hurley.
🏀 Silas Demary Jr. You could just tell early on - he was put on this earth to play point guard for UConn. Smart, tough, excellent defender, good passer. He’s just so good. He reminds me of some sort of Tristen Newton/Ricky Moore combo. I think he’s set up to have a big weekend in Indy.
🏀 Braylon Mullins. These highly-touted freshmen can go one of two ways. They either play at a high level and keep getting better. Or, they get to a point where you can tell the leap is not coming this season. Mullins has been the former - he is a special player who just keeps getting better. Not just the amazing “Wow” shot against Duke - there’s been so many other elite, elite offensive plays and moves in the back half of the year. The way he moves without the ball. His passing. How about those two key steals against Furhman? The 2025 Mr. Basketball in Indiana will have a lot of fans in the stands Saturday Night.
Illinois is very good - better than they were when UConn beat them in November. And better than they were when UConn beat them in the 2024 Elite Eight. Freshman Keaton Wagler is much better now, too. And Illinois is HUGE up front. But I love the idea of Hurley having three days to prep for their defense. And this team will not quit; we saw that last Sunday.
I can’t wait for this game. I can’t wait for the UConn energy in Indy.
On a shakeup at Sports Radio WEEI…
No, this is not about WEEI finally blowing up the disastrous WEEI Afternoons. But the man who built that show has been demoted. Or promoted. It’s a little confusing.
But Mike Thomas, the Market Manager for Audacy Radio in Boston, no longer has that title. Here’s what “industry publication” Barrett Media wrote Thursday.
Furthermore, Barrett Media has learned that Mike Thomas will step into the position of SVP Programming in Boston. The role change includes joining Mitch Rosen and Chris Kinard as Sports Format Vice President. Prior to becoming Audacy Boston’s Market Manager, Thomas excelled in programming the sports format. He helped build and lead 98.5 The Sports Hub to massive success before exiting to lead ESPN 1000 in Chicago. How his job change affects Ken Laird moving forward is unclear though sources tell Barrett Media WEEI would like to retain him.....
He did not waste much time updating is LinkedIN profile
It’s one of multiple cuts/moves for Audacy this past week. So, here’s what I’ve been told: Thomas is being demoted to Program Director at WEEI. The SVP title is whatever. He was brought in back in 2021 to fix WEEI, with a reputation for building 98.5 The Sports Hub into the monster it is today. And that’s what his role will be going forward, according to a source.
WEEI has a program director, former Kirk and Callahan producer Ken Laird. Looks like he’s out of a job, at least his current one, based on Barrett Media’s note. I was not able to confirm by Friday AM.
Thomas has a big ally in the WEEI morning show host, Greg Hill, who not only has the station’s best ratings but also close connections to its biggest advertisers, through both his show and charity. It feels like Hill has locked himself into a lifetime gig with Audacy, and he and Thomas have become tight, per sources. I don’t get the sense that everyone on the staff has the same relationship with the former Market Manager.
Thomas has a similar hot-and-cold rep over at the station he “built,” 98.5 The Sports Hub. Some staff members seem to love the guy, while others mock his reputation as the architect of the station’s big success.
The numbers show that WEEI has cratered since Thomas took over. Mark Hannon built The Greg Hill Show, not Thomas. Jones and Mego, WEEI Afternoons, Gresh and Fauria to some extent…those are Thomas shows, and none had any real success. Even the obvious pairing of Jones and Keefe took years to happen. Now he’s going to focus on WEEI while also working on the Audacy sports brand nationally?
I mean, I guess?
When moves like this are made, I reach out to many people. Some current and some former employees of both WEEI and The Hub. One response stood out among the half-dozen or so.
“Wow. Falling upwards at Audacy continues. What about WEEI’s track record since he started there suggests he should be elevated to oversee sports content in other markets? No one has dined on the success of being handed great talent 15 years ago like Mike Thomas, with 98.5 (The Sports Hub). Truly a dumb company run by dumb people.”
My last interaction with Ken Laird was not great. I called him and told him I knew they had already given my night shift to Rich Keefe. He stammered and said we should get on a call with Thomas. The next day, over Zoom, that was that. But I had a lot of fun with Ken on K & C, and hope he’s not 100% out of a job.
Impact level…minimal on the listener, for now. The on-air budget is pretty low as it is, so I can’t imagine any cuts. Could Laird go back to producing or do some Sox on air? Maybe. Or stay on as assistant PD? Or maybe…something else??? More on that in the weekly notes.
On your weekly MutStack Notes…
⚾ So yeah, just a brutal start for the Red Sox. We went live after the loss to the Astros on Wednesday for Episode 20 of Dirty Water - A Boston Sports Podcast. A lot of laughs for a 1-5 team. Watch and sub on YouTube, and then listen and sub where you listen to your podcasts. If you have been listening in the offseason, you’re not shocked at this slow start.
🎙️"Gasper and Perry are out.” Got this text over the last 10 days or so. WEEI and Mike Thomas had spoken with both Chris Gasper and Phil Perry about full-time roles at the station. I’m guessing money was/is a big issue. And I do wonder if there’s a hiring freeze of sorts at WEEI, given the various cuts across the company this week. We’ll see, but it's pretty quiet in both, best I can tell.
🎙️ Here’s one to simmer on: Rich Shertenlieb. I’m told he’s starting to untag himself in old WZLX photos on Instagram. I don’t really know what that means (also, please follow me on IG), but one person suggested he might be getting set for a new gig. Is there a chance he’s willing to take a deal with WEEI for less money and more bonus structure, just to get back in the game??? He talked to Thomas when he left the Sports Hub. He’s stopped posting YouTube videos. WEEI is desperate for change in the afternoons.
I know, it sounds nuts, but maybe it doesn’t? To be clear, this is an unsourced, MutStack original thought. But if you’re hearing anything, let me know…
🎙️ Also Nuts - Okay, one more, this one from a Boston radio personality - is there even a 1% chance this ends up getting Laird and Curtis a full-time show on WEEI? Middays? Move Jones and Keefe to afternoons, and keep Teddy J?
Ken and Curtis is a good weekend show. Hail Mary idea, don’t hate it.
🎙️ Joe Weil does a very good job on Red Sox Radio pre and post.
🎥 I wanted Blackberry to be a better movie. It felt like a movie I’ve seen 100 times. And that’s Mut Talking Movies.
🏀 The way Tatum has played since his return (better than we could have hoped) and given rest of the East right now…the C’s should be in in the NBA Finals.
🤑 Getting back on campus and Wednesday was great, but also a reminder that the UConn Bookstore is one of the easiest places in the world to spend money. Not cheap.
🏀 Excited to see Rico in his element out at the Final Four.
🏀 Just realized UConn is 1-0 in the NCAA Tourney vs. Illinois, while Jeff D. Lowe and I are in the same building watching…
‼️Under 70 days til Laconia
⚾ Seriously, boo the crap out of Breslow Friday at Fenway
🐰 A Happy and Happy Easter to you and yours
Certainly feels like that’s enough Stack for this week. I’ll be very active on social at the Final Four, so follow along.
Back Saturday on the Barstool Blog to preview the final big Kentucky Derby Prep Weekend of the Year. A lot of work to do on Friday night. Good luck with all the bets this weekend. And please reach out if you’re in Indy.
Thanks for reading. And watching. Go Huskies.
I'm not the Mutstack program director, but I do think Mut Talking Movies live across social media platforms once a week would do numbies...but what do I know?
Great story Mike. Those were the Hay Days of VBMS Basketball. Coach Dube did a great job with you guys. Good luck this weekend ! Go Huskies. I would love to see UConn Beat Michigan in the Finals. Dave will go ballistic. lol