Shaughnessy and the Krafts

Jackson 2 said:

There is only one entity which Shank despises more than the Krafts and the Patriots: their fans.

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Felger, Borges and Shaughnessy. The unholy trinity of Pats hate.

AzorianPats said:

Is that really true?

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That's what I read back when it occurred. I obviously wasn't there. I do have a relative who works part-time for the team and he's said for years that it happened. That's all I can tell you.

IllegalContact said:

why would anyone pay attention to this when it talks football?

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he looks like the abortion that got away

IndianPat said:

Shank aside (who I despised since the early 90's), how come the Krafts' (father and son) sit on a high chair while their invited guests are seen a rung below? Seems like they like to project a high and mighty image.

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On one hand, it does seem a little petty that they get better chairs than everyone else in their suite. Why not have them all the same height?

On the other hand, it's their team, their stadium, and their luxury suite. I can't get too worked up if they want to have the best seats in there. As a comparison, I recall some guest pointing out that David Letterman's chair is set up to be higher than the guest's seats. When it's your show, you get some privileges.

AzorianPats said:

Is that really true?

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From this 1998 article:

Patriots owner Bob Kraft met with several writers from the New England area yesterday, but the Globe declined Kraft's invitation because columnist Dan Shaughnessy was excluded from the list.
Kraft, who had not spoken to any group of reporters for months, did not include Shaughnessy because the owner objected to his columns. Those Kraft did invite included writers Nick Cafardo, Ron Borges, and Michael Madden of the Globe; Kevin Mannix and columnist George Kimball of the Boston Herald; and columnist Jim Donaldson of the Providence Journal-Bulletin.

"We felt that not including a columnist from our paper was inappropriate," said Don Skwar, the Globe's assistant managing editor for sports. "It represented handpicking who was going to ask questions at a gathering of news reporters, and we decided that if Dan wasn't being allowed to go, none of the Globe's writers would attend." Kraft defended his position by insisting the gathering was not a formal press conference and that he had the right to decide whom he wanted to speak with in the Boston media.

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The breakfast story is true (Edit: obviously, as indicated above), but the context is important.

This happened in the aftermath of the Parcells fiasco, which really changed the whole relationship between the Krafts and the Globe team. For the Globies it was all about backing up McDonough, and they took no prisoners with the Krafts (for McDonough it was all about carrying water for Joe O'Donnell and Steve Karp).

For the Krafts, they had enough of the Globe's B.S., between the hit price on them by Charlie Sennott, Barnicle's frequent "Thanks Myra" references, and the infamous McDonough fraudulent "inside story" piece. Shank at that point was more than a columnist at El Globo, he had an editorial position. It's a significant point in this story.

Maybe Kraft should have been the bigger man about all that but recall as well he was in the throes of his new stadium odyssey so likely was not in a place to be magnanimous to this jackass who didn't know crap about football to start with and showed up once in a blue moon to glom onto the free food. And it wouldn't have changed a thing, Shank would have kept it up regardless, because moving on with life ain't Dan's strong suit, that requires character and a desire to work at his craft, again not Dan's thing.

I'd say he's a dead ringer for Harpo Marx, but Harpo actually had a chin.

Jackson 2 said:

That's what I read back when it occurred. I obviously wasn't there. I do have a relative who works part-time for the team and he's said for years that it happened. That's all I can tell you.

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One of the Boston media watch? entries I read said it was for Patriots beat writers only. Shaughnessy had been a beat writer, but was a columnist at the time . Seems to make more sense, if true.

1. EDIT: KOMA seems to have a source article that says different.

I saw the red headed cabbage patch kid at the Capital Grille on Boylston a few summers back. I was with a couple of other boisterous Sox fans waiting for a table after a Sox game. My bud, Kevin, a firefighter from Warwick recognized him and yelled out "hey Shankanancy!"....he gave us the disgusted look of celebrity haughtiness , paid his check and left. I asked the bartender what he left for a tip and the guy just laughed and said, "your next drink will be a stiff one on me". True story.

Joker said:

I saw the red headed cabbage patch kid at the Capital Grille on Boylston a few summers back. I was with a couple of other boisterous Sox fans waiting for a table after a Sox game. My bud, Kevin, a firefighter from Warwick recognized him and yelled out "hey Shankanancy!"....he gave us the disgusted look of celebrity haughtiness , paid his check and left. I asked the bartender what he left for a tip and the guy just laughed and said, "your next drink will be a stiff one on me". True story.

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He's one of those miserable creatures convinced the world is wrong and he is right, begging for attention and notoriety, be it positive or negative.

CHB is jealous because Carl Everett knocked him off his high chair.

RayClay said:

He's one of those miserable creatures convinced the world is wrong and he is right, begging for attention and notoriety, be it positive or negative.

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Don't know who
exactly that would be
unlike. Actually, one is
strikingly similar.

I believe your post
reminds me of
a certain poster here who
eternally shows the same characteristics.

AQPE said:

The breakfast story is true (Edit: obviously, as indicated above), but the context is important.

This happened in the aftermath of the Parcells fiasco, which really changed the whole relationship between the Krafts and the Globe team. For the Globies it was all about backing up McDonough, and they took no prisoners with the Krafts (for McDonough it was all about carrying water for Joe O'Donnell and Steve Karp).

For the Krafts, they had enough of the Globe's B.S., between the hit price on them by Charlie Sennott, Barnicle's frequent "Thanks Myra" references, and the infamous McDonough fraudulent "inside story" piece. Shank at that point was more than a columnist at El Globo, he had an editorial position. It's a significant point in this story.

Maybe Kraft should have been the bigger man about all that but recall as well he was in the throes of his new stadium odyssey so likely was not in a place to be magnanimous to this jackass who didn't know crap about football to start with and showed up once in a blue moon to glom onto the free food. And it wouldn't have changed a thing, Shank would have kept it up regardless, because moving on with life ain't Dan's strong suit, that requires character and a desire to work at his craft, again not Dan's thing.

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I thought it was shaughnessy who always referred to Kraft as Robert "thanks Myra" Kraft . Not to nitpick but are you sure it was barnicle?

chasa said:

who still reads his garbage, and why is he getting promoted here?

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I'm pretty sure this isn't promotion.

AQPE said:

The breakfast story is true (Edit: obviously, as indicated above), but the context is important.

This happened in the aftermath of the Parcells fiasco, which really changed the whole relationship between the Krafts and the Globe team. For the Globies it was all about backing up McDonough, and they took no prisoners with the Krafts (for McDonough it was all about carrying water for Joe O'Donnell and Steve Karp).

For the Krafts, they had enough of the Globe's B.S., between the hit price on them by Charlie Sennott, Barnicle's frequent "Thanks Myra" references, and the infamous McDonough fraudulent "inside story" piece. Shank at that point was more than a columnist at El Globo, he had an editorial position. It's a significant point in this story.

Maybe Kraft should have been the bigger man about all that but recall as well he was in the throes of his new stadium odyssey so likely was not in a place to be magnanimous to this jackass who didn't know crap about football to start with and showed up once in a blue moon to glom onto the free food. And it wouldn't have changed a thing, Shank would have kept it up regardless, because moving on with life ain't Dan's strong suit, that requires character and a desire to work at his craft, again not Dan's thing.

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McDonough was a real ****heel. Compared to him, every single media guy in Boston working the Pats currently is agenda free.

rochrist said:

McDonough was a real ****heel. Compared to him, every single media guy in Boston working the Pats currently is agenda free.

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And the worst offenders in the media regarding having agendas to push and axes to grind will deny it. They all think they are somehow above the fray and that the fans are the real idiots. For example, the DeOssie Affair.

He is a regular on Zolak and Gresch in the middle of the day, if I am listening I usually change the channel.. in his droll voice he tries to make it sound like he is the smartest guy in the room.

Cannot stand the guy... but the more props he gets by clicking on his columns, the more it is beleived that he is liked by his editors...

Remember reading somewhere that prior to us having really good, in control coaches for our pro teams.. the writers were at the top of the sports power pyramid... at that time the writers were very good; Gammons, McDonough et al. Then they all turned to crap and got confused by social media...

Is just plain narcissism...nothing more nothing less. It's a disease he will have to live with....

rochrist said:

It's Shaughnessey. He doesn't need a real reason. I was listening to him last night rag on soccer. I mean, it's fine to not like soccer, but he's such an idiot...

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You could have stopped right there.

DarrylS said:

Remember reading somewhere that prior to us having really good, in control coaches for our pro teams.. the writers were at the top of the sports power pyramid... at that time the writers were very good; Gammons, McDonough et al. Then they all turned to crap and got confused by social media...

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Great points.
Historically, the Globe had always been a heavily unionized operation very familiar with union tactics...giving and receiving. They understood the power of leverage and how to use it to their advantage. We tend look at the Pats and the Sox as "teams of competition" but the cold reality of professional sports is that these are businesses reliant on revenue and for a better part of a century (for the Sox), dependent on their relationship with the Boston Globe.
Notice anything familiar with the names:
McDonough
Gammons
Ryan
Shaughnessy
MacMullan
Lieutenants of the Irish Media Mafia???? Too Strong??
All terrific writers ( Shank had his moments last century) that worked very hard to achieve top of the rung status ( Shank has a step stool). Maybe calling the Globe the Irish Media Mafia is a bit too strong (and maybe not)...but there is little doubt who controlled who as far as sports team and media were concerned. Irish bull dog reporters working for a newspaper that dominates an Irish controlled city heavily influenced by the power of the unions. Leverage Central. What choice did sports team have last century but to play ball with the Globe. I'm sure most every owner attempted to extricate themselves from the grips of Globe persuasion......and producing winning teams was the only way to lessen the paper's influence. Unfortunately for both the Red Sox and and Patriots, winning was near impossible though the Sox flirted occasionally. The Patriots......they were the bastard child of Boston that fled the city and lived in irrelevance for decades. Playing by the Globes' rules was a cost of doing business and staying relevant.
I give Bob Kraft a lot of credit for many things: buying the Pats, keeping the Pats in NE, building a great stadium, hiring the right people........AND...having great timing. Though we are talking about Kraft's stiff arm of Shank for a luncheon/media session, no doubt Kraft was keen to the reality that new media...the internet, talk radio, ESPN.....all had started to drown out the Globe and team owners no longer had to accept the Globes' business as usual bullying tactics. As we all know, the Globe didn't take kindly to such dismissive behavior....but......the public adapted and the villain label has since been transferred from the "evil" owners to the "gutless/agitating" media themselves.
Today, does any PatsFan poster rely on the Globe or Boston.com for their daily sports fix? I confess to occasionally peaking to see about Red Sox roster moves (based on the ownership relationship)....but that's it. The bullying tactics of last century are long gone.