In truth I can’t really afford to be coming out of my “book nook” for any amount of time, but two ongoing stories in Boston sports media need some assessing and Shots realizes it’s our official duty to analyze both (and some bonus topics for the new year).

To spice things up a bit, we’ll present those two stories (Globe v. NESN; Ordway v. Entercom) within the 2008 Shotties, given sporadically since 1990 for outstanding achievement in the realm of Boston sports media (and slightly beyond). As always, we welcome your intelligent comments and insight – buffoons need not apply. Have a happy new year and we’ll do our best to come back strong in the Spring time after we put our baby to bed.

The Shotties: A look back at the calendar year of 2008 in Boston sports media.

The Shotty for Least Stable Sports Media Relationship
TIE
A. The Boston Globe and NESN
B. Glenn Ordway and Entercom

The quiet cancellation of NESN’s “Globe 10.0″ in late December and the curious, semi-sign-off of Glenn Ordway were significant on many levels. By this time next year, we will likely look at both “events” as monumental days in the shaping of Boston Sports Media 2.0; hat’s how big the players in these two soap operas are and that’s how impactful the two stories will be on 2009.

First, the Globe’s battle with NESN:

A. Even before the Christmas Eve bombshell about the 17 Percenters looking to dump their Red Sox stake, the rift between the Boston Globe sports department and the Red Sox sports department (NESN) was widening – almost by the day. [For more confounding and confusing looks at the Globe's woes, we'd ask you to check here and here (for the astonishing Barclay's report).

The end of "Globe 10.0" got neatly buried in this Boston Globe's space-wasting, so-called "Media Column", with a two sentence explanation, saying "NESN announced. . . it will cease production of its original programming of "Globe 10.0" by the end of the year. The half-hour show, hosted by columnist Bob Ryan and featuring Globe writers, premiered on the network in June 2007."

Incredibly(!), NESN neglected to post the announcement on its own, pathetic press room page (and the network's oh-so-professional PR arm has long since stopped sending releases of any kind to Shots).

The move, initiated by NESN's higher-ups and delivered (awkwardly and clumsily, according to multiple sources) by Joel Feld, the network's executive vice president of programming and executive producer, was yet another sign of an eroding relationship between the Red Sox broadcast unit and the New York Times Company (dba here in Boston as the Boston Globe). It's a deterioration that was first made public when NESN severed its ties with the Globe on Boston.com, where its on-line presence had lived, and began its own mediocre site at NESN.com.

By dumping the Globe-branded thrice-weekly, half-hour show Feld and and Silent Sean McGrail further bruised egos on Morrissey Boulevard. The tension, Shots is told, has been escalated by the more frequent appearances by Globe personnel on Comcast SportsNet, NESN's direct competitor. We are told it also didn't sit well with Globe folks that both WEEI (Mike Adams) and Boston Herald (Steve Buckley) contributors were being used by NESN.

It's never been a secret that the paper's writers have had discomfort with the NYT Co.'s partial ownership of the Local Nine, but the mistrust and mis-communication between both sides has boiled over in recent months and the end of "10.0" can be seen as the water roiling over onto the stovetop.

For his part, when Shots spoke with Bob Ryan a couple of weeks back, Basketball Bob took the diplomatic approach to the 18 month run he was given. He said the powers-that-be informed him and his producer, Alan Miller, of the show's termination during the course of the week of Dec. 8.

Quite simply, Ryan was told, the move was purely financial. The show debuted in the summer of 2007 with Verizon as the presenting sponsor. That deal with Verizon expired in May, and neither NESN nor the Globe was able to lock down a sponsor to offset the costs of the largely in-studio production. [Ratings for the show were never spectacular, said one NESN insider, but on the days it served as the lead-in to Sox pre-games, it showed promise.]

Neither entity ever put the marketing muscle behind the project that was deserved to give it a legit shot in a difficult time slot (against local news and PTI on ESPN).

Ryan had evolved into a more-than-capable host within about six months of his debut. He – and Miller – used “PTI” and “Around the Horn” as their inspirations and created an enjoyable and informative 30 minute show that deserved a better fate. Ryan’s rapport with Charlie Pierce, Christopher L. Gasper and Lou Merloni began to take on regional similarities to the magic Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon create with “PTI” and the show really hit its stride over the past 10 months.

The much ballyhooed virtual set was never utilized to its full potential (although it is getting new life with “The Insitigators,” where three bartenders stand behind a counter and appear ready to serve drinks. Why are they standing? Why?) Whether it was technical snafus or a lack of commitment to the set, NESN certainly never gave the show all the resources it needed to succeed. They could have created a cornerstone original program, instead they played footsies with it and never gave it a real shot at succeeding.

The upshot is that Ryan will slide back into a 3 times weekly general columnist for the paper and told us he will continue to update his blog for Boston.com.

“I let the column slide,” Ryan admitted. “I haven’t been able to focus as much on the writing and I look forward to getting back to that.

“Listen, I’m a big boy about this,” he said. “This is why I always say that i would never have TV or Radio be my primary gig.”

But the blame does not lie with Ryan on this one, it lies with penny-pinching NESN and its continued curious decisions (vanilla “SportsDesk” anchor John Chandler and overmatched newbie Cole Wright come immediately to mind when thinking of other NESN missteps in ’08).

NESN wants everyone to think its New England’s version of ESPN, but the truth is, it’s a far cry from anything that is being done in Bristol.

And now, to The Big O. . .

B. If it wasn’t for bad timing, Glenn Ordway wouldn’t have no timing at all. With his contract expiring at Entercom, Ordway finds himself in a precarious place as the host of WEEI 850 AM’s afternoon drive, “Big Show.” Long-praised as the cornerstone of the ‘EEI Empire, Ordway and his representative are reportedly locked in delicate, drawn out and precarious negotiation with Entercom Emperors.

The problem is, Ordway has virtually no leverage. Sure, there are still Beantown rumors about an all-sports entrant on the FM dial hoping to nab the Big O and build a station around him. There has even been murmurs of a satellite gig for Ordway, but I think we can all agree he is a regional talent at best. Ordway’s lone, best option is to remain in the big chair with the Big Meatheads he babysits five times a week and get paid handsomely for doing just that.

Time and again, the people Shots has polled on the topic continue to point out that Ordway has no chance of getting what one insider termed “Dennis and Callahan money” in the current marketplace.

So Ordway has to decide whether he can take a “pay cut” from what he might have been able to land had the economy not gone in the dumper and whether his ego will allow for him to be, what he would probably term, “slightly underpaid.” If he’s banking on playing satellite radio or other terrestrial radio off of Entercom, he might as well give up now. No one can justify overspending for a “name” in this economic climate and Entercom has a very realistic replacement waiting in the wings at WEEI.com in Mike Felger.

Ordway is going to need to eat some humble pie and that’s never been a big part of the big fella’s diet. Still, Ordway never struck us as a dumb man and he surely knows what is at stake for the final chapter of his broadcasting career. Will he get STOOPID money? No. But he will have no problem maintaining a lifestyle befitting the King of Boston Sports Talk Radio.

The Tom Ellis Shotty for Overstaying Their Welcome:

Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti, WBCN 104.1 FM, The Patriots Rock Radio Network

The only thing sadder in local broadcasting than Tom Ellis’s NECN farewell last Saturday night is the fact that the earnest Ellis doesn’t realize how far removed he is from his glory days at the anchor desk.

Gil and Gino appear to be similarly delusional about their broadcasting chops.

WBCN and the Patriots (read: The Krafts) need to begin transitioning out of Gil and Gino and into more capable play-calling and color commentating. It’s no longer a matter of IF the Krafts need to initiate a change in the radio booth, it’s a question HOW they handle it. Even with the deep appreciation Shots has for the history of the duo, it’s painfully obvious that they are doing a disservice to the listeners, not to mention advertisers and the organization.

Look for the names of Mike Lynch (PBP), (hopefully) Sean McDonough (PBP), Gary Tanguay (PBP), Scott Zolak (color) and cerebral Tim Fox (color) to circulate WHEN the change is made. It would make sense if the Pats and ‘BCN do it quietly over the off-season.

(By the way, Tanguay’s turn on Celtics games as PBP man in Mike Gorman’s absence probably wasn’t the best audition tape for a potential booth job with the Pats. Tanguay is steady and suitable for studio work – not so much for PBP.)

[One note on the Tom Ellis farewell: NECN mainstay sports guy Jimmy Young tried to soften the shakiness of Ellis's farewell, and Young's knowledge of the market and Ellis's place in it, was sincere.

But the simple fact of the matter is that the Locals (or regionals) don't have room for the Tom Ellises, the Bob Lobels and the Joyce Kulhawiks. That list will surely grow in 2009, as WCVB looks to get younger and leaner, the way its competitors already have.]

The Shotty for the Worst Kept Sports Media Secret

An easy call, as this has to be the not-so-hush-hush departure of Jessamy Tang from almost-also-ran ESPN 890. Tang, it turns out, was well into in her second trimester of pregnancy when she quietly announced to the 890 staff in late Fall that she would be leaving the station all together. Apparently, employees had no clue of the baby bump.

Launched in the Fall of 2005, ESPN 890 has made very little – if any – headway in denting WEEI’s armor but Tang had weathered some storms, some departures and kept investors and ESPN interested enough to let her continue to putter with a weak signal and barely any marketing dollars.

Now, it will be the full-time function of WallerSutton’s WS2K Media to oversee 890, removing Tang and her J Sports from the equation.

Schrafft Building moles tell Shots that Route 81′s CEO, Ira Rosenblatt who will be the “new” Jessamy. You would have to think this is sink or swim time for the station and it’s a heck of a time to be trying to do either in these rough waters of the Second Great Depression.

Safe money says that 2009 will finally be the year that 890 admits it is nothing more than a tin can and string operation that embarrasses the national ESPN brand with each passing week.

The Shotty for the Biggest Waste of Weekly TV Air Time during Patriots Season

Awarded to any of the awful pre- or postgame offerings from WBZTV Channel 4 where Stammering Steve Burton and Steve “DeAwful” DeOssie are paired together. It’s car crash TV at its worst with every potential utterance a frontal assault on the English language. Add in the station’s insistence on using a constantly shaky handi-cam from the company-owned restaurant/bar in Foxborough and the end result was 16 weeks of unwatchable local football coverage.

The Shotty for Most Pleasant Surprise of 2008

WEEI.com

By any sensible standard, the initial months of the website built by Tim Murphy and Rob Bradford were a success for Entercom and even the hiccups have been forgivable. Do not underestimate what the “acquisition” of Curt Schilling meant and you can be sure that 2009 will have even more innovation and exploration by the MurphFord combo.

While I was quoted in the above-linked Phoenix story by Adam Reilly, I think it’s probably worth including some of my (long-winded replies) to Reilly’s questions that didn’t make his article. His questions are marked by “AR” and my responses are after “DS”:

AR: What do you think WEEI.com has done right?
DS: Let’s look at it this way: In less than half a year they have assembled a diverse and provocative line-up that includes Rob Bradford, Alex Speier, Curt Schilling, Will Leitch, Mike Felger and, incredibly, “Fitzy” (I don’t see his appeal, but I’m probably not supposed to).

That doesn’t even mention the in-the-trenches crew they’ve cultivated (Joe Haggerty on hockey was a GREAT freelance hire as was Paul Flannery on the Celts and more than I ever imagined, Mike Petraglia as a jack of all trades).

The web site has been able to inform, entertain and extend the WEEI brand into a space – The Web – that it desperately needed a presence in. They’ve had some some hiccups (design/layout/navigation is still a mess) and I still question that initial hire of Ron Borges, but if you’re asking for a grade on what they’ve done in a short period of time, in a marketplace that is trembling with fear, I’d say it’s a solid B-Plus. Even that should probably be grade-curved up because they’re doing it all under the direction of Entercom’s notoriously fickle regime. The Big E is making cuts all over, but they have been solidly behind the venture at WEEI.com and they need to be commended for that.

And don’t forget, Murphy and Bradford have consistently pointed to January/February as when they will be fully up and running with bells, whistles and maybe even a few more “big name” additions. You can’t give a true judgment until at least 9 or more likely 12 months. They started with virtually nothing as a foundation and now have a very sturdy base (including some eye-catching story art to tease the content).

AR: Where, if anywhere, do you think they’ve been less impressive?
DS: It’s not really “less impressive,” but some of the execution has been lacking because they don’t really have a full-time “Big Picture” guy. Rob and Alex are writing and editing a good deal and that takes time away (understandably so) from thinking about how to package and present stories and use WEEI’s multi-media resources. Instead of bringing on more out-front folks that don’t quite fit**, I’d like to see them bring in a dedicated content configurer who could focus on gaining eyeballs and increasing the site’s visibility. [NOTE: The addition of Christopher Price is an encouraging sign that could help in the area of big picture planning as Price will have editing duties.]

**Just as an aside, I haven’t seen the Leitch presence pay off. I emailed with Will early on about finding his groove within the context of both Boston and WEEI and he admitted then it would be a process. Mailbags have been weak and the columns haven’t quite knocked my socks off. The thing(s) he did with Flannery fell way short and he’s almost too timid as the “Outsider” – like he doesn’t want to offend the good people of Boston? Please. These people deserve to be offended with their boorish behavior.

I am leaning toward his shortcomings in this market being a result of WEEI’s Meathead Factor. There’s just too many Pete Sheppard worshippers that don’t understand the innate genius of Will and he may be trying to cater to them too much.

ALSO, From what I can gather, a good deal of the radio guys aren’t very receptive to being “used” on the web without compensation. Pretty ludicrous from a crew that should just be happy to be employed at all.

AR: And how much of a threat do you think they pose to the Globe and the Herald?
DS: They’ve already done loops around the woeful Boston Herald’s sports-web presence. That wasn’t even a contest. And, to their credit, they’ve certainly pushed the Globe on several fronts (live-blogging, for instance) but for now Boston.com’s reach and established name are too big and too entrenched to allow for a start-up like WEEI.com to truly register. If Entercom stays the course and lets Bradford manage his personnel and find a nuts-and-bolts overseer, it will be the Globe and WEEI.com duking it out for the No. 1 spot in the region’s sports infotainment delivery.

The Shotty for Most Frustrating Re-Design of a Sports Section

The Boston Globe (specifically Sunday notes columns)

Amid all the turmoil and comings and goings that Joe Sullivan has had to deal with for the Globies, it’s the static, glacially evolving sports page that may be the most egregious error of the past year. Instead of figuring out more and better ways to integrate the print product into the electronic copy, Sullivan’s crew continues to tiptoe around making bold changes and instead settles for inconsistent and incomplete moves. The print needs to drive the web and the web needs to drive the print and right now, that synergy is still lacking.

As for the debacle that is the Sunday notes columns, Sulivan allowed for some new designs and elements, but not all of them are treated equally across sports and the result is hard to follow, sloppily laid out notebooks that frustrate more than they inform. I’d like to see them blow up the notes entirely and figure out a way to make them relevant and newsworthy again. As you’d assume, I’ve got tons of ideas, but no one’s asked me for them. Yet.

The insistence on giving Stan Grossfeld space for his Sunday photo play of “What they were thinking?” is a Sully stubbornness at its worst. Each Sunday we ask, “What are YOU thinking by continuing with this feature?”

On the web side, there seems to have been a reluctance to embrace the Cover It Live software for live-blogging, something WEEI.com continues to experiment (successfully) with.

Sully is probably looking at one more major defection in the next calendar year (Rookie of the Year Marc Spears has drawn national interest, according to industry sources), but after he deals with that, he needs to get everyone on staff thinking about one thing and one thing only: Making the Globe sports page come alive on the web every hour of every day.

The Shotty for the Region’s Most Complete Media Talent

Mike Reiss, Boston.com/Boston Globe

Retire this award and call it “The Reissy.” We’ve long been unabashed and unyielding advocates for the work of Reiss, but this past year he took everything up a notch to a point where larger, more significant, national job opportunities are surely in the offing for the Umie stalwart. His blog skills are legendary, but he has spread his wings more on TV reporting for NESN and offering astute, measured and reasonable commentary on any number of outlets (chiefly for undeserving WBZTV and the passable WCVB “Patriots All-Acccess”).

The best part? Reiss still remains one of the most liked, most humble and most respected media members in the entire region – no easy task with the piranhas that populate the local scene.

• And finally, some quick Shotties in various categories:

Best New Blood in the Market
Adam Kilgore, Boston Globe – His baseball coverage has already been fantastic, but we’re actually looking forward to having him spice up the college hoops coverage in the region, especially with Boston as a host site in March. Sully can’t hog all the college hoops for himself.

Worst Old Blood in the Market
Pete Sheppard, WEEI – Sheppard will have to accept this on behalf of his fellow unqualified morons who he shares studio space with daily. It really is a group honor for the Meat Men, who continue to exemplify the very worst elements of sports coverage in the region and indeed, the country. When Sheppard appeared at the “VIP table” of a recent Phantom Gourmet episode with one of Eddie Andelman’s annoying offspring, we were left to wonder what exactly the VIP stood for? Very Ignorant or Virtually Incompetent Person?

Oh, and of course, Butch Stearns.

You’ll Be Missed Shotty
Take your pick here. The market lost Jeff Horrigan from the Herald when he abandoned the business and the city. Likable Laura Behnke, who shone for NECN and Comcast SportsNet headed west. The talented and capable folks over at CN8, where Shots always enjoyed playing TV dude, got discarded. Jeff Goldberg also got bumped at the Hartford Courant and Steven Krasner at the crumbling ProJo sports desk. Those are some tough losses to overcome for any market, but especially one that values quality people doing quality work.

Maybe the biggest loss of all was the little man from down South Coast way, Danny Pires. I still find myself wanting to hit Dan with a wise-ass email or phone call and long to read and hear his wise-ass response. Rest peacefully, DP.

You Won’t Be Missed Shotty
Hazel Mae, NESN – The power of a very good agent at IMG helped Hazel land a job with the January 1-launching MLB network but we stand by our assessment that Mae is far from a national talent. She will need a strong producer and good behind-the-scenes folks to make her a marquee talent for Tony Petitti’s gang.

Let’s also throw Babbling Bob Lobel into this category, although he will never fully go away, no matter how much we wish for it. And of course, despite a re-appearance this week, we say a hearty farewell to Mustard and Johnson.

And, for other reasons entirely, Bob Gamere.

Lastly, this is probably a good place to put the former Boston Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. What? He hasn’t gone anywhere? Oh. My bad. All those hissy fits and Shawshank rebellions during 2008 had me thinking Simmons just had to get out from under the wrath of the Mouse Ears.

Guess it was all just artistic differences. Maybe in Ought-Nine, Simmons can just appreciate how good he has it and focus on the writing that he can still do so well.

Most Questionable Moves by One Newspaper
The Boston Herald – From the (mis)handling of the John Tomase affair and the (mis)hiring of Ron Borges, the Wingo Wayers did some very tabloidy things over the course of 2008, but the payoffs have not been substantial and the paper continues to lag far behind in Web presence. They are the little train that could and we always like rooting for the underdog, but the Herald needs to start making some serious hay on the web side and spicing up its back page if it wants to have relevance in this town. The Herald hired Borges to be his provocative, bombastic self and instead they’ve been given Timid Ron – and they still have never addressed Borges’s boxing connections, despite still using him for coverage of fights put on by his former employer, Oscar De La Hoya. Readers deserved explanation when Borges was hired and they still deserve one today.

Funniest Oversight by a Local Media Organization.
The Tiny Member photo, Boston Globe.

Some other favorites from 2008 in Shots’ coverage:

Callahan v. Simers

Kimball v. Halloran

Sad exit from ProJo for Sean McAdam

Wilbon takes on Kimbo

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

Scott’s first book, with Memphis Coach John Calipari, is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2009 and is now available for pre-order.

A SHOTS FIELD TRIP TO. . .

This has never been the regular series it should be, but every once in a while Shots does leave Hull and venture into the crowded streets of – and around – Boston. It usually ends poorly with a traffic jam or general bitterness, but sometimes we do discover new and exciting ventures when we venture off-peninsula. On Tuesday of this week, we had just such an opportunity at the offices of YouCastr in Cambridge. Our tour guide was a co-founder of the “The You” and serial start-up guy, Brad Johnson. Regular Shots meanderings follow, so feel free to skim ahead if you’re not into featurey/business story content.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Across Hurley Street, outside the makeshift conference room’s windows at YouCastr headquarters, the building with the Biopure logo on it sits as a cautionary tale for any 21st century start-up. Biopure appears to have stumbled sloppily in chasing what all new ventures covet: financial success.

Brad Johnson, however, is too busy unwrapping a chicken burrito and glancing at his handwritten notes about YouCastr to even think about Biopure. Or the inherent obstacles of standing out in today’s (overly) crowded digital sports media sector.

“You have to have a level of comfort in taking risks in the start-up world,” says Johnson, YouCastr’s co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, who previously founded Intrepid Learning Solutions and has been on the inside with major players like EMC, PepsiCo, Polaroid, and KPMG. “We don’t pretend we’ll be a huge media company. In fact, our dream is to be a part of large media company like Disney or FOX.”

For now though, the angel-funded, small (under 10 person) start-up is still crawling into its walking phase. Already, the YouCastr crew has developed a robust community of both amateur and professional New Media providers and consumers. At present, the nascent site is a conglomeration of 21st century Ham radio operators who are experimenting with broadcasting globally while thinking locally. They exhibit varying degrees of professionalism and entertainment and they mostly do a good job of taking blogging into its 2.0 phase (video, audio and interactivity).

The bulk of the site is currently audio-driven, but there are written elements as well with video on the horizon. With a mix of opinion-based talk-radio-influenced shows and live broadcasts of high school, college and amateur sporting events, YouCastr’s fledgling “community” is offering up original content heretofore unavailable for widespread consumption.

“We’ve had several hundred listeners who tuned in for an American Legion Baseball tournament,” said Johnson, 46 and a native of Jamestown, New York who did undergrad at St. Bonaventure. “And we’ve had smaller numbers for things like a Whiffle ball tournament and some high school football games. (So-called) ‘Olympic sports’ participants at colleges are loving it because they have a way for their fans to follow them when they’re on the road.”

(The site seems perfect for campus radio stations to use for coverage of non-revenue sports created entirely by students at reasonable costs.)

Added up, the numbers will begin to become attractive for advertisers (and/or potential investors in YouCastr), according to Johsnon, because the users are from all over the country and hit a desirable, hard-to-reach demogrpahic (mostly 14-29 year-olds, Johnson indicates). Still in the Beta phase, Johnson said YouCastr is averaging a respectable 30,000 unique users per month.

That number is likely to jump considerably in the coming weeks as video is incorporated and the chance for live video streams from users becomes available. Already, the audio format is simple-to-use for even novice podcasters and the video offerings will be similar, according to Johnson. In some ways, YouCastr is creating a live-version of YouTube with an emphasis on sports. Although, as Johnson admits, “it translates into all sort of news coverage, entertainment, politics.”

Instead of having 10,000 people listen to one broadcast or show, Johsnon says YouCastr is looking to offer thousands of options to niche audiences. In September, YouCastr had 1,200 broadcasts, Johnson says.

“We had a grandmother from Hawaii write in to thank us for allowing her to listen to her daughter’s softball game from the University of Alabama.”

The concept for YouCastr was conceived, according to Johnson, on the Back Bay roof deck of co-founder Ariel Diaz. “We’d bring a white board up there and just write down ideas of what we thought it could be,” said Johsnon. “There are a lot of broadcasters that bring an event to thousands of people. We realized that what no one was doing was bring a thousand different things to a hundred people each.”

The broadcasts incorporate the ability to chat with users, conduct polls and, for purposes of sports talk shows, accept callers. There are logical extensions being incorporated for hand-held device usage. “One group of our broadcasters have already come together and they have basically created a “station” with regular time slots, cross-promotion and crossover banter,” says Johsnon, “just like a talk radio station would have.” YouCastr has also forged deals to livestream existing radio stations’ content, including that of 890 ESPN, an early signee that helped shape what YouCastr could best provide for commercial stations.

“I didn’t realize how quickly and (virally) the community would spring up,” says Johnson.

That community is expanding with an army of foot soldiers being assembled on college campuses to help spread the gospel of YouCastr through giveaways and buzz-creation. “It’s a good way to put feet on the street at a low cost,” says Johnson. “We’re all over Facebook, MySpace, Twitter – that’s how our users communicate and that’s where we have to be (telling our story).”

It’s a story that Johnson hopes won’t include the travails of its across-the-street neighbor in Start-upVille.

• The tireless and incomparable Michael David Smith picked up on some irresponsible accusations from Angry Michael Wilbon on Thursday’s “Pardon the Interruption.” Shots too was taken aback by the Wilby Words.

We get the feeling that the between-segments “bumper” between Wilby and on-satellite Dan Le Batard wasn’t meant for audio. These are some of the most damning words Wilbon uttered (taken from MDS’s transcription and copacetic with what Shots heard as we were in the backyard in listen-only mode for the segment).

“I don’t know what Kimbo’s ties are,” Wilbon said. “Kimbo still could have taken a dive while others are trying to prop him up. He could have gotten paid.”

His “ties?” That’s not a very nice word to be insinuating about an event that, in one night, had at least the same amount of viewers as the average MLB division series number on TBS (4.3 million).

“Ties” suggest something untoward (as does the fix discussion Wilbon initiated, of course) and without substantiated evidence, Wilbon is treading very lightly on some serious legal grounds. he certainly wouldn’t make such claims about the NHL or, shudder at the thought, the Arena Football League.

Reached via email on Thursday night ESPN spokesman, Mike Soltys, said, “PTI has been doing something different the past month with little segments in the middle of commercial breaks that have the appearance of being accidental look-ins, but (are) all planned. I didn’t see show, but I assume that is what happened.”

. . . Kimbo and Wilby on CBS for the next installment? Might make for a better match than a rematch with the Smoothie King. Might have to rename Wilbon “Mimbo” for the evening.

. . . Sure sounds like a better investment to do an EliteXC event for short money and grab an audience comparable to one of America’s Three Major Sports, right? Elite is actually the poor man’s version of the industry standard, UFC, and its Boston-connected president, Dana White.

. . . Good work by the Herald’s Dan Duggan to get White on the record on Wednesday.

. . . How about old WWZN 1510 AM friend Jon Anik making his mark on ESPN’s MMA show? Anik certainly never got his due in this market as the video confirms.

. . . Lot of MMA talk out there if you’d like a crash course.

• Am I the only one laughing out loud at HBO’s new “Life and Times of Tim?” Not to mention I’m in love with his cartoon girlfriend Amy (yep, a new low for Shots – Cartoon Girl crush). Best I can tell, Tim is a cross between Ray Romano and Jerry Seinfeld. Oh, and Tom Werner is an executive producer, so you’ll be supporting Red Sox Nation by watching.

Trust me on this one. Sunday nights.

• There’s just no need for the three man booth we’ll be getting from TBS for the ALDS [Chip Caray (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Buck Martinez (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)]. Darling and Martinez are equally unimpressive and to try and create one full color analyst out of two halves is a waste of air time. Caray has been underwhelming for the most part and there’s not one iota of homerism when we tell you that Don Orsillo is very close to meriting the Caray role. Very close.

Ernie Johnson has been his usual stellar self in-studio (although you just know he misses Kenny and Charles) and Dennis Eckersley has again proven he’s a National guy with a capital “N.” ESPN really should make another run at The Eck and figure out a way to use him – even if he doesn’t want to go Bristol all the time.

. . . Outdoor pre-season hoops with Charles however could be worth a looksie.

• My goodness, Lou Merloni has really burst on the scene, hasn’t he? Framingham Lou went toe-to-toe with Basketball Bob Ryan on “Globe 10.0″ this week and Lou-Lou held his own across all sports.

. . . Brian Daubach on the other hand, not so good in his WEEI 850 AM shifts.

• Comcast SportsNet announced on Thursday that Tommy Heinsohn will work zero road games this season for the first time in 28 years. In addition, Shots has confirmed that the network’s nine-year relationship with add-in color commentator Bob Cousy has ended. Cousy had averaged about ten games per year for CSN, according to a spokesman for the regional network.

Heinsohn will continue to do color commentary for home Celts’ games alongside Mike Gorman and Heinsohn will provide in-studio analysis for road games, alongside Gary Tanguay. Donny Marshall gets color duty for the full slate of CSN’s road games and Greg Dickerson continues as sideline reporter for both home and away contests.

. . . CSN is also boasting “new in-game graphics, including a new logo; new in-game scoreboard; and new in-game animation. During every Comcast SportsNet Celtics telecast, fans can chat with Comcast SportsNet talent . . . during the game via ComcastSportsNet.com.”

. . . Shots has confirmed that Marshall will not return to the network’s “Celtics Now” weekly, in-season magazine show and that a sole, male host will fill the role previously held by Marshall and Laura Behnke (who left the market, see below). The as-yet-named replacement is from outside the network, Shots is told.

• Behnke is now a few months into her stint at WNTV, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco, and in an email correspondence with Shots reported that things are going well on the Left Coast.

“It’s been interesting so far, but I must admit I do miss many things about Boston, especially the sports passion,” said Behnke, who shone brightly in her NECN and CSN time in Beantown, even making a smooth transition into fill-in duty at WEEI 850 AM. “I still keep a close eye on the New England teams, and had a great time covering the 49ers/Patriots game last Sunday.”

Behnke said she was on Lane Kiffin Watch the past month or so in addition to her sports anchor duties and added that she is learning how to navigate her way through Candlestick Park and McAfee Coliseum.

“This is a much more laid back market, something I’m definitely not used to,” said Behnke. “Bottom line, so far, so good in San Francisco; though part of me will always be in Boston.”

• The Boston Globe’s “OT Magazine” has made its first major mistake by bringing aboard ex-WBZ-TV sports anchor Bob Lobel as a columnist. Lobel – who has incredibly managed to land a morning radio gig – lost all credibility (or what remained of his cred) when he overinflated and mis-reported some Manny matters in July. Now, upstart ‘OT’ brings Lobel aboard and immediately gets demerits for such a useless addition. Name recognition is one thing, one trick ponies are quite another. We have no problem with a responsible and credible contributor like Tom Caron for ‘OT’, but why on earth would a “new” publication with a group of fresh voices go for the such a trite cliche of Boston’s sports media past.

• Monday night’s ALDS celebration once again brought out the worst in local sports anchors from Fenway. Between the giddy screaming of NECN’s Chris Collins and the over-the-top fawning of everything Red and Sox from WHDH Channel 7′s Joe Amorosino it was enough to force all sane-thinking viewers over to Channel 4, which had the good sense (or lack of resources) to go with its regularly scheduled programming of David Letterman at 11:30. (Not surprisingly , Dan Roche got some of the best stuff from the post-game, which ran fresh during Monday’s evening news broadcasts). NESN did a pretty solid job of mixing in analysis and interviews, even utilizing Framingham Lou on-field with Kathryn Tappen (while Heidi Watney once again was relegated to soaking clubhouse duty).

• Lastly, we know we say it regularly and then never follow through, but we really and truly need to get away from this blog for the sake of our “real life” projects. If I’m doing what I’m supposed to be and progressing as I need to, my visits to these parts will be infrequent. I hope you understand and appreciate your support. A couple a months of solitude and we’ll be back at you before the year evaporates.

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

Scott’s first book, with Memphis Coach John Calipari, is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2009.

Manny Mania reached epic levels on Thursday and the most blatant example of the Man Love came when the Globe’s Amalie Benjamin posted at 10:52 a.m. that nothing new had developed, followed nine minutes later by teammate Nick Cafardo confirming that indeed, nothing new had developed. (“Talks Still Ongoing” was Benjamin’s hed choice, while Cafardo went with “Still Working on Manny Deal.”) We eagerly awaited Gordon Edes’s “Still, We Still Wait, Still” post, but alas, it never came.

Cafardo got a bit tongue-tied when trying to relay the trade specifics to NESN’s afternoon audience, but overalll the network’s “Trade Deadline Special” benefited from both his presence and that of rapidly rising Lou Merloni. When Tom Caron (in the role of Brian Williams on election night) asked Cafardo what Ramirez’s legacy will be in Boston, the spot-on response from Cafardo was: “A very confusing one.”

There was a great Cafardo-wears-multiple-hats scene just after 4:30 p.m. when Cafardo the newspaper reporter went off stage right to work the phone and discovered as he took a cell call that he needed a pen. Caron, live and in mid-question to Merloni, instructed Loquacious Lou to hand Cafardo the writing utensil as Cafardo then came back on-camera briefly to grab pen and paper. Moments later, Cafardo the TV analyst was sharing the specifics with the NESN viewers.

Immediately Merloni said, “To me that sounds like an awful lot.”

But it was Peter Gammons’ take on ESPN 890 AM which was filled with what 890 co-host Kevin Winter called “venom” and had co-host Mike Salk warning listeners to “consider the source” despite calling himself a part of the “Gammons Youth.”

Gammons said, “I think (Ramirez) is a disgrace to the game. . . he hates the game and has no respect. . .I get sick of people in Boston adoring a guy who didn’t play hard. . . he blackmailed the Red Sox and he went on a sit down strike. He doesn’t care about anything but the next contract. . . He is an affront and an embarrassment to the game. . . What about the integrity of playing the game right and showing up and honoring your contract? When it comes to the Hall of Fame, there will be a lot of people who have more a lot more question about Manny Ramriez than they do about Mark McGwire.”

Salk and Winters gave the impression that Gammons had gotten into an especially frothy lather because of Gammons’ relationship with many in the Red Sox front office. “It was a complete rip job,” said Salk as he simultaneously praised the legend and career of Gammons. “The spin starts early (after the story breaks).”

(Audio of the interview was not yet available on Radio Rewind at the clunky 890 website, but it likely will be on Friday.) HERE IT IS WITHIN THE 6-7 p.m. SHOW FROM THURSDAY, STARTS AROUND 27:00 and lasts three minutes.

. . . Gammons toned it down considerably for his appearance on SportsCenter with Linda Cohn. “The happiest guy in America right now is Terry Francona,” Gammons said (with about 2:35 left in the clip below).

. . . Gerry Callahan submits an instant classic Cal column on Monsieur Manny. My goodness can Cranky Callahan still churn out a doozy when the event merits or what?

. . . For all the bashing we’ve done of the Dimdog, Steve Silva, we do need to acknowledge that his posting of Schilling’s Thursday WEEI 850 AM rant was both timely and newsy.

. . . One afternoon report had news that Manny was napping when he was informed of the trade. Perfect, isn’t it?

. . . Not sure who the writer has been, but ESPNDeportes.com had a banner week with all its Manny coverage and exclusive talks.

. . . Free of charge to the Herald for back page use upon the new guy’s first big day as a Red Sox: “Bay State of Mind.” “Bay Day” will also work and so will “Bay Watch.”

• Say this for 890 ESPN’s general manager and founder, Jessamy Tang: She’s a battler. Faced with losing Mike Felger, her lone local talent presence AND the attractive programming block of “Patriots Friday,” Tang’s Gang forges on and readjusts at the Little Station That Can’t.

890 ESPN is in the process of creating a new local afternoon line-up that will eventually stretch from Noon to 2 p.m. and then again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Felger’s show was the lone local block, from 3 to 6 p.m., followed by an hour of local-themed pre-game chatter which will continue.)

Hosts have not been confirmed for either of the two slots, but the most interesting name being bandied about is that of Ron Borges, the ex-Boston Globe rabble rouser who has never truly impressed on-radio or TV. An inconsistent blogger (zero posts in over six weeks and just two since May, making for a pretty weak “back and forth”), Borges has likewise been inconsistent on his frequent CN8 “Out of Bounds” appearances and was always an inconsistent and uncooperative radio yakker during his Globe days. [Shots, it should be noted, is also a frequent contributor to CN8.]

Regarding the forthcoming line-up change, Doug Bailey, a spokesman for the station, told Scott’s Shots this week, “Some people are mulling over decisions, some people have changed their minds, some people have gone on vacation, and the negotiations go on. We hoped to have wrapped it up by now but life isn’t always quite so neat.”

Bailey, an ex-Globe writer and editor himself, confirmed that Borges is in the mix and also indicated that Lew and Mike of 1510 AM WWZN (non-) fame are being discussed as a possible option. Shots is told that unproven duo, which had bought some 890 time during the Celtics playoffs, is being discussed for the afternoon drive gig. Bailey also confirmed that both Andy Gresh and Ryen Russillo have been talked to about the available openings. Current 890 staffers Kevin Winter and ex-Shots Saturday morning co-host, Mike Salk are also thought to be under consideration for new or expanded roles once the new line-up is launched.

Bailey also stressed that Tang’s Gang will be responsible “for marketing and selling advertising for whatever programming is finalized.” Some 890 moles indicated to Shots earlier in the week that the late afternoon show would be a “pay-for-play” or time-buy, but Bailey strongly denied that.

As for Borges, there is no questioning that he can be provocative and he does know how to push buttons – especially of the Pats Apologists and Diehards flooding the region. Those are two marketable qualities for sports talk radio in the 21st century. However, as Felger will surely tell you, it takes hard work, dedication and a heck of a lot of creativity to be able to even register in this market against Entercom’s two-headed sports monster of WEEI and WRKO. You’d have to question whether Borges – who supposedly writing a book on Art Shell – will have that kind of time and vigor.

“Our objective is not to beat ‘EEI in the ratings, or even match them,” said Bailey. “We never will. We strive to be a credible alternative to the sports programming on ‘EEI and other stations and we don’t have to be their size to do that.”

The thinking in the Schrafft Building seems to be that Borges’ would grab attention immediately and that’s a good short term bet for Tang. But the lasting effect and the evidence Borges was less than fully committed to his craft at the end of his Globe stint, would suggest that Radio Ron may not be the best solution for what ails 890.

“The good thing about hiring people who have been put through a public flogging is that they’re virtually scandal proof,” said Bailey in defense of his former Globe colleague. “The ones that haven’t been caught yet keep on spinning and are ticking time bombs.”

. . . The latest strategy for 890 appears to be to try and get more local and offer two Boston-based alternatives to “Dale & Holley” and “The Big Show” at market-leader, WEEI-850 AM (owned by Entercom).

“(Jessamy) had to make the case to ESPN (national) that going more local (and removing midday national programming) is the best option,” said Bailey. “It’s a testimony to Jessamy’s persuasiveness and this is a good thing for the station.” (Although not an Owned and Operated ESPN station, there are still requirements for Tang to carry certain amounts of the national feed.)

. . . In an example that 890 will go to great lengths to try and be provocative, the oddly named, “Prime Time Live” show this week entertained call-in guest, Bob Lobel on air Tuesday afternoon. Lobel – who made a fool of himself with his WEEI 850 AM fill-in a couple of weeks back – was once again throwing spaghetti against the wall for his expert interview with Bob Halloran and Winter. Winter, at least, seemed to know just how sketchy it was to have LobeLucchino on-air and left most of the questioning to Halloran. Unfortunately, Halloran completely ignored the opportunity to ask Lobel to explain himself for his gross over-exaggeration of Manny’s fine on WEEI’s ariwaves.

. . . Bailey admitted that what WEEI is attempting on its website is not something 890 is prepared to compete with. “They’re throwing a lot of money into that and I don’t think we’re in a position to do that now,” he said.

. . . We’ve long-believed 890 was a dead station walking, but as Bailey said, “No one is throwing in the towel,” he said. “Look at the radio ad market everywhere. Look at Entercom.”

To bolster his case, Bailey supplied these numbers in defense of his client’s performance and progression over the Spring Arbitron book of 2007:

– In Men 18-49, for AM Drive (Mike & Mike, national) 890 went from a .5 in Spring, 2007 to a 2.0 in Spring, 2008.

– For that same demo, middays went up from .2 to .6 and the afternoon drive (Felger’s old spot) went from .4 to 2.3.

– The overall M-F, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 18-49 jumped from .4 to 1.6

– The demo of 25-54 year-olds saw similar spikes in the morning (.5 to 1.9) and afternoon (.4 to 2.4) and overall from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (.4 to 1.6).

“Our point is the trend,” said Bailey. “We can demonstrate trendlines in which we have more than doubled our ratings in prime categories over the last year – the categories advertisers care most about.”

• Happy anniversary to one of the most underrated sports programs – TV or radio – ever; NPR’s “Only a Game”, which has a permanent download spot in Shots’ iTunes account. OAG’s egular contributor Boston Globe Magazine’s Charlie Pierce shared this with us earlier this week:

“I’ve been on the show from jump,” said Pierce. “Bill (Littlefield) and I negotiated my appearances in the dugout in Winter Haven. The original executive producer, David Greene, went on to help create Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, hence, my involvement there. It’s a joy to be part of and let’s face it, where else can Boston sports fans hear about belt-sander racing?”

The show is off this week, Pierce informs us, but returns next week to embark on another decade-and-a-half or more or intelligent sports reporting and discussion.

. . . Pierce got off a zinger on Thursday’s “Globe 10.0″ with Eric Frede filling in for Bob Ryan. Asked to discuss the possibility of Rush Limbaugh owning an NFL team, Pierce made an addiction joke about Limbuagh and then theorized his first move as an owner “would be to trade for Nick Kaczur.”

Edgy and funny – Pierced again!

• The sad passing of Jim Thistle has quite a few sports media tie-ins. First and foremost, we send our condolences to Jim’s son, James, Jr. and all the Thistles.

James, Jr. spearheads Thistle Communications, a New Hampshire-based production company that does a ton of work with NESN as well as the Kraft Sports Production unit.

. . . Frank Shorr, long-time sports producer in town and a Boston University colleague of Thistle, Sr.’s, remembered this moment from when he was at Channel 7:

“Jim’s approach to sports was just the same as news,” Shorr wrote in an email. “If it was compelling and interesting he’d run with it.

“Here’s an example: John Dennis and I went to Logan Airport one night at 3 a.m. to try and get Wade Boggs returning from a road trip. Who shows up but Jim Thistle? Boggs said he wouldn’t talk but told John to see him at the ballpark later that day.

“John is sitting in the dugout waiting and Boggs comes up the runway and sits down next to him and says, ‘Okay, go.’ John asks one question and the interview lasts seven and a half minutes. Now, remember, it was formatted for a minute-and-a-half at the top of the show. But Jim saw me screening the tape and said ‘Go with it.’ We ran all seven and a half minutes.

“He was the undisputed king of news managers in this town,” Shorr said.

A Scholarship in Thistle’s name (and that of Natalie Jacobson) has been established.

• In addition to initially leaving out Ian Browne in Tuesday’s list of possible Globe Web writers or beat guys, we also neglected to include Chad Finn, who has already established himself as bloggerific for Boston.com. Finn responded to a question in his recent “Last Word,” thusly:

I’m staying right here, thanks, though some things may be changing soon where I actually get to write more.

So his role could certainly expand as Joe Sullivan re-configures his desk.

• The Tom Casale departure debacle is the kind of bile that doesn’t deserve an iota of attention – and certainly not the mentions it’s already received. However, we did want to point out the comment from a writer identifying herself as the Providence Journal’s Shalise Manza Young, which was posted at patsfans.com:

“Hey all –

I’m going to try not to give my opinion on this too much, just wanted to share with a few things:

The Pats definitely know about this; one of the PFW writers told me about it after practice today and they were just floored at what he had done. Here’s the thing (one of the things) he forgot when he did this: he has likely put Paul Perillo, Andy Hart, Erik Scalavino and now Mike Parente’s jobs in jeopardy. Regardless of what you think of them, they don’t deserve to lose their jobs because of what Casale did. Belichick is going to be none too happy to have that information out there, and he could very well go to Bob Kraft and say they can’t fly on the team plane anymore. So then Kraft has to decide if he wants the extra expense of flying the PFW staff separately all the time, and possibly having them stay in a different hotel all the time. PFW does turn a profit currently, but having to buy (at a minimum) five round-trip plane tickets for every road game will get costly quickly…

I haven’t heard of *anyone* who works in the PFW office or interacts with that group that isn’t happy to have Casale gone. He really was a toxic presence and not at all a nice guy. Personally, I didn’t like him at all and think that his little post is quite possibly one of the most classless things I’ve ever seen.

And for what it’s worth, Tedy has always been nice to me. Can he be moody sometimes? Of course. But if I had people asking me the same questions over and over again I would be too at times. I also had a good relationship with Corey Dillon…

smy”

. . . Here’s Casale’s explanation of why his picks will click on his new employer’s gambling site. It’s probably wrong to say, but you kind of hope he loses his shirt, his house and job because of all his “expertise” and “degenerate gambling ways.”

There’s unprofessional exits from a job and then there’s the way Castleton College’s Tommy Rider rode out of town. he didn’t burn bridges, he napalmed them.

• If Leigh Montville writes it, we’ll read it. That’s a hard and fast rule here at The Shanty.

• Shots is scheduled for the 7 p.m. “Out of Bounds” on CN8 on Friday night when the topic of Manny just may come up. Do tune in!

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

Scott’s first book, with Memphis Coach John Calipari, is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2009.