Michael Felger's family-unfriendly stance on athletes consistent, but as bizarre as ever

Boston Globe

24-05-2025

I can't believe that Felger's viewpoint — whether it's a concocted take or a genuine belief — resonates with too many listeners beyond the stray Neanderthal. It's not entertaining radio, either.
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Yet there he was on Monday, hammering Red Sox manager
Alex Cora
for missing that evening's game after his daughter
Camila's
graduation from Boston College earlier in the day.
'It's just the tone you set and the example you set for the team,' said Felger. 'It's not like they need him there to make the pitching change or lay down the bunt. It's the leadership and optics of the whole thing. It's a very easy chance for him to say, 'Nothing's more important than tonight's game.' He just does it by example. Nothing's more important than this game.'
I should've seen this coming, but Felger ripping Alex Cora for missing one game for his daughter's college graduation is crazy. He's acting like one baseball game is more important than a major life milestone for Cora's family
— Boston Media Critic (@bostonmedia617)
Even with the Red Sox plodding along at a mediocre pace, to suggest one game should take priority over a loved one's major life event is absurd. It also overlooks, perhaps intentionally for the sake of Felger's argument, that Cora's greatest strengths as a manager include building trust with his players by acknowledging the importance of their lives away from the field, something that was made evident on multiple occasions in the Netflix series '
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Cora has his priorities in order.
'People have their own opinions,'
This isn't the first time Felger has fired off a team-over-family take. In 2016, he
Ean
, in Atlanta.
'I know when you make $30 million a year it ain't much to get a private jet,' he said. '
Wyc
[
Grousbeck
] would probably pick it up to fly down at 3 o'clock in Atlanta. It's about a 90-minute flight to Atlanta. Play the game and come right back.
'I would have gone to the game, I would have played in the game. I like my guys to sort of forsake everything for the team.'
Felger, to his credit only somewhat, acknowledged some hypocrisy during his Horford rant nine years ago. He admitted then that he missed one day of work — just as Horford did — when his daughter was born.
Huh. Why do we suspect he'll take the day off when she graduates from college, too?
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Malone on the ball
Former Nuggets coach Michael Malone has been a welcome addition to ESPN's NBA coverage.
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Michael Malone
,
Malone, refreshingly blunt, has been a welcome addition as guest analyst on ESPN/ABC's pre- and postgame playoff coverage, including correctly referring to
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
as 'a foul artist' for the Thunder star's thespian tendencies while trying to draw a whistle.
Malone did cause a stir in Denver during Game 1 of the Western Conference finals when he referred to Gilgeous-Alexander as 'the MVP' before
Nikola Jokic
.
Malone clarified his position during Game 2, saying Jokic was his MVP choice. Not sure why Malone would care what Nuggets fans feel about anything at this point anyway, but here's hoping he keeps saying what he honestly thinks without worrying about public reaction or falling into the habit of deliberately cooking up hot takes.
ESPN could use someone like that permanently on its NBA coverage. I'd love to see him give in-game color analysis a shot, given how thin ESPN's depth chart is there.
The last word
I must admit that 'Around The Horn,' which began its run of more than 4,900 episodes on Nov. 4, 2002, and ended it Friday for reasons ESPN isn't all that interested in explaining, wasn't a show that I ever eagerly anticipated or sought out.
I always figured the typical 'ATH' audience was college students burning off a few hours in the afternoon, or late lunch customers at Buffalo Wild Wings watching it on mute above the bar.
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It had legitimate positives. Host
Tony Reali
, perhaps the most authentically upbeat ESPN personality of this generation, was always good company, and an upgrade on original host
Max Kellerman
. The show was a TV incubator for promising talent — it was fun to see the likes of
Mina Kimes
,
Bill Barnwell
, and
Joon Lee
get their television bearings on the show.
And on a personal/anecdotal note, it was incredibly cool on my first day at the Globe in December 2003 to come into the office and watch
Bob Ryan
participating in the show in front of the 'ATH' backdrop that was in the sports department in those days. If I remember right, he shared some thoughts on
Paul Pierce
and
Antoine Walker
that day.
I won't miss the show much, but I'll always miss that.
Chad Finn can be reached at