Dan Shaughnessy (Steno Edition)

January 21, 2013

The cover story in the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine features sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy’s promo for his new book  on former Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Picture 1

 

Set the record straight?

Maybe not so much.

From Shaughnessy’s piece:

Our writing process was simple and structured. Terry and I would meet, usually in a hotel coffee shop or restaurant. I’d record a couple of hours of conversation, then disappear for a few weeks to write. When a chapter was finished, I’d e-mail it to Terry, and he’d call back with corrections, clarifications, and occasionally a deletion.

“Do we have to call Heathcliff Slocumb ‘useless’?” he’d say. “Let’s take that out.”

Gone.

“I know you don’t like Schill, but we’re not going to call him a blowhard in my book.”

Fine. Schill is not a blowhard. Not in this book, anyway.

 

And Shaughnessy was not a journalist. Not in this book, anyway.

Michael Silverman’s Baseball Notes column in the Sunday Boston Herald reinforced that point.

Terry FranconaTito:  Book no hatchet job

Terry Francona did not set out to hurt anybody’s feelings when he co-wrote a book about his eight years with the Red Sox.

If the owners are not happy with their portrayal — and how could they be? — as being more concerned with image than substance and as not loving baseball as much as Francona, the former Sox manager owns up to that.

He felt he was being honest, after all. When he was fired or quit in October 2011, his own feelings were hurt. So, without any malice or forethought on his part, it sounds kind of natural to Francona that not everyone is going to be chuckling about how they are portrayed in the book.

 

Actually, no one but the owners will have anything to complain about. That’s because, according to Silverman, “[a]ny potentially touchy stories about players were vetted, via one-on-ones with Shaughnessy, so that nobody is surprised.” And Francona adds, “I checked with everybody — I didn’t use anything that I thought would make people mad.”

Anyone besides the hardreading staff mad about that?

 

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The Great Mentioner Comes to the Bay State

January 20, 2013

Now that Lt. Gov. Tim Murray (D-Pressed) has made his high-speed exit from the 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial race, rampant speculation about who might emerge as alternatives has officially begun.

As is only fitting, the Great Mentioner stopped by both local dailies in Murray’s wake, with – wait for it ! – decidedly different results.

From Joe Battenfeld’s Saturday Boston Herald column:

Here’s one scenario: Joe Kennedy, the father. Sources say the former congressman may not have completely shaken off the political bug. One Democratic source said there has been increasing chatter about Kennedy mulling getting back into politics. But there is even more buzz that his son, newly elected U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III, could be a gubernatorial prospect.

While the elder Kennedy and many other Democrats say he’s happy living in the private sector, he — or his son — could always come in as the Democratic shining knight to keep the GOP from taking over the Corner Office.

 

Another Herald piece adds this:

011813murraymg001As Murray bows out, race for gov is on

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray’s stunning decision yesterday to bow out of the 2014 gubernatorial race shook up the Bay State’s political landscape — likely nudging potential candidates for the Corner Office closer toward a run.

State Treasurer Steve Grossman has made his intentions about a likely run clear, but candidates such as Attorney General Martha Coakley and U.S. Rep. Michael E. Capuano could also decide to take the plunge.

“The race now is wide open,” said Democratic consultant Mary Anne Marsh. “Steve Grossman becomes the front-runner as of today, and you’ve got to think Martha Coakley is looking a lot more closely at it.”

 

Crosstown at the Boston Globe, there was this:

In addition to [State Treasurer Steve] Grossman, potential Democratic candidates include Donald M. Berwick, a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and State Senator Dan Wolf, the founder of Cape Air.

Murray’s exit could also clear the way for US Representative Michael E. Capuano, an urban liberal who would draw some of the same supporters as Murray. Capuano, a former Somerville mayor, said this week he will not run for Senate.

His spokeswoman, Alison Mills, said Capuano “has already received a great deal of encouragement and will consider other opportunities at the appropriate time.”

Charles D. Baker, a Republican who ran for governor in 2010, is considering another run as well.

 

Donald Berwick?

Dan Wolf?

But no Martha Coakley?

Seems like the Great Mentioner had an off-day at the Globe.

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Boston Herald: Death to Taxes!

January 18, 2013

The feisty local tabloid continues its anti-tax jihad today from the very first page (via The Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages):

MA_BH

 

Inside the Herald puts a price tag on the tax hikes proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick (D-One Foot Out the Door) :

 

Picture 1

 

At upper right Howie Carr delivers yet another bulk-mail screed, while Michael Graham, Julie Mehegan, the editors, and cartoonist Jerry Holbert have a whirl on the opinion pages.

Flood the zone? This is more like Katrina.

Crosstown at the Boston Globe, meanwhile, the “moonbat gazette” (Carr) also front-pages the tax hikes (via ditto):

 

MA_BG

 

It may be true, as Carr alleges, that the Globe never met a tax hike it didn’t like, but at least the paper provides the details instead of just moaning.

 

18taxes1

 

Weep your heart out, Howie.

 

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Jury’s Out on Carmen Ortiz

January 17, 2013

Not-quite-matching her & her columns in the local papers on the topic of U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and her (over?)zealous prosecution of Aaron Swartz.

Start with Margery Eagan’s column in the Boston Herald:

IMG_6554.JPGOutrage over zealous feds

Statement too little, too late

Just days ago, speculation was rampant. Gov. Carmen Ortiz? U.S. Sen. Carmen Ortiz?

Well, that’s all over now.

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz is done. Finished. Forever linked to bringing the full and frightening weight of the federal government down upon a 26-year-old computer genius — and a suicide risk.

 

If that’s not tough enough for you, how about this, regarding the six month/guilty plea deal Swartz was offered :

“Oh, so you’re innocent. Do only six months in jail,” said a sarcastic Harvey Silverglate, Boston civil liberties 
attorney and author of “Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent.” He accused Ortiz’s office of being “drunk with power” and said up to now the media had “protected” Ortiz 
because “she’s a Hispanic woman.”

 

Ouch.

Crosstown at the Boston Globe, the view was quite different in Joan Vennochi’s op-ed piece.

Swartz case is sad, but not an overreach

WHEN IT comes to the prosecution of Aaron Swartz, the 26-year-old computer prodigy who killed himself, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz has explaining to do.

But there are also questions for Swartz’s lawyer, Elliot Peters.

Why reject the government’s offer of a four-to-six month prison sentence? That’s much less than the 35 years and $1 million fine allowed under the federal law that Swartz was charged with violating.

Peters told the Globe that Swartz didn’t believe he was a felon; he was acting on the principle that information on the Internet should be free when he downloaded academic journals from an MIT computer system. But defending principle was not his lawyer’s job. It was to provide Swartz with the best legal advice, given the charges and the government’s refusal to back down.

 

Vennochi says “the widespread revulsion directed at the US attorney’s office is overreach by cyber-bullies.”

So take your pick – did Oriz bully Swartz or are Internet thugs bullying her?

Or both?

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NHL = No Herald League

January 17, 2013

From our Whiskey Tango Foxtrot desk

The recently ended NHL lockout was like the Iran-Iraq war – you wished somehow both sides could lose. And in a way they both did, so that’s a good thing.

Now comes the task of winning back NHL fans, who by and large are far too tolerant. Regardless, the NHL poobahs ran this ad in today’s Boston Globe.

 

letternhl1

 

The odd thing is, the ad did not run in today’s Boston Herald. Does that make any sense at all? The hardreading staff could be wrong here, but isn’t the Herald readership a more natural audience for this hockey rehab effort?

Even more headscratching, this ad did run in the feisty local tabloid today:

 

Picture 3

 

What the-?? NHL, no – Clive Owen, yes?

Makes about as much sense as the lockout did.

 

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Boston Herald Jumps the Shark (Taxachusetts Edition)

January 16, 2013

The front pages of today’s local dailies almost – but don’t quite – say it all in their coverage of a looming tax hike in Massachusetts.

The Boston Globe’s Page One (via the Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages) appears measured and slightly left of center, as usual:

MA_BG

 

The report itself is equally straightforward:

patrick-3151Patrick favors income tax hike

Broad-based levy vital to transit, education plans

Governor Deval Patrick is set to propose an increase in the state income tax as part of a multi pronged plan to raise new revenue for transportation and education, said a person with direct knowledge of the governor’s plan.

Patrick is expected to unveil the plan, at least in part, in his annual State of the Commonwealth speech Wednesday night. Many in and around state government said he is targeting the income tax because it is the only tax that would bring in enough money to fund his ambitious transportation and education agendas.

Those proposals, which he began rolling out this week, call for $1.5 billion in additional spending next year and $2 billion in annual spending in future years to shore up the state’s transportation system and expand early education programs.

Boosting the income tax from the current rate of 5.25 percent to 5.66 percent would raise $1 billion annually, according to a menu of revenue options the Patrick administration released Monday. The remainder of Patrick’s proposals could be funded through other fees or taxes.

 

The Boston Herald’s Page One (via ditto) is something else entirely:

MA_BH

 

The coverage itself is equally hyperventilating.

As indicated above, there are three – count ’em, three – columnists on the case, starting with Joe Battenfeld and Howie Carr in this double-barreled spread:

Picture 2

 

Cut to Michael Graham’s piece on the op-ed page to complete the chinstroker trifecta.

But wait – there’s also this editorial and this editorial cartoon:

holberts 01-16 cartoon

 

Before you say anything, that’s exactly how that cartoon appears on the feisty local tabloid’s website.

Just like the Herald, eh? Never the full picture.

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Cash ‘n’ Kerry (Patriots Playoff Edition)

January 15, 2013

So there was Sen. John Kerry (D-Am I Secretary of State Yet?) at Gillette Stadium rubbing elbows in the owner’s box with Robert Kraft and, presumably, girlfriend Ricki Noel Landed – sorry, Lander – and rubbing etc. on the field with Bill Belichick.

Clearly this called for some scrutiny by the local dailies and, true to form, they dug right in.

The Boston Globe’s Glen Johnson went this way (web only):

DownloadedFileStaff says John Kerry paid fair market value for tickets in Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s suite

The CBS Sports cameras made their traditional game-day pan of the owner’s box at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, catching not just Robert Kraft but also one of his highly recognizable guests: Senator John Kerry.

That prompted instant questions about how Kerry ended up in such rarified air, and whether the secretary of state-to-be paid his fair share to attend.

His staff insists he did.

 

To the tune of a whopping $191 – “what the team determined to be fair market value .”

Uh-huh.

Meanwhile, the Boston Herald’s Track Gals (without Megan!) went this way:

W4ST8035.JPGReaders real sports about John Kerry’s Bill blitz

So you think you’re pret-tay, pret-tay funny, don’t you?

Our request yesterday for an amusing caption for this photo of Sen.John Kerry bear-hugging Patriots coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines before the AFC semifinal at Gillette Stadium was met with a few funnies.

We’re partial to one sent in via Twitter by political strategist 
@Jake1839, who imagined the secretary of state-in-waiting whispering into BB’s ear, “I’m gonna need defense advice when I get to Washington.”

 

Ha!

As we said, true to form.

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Hall of Shame Bakeoff: Joe Fitz vs. Dan Shaughnessy

January 12, 2013

No Hall of Fame inductees for you!

And – wait for it – very different takes in the local dailies.

Dan Shaughnessy’s Thursday Boston Globe  column:

46171382H6239713A Hall of Fame ballot without a whiff of PED usage

The poison ballot remained on my desk, unopened until Dec. 31.

I knew what was in there. Hardball anthrax. Nothing could be gained from tearing it open. Only bad things could come of it.

But I am a card-carrying member of the much-loathed Baseball Writers Association of America. I’ve been honored with a Hall of Fame ballot since 1987. It’s the most important responsibility that comes with membership.

And it has become the worst exercise of the year.

On Wednesday, one day before the Oscar nominations are announced, the BBWAA will announce the results of this year’s Hall of Fame election. It’s going to be another dreadful day for the BBWAA, for baseball, for Mom, apple pie, and America.

I voted for Jack Morris, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, and Curt Schilling.

I did not vote for the greatest home run hitter of all-time. I did not vote for a guy who won 354 games and seven Cy Young trophies. I did not vote for a guy who hit 60 or more homers in a season three times. I did not vote for a catcher who hit 427 home runs. I did not vote for a first baseman who hit 449 home runs. I did not vote for a guy who hit 569 homers and cracked 3,020 hits. I did not vote for a guy who hit 70 homers in a season.

 

Joe Fitzgerald’s Boston Herald  column today:

Hall of Fame BaseballWhy I cast Hall of Fame vote for Clemens

When a few folks discovered this writer had a vote in last month’s Hall of Fame balloting, there was not only an interest in the decisions he made, but also a demand to know what he was thinking if he wasn’t on the same page they were, as if a disagreement was intensely personal to them . . .

For what it’s worth, here’s why Roger Clemens received a vote here, a vote that had much less to do with baseball than it did with adherence to a principle.

First of all, if Clemens used a performance enhancer, it was not to have a Hall of Fame career, but rather to extend one.

The key word there is “if,” though very little doubt exists in the court of public opinion. Thankfully, the court of public opinion isn’t where we look for justice.

The law tried to nail Clemens twice and it failed both times.

But that made no difference to many of the writers who would ban him, explaining suspicions were sufficient to deny him induction.

Suspicions? Is that all that’s now needed to convict someone?

Sorry, boys, it doesn’t work that way, or at least it’s not supposed to.

Different strokes for different papers.

Good, yes?

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That Dog Gone Tessa (Lehane Exits Brookline Edition)

January 12, 2013

According to our dogged local tabloid, Dennis (Call Me Javert) Lehane is giving up his Brookline canine patrol for his runaway pooch Tessa.

From today’s Boston Herald (web edition):

2b852b_LehaneLehane says he’ll take down missing dog fliers

Crime scribe Dennis Lehane says he’ll take down the fliers volunteers have posted around Brookline in the quest to find his missing dog after the town said they violated town bylaws.

“I can see the town of Brookline’s point. And there’s no reason we should expect preferential or selective treatment because of my last name,” Lehane said today in the statement.

The town yesterday told Lehane that the hundreds of fliers put up all over town had to be taken down by Monday.

 

But wait! There’s more!

From today’s Boston Globe:

People Dennis Lehane Dog.JPEG-03d81Brookline will hold off on removing Lehane’s fliers

Brookline is going to sit on an order to remove numerous fliers posted around town for author Dennis Lehane’s missing dog, Tessa. Town Administrator Melvin Kleckner said in an e-mail Friday night that, with an offer by the Animal Rescue League to facilitate, he’s directed Brookline’s Department of Public Works to hold off on taking down the signs “in the hopes that a more coordinated and reasonable approach on posting signs can be worked out.”

 

Actually, there’s been more than enough coordination in this doggie crusade.

But reasonable?

You tell us.

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Hark! The Herald! (Power of the Press Edition)

January 10, 2013

The feisty local tabloid has the self-promotion machine in overdrive today.

Page One (via the Newseum’s Today’s Front Pages):

MA_BH

 

And here’s the spread from pages 4 and 5:

Picture 2

 

Just for good measure, the Herald tosses an editorial (“Time for true reform”) and this Margery Eagan column into the mix:

062909rowlings077.jpgShocking! In Mass., they’re fixing a mess

Call it a shocker. A stunner. Another Massachusetts Miracle. Something you would never expect until Boston Harbor freezes over and 90 percent of our lawmakers have an “R” instead of a “D” next to their names.

Last year the Herald ran a series of stories detailing questionable unemployment claims filed by city and town workers. Yesterday, Gov. Deval Patrick announced reforms. And most everybody thinks Beacon Hill will actually OK those reforms — soon.

 

All thanks to the Herald, of course. Or so it seems.

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