NESN anchor Bob Rodgers has been disciplined, perhaps fired, for skipping out of Fort Myers Tuesday without permission to coach Whitman-Hanson to a 90-60 loss in the boys MIAA basketball tournament Tuesday night.

Bob's been coaching Whitman-Hanson for quite a while. He got a raw deal.

The information I have is that he was disciplined and "perhaps fired."

This will be in the Herald tomorrow (edit, don't think it made it in)

Damn I liked Bob Rogers, am I in the minority on this one? I just thought that in some cases he wasn't afraid to say something negative (i.e. with the moves Grady made). I think Rogers spoke up and said some things that most fans thought but whereas other guys in his position probably would have not done so.

Who would take his place? hmm Eck should just take over the whole thing, let Eck have his own show...

I never felt strongly either way, but the way DD describes it sounds like Rogers got an incredibly raw deal.

I hope he isn't canned.

I always liked what he said. He just always seemed like a weenie to me though. My only fear is that NESN is so horribly low on money to get anyone good that whoever took his place would surely be worse. Same fear as Smurfette basically.

I feel bad for Bob and all....

But this opens the door for my 'Bill Lee and Eck Bong Hour' pre and postgame shows...hilarity will ensue.

On a serious note, I wonder if this means that we'll have TC taking over Bob's spot...or maybe McDonough might get some NESN airtime.

Someone else said everybody knew he was going back, so we'll see if anything comes in the Herald.

I hope this isn't true. I need to know more about the situation for me to determine who's wrong, but it sure seems like overreaction.

I had MLB Season ticket not too long ago. Try watching some of the other studio hosts. Bob Rodgers is a great host, and the guy speaks his mind. He didn't hesitate throwing Grady under the bus, which isn't easy to do on camera. We all throw bombs at Sox managers here in the safety of the message board, but it takes some stones to do it when your on their payroll and you go to their clubhouse everyday. That said, the only possible replacement I could think of would be McDonough, which would be good, since he's gotten shafted over the past few years.

p.s. I'll throw up if Mr. "Not your Typical Fan" does the show. Yuck!

We were just talking about BR in another thread a couple weeks ago. A lot of people seemed to really like BR. I personally think he is great. He has really come into his own as much as one can being in his position. I like that he holds no punches but still comes across as a good guy. Him and Eck made a good team last year for the pre/post game shows. That been said, I think that Sean McD would be a very good replacement (if BR is indeed fired). I think the problem with Sean is that he comes at a high price tage (hence he only works like 20-something games). IIRC, he almost didn't come back last season, and even worse... almost did play-by-play for the Mets.

Speaking of NESN people.... why does French Stewart* now do Sportsdesk???

Why do they need 3-4 people to do a daily 15 MINUTE** show.

*I know... it's Mike Perlow, not French Stewart... but what's the difference.

**I guess Nat X doesn't have the ONLY 15 minute show... and yes, the revolution will be televised!

Apparently he planned to fly back and forth as long as W-H was in the tournament. Not fired, but they called him into a meeting Wed. morning and ripped him. He unfortunately missed Nomar's arrival in camp.

I like Bob because he's a big Sox fan, just like all of us, and it shows. I like him a lot better than anyone on Fox.

This guy's a journo who's supposed to cover ST? And he left? And everyone is upset that he's "disciplined"?

Bit of a non-story, no? Seems to me he should have been fired. Or suspended.

The Man is afraid to give Sportsdesk or Nat X a full 30 minute show.

"The Top 5 list, because the Man won't give me 10"

This reminds me of that story about Michael Smith not going to Toronto because of the SARS scare and the Globe editors went up in arms. Michael Smith is a good writer, but that was a little strange - especially since someone else was going to have to go up there.

Obviously, the WH basketball coach is his #1 job and the NESN job is #2. If I remember correctly, his youth sports commitments were why he didn't like doing the Sox games when Kurtz left. I am all in favor of giving back to the community, but it seems odd that a guy would put his career in jeopardy over a decision to coach HS basketball. JP Ricciardi was the coach at Holy Name when he was the Asst GM of the A's, was he leaving spring training to coach them in the tourney? That would be a good question to ask. I know he's not coaching them anymore.

edit -- added "else"

I hope BR's punishment wasn't severe.. like say, have him watch Jayme Parker on Sportsdesk from 5 - 9.

Edit = Jayme, not Jamie!!

The old bosses at NESN had no problem with BR doing this. In fact it is why he turned down the play by play job that Orsillo wound up getting. (BR took over when Kurtz left in mid season to do Wild hockey)

Moral is not good at NESN right now, and some people are scared. There is skuttlebut that Comcast will take over the SportsDesk operations and tie it in with their existing sports channels in Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago. Amy Stone currently of WCBS-TV but a NESN alum is being mentioned.

Side note

The reason WEEI is not being shown on NESN right now is simply nobody wants to pay to wire the WEEI studio with cameras. YES didn't have this problem as WFAN was already set up with cameras for Imus on MSNBC. In the M&MD case, the cameras are actually controlled remotely at YES master control in Stamford, CT even though the show is done at WFAN in Astoria,Queens.

Bob Rodgers is a total class act. There seems to be a disconnect between the personnel-friendly Sox upper management and the goons in charge of NESN. Schilling can skip town to testify against his agent in his first week with the Sox, but the anchor/reporter covering the team for 17 years can't go finish his high school basketball season during the nascent stages of spring training? Total nonsense.

Schilling can skip town to testify against his agent in his first week with the Sox, but the anchor/reporter covering the team for 17 years can't go finish his high school basketball season during the nascent stages of spring training? Total nonsense. "

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Schilling get permission ahead of time? According to this report Rodgers did not, I don't think your boss would like you leaving your assignment without asking. He should be disciplined, and he wasn't fired, so I don't even see why it is a story.

This did appear in the Inside Track today:

What about Bob?

Inquiring minds want to know: Where is NESN Red Sox guru Bob Rodgers?

Rodgers, who does the pre- and post-game shows, as well as ``Red Sox Inside Out'' for the Sox station, vanished from the spring-training scene earlier this week and Don Orsillo arrived unexpectedly to take his place.

We hear Rodgers, a 17-year NESN veteran, may be on some kind of in-house suspension after he went AWOL from training camp to return home and coach a high school basketball game.

Word is, Bob pre-taped a bunch of reports about the Tuesday arrival of Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez - covering all the bases (one if both showed up, one if only Nomar showed, one if Petey showed solo, well, you get the drift) - then flew back to Hanson for the game.

When his bosses found out, they reportedly were less than amused.

Rodgers declined to comment and we'd like to give you the NESN spin, but they didn't deign to return our calls. . . .

http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack...g?articleid=409

What baffles me is why Rodgers didn't just explain the situation to his bosses? Even well in advance. I mean if he knew there would be some basketball comittments that he wanted to keep...you think he could have used some personal days or something like that.

The guys commitment to high school sports does baffle me. I mean the guy turned down the change to be the Red Sox play by play guy because of some similar reason I believe.

rsb

My understanding is that "it wouldn't have mattered if he asked permission" or for days off... he was going to be denied.

If the guy spends a whole season coaching a basketball team, that makes it to the tournament, he damn well should be there to see how far his kids can go. He's at a disadvantage as is b/c of his Red Sox commitments. Let them use Eric Froede. Orsillo did finally come down to help. Rodgers must be whaling butts left and right about now.

Go. See. Hoosiers.

I always sort of liked Bob Rodgers, but when whiny self-pitying loser Grady Little had the nerve to drawl out a complaint about the perfectly reasonable questioning Rodgers gave his screwups, Rodgers became a favorite.

Please, NESN, keep Bob Rodgers.

I'm not a very big Bob Rodgers fan, but it seems as though he got a raw deal on this one. I would have done the exact same thing he did. He made a committment to the kids. I know he also made a commitment to NESN, but I think they should have given him a break. However, if he didn't tell them he wasn't going down its a different story.

On the subject of NESN....there had been some confusion about Thursday schedule.

Since the Bruins are playing that night, some thought the NESN Red Sox game was a typo or something...but the game is on NESN. The Bruins are the national game on ESPN that night.

Sox game on!!!!

rsb

That's a darn shame. I feel particularly bad since Whitman-Hanson was my H.S. "alma mater". His name doesn't ring a bell, but I'm sure that's because I haven't lived in Mass. for years.

wow, I'm on the other side. I don't particularly care for BR. Of course, I like him more than Don Orsillo, but that's not saying much.

It would be nice to see McDonough in there regularly, but that's also a pipe-dream.

I think it's wonderful that Bob Rodgers is committed to coaching high-school sports. That said, he has also agreed to a contract with NESN to perform his job duties in exchange for payment. If Rodgers feels that strongly about coaching the kids, then he shouldn't take NESN's money if he knows that they expect him to remain in Florida.

It also provided a very poor example to the youngsters he is working with. None of us would be very impressed if we learned that those students made a commitment to their teachers to attend class and study, and then engaged in a cover-up to skip class so they could play in a basketball tournament.

Jim D.

Bob Rodgers Fired

According to the Globe story, NESN fired Rodgers. Too bad, I'll miss his candor.

I am hating NESN more and more everyday. BR has done such a good job over the past couple years with the pre/post game shows (plus Red Sox Inside Out) recently. I hope they can find somebody good to replace him in those capacities (Sean McDonough???). They better not give Mike "French Stewart" Perlow the job. I'll destroy NESN if they give it to Tom "Agent Smith" Caron. I'll destroy my self if they give it to Jayme Parker!!!

I went to High School With Jayme Parker. She's a nice kid, used to date a good friend of mine. But she's really not a good sports reporter, I'm sorry Jayme.

I bet they bring in someone from ESPN. (Hello Steve Berthieume!!!)

How about JW Stewart?? My oldest brother grew up with him. You want to talk about good guys. I don't know if he could carry an entire pre/post game show, but he does a real good job at ESPN News. I'm surpirsed they haven't bumped him up to the big show yet.

There has to be more to this than just a high school basketball game. It just doesn't add up. If Rodgers didn't ask NESN ahead of time for a couple of days off to coach the kids then he is very dumb, but if he did and was denied then NESN are the idiots.

When I need time off to coach, I ask my boss and say I'll make the time up elsewhere. I never try and 'sneak' out as I know I'll be seen. I never have had a problem. And if something too important at work is on then my assistant would cover for me for games.

This is not good. Bob was the glue. It took talent to get through last season with that co-host rotation he was stuck with. Not only that, but he was 'training' them as the season progressed. Through all of that, he still provided a top show.

I agree, there most likely was more to this than the overnight to coach. He was probably already on a tight leash considering Bob's questioning of so many of Little's calls last year. His outspokenness was one his greatest strengths. I hope his replacement is not a "team guy".

I'm sorry, but I think the guy deserved to be fired. I'd be fired if I did the same.

And I wonder if in his new contract, signed just this past December, the coaching issue wasnt addressed?

I'm gonna hold off on drawing a conclusion here. As a volunteer to various children events (including the Connecticut Special Olympics), I have to believe that BR gave his word to the kids on the team that if they made it to the playoffs that he would be there. Now, if he had asked for permission from NESN to be there and they denied him, BR made the right choice in my mind. However, if he didn't even ask and just skipped out...then NESN should have taken why he skippted out into consideration. Right now I believe that the punishment was a little harsh.

I don't disagree at all. He should have been fired. But his firing makes NESN a little more sucky than it already is. I hope they have bigger plans for the network. They just axed one of their own that was really starting to come into his own (it only took 16 years!!). It just sucks that people were really starting to like BR, he was really separating himself from the other "NESN personalties".

There are 2 names floating around that may soon be in NESN's future. Both are considered to be liked by Tom Werner.

One is a disgruntled MSNBC host who misses baseball and likes Boston having worked at WCVB back in the 80's. Taking a cut in pay is not an issue with him. Plus he could still do features from Boston for MSNBC similar to Mike Barnicle.

The other is a Boston native who still has a house south of Boston. She recorded "Take Me Out to Old Fenway" in 1986 and is a lifelong Sox fan even though for the past 20 years has worked at WFAN and YES.

The number of long time Fenway people let go in the last month is sad. A lot of good people are gone who simply were considered Harrington people.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY NOT SUZYN WALDMYN!!!!!!!! I would drive my car off the nearest really high freeway bridge if she was hired to be the main pre- and post-game host!!!! I cannot stress how much she sucks royally!

That being said, I wouldn't mind Keith Olberman, if he toned his smarminess down.

-MALC

Now that Rogers is gone, it's time to heal old wounds and bring Sean McDonough back before we lose him altogether. He has been the voice of the Red Sox for a long time and would be great as pre and post game host with Jerry. Having him and his talent doing only 30 games a year is a crime. He was only cut because Don is much cheaper to pay. :score One of Sean best calls from last year was from this game.

Keith Olberman would be good because you can play the Keith Olberman drinking game. Drink when he says any of the following:

From way downtown
Bang!
Full extension
They're not gonna get him!
I don't think it's playable
If you're scoring at home, or even if you're by yourself

Fun times!!

Just Say No to Suzy Waldmyn.

JD

That last one I think he stole from Steve Somers, the classic Captain Midnight from yesteryear on WFAN in New York who now works evenings. Steve's the radio version of Yogi Berra, and a true legend, although sometimes long-winded.

Just a random fact.

-MALC

Thanks Nufced, it would be interesting if Keith Olbermann or Suzyn Waldman wound up at NESN. I'd be surprised if it was Suzyn Waldman -- she's done a pretty good job of masking her love for the Red Sox what with her fawning at the ARod press conference.

Either Olbermann or Waldman would be a huge improvement over Bob Rodgers. IMO, Rodgers had little charisma and talent. Olbermann and Waldman would be able to entertain us, something Rodgers wasn't very good at. I mean, those post game interviews and call-ins were good only for unintentional comedy. There was no reason to watch that show. Somehow, Dennis Eckersley nearly saved it with his sort of irreverent takes, but Rodgers wasn't energetic enough to bring the show to a higher level.

Likewise, I don't feel bad for Rodgers. He left to coach the team knowing that it could get him fired. He signed a contract in December and made a commitment to the Sox and NESN -- he obviously placed his basketball duties above his NESN duties and that's not acceptable. The best analogy I can think of is of a guy who is supposed to be at a work conference -- if you left the conference without permission or telling your boss to come home and you missed a major part of the conference -- you would be fired. No questions asked.

I just threw up in my mouth at the thought of Suzyn Waldman coming back to Boston.

John Bohnam is being dicussed in the best drummer thread!!

Luckily for me, I didn't choke on it.

Please, NO SUZYN WALDMAN. I don't know what's worst, her sucking up to Randy Levine after Game 3 last year, her accent or her future appearance on badplasticsurgery.com.

Rodgers got a raw deal, with some the rotating partners, some great (Eck/Tewks), some really bad (Corsi/Rice) and now this, but don't forget that he's a minor league talent in a major league town. Dave Jaegler may have a face for radio, but he is a very talented and informed guy, who would be perfect for the job if no big name (McDonough, please) takes it.

Nesn.com didn't waste any time wiping him off the webpage

http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/aboutus/onair/



There are forces at work here that go way beyond Red Sox games.

NESN and Comcast have been "talking" about Comcast taking over the production aspects including pre and post game shows, but Comcast has a "vision"

Right now Comcast has a NESN type operation in place in Philadelphia and Washington/Baltimore. This fall they will start a full time channel in Chicago as they have obtained the rights to every Chicago pro team except the Bears. Even if they don't takeover Disney ( and ESPN ) they are setting themselves up to be a viable alternative to ESPN and will not make the same mistakes FOX/Cablevision did.

Comcast SportsNet would also help YES fill a hole it has for national sports.

There HAS to be more to this Bob Rodgers story. This is a man who lives and breathes family first. He TURNED down the Sox play by play job because of the travel. (He did it briefly in 2000 when Bob Kurtz quit) and the Sox then hired Orsillo from Pawtucket. Bob will surface quickly however.

NESN at least is no longer being run like a cable access channel as it was during the Harrington years. Graphics are now network quality, and road telecasts have been improved. NESN may well be the 4th most valuable broadcast outlet in New England after the 3 Boston network outlets. It is a cash cow.

Why would Olberman leave a "network" job to do local baseball? Take a look at his MSNBC ratings. He may have more viewers on NESN.

Waldman almost came to Boston in 1991 to be a cohost on WEEI, but they went with the long forgotten Janet Pensky.

Nuff, do you think any of Comcast's machinations might end up in NESN becoming a semi-national station such as YES?

I just read on dirt dogs that Tim McCarver was a possible replacement for Rodgers. However far fetched, the mere thought of it makes me wanna scout a good place on the Zakim. That guy was absolutely horrid during the playoffs last year. Total Skankee fan.

Consider the source.