Free Forum Felger: The Mike Felger Interview

A Boston University student walks into his journalism class on the first day of school of his sophomore year. His professor pitches a question to the class: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” The teacher’s query finally reaches the skinny kid from Wisconsin who gives his answer without thinking much about it. “I’d like to be a sports writer or sportscaster,” he says. The teacher takes a look at he pupil and jots down a note and a phone number on the student’s pad. “Call this guy at the Herald,” the note reads, “they do internships, it’s a good place to start.”

18 years later Michel Felger has become one of Boston’s most recognizable media personalities. He has been with the Boston Herald since 1989 and has worked as the New England Patriots beat writer since 1999. He’s the host of “Four Downs with Felger” on Fox Sports Net, the author of “Tales from the Patriots Sideline” (Now only $12 on Amazon.com), an annual guest on WBZ’s award winning Sports Final and the host of ESPN Radio’s The Mike Felger Show on 890 AM-Radio. In fact, since it’s start in 2005, Felger is the only local sports personality you can hear daily on ESPN Radio Boston, wedged between national shows and sports broadcasts. His ratings continue to grow and he recently took time to talk with Barstool Sports:

BSS: Right off the top, how does a sports writer from Wisconsin land Sara Underwood?

MF: (Laughs) She was…I’ll tell you the whole story. She was here for over a year, and she was out celebrating her birthday. She hadn’t met any guy she liked for over a year, and I think she got to the one year anniversary and she lowered her standards. And the day she lowered her standards I just happened to be in the bar that night.

BSS: You hadn’t met at WBZ?

MF: I ran into her once on the set, coming off of Sports Final and she was going on to do the news and then I didn’t see her in 6-months and I ran into her in a bar on her birthday. She was hammered, she’d been here a year and she was ready to lower her standards and there you go.

BSS: Why is Ron Borges on your show?

MF: Why Ron Borges? Because he gives you a perspective you don’t get anywhere else. Where else are you going to hear someone rip Bill Belichick and the Patriots? How can you rip the unrippable?

BSS: Don’t you think his ripping of Belichick is a personal thing and not objective?

MF: It’s not objective. Ron Borges is one of the least objective guys in this town, and that doesn’t make him bad or unentertaining. I totally think he’s unobjective. I think it’s totally a personal thing with him and Bill Belichick, categorically. Ron, I don’t think he’s gonna argue with what’s actually happened or the success level of the team, you can’t. Ron sometimes does sound foolish when he does, but I think his perspective is great. He is right a lot of the time. Not all the time. He’s wrong on Belichick, but it’s like he’s going down fighting with it.

BSS: You’ve had some run-ins with Corey Dillon that have been well publicized. Now that he’s been cut by the Patriots, do you think he can still be a quality running back for a team in the NFL?

MF: I do, if you give him the right contract. If you give him an incentive-laden contract, where he has to run for his money, I think you’d have a shot, and he’d have to be spelled as well. And I’m curious to see, I do think there is a team that will give him one more crack to be something approaching a lead back.

BSS: If he gets that chance (to be a lead back) does he succeed?

MF: Toss up, probably not.

BSS: You’ve made some comments regarding Doug Flutie, or “Dougie” Flutie, as you’ve called him on the air. Are your thoughts regarding Flutie’s career just a Boston University-Boston College thing? 

MF: Total BU thing.

BSS: You’ve never met Doug, you don’t have any personal thing with him?

MF: I’ve met him before. What he does for autism is heroic and phenomenal and I’d always say that, it’s really more anti BC. He’s a poster boy for BC. He is BC. So if you have a problem with BC then Doug’s a great target, so I take it. And the BC people are over-the-top sensitive. Just notoriously sensitive and self-important and if you levy any tiny criticism at BC they’re up in arms. So a way to really get them is to tweak “Dougie.”

BSS: You used to be over at WEEI as a guest on the Big Show. When did ESPN contact you?

MF: I think they contacted me in the summer of ’05, told me what they were doing and asked me if I was interested.

BSS: You were immediately interested?

MF: Well I was interested in talking to them. It took a couple of months but eventually I took the chance, yeah.

BSS: You have a lot of Boston Globe guests on this show and you are a Herald reporter. How does the Herald feel about that?

MF: They haven’t said anything.

BSS: Really? I know there are a lot of Herald writers over on WEEI and I don’t think there are any Globe writers, but the Herald has never seen a conflict of interest with you having Globe writers on your show?

MF: They haven’t and thankfully the Globe hasn’t either. You know one of the first things I did when I agreed to come over here was I called Joe Sullivan the sports editor of the Globe and asked him if I could use his people and he said “yes” which was great. You know a lot of people don’t like Ron Borges, but he’s a valuable voice. Bob Ryan is categorically a valuable voice. We use Bob Ryan a lot. He’s a huge asset to our station.

BSS: As a Herald reporter what do you feel like the future is of the newspaper industry in general? You’ve got two papers in Boston, are they going to survive?

MF: I don’t know. I hope it does. The Globe needs the Herald there to keep it honest there’s just no doubt about it. If we were just a Boston Globe town it would be insufferable, people wouldn’t get objectivity. It would just be the Globe slant, and that’s not what anyone is looking for, and no one should be looking for the Herald slant either, that’s why you want two competing voices. Does it survive? Just look at the newspaper industry as a whole, they’re shutting down. When was the last newspaper start up? I think it is just a matter of time. I mean the print form it’s all going to the internet, there’s a lot of good news-gatherers at the Herald and a lot of good writers and I think people still want that content, it’s just how do they want it?

BSS: What would you say is the biggest reason why someone should tune into your show as opposed to the Big Show over on WEEI? What do you have that they don’t have that makes your show better?

MF: I don’t necessarily know that my show’s better, and I would never tell someone to turn away from WEEI, they do great stuff. Glenn Ordway is phenomenal. He’s one of the best at what he does in the country. So, for me to sit here and say “you shouldn’t listen to Glenn Ordway,” I would sound like a jackass. He’s tremendous. I wouldn’t say that. But I think, if anything, for the same reason I just mentioned for the newspaper. Let’s put it like this: How do you listen to music in the car? (Flipping channels) Bing, bing, bing, “I like this song, I like that song…I don’t like Jennifer Lopez, I’m gonna listen to classic rock…” You bing-bang around. I would never say I’m better than that show, because I’m not. I’m categorically not, but it’s different. It’s not purposely different and I’m not trying to be different. A lot of people try and put on me, “you’re more substantive” and “you’ve raised the bar.” I think that’s a bunch of garbage. I haven’t been trying to do that and I don’t want to do that, but there are different people here than there so you’re gonna get a different show. It depends on taste. You like this song over that song. You like what we’re talking about at that moment as opposed to what they’re talking about at that point. Maybe one of us is in a commercial break so you go over to the other side. That’s what I think we are, and if some one likes our show over Glenn’s then good for them. They’re in the minority. 

BSS: What are your thoughts on Tom Brady and the announcement he’s going to be a father?

MF: I think that makes him no different than any other NFL player. Players all over the league have children out of wedlock. It’s very common in that league. You know a lot of people like to think that Tom Brady ain’t human. When he makes a few bad plays on the field people are like “What’s wrong with Tom Brady? He must be hurt.” No, he’s a human being. So Tom Brady has some off field things that are a little funky, and he’s supposed to be perfect? No, he’s a human being.

BSS: Schilling’s contract. Do you think the Red Sox made the right decision?

MF: Yes! Categorically I want to see them make Schilling work for it. I want to see Schilling pitch angry and pitch with a purpose. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making Curt Schilling uncomfortable.

BSS: How about Manny Ramirez getting a free pass from the Boston fans? The way he can do what he wants and quit on the team at the end of the year and the fans still stand up and cheer him.

MF: I think the majority will, but I don’t think that speaks to all of the fans. He’s a great player. He’s a World Series MVP. They’re fans. Not everyone out there is a moral arbiter. They want their team to win, Manny helps them win.

BSS: Dice K has now seen his first action of the spring, what are your first impressions?

MF: He’s got nasty stuff, obviously. I think it’s obvious, the movement on his ball is disgusting. A lot of guys have had that, so does Matt Clement. Now I’m not saying Matsuzaka is Matt Clement, but the point is to be successful in Major League Baseball you’ve got to be able to put it together and pitch in situations and work batters. You’re not just pitching two innings like you do in Spring Training, you have to be able to throw 7 or 8 innings, you’ve got to be able to set up hitters and all that stuff. His make up, we don’t know that yet, but in terms of the stuff, he obviously has it.

BSS: What does Adalius Thomas bring to the Patriots?

MF: I think he’s the perfect guy for that team. Perfect size, versatility, experience, you name it. I think Bill Belichick looks at Adalius Thomas and what he does and salivates. He’s a big guy who plays all over the field. Bill Belichick covets versatility as much as any coach I’ve ever seen and Adalius plays inside, outside, linebacker, D-line, he’s played some secondary, he was a Pro Bowler on special teams…he’s a perfect guy for Belichick. Perfect.

BSS: You used to be a Bruins beat writer. What are your thoughts on that franchise?

MF: What the Bruins have done, they used to have the most loyal fan base in sports, just about, right up there. After years and years of just neglecting the product and not investing in the product and not spending the money on the players on the ice and putting profits over wins, year after year of that, decade after decade, we’ve finally got to the point that the hardcore audience has said, “That’s enough, we’re done with the Jacobs family.” Now that’s changed a little bit under Charlie (Jacobs), but I’m still dubious. Peter Chiarelli and Dave Lewis, if they were hired by the Jacobs, I distrust that a little bit. I don’t know if the Jacobs’ are good enough to hire the right people. I know Bob Kraft is smart enough and savvy enough to hire the right people, and he did. I doubt if the Jacobs’ are, I don’t know if the Jacobs’ are.

BSS: The Patriots have been criticized for “penny pinching” this past season in certain areas, obviously it’s difficult in the NFL with the salary cap, do you think they are wasting Tom Brady’s talent on the offensive side of the ball?

MF: A big phrase floating around out there is “Putting players in the best position to succeed.” In 2006 they did not put Tom Brady in the best position to succeed. Not even close. I think it’s hard to argue with that, I don’t think anyone can say otherwise. A lot of people have said I’ve called the Patriots cheap. The Patriots are not cheap. The Kraft family is not cheap. In 2006, however, they got a little tight with the money. 2006, for whatever reason, seemed to be a different season for them financially than what we’ve become used to. They were tight up against the cap every one of those other years, but in 2006 they only got tight to the cap by doing bookkeeping things, not spending on players. I don’t know why that was, it just ended up being the case.

BSS: Probably the thing you’re best known for on Barstool Sports came from an incident in 2006:

BarstoolSports.com: Random Thoughts: April 27, 2006:

El Presidente: Anyway, we got hair and makeup done (for the Cover Model of the Month) at Mario Russo Salon on Newbury Street and I swear to god Mike Felger was getting his hair cut in the seat next to our model.  I didn’t say anything to him but I’m 99% sure it was him.    What kind of man gets his hair cut at a salon on Newbury Street? 

MF: (Laughing) Are you sure El Presidente wasn’t there getting his hair done? (Laughing) I can neither confirm nor deny any reports of me being at the Mario Russo Hair Salon. Now, I do get my hair cut on Newbury Street, but I can neither confirm nor deny any appearance at the Mario Russo Salon. 

BSS: Alright, let’s do a little word association here, first thing that comes into your mind.

MF: Okay.

BSS: Corey Dillon.

MF: Grouse.

BSS: “Dougie” Flutie

MF: Overrated.

BSS: Ron Borges.

MF: Entertaining.

BSS: Sara Underwood

MF: Lucky. (Laughs) No, wait. A saint for putting up with me.

BSS: Tom Brady.

MF: Legit.

BSS: Manny Ramirez.

MF: Not my kind of guy, but I’ll take him.

BSS: Bob Lobel

MF: Underrated

BSS: Steve Burton

MF: Underrated, gets the best interviews in the city.

BSS: Bill Belichick.

MF: The best I’ve ever seen:

BSS: Red Auerbach.

MF: Couldn’t stand him as a (Milwaukee) Buck’s fan growing up.

BSS: Greg Dickerson.

MF: Jock sniffer.

BSS: Gary Tanguay.

MF: Nicest media guy in the city.

BSS: Last one. This is something I heard on your show and I want to see if you can fill in the blank: “Dunks are for kids like (BLANK) are for kids.”

MF: Breasts.

BSS: The correct answer is “boobs.”

(END)