Tony Massarotti

Last updated

Tony Massarotti
Born (1967-10-28) October 28, 1967 (age 56)
Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesTony Mazz, Naughty Massarotti [1]
Alma mater Tufts University
Occupation Sportswriter  • radio host  • author  • color commentator
Employer(s) NESN, Beasley Media Group

Anthony Ezio Massarotti (born October 28, 1967) is an American author and a former sportswriter for the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe . He co-hosts a sports talk radio show, Felger & Mazz , on 98.5 The Sports Hub with former Boston Herald columnist Michael Felger. [2] Massarotti has also served as a color commentator for the Boston Red Sox, during their 2022 season. [3] [4]

Contents

Massarotti is a graduate of Waltham High School in Waltham, Massachusetts, [5] and a 1989 graduate of Tufts University, where he majored in English and Classics. He was also a member of Theta Chi fraternity. [6]

Boston Herald

Massarotti joined the Boston Herald in 1989 and covered the Boston Red Sox for the paper from 1994 through 2008.

During his time with the Herald, Massarotti frequently covered the Red Sox for Fox Sports New England, and he appeared occasionally as a guest on WHDH's Sports Xtra. He also appeared on Boston's WEEI sports talk radio program The Big Show . These appearances ended with his later leaving the Herald for the Globe due to a long-standing ban on Globe staffers appearing on the station. [7]

While with the Herald, Massarotti was known for his staunch support of former Red Sox managers Jimy Williams and Grady Little, despite Little's controversial decisions during Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. [8]

The Boston Globe

In September 2008, Massarotti joined the staff of The Boston Globe . [1] [9] In addition to writing a regular column for the paper, Massarotti became the voice and face of the Globe's online Boston.com sports feature. [10] In March 2013, he left the Globe. However, after a brief hiatus, Massarotti returned to writing for the Globe online sports blog in early 2014.

Notable columns

Theo Epstein contract negotiations

On October 27, 2005, Massarotti published a column in which he accused Larry Lucchino and the Red Sox management of smearing general manager Theo Epstein during contract negotiations. In the column, he also suggested that coverage of the negotiations at two local media outlets was compromised. He documented that The New York Times (parent company of The Boston Globe) owned a 17 percent ownership stake in the Red Sox and that local sports talk radio leader WEEI was currently in negotiations for Red Sox broadcast rights and paid Lucchino for a weekly radio appearance. [11] The timing of the column was notable as it came four days after Globe ombudsman Richard Chacón published an article in which he criticized Times management for accepting World Series rings from the Red Sox, [12] and three days prior to a Dan Shaughnessy column in which he revealed information detailing the nuances of the relationship between Epstein and Lucchino, to the favor of Lucchino. [13] The information in the column was widely thought to have originated from Lucchino and may have contributed to Epstein breaking off negotiations and resigning his position as General Manager. [14] [15]

Jon Lester cancer story

In August 2006, Massarotti received some criticism for publishing a column detailing rumors that Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester was being tested for cancer. [16] In fact, the rumors turned out to be true, and Lester went on to be treated for a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. [17]

Felger and Mazz Show

Since 2009, Massarotti has worked as the co-host of The Felger and Mazz Show, an afternoon sports talk show broadcast on Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub. [18] In February 2023, Massarotti was suspended by the Sports Hub for a racially insensitive joke he made about two black men in New Orleans. [19]

Awards

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo Epstein</span> American baseball executive

Theo Nathaniel Epstein is an American Major League Baseball executive, who currently works for MLB as a consultant. He was the vice president and general manager for the Boston Red Sox and then the president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. He worked for each team for nine seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawtucket Red Sox</span> American minor league professional baseball team

The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The PawSox played their home games at Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium as the only professional baseball team in Rhode Island, and won four league championships, their last in 2014. Following the 2020 season, the franchise moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester Red Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Gammons</span> American sportswriter

Peter Gammons is an American media personality and recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Ryan</span> Sportswriter from the United States (born 1946)

Robert P. Ryan is an American sportswriter, formerly with The Boston Globe, and author. He has been described as "the quintessential American sportswriter" and a basketball guru, and is well known for his coverage of the sport including his famous stories covering the Boston Celtics in the 1970s. After graduating from Boston College, Ryan started as a sports intern for the Globe on the same day as Peter Gammons, and later worked with other notable Globe sportswriters Will McDonough and Leigh Montville. In early 2012, Ryan announced his retirement from sports writing after 44 years, effective at the conclusion of the 2012 Summer Olympics. His final column in the Globe was published August 12, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEI (AM)</span> Radio station in Boston

WEEI is a commercial sports gambling AM radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI is the Boston affiliate for the Audacy-owned BetQL Network and CBS Sports Radio, serving as a gambling-focused brand extension of its main sports radio station in the market, WEEI-FM. The WEEI studios are located in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides in the Boston suburb of Needham. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WEEI is available online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Lucchino</span> American lawyer and baseball executive (born 1945)

Lawrence Lucchino is an American lawyer, best known as an executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president/CEO of the San Diego Padres, and president/CEO of the Boston Red Sox. He is chairman of the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox; chairman of The Jimmy Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute; and president/CEO emeritus of Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. Lucchino played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Shaughnessy</span> American sports writer (born 1953)

Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer. He has covered the Boston Red Sox for The Boston Globe since 1981. In 2016, he was given the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Shaughnessy is often referred to by his nickname "Shank," given by the 1980s Boston Celtics team for the often unflattering and critical nature of his articles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEI-FM</span> Sports radio station in Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Boston

WEEI-FM – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI-FM is the Boston affiliate for CBS Sports Radio, the NFL on Westwood One Sports, the flagship station for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network; and the radio home of Greg Hill, Lou Merloni, Christian Fauria and Jermaine Wiggins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Lester</span> American baseball player (born 1984)

Jonathan Tyler Lester is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. Less than two years after being diagnosed with lymphoma, Lester started and won the final game of the 2007 World Series for the Red Sox and, in May 2008, pitched a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals. He helped lead the Red Sox to another championship in 2013, and he won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs. Lester started the opening game of a playoff series 12 times, which was a record for the most in baseball history until Justin Verlander passed him in 2023.

Ron Borges is an American sportswriter for the Talk of Fame Network. He has previously written for The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and was a regular guest on The Mike Felger Show, which aired on 890 ESPN radio until July 2008. Borges also was a regular contributor to the HBO.com's Boxing website until 2008. Borges also writes for The Sweet Science, a boxing website.

The Big Show is a former sports talk radio program hosted by Glenn Ordway on Boston's WEEI-FM 93.7 FM. Started in August 1995, the show was hosted by Ordway and former Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley. The show ended on March 19, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Merloni</span> American baseball player

Louis William Merloni, nicknamed "Sweet Lou", is an American radio personality and a former Major League Baseball player. Merloni played for his hometown Boston Red Sox from 1998–2002 and again for part of 2003. He also played for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Dennis and Callahan was an American morning radio show on WEEI-FM, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN at 6–10 AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water cooler" issues. The show premiered in 1997 with sportswriter Gerry Callahan and former WHDH Sports Director John Dennis, and it received strong ratings until WEEI received ratings competition in 2009 with the launch of CBS Radio's sports station, WBZ-FM (98.5); the ratings began to fall from the peak.

Michael Alan Felger is a sports radio talk show host on WBZ-FM in Boston, co-hosting "Felger and Massarotti" with Tony Massarotti, a former columnist for the Boston Herald. He is also a television host for NBC Sports Boston, where he talks about sports as a co-host of the weeknight show "Boston Sports Tonight" with Michael Holley and the host of pregame and postgame coverage for Boston Bruins.

Steve Buckley is an American journalist and long-time sports writer who formerly wrote for the Boston Herald. In 2018, he joined sports website The Athletic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NBC Sports Boston</span> Sports television network in Boston, U.S.

NBC Sports Boston is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports events throughout New England with a major focus on Boston area teams, as well as several original analysis, magazine and entertainment programs. It is available on cable providers throughout Massachusetts, eastern and central Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island; it is also available nationwide on satellite via DirecTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Cherington</span> American professional baseball executive

Benjamin P. Cherington is an American baseball executive serving as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) since November 2019. He previously served as the vice-president of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was the executive vice president and general manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2011 to 2015. He succeeded Theo Epstein in that position, having worked in the team's baseball operations office since 1999, before Epstein's arrival.

Samuel H. Kennedy is an American professional baseball executive who is the president and chief executive officer of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) and CEO of Fenway Sports Management (FSM). Previously, Kennedy served as the Red Sox' executive vice president and chief operating officer and as president of FSM.

Felger & Massarotti is a Marconi Award-winning afternoon radio show hosted by Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti, airing from 2 to 6 pm in Boston, Massachusetts. The show first aired on August 13, 2009 with the launch of WBZ-FM's sports talk radio station, The Sports Hub on 98.5 FM. The show is known for “calling it like they see it”, which leads to the show’s perceived negative demeanor towards local sports teams, hot takes, and willingness to go after local teams and players.

References

  1. 1 2 Haggerty, Jim (November 23, 2011). "Massarotti lights up crowd prior to game". Daily Times Chronicle. Winchester. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ Shaikin, Bill (August 12, 2022). "No one listens to sports talk radio in L.A. Why the people in charge aren't worried". Los Angeles Times. eISSN   2165-1736. ISSN   0458-3035. OCLC   3638237. ProQuest   2701008961. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ Cotillo, Chris (August 25, 2022). "Tony Massarotti reflects on first year in Boston Red Sox NESN booth: 'It was an experiment for everybody... It has gone pretty well'". MassLive. Advance Local Media. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022.
  4. ↑ "NESN officially announces Tony Massarotti as new color commentator". 985thesportshub.com. March 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Tony Massarotti Sports Blog". The Boston Globe . Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Interview With Tony Massarotti" (PDF). CheetahZine. December 1, 2005. Retrieved December 15, 2005.
  7. ↑ Dan Kennedy. "Hush-hush, In its war of words with WEEI, the Globe learns that silence isn't necessarily golden". Boston Phoenix . Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Boston Herald Sports Writers". Boston Sports Media Watch. Archived from the original on November 28, 2005. Retrieved December 15, 2005.
  9. ↑ "Massarotti to join Globe and Boston.com". Boston.com. August 15, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  10. ↑ Joe Sullivan (August 16, 2008). "New lineup for Globe's baseball team". The Boston Globe . Retrieved August 18, 2008.
  11. ↑ Tony Massarotti (October 27, 2005). "Smear campaign stinks". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  12. ↑ Richard Chacón (October 23, 2005). "The Globe-Sox connection". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  13. ↑ Dan Shaughnessy (October 30, 2005). "Let's iron out some of this dirty laundry". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
  14. ↑ Thomas F. Mulvoy (November 3, 2005). "Lucchino vs. Epstein: Media stew boils over". Dorchester Reporter. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  15. ↑ "John Henry Takes Blame For Epstein Leaving Red Sox: Epstein Says Another Team Has Contacted Him". WBZ-TV.com. November 2, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Lester tested for cancer – Sources say rookie has enlarged lymph nodes". Boston Herald. August 31, 2006. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
  17. ↑ Edes, Gordon (September 1, 2006). "Lester's cancer". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
  18. ↑ O'Laughlin, Frank. "Tony Massarotti, longtime Sports Hub host, suspended without pay for 'insensitive' on-air comments". Boston25News.
  19. ↑ Finn, Chad. "The Sports Hub's parent company suspends Tony Massarotti for the rest of the week". Boston.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Alum Wins National Journalism Award". Tufts E-News. January 17, 2001. Archived from the original on January 2, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
  21. ↑ "Alums Author Sox Books". Tufts E-News. May 5, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2005.[ permanent dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Author readings around Boston Oct. 16–22". The Boston Globe. October 13, 2022. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022.
Preceded by
unknown
Boston Herald Red Sox beat writer
1994–2008		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.