"The calendars have been flipped for a few days now, but before we dive headlong into the 2026 sports media scene, your semiloyal scribe (that's me) wanted to jot down a few national and local people, places, and things that I enjoyed or appreciated from the past year on this beat. Twenty-six of them, in fact ... · NBC Sports Boston's "Quick Slants," especially Tom E. Curran's good-natured "Irrelevant Questions" segments with Patriots players. · Phil Perry's knack for good-naturedly shutting down Felger-generated Patriots hot takes with facts and insight. · Lou Merloni's #walkthedog social media clips that never fail to offer clear-eyed assessments of the state of the Red Sox."
"· The "30 for 30" on late ESPN personality Stuart Scott, which offered a candid look at his professional and personal perseverance. · Mike Reiss's institutional knowledge and trustworthy Patriots coverage for ESPN. · Sean McDonough, the most underrated multisport national broadcaster of his time, winning the 2025 National Sportscaster of the Year from the National Sports Media Association. · McDonough's humor and frank assessments on the 30 or so Red Sox games he called on WEEI."
"· Reporters that ask short, straightforward questions in press conferences. · The Ringer's "Fantasy Football Podcast," which is a riot whether you're a casual or obsessive fantasy football participant. · Tom Caron's ability to bring the best out of NESN Red Sox analysts of various personalities and strengths. · The realization that struck after the superb finale of "Stranger Things" (spoiler alert, sort of?): Nancy Wheeler would have been an intern at the Herald at roughly the same time as Bill Simmons, Tony Massarotti, and Michael Felger."
A collection of 26 appreciated national and local sports media people, places, and things highlights entertaining segments, trustworthy reporting, and thoughtful storytelling. Examples include NBC Sports Boston's Quick Slants and Tom E. Curran's Irrelevant Questions with Patriots players, Phil Perry's fact-driven rebuttals, Lou Merloni's #walkthedog Red Sox assessments, and ESPN's 30 for 30 on Stuart Scott. Mike Reiss and Sean McDonough offered institutional knowledge and standout broadcasting, with McDonough earning 2025 National Sportscaster of the Year. The list also values concise press-conference questions, The Ringer's Fantasy Football Podcast, Tom Caron's analyst management, and pop-culture crossover observations.
Read at Boston.com
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