Friday Four-Pack 6.21.24

Shocking Boston Sports Radio Ratings 👀. NESN makes a good move. Final Celtics thoughts. Notes!

There ya go, NESN.

For years decades, many of us have lamented the lack of … imagination from your television home of the Boston Red Sox. Wayyyyy too many ladder infomercials. Not nearly enough original content.

So when it was announced Thursday that NESN would launch a slate of 10 alternative broadcasts for Sox games, it was pretty surprising.

Formerly of Barstool Sports and currently hosting his Section 10 Podcast for Underdog Fantasy, Jared Carrabis is set to host these Unobstructed Views broadcasts that will air on NESN+.

Carrabis did these types of watch-alongs in 2022, with guests like Lou Merloni and Tony Massarotti. Those were on a couch in Castle Carrabis near Fenway Park. These will take place in NESN’s Watertown studios and unlike those couch watch-alongs, the viewer can watch both the game and guests simultaneously.

“I mentioned the idea last year. NESN had some turnover and brought in some new blood that also wanted to go to the alt cast,” Carrabis told me Thursday. “Came together kind of quick from there.”

For NESN, it makes a lot of sense. Carrabis - along with the Jomboy Media crew - have the market cornered when it comes to younger baseball fans and social media.

He loves baseball (and tattoos…and wrestling) and that passion comes across when he talks about the game on one of his many media platforms. Letting him run the point with guests like Jonathan Papelbon allows NESN to draw in some of those younger viewers who follow Carrabis. Plus create some viral social clips. And do it all in a different setting than the traditional baseball play-by-play booth.

“I’ve been told I can say ‘shit’,” Carrabis told me, alluding to that more relaxed atmosphere of the Unobstructed Views broadcast.

Papelbon is scheduled to join Carrabis for the first broadcast next Tuesday, June 25. I don’t know much about Carrabis’ other two scheduled co-hosts - Ian Brownhill and Sara Perlman Mancini. Brownhill is big on TikTok and so as an old, I’m out of the loop. Mancini (wife of MLBer Trey Mancini) has worked for both NBC Sports and Fox Sports.

There are still six games listed when the co-host is TBA.

It would be shocking if Brock Holt doesn’t end up as a co-host for a game or two. Dustin Pedroia should be on the list. Pay Eck a few bucks to come out of retirement for a game. NESN’s pre and post-game hosts will also jump in and out of the broadcast.

Are some fans going to hate it? Absolutely. They’ll be able to watch the traditional broadcast over on NESN.

But for an audience looking for something different, Carrabis and NESN+ will provide that. And potentially some PG-13 language.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are your 2024 NBA Champions. Sean Grande has another weird moment. And while we have our first look at the ratings for The Rich Shertenlieb Show, the bigger story is the most recent ratings at WEEI.

That and more in today’s Four-Pack.

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                                Next weekend is Legends Weekend at The Brook 
                  Meet Patriots Hall of Famer Ty Law & UFC Icon Tony Ferguson

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On the first weekly of ‘The Rich Shertenlieb Show’ era in Boston…

I have heard WEEI’s Greg Hill do this a few times recently, where he reads a text or message into the station mentioning the ratings. “This texter wants to know about the ratings Curtis….” Then producer Chris Curtis mentions the last weekly or how much they’re up from last year. It’s a weird flex and seems forced when Greg does, it but he’s not wrong. Based on the numbers I’ve seen, that show continues to do well, but there is no indication other shows at the station have made any progress whatsoever. It has been very quiet on any potential changes. Greg might care about the ratings, but not sure his bosses do.

I wrote this last week in the very popular ‘Notes’ section of the Friday Four-Pack. It’s worth using as a jumping-off point as we get our first look at a Boston radio weekly ratings period that includes three AM Drive sports shows.

Covering May 23-29, X.com’s Boston Radio Watch was the first to publically post the ratings that have made the rounds among Boston radio folks privately.

I’ve said this before when writing about weekly ratings, but they’re only 1/12th of the book, so they’re not perfect. But in this case, they highlight the trend I find most interesting in the battle bloodbath which is The Sports Hub vs. WEEI.

Overall M25-54
Sports Hub #1 - 15.5
WEEI #10 - 3.4

No surprises here. I’ve written that this Celtics/Bruins playoff stretch might end up being the most lopsided stretch the Hub has ever had vs. WEEI. There is a HUGE built-in audience with those games on almost every night. There were three C’s games in this weekly - a monster advantage for 98.5 - not that they really need it at this point.

AM Drive
Sports Hub #1 - 13.8
WEEI #2 -12.2
The Rich Shertenlieb Show #10 - 2.9

This is where I’ll mention that this weekly we’re looking at includes Memorial Day: Rich did not do a show that day and WZLX played music. Maybe that actually helped him? Always said his show would do more damage to Toucher Hardy on 98.5 and you can see The Greg Hill Show continuing to put up a good number. The last weekly I saw for the old WZLX morning show was 1.8, so this is an improvement. Maybe the key to WEEI winning a morning monthly or book is Rich taking away Fred’s listeners.

RE: Rich’s 2.9 - I mean it’s not awesome. If WZLX did better on Memorial Day when Rich was off and they played music, well that’s really not awesome. I’ve said from the start it’s a 4-5 share show and I would not change my opinion after one week.

Midday
Sports Hub #1 - 19.6
WEEI #21. - 1.1

PM Drive
Sports Hub #1 - 14.4
WEEI #17. - 1.8

Nights
Sports Hub #1 - 24.4
WEEI #14 - 1.5

THAT…that right there is something.

Let’s average out the three shows after morning drive and give them a 1.4 rating as a group. That means WEEI is losing roughly 90% of its share after The Greg Hill Show ends every day at 10 AM. 90%! The math is not perfect, but you get the picture.

People are actively going away from the station’s product for most of the day and then coming back for the morning show the next day. It had been trending this way for a while, but this might be rock bottom. I say might be because in a few weeks, we’ll have an NBA Finals weekly to compare this one to.

It’s an unmitigated disaster for WEEI after 10 AM. You’re now hearing Public Service Announcements and other ‘filler’ in local breaks during afternoon drive. Unsold inventory in drive-time is never good.

A persistent rumor has been WEEI management hoping to move some of their current pieces around and try some new combinations - it was noteworthy a few weeks ago when afternoon host Adam Jones filled in during middays for a traveling Christian Fauria. It was surely a test of sorts, for both shows.

But talent can obviously say no, I don’t want to move. And WEEI market manager Mike Thomas could then fire them, I guess. Hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but I’m confident that there are hosts who said “thanks but no thanks” to a change in on-air shift over the last six months.

Something has to give. The market has rejected the shows that Thomas built over the last 18 months.

1.1
1.8
1.5

👀👀👀

With contracts up for renewal between now and the end of the year, it’s a situation we’ll continue to cover here with any and all additional information.

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On some lingering takeaways from the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics…

I’m sure people will have fun, but standing in 80°temps for hours, six deep behind a guardrail to celebrate the Celtics on duck boats sounds like torture. Probably says more about me than parades in general. Not a big parade guy.

But as wire-to-wire NBA Champs, this team deserves the celebration.

Just a few lingering thoughts…

• As a Day One Jayson Tatum guy, I find myself most happy for him. Even typing that seems weird, I get it, but it’s the truth. He’s had to bear the brunt of the team’s recent failures more than any other player. It felt like both fans and media wanted to pin all of it on Tatum, not the team. And it always seemed misguided. Boston’s failures clouded the judgment of him as a player. He’s an elite scorer and an excellent passer who has learned to facilitate when his shot is not falling, in addition to being a good defender. He’s on track to be the best Celtics player since Larry Bird and I get the sense people are having a hard time acknowledging that. Maybe this first NBA title will wake them up.

• And it should be the first of at least two titles with this team: they are set up to be a dominant force for the foreseeable future.

• The idea that Danny Ainge deserves as much credit as Brad Stevens for this title is silly. Brad developed both Tatum and Jaylen Brown as their coach, THEN went to the front office and made the critical moves to support them as their GM. Stevens > Ainge.

• RE: Stevens, it’s worth remembering that morons like me thought owner Wyc Grousbeck was just moving him to the GM role to save money after Ainge left. Stevens still had guaranteed money left on his coaching deal. I could not have been more wrong and Stevens is Boston’s best GM.

• Wyc Grousbeck is currently Boston’s best owner, given the recent direction of the Patriots.

• That moment at the end of Game 5 when Kyrie walked around and shook hands with the Celtics to congratulate them on winning was sad, and also perfect Kyrie. He was dreadful in all three games in Boston. He’ll find a way to wear out his welcome in Dallas. Only a matter of time.

• Extending Kristaps Porziņģis’ deal seems like a bad idea. Let him play out next season and go from there. Don’t pay him now.

• Do, obviously, pay Derrick White.

• Thanks to 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Joe Murray and DraftKings’ Julien Edlow for highlighting the value in “Celtics win Game One and the series” at -130 a few weeks back. Helps cover all those Triple Crown losses over on DK Horse.

• A very weird sign-off from C’s radio voice Sean Grande after the team won Monday night. He started by telling his radio partner and former Celtic Cedric Maxwell that he loved him. Then he sounded like a guy who had just called his last game at TD Garden.
  
  “The 23 years I’ve spent with you guys has been, with the exception of being a dad, has been the honor of my life, and I wouldn’t trade any of it,” Grande said. “I recognize that being the voice of the Boston Celtics is probably the first line of my obituary one day. It has been an honor in every way, shape and form an honor could be.”

  
  One source suggested the highest levels of the Celtics’ organization were not happy with Grande suggesting he turned down the team’s TV job. Could that be tied into his comments Monday night?
  
  It sure sounded like a goodbye. If it wasn’t, I agree 100% with Fred Toucher’s take that Grande came off like a lunatic for the timing of it.
  

The Celtics will be a big story again next season as they try and defend their title. And Drew Carter takes over for Mike Gorman. And maybe Sean Grade exits?

Stay tuned.

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On Thursday’s Massachusetts Gaming Commission Open Meeting…

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is not ready to give up.

Yet.

After being stonewalled by all but one of the state’s sportsbooks last month when they tried to get answers on the process of limiting winning bettors in Massachusetts, it sounds like the MGC will try again. And this time with the sportsbooks’ cooperation.

The MGC announced Thursday that every sports betting operator in Massachusetts has agreed to discuss the practice of limiting users - and they’ll do it in a public roundtable for us all to watch on YouTube.

Getting these sportsbooks to explain how and why they decide winning players are limited is important - especially when these same sportsbooks continue to allow losing bettors to fire away as much as they want. No other state is doing this and I give the MGC credit.

As far as getting actual answers, I’m dubious. My guess is these sportsbooks have prepared answers for all the questions the MGC and their guests asked in the first roundtable last month.

It does sound like those guests - including The Unabated’s Jack Andrews - are going to be part of the next roundtable. From watching the meeting yesterday, that scares the sportsbooks - which means Jack and Co. are asking the right questions.

We should get more information on the next roundtable as soon as next week. Make no mistake, the sports betting industry is closely watching all of this play out in Massachusetts.

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On your Friday MutStack Notes…

• I don’t feel like debating this online with folks who cut their sweatshirt sleeves in real life…but 72-year-old Bill Belichick dating a 24-year-old is weird. Borderline creepy. Probably actually creepy. He can still be the greatest head coach of all time and this can still be creepy. Both can be true.

• Last Saturday, Rory McIlroy didn’t seem pleased his putting coach, NBC’s Brad Faxon, told the viewing audience during Round 3 of the U.S. Open that his star pupil recently had a “eureka moment” when it came to his putting. Maybe that’s why, as my friend Kirk Minihane pointed out to me earlier this week, NBC didn’t lean into that relationship as Rory was missing two easy putts on his way to giving away the major championship. Would have been nice to mention that at some point in the biggest hour of television drama the PGA Tour has had this season.

• Bovada has officially told customers in Michigan and Colorado they can no longer operate in those states after they threatened legal action against the illegal sports book. Connecticut is likely next and you can expect Massachusetts to eventually follow.

• The next mobile sportsbook launch in Massachusetts comes next Thursday, June 27, with the Bay State launch of Bally Bet. Here’s hoping for a good sign-up bonus.

And with that, we’ve said it all.

Comments are open below for all your sports and media takes.

Good luck with all your bets this weekend.

Thanks for reading.

Good weekend.