By David Scott
Boston Sports Media Watch

Here’s what ex-Boston Globe writer - and a man the paper’s highest editor cited for plagiarism - had to say about his “retirement” from the paper on May 18 of this year.

“”I’ve enjoyed using the forum the Globe has provided me over two decades, but I am excited to step back from the demands of daily sportswriting to try my hand at longer-range projects and other forums,’ said Borges, who is writing a book about the NFL and will continue his work as a radio and television commentator.”

Apparently, what the provocative Borges actually meant was what he said on WEEI 850 AM’s in flux morning show on Monday: “I did get screwed.”

Bruce Allen’s Monday afternoon post (and excerpted transcript) contains those words and the ones that every “peer” of Borges’ should find repulsive.

That’s the part where Borges responds to the not-ready-for-drive-time Greg Dickerson’s mention of Mike Sando by laughing out a “Who’s he?”

Who’s he, Ron? He’s the guy who earnestly worked his way into a job at ESPN.com. The guy who doesn’t have to resort to claiming he was “screwed” by, we gather, being pushed into retirement by a company that very well could have justified firing the bombastic Borges.

Just to summarize here, Borges is claiming that his retirement from the Globe somehow screwed him AND that he doesn’t even know the man from whom he is accused of borrowing the copy in question (if not others from different writers).

[Shots inquired as to the Globe's reaction to Borges' claim of being "screwed," but an automatic email reply from Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan indicated he would not be returning to the office until Tuesday (August 28). Borges has made it clear in the past that he will not talk with Shots.]

. . . The incredible thing about Borges is that he absolutely, positively can not lay low, the way a bouncing back media personality would be wise to do.

At the tail end of his suspension from the Globe for the Sando incident, Borges was discovered to have been writing for the website of Oscar De La Hoya, an athlete he would regularly be covering when not benched from his Globe duties. (Borges denied being paid for the writing which appeared on De La Hoya’s site but never publicly addressed his flight and lodging costs or other compensation from Golden Boy.) Shots, in recent months, has been told by several Globe insiders that the work for De La Hoya was the final straw for management, who had been compiling a Borges Folder for quite some time, in preparation to defend itself against the heavily Union-backed Borges. “He had to be the most litigious employee ever at the Globe,” said one veteran Globie.

Now, with opportunities for air time available at WEEI and national websites using his boxing acumen for polling purposes, Borges once again throws gasoline on his own fire and by doing so, once again brings the plagiarism allegations into the discussion.

Borges is clearly knowledgeable and connected within boxing and football circles, but in a business where credibility and trustworthiness are supposed to be sacred, Borges continues to throw those and other traits into question. At some point, people will start connecting the dots and see the whole picture of what this character is composed of.

. . .Quite an odd 37 seconds of sound from the Borges, Dickerson and Red Sox Nation presidential candidate, Jon Meterparel. Dickerson stumbles over his “I like you, no you I don’t” explanation leading up to his “you got screwed” prompt and then Meter’s “railroaded” taunt conveys as an equally baffling statement. Dickerson is apparently basing his statement on the Borges’ interpretation of the events, which we’ve been told is anchored by Borges’ blaming of a desk editor for the transgression(s) in question.

If the Meter/Dick duo was bold enough to bring up the topic with the ex-Broadsheet Bully, they should have been bold enough to explore it thoroughly and have Borges expand on what the “truth” he refers to so frequently, is all about.

. . . This should once and for all put to rest the thought of Borges landing at ‘EEI in a full-time capacity. He will constantly be dogged by his plagiaristic past and never be taken seriously by a semi-discerning listening audience.

Then again, it’s ‘EEI and Pavlov’s Wolfes - the blind and deaf legions who tolerate Meat, Smerl and DeAwf - will apparently listen to ANYTHING AT ALL.

. . . Still no movement on the very stalled Dennis and Callahan/WEEI negotiations. Neither side has been in contact with the other according to a D&C disseminator, and we’re under ten days from the cumulative expiration of both hosts’ current deals.

Both D&C are believed to be out of state and no word on where The (Jason) Wolfe and The (Julie) Kahn are spending August’s final days. Last we saw Wolfie he was hogging time in the background of the Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon on NESN. Nice move, Prime Time.

The plain fact is, neither side has any other legit option at this point. D&C will settle for their pay raise and ‘EEI will avoid the risk of shaking up a proven commodity. The next ratings book may not be so kind to the AM drive dreck ‘EEI has been pushing for the bulk of the summer.

• Don’t forget the Shots’ field trip to Bristol, Connecticut on Thursday. We’ll have a few posts during the day and hopefully a re-cap to serve as summer holiday weekend reading (print and bring to beach variety).

David Scott writes from a seaside shanty on the shores of Hull, Mass. and can be reached at shotsATbostonsportsmedDOTcom

You can listen to Scott every Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. as he co-hosts the Boston Sports Review Show on ESPN Radio 890 AM with ESPN’s All-Sports Reporter, Mike Salk.