Bill Belichick to Herald: We’re on to Boston Globe

February 4, 2024

From our Local Dailies DisADvantage desk

Former football coach Bill Belichick got lots of press coverage today for running this full-page ad on A3 of the Boston Sunday Globe.

Here’s the text, for those of you keeping score at home.

Nowhere in America are pro sports fans as passionate as in New England and for 24 years, I was blessed to feel your passion and power. The Patriots are the only NFL team representing SIX states but in reality, Patriots Nation knows no borders.

You were undaunted by weather, attended scorching hot training camp practices and braved Foxborough’s coldest, wettest, snowiest, and windiest days.

Your thoughtful letters offered support, critique, and creative play suggestions. You watched on TV, the Internet, and from your stadium seats.

You traveled from coast to coast and internationally. Numerous times, you overtook opposing stadiums and were the last fans standing. We loved it! You gave your precious time, resources, and energy to our team. We appreciated it!

Six times, you packed Boston by the millions for parades that were truly a two-way expression of gratitude and love. The images from those days are burned in my memory.

You may even have enjoyed my fashion sense and press conferences, or maybe you just tolerated them.

I loved coaching here and, together, we experienced some amazing moments.

THANK YOU ALL.

With respect and admiration,

Bill Belichick

Know who Bill Belichick does not respect? The hardworking folks at the Boston Herald, whose ever-dwindling readership is just as passionate about and devoted to the New England Patriots as Boston Globe readers.

But once again the thirsty local tabloid gets stiffed by someone who thinks Boston is a one-daily town.

Bad form, Mr. Unemployed Hoodie. Very bad form indeed.

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Boston Herald Subscription: Biggest Waste Ever (VIII)

December 2, 2019

As one of the Boston Herald’s 17 home subscribers, the hardreading staff noted numerous times over the past few years how the print edition of the skimpy local tabloid was often missing late-breaking news and – especially – sports scores.

That deficiency became even more glaring when the Herald shifted its printing a year and a half ago from the Boston Globe’s Taunton facility to the Providence Journal’s Rhode Island press, moving deadlines up to, oh, tea time.

(That contributed in no small part to our dropping the print subscription after several decades and going all-digital.)

But at least the Herald E-Edition would deliver the the later stuff.

Not any more.

Here’s the E-Edition reporting on the New England Patriots’ unthinkable (lookin’ at you, Dan Shaughnessy) loss to the Houston Texans last night.

 

 

As it says at the bottom of the left-hand page, you can get full coverage of last night’s game here.

But at that point, why would you bother?

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Super Bowl CongrADulations Spike Boston Herald

February 5, 2019

From our never-ending Local Dailies DisADvantage desk

In the wake of the New England Patriots’ victory in Stupor Bowl LIII, yesterday’s editions of the Boston dailies marked Celebration Day for the six-time champions.

Begin with the Boston Globe, where the Kraft Family bought page 3 of the Score section.

 

 

From there the congradulations took an oddly retail turn, starting with this sort of oblique Hood full page.

 

 

Next up was this 7-Eleven full page ad offering some Hangover Relief Specials.

 

 

Representative copy:

 

 

And then the back page of Score, brought to you by Pepsi, the Official Soft Drink of the New England Patriots and Super Bowl LIII.

 

 

Yes, that is the Chris Hogan of six targets, zero receptions, and zero yardage in the Big Game. But why get technical about it.

Finally, the A section of the Globe featured this full-page shoutout from Bank of America.

 

 

Of all the ads above, only that last one ran in the Boston Herald.

Today it’s a different story – it’s Tchotchke Day in the local dailies! Here’s a sample of the Patsabilia you can find in today’s Globe.

 

 

And here’s what the Herald is offering.

 

 

Not for nothing, but the hardreading staff gravitates toward the Levitating Football.

One final, poignant note: The thirsty local tabloid, after being passed over by so many advertisers yesterday, was finally reduced to running a congratulatory ad from . . . “the entire staff at the Boston Herald.”

 

 

That’s just, well, sad.

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Boston Herald Is Sold(er) Out by Departing Patriot

March 26, 2018

From our Local Dailies DisADvantage desk

First, disclosure: The hardreading staff has been a New York Giants fan since the days the team was called the New York Football Giants. (Don’t bother sending any abusive comments, splendid readers. Being a Giants fan is punishment enough itself.)

So we’re quite happy that former New England Patriot left tackle Nate Solder is Big Town bound, even at the cost of $62 million over four years, with $35 million guaranteed.

Solder’s feelings about leaving town, however, are mixed, as he mentioned in this full-page ad in yesterday’s Boston Globe.

Crosstown at the Boston Herald there was . . . nothing.

Note to Nate: Some denizens of Patriot Nation actually read the Herald. Apparently you won’t miss them – except with your ad dollars. Maybe Herald scribe Karen Guregian should take back the respectful sendoff she gave you yesterday.

Plenty left still to tackle

Solder loss leaves hole, concerns

The Patriots have a question mark in a place no team wants a question mark. They’re below par in the one position they can’t afford to be, especially with Tom Brady the linchpin to their success.

Uncertainty with Brady’s blind side protector? That’s not been a major storyline heading into a season for quite some time. Left tackle has been a strength for nearly two decades, from Matt Light to Nate Solder.

 

For the Herald, advertisers present a different kind of blind side: They don’t even see the thirsty local tabloid.

New slogan for the paper: Ad loss leaves hole, concerns.

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Tom Brady’s TAG Heuer Ad Yesterday Was Bad Timing

February 6, 2018

From our Late to the Party Pooper desk

Despite the Boston Globe’s delivery discombobulation yesterday, the hardreading staff was nonetheless remiss in failing to point out this ad in the lately local broadsheet’s Sports section.

 

 

Uh-huh.

Oddly enough, #DontCrackUnderPressure contained exactly zero tweets about Brady’s, well, cracking in Super Bowl LII.

Which says something about either 1) the effectiveness of Tom Brady’s PR machine, or 2) the lack of effectiveness of newspaper ads.

Or maybe both.

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Globe Duracell Ad Commits Battery on Bill Belichick

February 4, 2018

As the hardreading staff thumbed through its Boston Sunday Globe this morning, we couldn’t help but notice this double-truck ad in a special section called The Greater Debate, subhead “Who’s more responsible for this Patriots dynasty: Brady or Belichick?”

 

 

Here’s the body copy:

 

 

Notice that nowhere in the ad do the words “Bill Belichick” appear. But he’s there in every line, right? (Clever, that “Foxborough-hole,” eh?)

Which got the headscratching staff to thinking – are they paying Belichick? Or is this just an end-around?

So we hied ourselves to the Googletron and learned that this campaign has been in the news for several days now, both the print campaign and this TV spot.

 

 

That ad will air just before kickoff tonight. As far as we can tell, Belichick is not being paid.

Is he happy about this? Is he upset? Is he amused at the creativity displayed by ad agency Wieden + Kennedy?

Would he like us to stop asking questions now?

Who cares?  We want answers.

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Boston Dailies Split on Trump-Kraft Bromance

December 24, 2017

From our Tear the Sheets desk

There seems to be some confusion at the local dailies about what exactly transpired between White House squatter Donald Trump (R-Donald Trump) and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (R-NFL) over the GOP tax bill passed the other day.

According to yesterday’s Boston Herald Billionaire Bromance piece, Trump claimed that Kraft “based on this tax bill he just wanted to let me know that he’s going to buy a big plant in the great state of North Carolina and he’s going to build a tremendous paper mill there or paper products plant.”

But the Boston Globe’s Jon Chesto had a different take.

Unfortunately, the Kraft Group offered little clarity on the matter. A spokesman confirmed that Kraft and Trump spoke, and that Kraft believes the bill will spur corporate America to make significant capital investments.

But is a Kraft affiliate building another one in the Tar Heel State? The Kraft spokesman wouldn’t say. A spokesman for that state’s economic development office was similarly elusive.

 

As is just about everything Donald Trump has ever said.

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New England Patriots Bust Local Rip-Off Roofer

August 20, 2017

As the hardtsking staff has extensively noted, for several weeks the Boston Globe has let an outfit called Northeast Home & Energy run this ad suggesting the roofing company has some association with the New England Patriots.

 

 

Except it doesn’t – a fact that Emily Rooney at WGBH’s Beat the Press passed along on Friday’s edition (around 5:15 of clip).

 

 

The upshot: The Pats sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Roof Bros, and here’s what appeared in the Globe yesterday and today.

 

 

No Patriots jerseys. No football. No Gillette Stadium.

No consequences for the Roof Bros or the $tately local broadsheet?

Dunno.

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Boston Globe Keeps Letting Roofer Rip Off Patriots

August 18, 2017

As the hardtsking staff noted earlier this week, the Boston Globe has been running ads from an outfit called Northeast Home & Energy flaunting a nonexistent New England Patriots connection.

Yesterday, the Globeniks made patsies of the Pats for a third time.

 

The Roof Bros even have a special welcome on their website for Globe clickers.

 

 

Isn’t that special?

Apparently the $tately local broadsheet has no problem with paying customers hijacking a local sports team for fun and profit.

Rumor has it that the fine folks at WGBH’s Beat the Press will tackle this licensing end run on tonight’s episode.

Stay tuned for further details.

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Boston Globe Lets Local Roofer Rip Off NE Patriots

August 14, 2017

As the hardreading staff perused Saturday’s local dailies, we came across this ad on page 3 of the Boston Globe.

 

 

Upon closer inspection, we noted the wardrobe choices of the Roof Bros.

 

 

Except . . .

There’s nothing in the ad that indicates any affiliation between Northeast Home & Energy and the New England Patriots. Nor is there any mention of the Roof Bros when you plug NE Patriots Official Roofers into the Googletron.

It’s not like the Globe doesn’t know what’s kosher – this ad for an Officially Licensed Product ran in yesterday’s edition.

 

 

So . . .

What’s next, Globeniks?

Burlington Red Socks? Celtic sweaters? Bruin Brew?

Seriously, are you willing to let anyone with a certified check hijack the local sports teams?

Damn.

P.S. The ad also appears in today’s Globe.

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