Friday Four-Pack 7.25.25

A blow to my basketball redemption. Another defeat for Massachusetts horse racing. Derby winner runs at Saratoga. Mailbag and notes!

There’s just no other way to start this week’s Four-Pack, for a few reasons.

🏀 Missing the KMS vs. Barstool NY basketball game on Monday night in Berlin, CT, is devastating.

Barstool released a one-hour documentary on the rivalry this week, and it was awesome. Dave Portnoy opens the doc by calling the basketball between the two teams ‘ugly.’

Damn right.

But, Team KMS played as a cohesive unit last time out against Barstool NY, storming back from an early 15-2 deficit to win the second of what is now a three-game series. After two years of losing games with this team, beating Barstool NY and winning for ‘Cinema Lords’ was the best moment I’ve been a part of as a member of any team in my life.

I committed to playing my best game with the team on Monday night. I’d driven a dozen hours back and forth to be there for practice and got myself in the best shape of my 40s. After scoring a grand total of zero points in the first two games, I felt confident in my shot and overall game heading into Monday.

Growing up, I was an average basketball player at best. I was lazy and didn’t put in the necessary work to be a great, or even a good, player. This team and this game gave me a chance to go out on a high note. I was prepared to play my best game of the series in what would be a final game with Team KMS.

Now, I won’t get that chance.

I love this team. I love my teammates - guys who got up early on weekends and were late for their kids’ tee-ball games so that they could practice for an hour. Guys who spent more time in the car to get to the practice than the actual length of the practice itself! I found myself lingering at our practice last week, knowing it would probably be my last, shooting free throws with Bean Bag Ron. I will miss practice more than I’ll miss the games.

I don’t like this Barstool NY team, which immediately started whining about the officials after we beat them. They’re a pretty unlikeable group, and their arrogance was great motivation to be ready for this game.

The plan is to be there to see Team KMS win Monday night, now in a coaching role on the bench. I’ll be there in my blue Milton’s suit, helping out the team any way I can.

I am incredibly confident in this team. We’ve had a great month of practice, and the team vibes are off the charts. I'm sure there will be another pro-KMS crowd there, adding to the home court advantage of the Berlin Co-Op. If you’re a KMS fan, this feels like a must-attend event.

I’ll be there, just not in the role I had planned and hoped to be in.

➡️ Another reason to start here today? The Sympathy Subscription. Imagine reading this as a non-subscriber and not hitting the blue ‘Subscribe Now’ button below after I publish this week, following a significant incident. I wouldn't want that on my conscience as a non-subscriber, that’s for sure.

➡️ More importantly, if the newsletter sucks this week and there are a million editing mistakes, I can blame it all on being hit by a car. That’s a lovely card to have in my back pocket.

🚑 Thanks to everyone who reached out after the announcement on Kirk’s show Thursday. Without getting into specifics, I’m okay, and it could have been worse. Having to go down the stairs on my butt was “the saddest thing I’ve ever seen,” according to one family member. And crutches suck.

If you can go your entire life without having to fill in ‘hit by a car’ as your reason for a hospital visit, I strongly suggest it.

Meanwhile, another blow to the already bleak future of horse racing in Massachusetts. We answer a few questions in the first-ever MutStack Mailbag. And Saratoga welcomes the Kentucky Derby winner.

All ahead in this week’s Four-Pack.

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🗣️ Quick Programming note:

Hey! Happy Friday! A reminder that if you want to support us here at MutStack and be included in Subscriber Only emails and Subscriber Only content in the future, just hit the blue ‘Subscribe now’ button below. You’ll also see our posts and videos on the SubStack App, which is now showcasing short video content.

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On your MutStack Mailbag…

A first-ever dip into a MutStack Mailbag. A common theme in the questions.

“I guess my main question is if you think you'll ever be on the radio again or start your own gig?” - Jeremy L

I get this one a lot. A return to full-time, terrestrial radio seems unlikely. I have not pursued it recently, and it’s not like I have program directors knocking down my door. I miss radio on huge days - like the Jerod Mayo exit and Mike Vrabel hiring would have been fun to talk about for a few weeks. The Rafael Devers trade, especially with so many people prematurely declaring that a win for the Red Sox after their pre-All-Star break winning streak. Bill Belichick - Jordon Hudson, of course.

A more likely scenario would be a regular podcast here, in addition to the Four-Pack.

People don’t like to hear this, but it’s called self-employment. This week will mark 130 consecutive weeks of publishing the Four-Pack. Is it the biggest Substack newsletter? Nope, and it never will be, especially since they refuse to list FREE newsletters under current best-sellers. Or in the rising category. But I’m thankful to everyone who has subscribed and supported this newsletter/podcast (lite).

Between that and hosting some fun events across New England, I’m staying busy. With more to be added to the schedule soon, I’m sure.

Hello Mut, hope you are feeling a little bit better after the accident. Can you confirm or deny the rumors circulating the internet that the driver of the vehicle that struck you once fed a steak to a 9.5 financial advisor? - David in Maryland

Those reports are 100% false, David, but thank you for asking the critical question of the day.

“Friday 3 pack with notes*” - Mr. Unlimited

The open is a topic, Mr. Unlimited. I blame Blind Mike for this overly repeated nonsense, but it’s clearly a Four-Pack that includes an open and notes.

And in the football season, a Four-Pack that includes an open, notes, and mediocre football picks. I mean, where else are you going to find that kind of weekly content?

Are we getting a Scal replacement? - joninthecar

So, yeah, Scal is getting some national reps this season. Per NBC Sports PR, “NBC Sports finalizes game analyst team and adds final play-by-play voice for NBA coverage this fall Brad Daugherty, Derek Fisher, Austin Rivers, Brian Scalabrine and Robbie Hummel join as game analysts.”

I’d bet Eddie House would fill in on the Celtics games if Scal has conflicts. House is already on the pre- and post-game shows for NBC Sports Boston.

What’s your go to treehouse brew? - @109teetime1

Indeed, a better question than Mike Salk’s famous, “What’s your go-to salad dressing?” question for Michael Holley years ago on WEEI.

I’m sure Tree House has an incredible, limited-release beer that people will claim is their best beer ever, but give me Green all day. Can’t wait to see their new Saratoga Springs location later this summer.

Who will be the next Boston team to win a championship? - Sean Grover

Finally, sports! The Celtics in two years, when Jayson Tatum comes back healthy.

Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. Maybe we’ll try a video version next time.

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On another defeat for horse racing in Massachusetts…

Lancaster, Sturbridge, Rowley, Great Barrington, Plymouth, and Hardwick.

You can add Leominster to the list.

What’s the list?

That would be Massachusetts municipalities that have rejected proposals from developers to build horse racing-centric facilities in their respective cities or towns over the last five years.

The City of Leominster (shout out Blue Devils, shoutout Coach Daigneault, RIP Monty’s Garden Restaurant) became the latest city to say ‘no thanks’ to racing, via a proposal from Bay State Racing, LLC. The same group was rejected by nearby Gardner, MA, in 2023 and 2024.

The Leominster city council voted 9-0 against an “amendment to establish a zoning overlay district for a proposed horse race track and entertainment center called ‘The Fairgrounds.’” In fact, the city council hated the idea of live racing so much that they voted 8-1 in favor of an amendment that would ban both dog racing and horse racing within city limits. When a councilman reminded the group that there was already an ordinance on the books that prohibited dog and horse racing in the city, they didn’t seem to care and passed the additional amendment anyway.

Rather than start the process of turning an area known as ‘The Leominster Landfill’ into a racing and entertainment complex, they went ahead and banned live racing altogether…for a second time.

Jessica Paquette calls races at Parx, but was born and raised on racing and riding in Massachusetts. She called the action at Suffolk Downs, among a dozen other tasks she handled for the East Boston Oval. She also fought behind the scenes for racing in Boston and across the Bay State. I reached out to Jess about the decision in Leominster and the hope for racing at some point in Massachusetts.

“The reality is, unfortunately, there is no practical future for the Thoroughbred industry in Massachusetts,” she told me. “At this point, it has been made clear that this project is not the right fit for numerous towns across the state. I am rooting for the New England horsemen to succeed wherever they go. I have just accepted at this point that it isn’t going to be at home.”

Moving forward, I wonder if there’s even a town out there with the land and the financial need to move forward with the project. There’s state money allocated to Mass Bred purses, and the potential to tie it to a sportsbook license, which could be a motivating factor.

Here’s one newsletter author’s hope - that former Kentucky Senator Damon Thayer gets involved. Thayer is helping to revive racing in Iowa and is working with horsemen in Florida to protect racing interests there.

“I’m sort of half joking, half serious. My new job is to save horse racing one state at a time,” Thayer said recently. Let’s hope Massachusetts is on his radar. If Bay State Racing, LLC, or any other group is serious about racing in New England, they should be working with Thayer.

Legendary Saratoga Race Course is about 200 miles from Boston. With the closure of Suffolk Downs in June of 2019 and a return to racing in Massachusetts a 1000-1 shot at best, it remains the home track for New England racing fans looking for live thoroughbred racing.

Speaking of Saratoga…

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On Saturday’s Jim Dandy Stakes…

🎪 No complaints whatsoever about this field. You had a Grade I race last week in the Haskell, and you have the Derby winner in here. Plus, you had a good three-year-old race on Thursday at Saratoga in the Curlin. If you’re complaining that this is just a five-horse field, you’re an idiot who wants to complain about everything and anything.

Give the connections of Baeza credit for shipping back East to face the best three-year-old in he country, in what is a home game for the horse and the connections.

Looking forward to watching this one at Mohegan Sun on Saturday.

#1 Baeza (3-1) - He ran much bigger than should have been expected from a tough post in the Derby. Yes, he was flat in the Belmont, but the trainer says he’s been more aggressive in his training and could be involved early. Has three triple-digit Beyers, and even the Derby winner in here can’t say that. Prat off will only help his price, and I like the inside post. If the big favorite loses, this guy is the most likely upsetter.

#2 Sandman (6-1) - Needed a massive meltdown to get the win at this distance in the Arkansas Derby. Coal Battle is a cool horse, but the runner-up from that race is still looking for his maiden victory. This guy always gets bet. Needs the race to fall apart. Appears to be training well, and jockey Ortiz has had an awesome year, but I could never pick this horse or bet him to win.

#3 Mo Plex (10-1) - The definition of know him early. Used his early foot to capture the Grade 3 Ohio Derby. The waters are much deeper here, but inside speed has historically been strong at this Saratoga distance. Conditioned by a sharp trainer who’s easy to root for and connects with prices, I won’t be shocked if he holds on for a piece.

#4 Hill Road (12-1) - Like Sandman, this closer needs them to be going quickly early, and there’s no evidence they will. Given Chad Brown and Irad Ortiz are involved, it's a lock he gets overbet. But he’s a slower version of the Derby winner, and an exacta finish seems unlikely.

#5 Sovereignty (2.5) - He ran big to win the Derby, but that Belmont win here at Saratoga? He was awesome. Training well here, and this will serve as the perfect prep for the Travers in August. The biggest knock might be that this is just a prep and not the actual target. But even if Bill Mott doesn’t have him full cranked, he’s still wayyyy the horse to beat. I don’t see a real reason to bet against him in this spot.

We’ll post a full-card handicap for Saratoga here tomorrow, and try to be right a couple of times.

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On your MutStack notes…

➡️ As a child of the 80s, I could not agree more with Nick’s post yesterday. As a kid, I spent hundreds of hours with Hulk Hogan. His live wrestling character, his video game characters, his TV cartoon character…oh yeah, easily hundreds of hours. I eventually became more of an Ultimate Warrior fan, while my brother Matt remained loyal to The Hulkster; we had furious battles with their respective Wrestling Buddies.

Hulk was a larger-than-life figure, and it’s a plain fact to say that professional wrestling would never have become the cultural phenomenon it was if not for his character and persona on the old WWF Stage.

A true legend that had a massive impact on popular culture in the United States over multiple decades.

⚾ I don’t give a shit if he’s fined for tampering, I’m all-in on Cora publicly putting pressure on the Red Sox to sign Kyle Schwarber in the offseason. What a miss from Chaim Bloom not resigning him.

🏇🏻 Sigh. Del Mar Sunday. The #3 horse was 8-1 leaving the gate and pays what a 4-1 shot would, just $9.80. The horse racing industrial complex continues to do real damage to the sport by giving Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) groups unfair advantages, while making retail customers feel like they’ve been robbed…even when they win. It has been and continues to be an embarrassment to the game and its decision-makers that this issue has not been fully addressed.

🏈 Pats camp opened this week. Mike Vrabel’s opening press conference eviceration of Ben Volin was enjoyable.

🏈 Mike Felger not wanting the Pats to take advantage of Drake Maye’s ability to run as a quarterback is a terrible take, but very on-brand for Felger.

🎙️ Newsletters like last week’s, where we deep dive into the Boston radio ratings, always generate the views - and the most texts from employees of both 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI. Not much (0%) disagreement about my opinion of WEEI Afternoons, with the consensus being that the show will undergo some change before September. We’ll see if that plays out.

And with that, I believe we have said it all.

We are back tomorrow with a special Stack Capping newsletter, handicapping the Jim Dandy card from Saratoga.

Good luck with all your bets this weekend. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at Mohegan Sun on Saturday. Or at the Berlin Co-Op on Monday night.

Thanks for reading.