Friday Four-Pack 7.12.24

WEEI drilled in the ratings...again. Horse racing in MA? Bally Bet's 'bonus' offer. NOTES!

3.4 million views.

That’s some strong engagement for former “Mut at Night” producer/social media czar Lucy Burdge.

These pictures from The Daily Mail … I can’t get over them. Bill doing summer selfies with a 23-year-old. What a time to be alive!

And they led to this story from The Sun.

"This is another shot at youthfulness," said a former Patriots colleague who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

He claims after "years of making the Pats his priority" Belichick now has full license to enjoy his freedom and the "simple things in life."

"I don’t know if he is looking to go back to coaching again, I may be wrong, but I think that he is realizing that there is more in life than just football," added the insider.

Come on. The “simple things in life?” Really?

Summer on Nantucket will be over in like a month. Bill will be back at work doing TV for ESPN on the ManningCast, in addition to working as the newest panel member on Inside the NFL.

Watching film. Talkin’ ball with the boys. Those football juices will be flowing. Selfies on pretentious Nantucket will be a long-lost memory.

As the season goes on some team, probably a good team, they’ll play poorly. Their owner will start looking around and ask himself “Why don’t we hire the best coach in the history of the NFL to fix this?”

About that same time, Bill will start thinking about those 15 wins he needs to pass Don Shula for the most coaching wins in NFL history. And how Bob Kraft made him do that ridiculous handshake goodbye at Gillette Stadium, only to smear him in the media and essentially cost him the Atlanta Falcons job by bad-mouthing the HC of the NEP to owner Arthur Blank.

Then that team I mentioned - they’ll fire their coach. Then offer Bill ‘the bag’ as the kids say - big money and power to run their organization.

And he’ll jump at the chance to be back in the NFL.

Then there’ll be a press conference to announce Bill Belichick as the next coach of that team. His sons will join him on the coaching staff. Probably Matt Patricia, too.

Bill will be funny and nice for a few hours, then he’s right back into Belichick Mode. By spring 2025, he’ll be snorting at reporters in some other city.

And maybe, MAYBE the 72-year-old coach will still be with his 23-year-old summer fling, I have no idea. It’s still weird and creepy from my view, but love is love, I guess. So yeah, maybe they’ll still be together. But he’ll be an NFL coach again like he always has been. No way Bill goes out on that 2023 Patriots season.

“The simple things in life?”

Long. Feaking. Gone.

But at least we’ll have these pictures. I’d love to see the group texts of NFL people reacting to them. 😂😂😂 So good.

Meanwhile, another brutal book for WEEI. There is a glimmer of hope for horse racing in Massachusetts. And Bally Bet has a bonus offer with a few strings attached.

All in today’s Four-Pack.

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On yet another ratings bloodbath with WEEI on the wrong end…

“Celtics and Bruins playoff runs, plus the NFL Draft? Unless the Red Sox bring a huge audience (very unlikely), the spring book will be worse than the winter book for WEEI. And the fall book before that. Seriously, wait until July 1 to make any changes at this point.” -

MutStack.com - April 19, 2024

We tried to tell you…

Much of what I wrote in the 4.19.24 Friday Four-Pack on the Winter 2024 Sports Radio ratings in Boston still applies to the Spring 2024 numbers.

Station v. station in the all-important Men 25-54 demo is virtually the same as winter - Sports Hub 15.4 vs. WEEI 3.6 - #1 in Boston vs. #9 in Boston.

But the three-book glance tells the story of WEEI losing the audience badly in every show after 10 AM.

The year-to-year of the three WEEI shows after 10 AM is just brutal.

Mid-Day is down 55%.
Afternoon drive down 49%.
Nights - where the Red Sox can certainly impact things - down a whopping 74%

Those three shows represent the new lineup put together by Audacy Boston Market Manager Mike Thomas last year. Before that in Fall 2022, WEEI was No. 2 with M25-54 and had a solid 9.0 rating.

Eighteen months and a revamped lineup later, WEEI sits 9th with a 3.6 rating.

The actual beginning of the end for WEEI competing with the Sports Hub came when station management did not fight back and allowed an activist to call and harass advertisers all while attacking the No. 1 rated “Kirk and Callahan Show.”

The most recent downfall - and a 60% rating share drop over the last 18 months - can be tied to Thomas’ new lineup that can’t compete with its Sports Hub counterparts.

“What makes it worse is the trend of the last five weeks of the spring book are lower than the complete book…which means it’s not getting better,” one radio insider told MutStack.com.

While they certainly benefitted from the Celtics’ NBA Title run, a very strong book from The Sports Hub. Dominant in every day-part and weekends. A bonus ratings bonanza for the on-air staff. Again. Congrats.

Some other assorted thoughts -

• From the numbers posted by Boston Radio Watch on X.com, The Rich Shertenlieb Show over on WZLX did a 3.2 for June, 8th among M25-54. That’s a little lighter than the 4-share show I thought it would be. It’s fair to say that show might be having an impact on Toucher and Hardy over on The Sports Hub, which was down 19% from their winter number, while still No. 1 in the market.

• If WEEI is EVER going to make some changes, now is the time. You’re about to go into a summer book that is always the least important of the year: the much more important fall book looms. The trends show you’re getting buried after 10 AM. Now would be the time.

• Have I heard anything direct about changes? That would be a no. They missed out on Rich Shertenlieb, got pushback from current on-air personalities about potentially changing shifts, and just rolled out the same lineup to get buried this spring. Maybe now management can go to those personalities, point to the numbers, and show them it’s not working.

• I don’t know how they’d put it together, but the most simple move on the board is teaming up Adam Jones and Rich Keefe. They worked together at The Sports Hub, have good chemistry and similar energy, and seem to be able to bust each other’s balls. Not in the fake way Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria do - Jones and Keefe sound like two friends doing a show. Would not solve all their issues, but it would be a start.

• My gut says there will be changes this summer. But my gut has thought that for about a year, so, yeah.

As always, comments are open for your thoughts.

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On reading the fine print when it comes to betting on sports…

Not a good week for the sports betting consumer in the United States.

Two more sportsbooks - Sahara Bets and Betway - announced they would cease operations. Add them to the list of sportsbooks that have launched and since closed their doors over the last three years. That includes Maxim Bet, FoxBet, and at least 10 others.

Fewer sportsbooks = bad for you, the sports bettor. It means fewer options, less line shopping, and even less of an incentive for the remaining sportsbooks to offer you good deals and bonuses.

We are trending towards a world where it’s DraftKings, FanDuel, and then everyone else. That that everyone else is shrinking.

Here in Massachusetts, we gained a mobile sportsbook in July with the official launch of Bally Bet.

We had mentioned this a few times, hoping for a strong sign-up bonus in the Bay State. It’s okay - you make a deposit, bet $50, and then get three $50 bonus bets. Simple, right?

Let’s go to the fine print…

• That first bet has to be for $50. Not 2x $25 bets. Not 5x $10 bets. One $50 bet.

• The bet has to be on ‘an event with minimum odds of -120.’

• The qualifying bet has to ‘settle’ within 14 days of opening the account, so don’t waste it on an NFL Future.

• From Bally’s website: “If your wager is graded as a push, then the promotion will not be applied, and the Patron’s next wager is not eligible for the promotion.” That’s weird, right? If I lose my bet I get the 3x bonus bets but if I push I don’t. Huh?

• Bonus Bet Tokens will expire 7 days after issuance.

• “Bonus Bet Tokens can only be used on straight/single wagers and parlays, including Same Game Parlays in the Bally Bet Sportsbook.” Do “straight/single wagers” include future wagers? I don’t know. I reached out to Bally Bet and will update you when and if I get a response.

Not so simple after all.

The push thing is weird. And I’d want some clarification on the bonus bets and futures. For the way I bet sports, I’ll wait in until football season to sign up. I don’t have 3x $50 bets I’d want to fire on the British Open, MLB, etc. It makes sense for me to wait until football.

If you signed up or have played on Bally Bet, let me know what you think.

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On the future of thoroughbred racing in Massachusetts…

There once again might be a future for horse racing in Massachusetts. But, I get it, we’ve been here before.

Remember when Sterling Racing, the owners of Suffolk Downs, wanted to bring racing back to the Great Barrington Fairgrounds? Or when Stronach Racing was going to work with Tim Ritvo to build a New England racing hub in the Leominster/Lancaster area?

As recently as last year it looked like Great Meadowbrook Farm in Harwick, MA was set to be the site for a new Massachusetts racing and breeding facility before the residents in that town voted strongly against it.

The last thoroughbred race in the Bay State was on June 30, 2019, at Suffolk Downs. And the stark reality is that may be the last one that ever takes place here.

But now, for a second straight summer, there is the potential for progress toward horse racing returning to Massachusetts.

In Gardner, Bay State Racing, LLC is taking a second shot at creating “a year-round equestrian facility with activities that would include thoroughbred racing and wagering; agricultural and equestrian festivals; a breeding program; training facilities and therapy programs for individuals in recovery.”

Their first attempt was thwarted in 2023 when the parcel of land they hoped to purchase and renovate was not zoned for commercial use. This time around, they’re in agreement to buy a former stable grounds and build out a track and equestrian facility there.

This would not be year-round racing: the thought from people involved suggests up to 20 “festival” days of racing. But maybe as few as three days in year one. But even if Bay State Racing gets the green light to move forward, it looks like 2026 or even 2027 would be the target for the first actual races.

Last Monday, the Gardner City Council took a small step toward that green light by approving a measure to schedule an informal meeting where Bay State Racing would present its vision for the site to the city council. It sounds like scheduling a public hearing for residents of Gardner would soon follow.

But there are still many more questions than answers: like whether it’s the Gardner City Council that will get the final say on this project moving forward or if the residents of Gardner get to vote on it. Talking to a few people involved, that issue remains unclear. Before we even get to that, the city is requiring Bay State Racing to work with Massachusetts to get an environmental green light on the site.

As a racing fan following this from afar, it seems like there is much more opposition than support for this plan from Gardner residents. There are even Gardner City Council members who are opposed to the plan but voted ‘yes’ to a meeting so that the residents of Gardner can have their say. From The Gardner News.

Councilor George Tyros, who voted in favor of scheduling the public hearing, said he was opposed to the proposal to bring horse racing to the city as it currently stood.

“However, I think it’s extremely important that we go through the process properly to be in compliance with state law,” he said. “For those who support this as well as for those who oppose this, this is the next step we have to take.”

If I were making the morning line on this proposal eventually getting approved and we see racing return to Massachusetts in Gardner, I’d make it 30-1. Others are more optimistic.

“My take is, I hope it happens, but they’re just out of the gate - there’s a long way to go to get to the finish line,” one Massachusetts racing insider told MutStack.com this week.

That same insider astutely pointed out that the clock is ticking on racing’s return to Massachusetts. There are millions of dollars to help this happen in the Massachusetts Race Horse Development Fund, but with each passing year, that money is closer and closer to being redirected elsewhere.

“There’s a constant fight, every single year, where the horsemen are fighting up on Beacon Hill trying to save it,” the insider commented.

So yeah, there is a clock on this. Unused long enough and that money is going to be gone.

And at that point, maybe officially, so will the idea of thoroughbred racing in Massachusetts.

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On your Friday MutStack Notes…

• Our friend Chuck Simon had been taking a break from his powerful takes on racing while he wages his fight against cancer, but he returned this week in typical Chuck fashion.
  
  ”It’s been awhile since I wrote a post and well….a lot has happened since. Today’s words aren’t about me, though at some point I will tell the tales of some amazing people that I have been fortunate to have in my life. No sir this is piece about other juicy stuff like delusion, selfishness, greed, politics, an absence of vision and a general lack of understanding of the mechanics of horseracing.”
  
  What a lede. Read Chuck’s refreshingly honest post and subscribe below.

  “It’s just math…”

• I can only speak for myself, but just a little of the usual Saratoga Opening Day excitement was missing on Thursday. It’s a mix of having watched four days of racing there last month, my exasperation at the industry’s unwillingness to acknowledge how much CAW play is hurting the product for the gambler, and admittedly a lot of travel for the boys’ baseball this week. I did not have the 44-1 shot in the featured Schuylerville. Hope you did!

• As for our coverage here, the Saratoga Stack returns tomorrow and every Saturday for the meet. It will be posted in the StackCapping section of MutStack.com.
  
  You can subscribe now to Mutstack and make sure you’re getting all of our content, or if you’re reading this and already subscribed, you can manage your subscriptions at the bottom of this newsletter by clicking “Unsubscribe.” That allows you to opt in or out of just the StackCapping content.
  
  

  
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  You can find Saratoga content in the StackCapping tab on our homepage, but we hope you’ll subscribe. It’s a huge help.

• We’ll also have Saratoga picks and thoughts on X.com all meet long.

• If you want a more in-depth, industry view of all these U.S. sportsbooks closing shop, Steve Ruddock wrote about it today in his excellent newsletter.
  

  Thinning The Herd

• Need some evidence as to why I’m retiring from adult men’s basketball after attempting a comeback? Here ya go. Or maybe this one. I’m washed. Love my Team KMS, but it’s over for now. I’m a pickleball guy. Let’s pickle.

And with that, we have for sure said it all.

Good luck with all your bets. Stay hydrated. Saratoga Stack tomorrow. Let’s go Ludvig Åberg over in the Scottish Open. Thanks for reading.

Good weekend.