Am I in a War with WEEI I Didn't Know About?
A Stoolie brought it to my attention that earlier in the week, WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan were talking about a blog I wrote about having a son reaching the end of his career in the Marine Corps. (Audio is here, skip to the 37:42 mark). Kirk and Gerry were complimentary as hell, like they’ve been in the past, which I appreciate. Minihane said my kid probably enlisted to get away from me, which is not only a good line but is funny because it’s true. And then it led to this exchange with station management from the company I worked for for two years. That I left on good terms with because they understood what an opportunity it was to come back to Barstool. And who wanted to make sure we stayed on good terms a feeling which was mutual. But from what I just heard, they’re having a war with me I wasn’t even aware of until now.
As the hosts were talking about the article:
Minihane to his producer: “Why are you rolling your eyes?”
Producer Chris Curtis: “I don’t like Jerry Thornton.”
Callahan: “Who cares?! Did you read his piece?”
Curtis: “Mmm … skipped it.”
Minihane: “I thought it was great. I love Jerry.”
[Some talk about having your kid join the military.]
Callahan to Curtis: “Why don’t you like Thornton? Was he mean to you?”
Curtis: “He was disloyal to this station. He’s taken shots at us.”
I’m sorry, what? “Disloyal?” I’ve “taken shots?” As far as I can tell, in the 20 months or so since we parted ways on the best of terms and everyone wishing everyone else the best, I’ve written two critical blogs:
–One, when Alex Reimer called Tom Brady’s daughter “an annoying little pissant.” Mine was one of somewhere around a billion negative reactions, a healthy percentage of which were from WEEI itself, who suspended him. (Which I wasn’t calling for, by the way. I’m a big believer in keeping people who talk shit about other people’s 5-year-olds like that in front of a microphone, so we can keep tabs on them.
–Two, I commemorated the 10th anniversary of the infamous Rams walkthrough videotape scandal, a false report by WEEI’s John Tomase, then of The Boston Herald. I wrote it to set the record straight because today, a full decade later, that story – which Tomase has admitted ever since he got wrong and no such tape existed – still gets repeated as truth.
So that’s two negative pieces I’ve written toward my old co-workers. Two out of thousands. The first calling out a grown man who clapped at somebody else’s toddler, which everyone did. The second, writing for my No. 1 target audience, Patriots fans. Fans who are sick of hearing every accomplishment by their team discredited and want someone pushing back against the lies. But that’s enough to make me “disloyal.”
Which is either funny or pathetic or both coming from station management who want guys to disagree and fight it out because that’s what sports radio is supposed to be all about. Where they encourage guys to start arguments and even talk shit about how terrible other shows on the station are because it’s good for ratings. Hell, Glen Ordway says it every single day, on mic and off. But he can’t bring himself to answer invitations to come explain his side of Howitzergate on camera for Barstool. I write two critical but objectively accurate posts where I didn’t get personal, didn’t go all ad hominem, and I somehow trigger the people running a very successful terrestrial radio station. Got it.
When WEEI and I shook hands and agreed I would stay part of the mix over there, it wasn’t with the stipulation that I wouldn’t rip guys who verbally go after toddlers or never write for my paranoid, pissed off constituency. And if you’re going to call me “disloyal” for that, so be it. But that’s a fightin’ word. Obviously this has bothered them for a long time, which explains why they’ve been ghosting me. To know me is to know that I’m a man of peace. But not peace at any price. Peace through strength. If it’s a war WEEI wants, it’s a war they’ll get.
But I came back to punch up, not down. I’m willing to be the bigger man in this. And to put an end to this Cold War, which they’ve been waging and until now I didn’t know was going on. I will offer this olive branch. I right now publicly volunteer my services during the best event on the WEEI calendar, the Jimmy Fund Radiothon. In whatever capacity they want me. And hope to show Chris Curtis and anyone else over there what loyalty is. You have my number.