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About Kirk Minihane

Kirk Minihane thinks "Slap Shot" is -- without argument -- the best sports movie ever made and is also convinced the 1985-86 Celtics would have finished with a record of 78-4 if they had cared about the regular season. He has been a columnist at WEEI.com since 2009 and is the co-host of "Sports Saturday" on WEEI.

 
COLUMNS
Kirk Minihane
09/02/2009 - 2:13pm
The Mailbag: Closing the Papelbon Debate
Are you ready for a little more closer talk? Lots and lots of Papelbon here this week, and the folks seem to be divided. Some are with me (Papelbon is a terrific pitcher but no closer is worth $13-15 million a year) but I was surprised how many emailers were comfortable with the prospect of losing the best closer in franchise history. Well, when you’ve got a proven commodity like Daniel Bard I guess it’s okay to be cavalier. He’s been getting it done forever, right?
Kirk Minihane
08/31/2009 - 12:04am
Why Papelbon Is One of a Kind, and Always Will Be
OK, so Jonathan Papelbon is no genius. You didn’t need to tell us, Theo. We’ve been briefed on the topic more than once over the past five years. Each time the guy opens his mouth every high school English teacher in New England instinctively reaches for a red pen.
Kirk Minihane
08/27/2009 - 5:24am
The Mailbag: Where a Jock Is a Tough Thing to Carry
Ready for more Jim Rice? Not my fault this time. Really. I filled in for Rob Bradford this past Sunday with Mike Mutnansky for a couple of hours and, for the most part, stayed out of the way. We talked about Brad Penny, Billy Wagner and Junichi Tazawa. Easy, nothing to get me in trouble. But then Mut had to do it. He brought up Jim Rice tanking on Derek Jeter at Williamsport. And before I could even think I blurted out the following:
Kirk Minihane
08/20/2009 - 4:54am
The Mailbag: Where the Most Important Half Hour of the Day is Never Wasted
Report card feedback in the mailbag this week, which is pretty much code for a little J.D. Drew bashing. The people have found their scapegoat, and he’s not going to be able to use a sore groin as an excuse to get out of this spot.
Kirk Minihane
08/18/2009 - 6:33am
Nothing Says a Pennant Race Like a Report Card
Q: What do you do when your 5,000-word “Tiger Woods is the Greatest Athlete of all time” column gets Yanged on Sunday afternoon? A: You pump out a Red Sox report card! My own fault, I was overconfident after Friday and assumed that we would spend the weekend watching a Tiger double-digit victory. Lesson learned.
Kirk Minihane
08/12/2009 - 2:31am
The Mailbag: Where Mr. Skin Meets Greg Luzinski
I live by one rule and one rule only. Any time I can dust off my Rex Reed mask from Halloween 1992 and play movie critic I'm doing it. And that chance has presented itself thanks to the "What the hell happened to the sports movie?" column I wrote earlier this week. So I'll tackle a couple of emails on that as well as a botched headline, The Captain, Mr. Skin and Greg Luzinski. To the ‘bag we go (and, as always, feel free to email away to kminihane@weei.com) -- Kirk,
Kirk Minihane
08/10/2009 - 8:31am
Why Can't Anybody Make a Great Sports Movie Anymore?
What happened to the sports movie? If you had stopped 14-year-old Kirk Minihane (he of the kminihane@weei.com email address for those who don't agree with what is about to be written) outside of the Burlington Mall theatre on April 21st of 1989 and told me that the movie I’d had just seen – Field Of Dreams – would signal the end of the sports movie as I knew it I doubt I would’ve recognized what language you were speaking.
Kirk Minihane
08/06/2009 - 9:37am
The Mailbag: The Fall Out From An David Ortiz Column
David Ortiz takes over for Jim Rice and Dwight Evans this week in the mailbag, and the Pink Hats aren’t exactly thrilled that I didn’t join them in that standing ovation last week. Oh well, we can always make up over a screening of “Still We Believe” while we swap stories about meeting Dennis Drinkwater. To the ‘bag we go (and, as always, feel free to email away to kminihane@weei.com) -- Kirk,
Kirk Minihane
08/03/2009 - 7:17am
Winners (Yaz) and Losers (Fenway Fans) In the David Ortiz Saga
A note to the 37,919 fans in attendance at Fenway for last Thursday’s win over the Athletics.  Asking for a curtain call from David Ortiz on the same day he was outed as a steroid user? That means the following: You can no longer chant “A-Roid”.  You cannot laugh at those fans in San Francisco who rooted for Barry Bonds, or the Yankees fans that cheered when it was announced that Clemens was coming back in 2007. You are those people. 
Kirk Minihane
07/30/2009 - 3:00am
The Mailbag: Another Round of Rice vs. Evans with Guest Star Michael Vick
    I thought I was done with Jim Rice and Dwight Evans. Lots of email  this week on these guys, and I tried to answer a couple of them. But there isn't much left to say, and I'm closing the book after this mailbag. But we have some fun as the Jim Ed crowd makes some noise (but let's hope that they still have energy-- they'll need it to get Ellis Burks into Cooperstown). Plus we look at George Washington Dungy, say goodbye to Jonathan Papelbon and I  defend Bruce Springsteen, Pete Rose and Nelson de la Rosa.
Kirk Minihane
07/26/2009 - 9:30pm
Why Belichick Could Sing A Different Tune On Vick
I have no idea if the Patriots want Michael Vick. You hear things, read things. Maybe they want to get into the Wildcat sweepstakes. Maybe they think Tom Brady isn’t completely healthy and don’t think there is a Cassell II in the wings. Corey Dillon and Randy Moss turned out OK, right? And if it worked with them…
Kirk Minihane
07/23/2009 - 6:18am
The Mailbag: Dealing With the Hall of Fame, Facebook, and Peepholes
Lots and lots of Dwight Evans vs. Jim Rice here this week.  The email was probably about 70-30 pro-Dewey, which surprised me more than a little. But the Rice crowd won’t give up the ghost. They are a resilient bunch, the lovers of the 6-4-3 (is that the number the Sox will retire on July 28?) and they let me have it over my lack of respect for Jim Ed.
Kirk Minihane
07/20/2009 - 6:55am
The Wrong Red Sox Outfielder Is Going Into the Hall This Weekend
Cooperstown, N.Y. – 2018
Kirk Minihane
07/16/2009 - 10:17am
The Mailbag: It's A Brand New Bag
Things seemed to have changed around here. I’ll confess that as I started attacking the mailbag this week I felt a little bit like Gary Cherone taking over vocals for Van Halen. Just didn’t belong on this piece of real estate. But by the end of the week I truly believe that I was giving off a Hagar vibe. That’s progress, right? We sort of jump (get it?) all over the place in the bag this week, as we try and find Joe Haggerty, figure out if Drew Bledsoe can match up with Babe Ruth and wonder if Chris Berman is in on the joke.
Kirk Minihane
07/13/2009 - 12:53am
Ten Years Later: The Last Great All-Star Game
I'm all over the place when it comes to dates.   Some are hard to pinpoint.  
Kirk Minihane
07/07/2009 - 11:39am
Best Season In Boston? There's Pedro and Everybody Else
So, here is the debate: Which Boston athlete can stake claim to the best individual season? (Note: Email me at kminihane@weei.com if you would like to debate further on our new feature at WEEI.com -- Slugfest.) Pretty straight forward here, just one rule -- a player can only appear on the list once. Why? Just wanted to avoid four Bobby Orr seasons, three from Ted Williams and a couple of Bill Russell's. Thought a little variety might make for a better read.
Kirk Minihane
06/30/2009 - 12:53pm
Would Lou Gehrig Have Been a Hero in 2009?
July 4th will mark the 70th anniversary of perhaps baseball’s most famous moment. (And maybe the most famous speech in sports history -- is “Win one for the Gipper” close?) Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” farewell to roughly 60,000 at Yankee Stadium took place on July 4, 1939. Can any athlete ever again be as beloved as The Iron Horse was during his 277-word farewell?
Kirk Minihane
06/23/2009 - 9:42am
From Moiso to Russell, the Best and Worst of Celtics' Drafts
It’s okay to admit that you forgot the NBA Draft is Thursday night, or maybe didn’t know at all. This is what happens when you win 60 games and don’t have a first-round pick. If things stay the course right now the Celtics pick 58th. About the only interesting story there would be if Tyrese Rice were on the board. Not exactly gripping television.   
Kirk Minihane
06/16/2009 - 11:07am
Smoltz, Schilling Have A Lot In Common
Here comes John Smoltz. (What he’s going to do when he gets there is the question. Where does he fit in? Truth be told, I think it might be time to give Dice-K a couple of weeks in Florida to “work things out.” Plus, I guess it’s 50/50 that Brad Penny gets moved in the next few weeks. I’m thinking if Smoltz pitches well, he stays in the rotation and the Sox will be happy worrying about too many starters.)
Kirk Minihane
06/09/2009 - 6:02am
These Things I Know: Feeling Bad For Derek Jeter and the Terminator Franchise
Stuff that’s been kicking around in my head for the last few days…  
Kirk Minihane
06/02/2009 - 6:34am
Red Sox Report Card: There are no 'A's' For Effort
Couple of things before I present the Red Sox First Two Months Report Card (terrible title I know, but better than 'A Report Card for a Little More than a Quarter of the Season but Not Yet A Third')…   Grades are based on expectation heading into 2009. If Jason Bay had the same stats as Jason Varitek he’d probably be looking at a C-/D+, for example.   And all stats are through 5/31…   Jason Bay (A)  
Kirk Minihane
05/26/2009 - 9:13pm
The 20 Best Living Ballplayers (No, Yogi Isn't No. 1)
So this idea was triggered by something I read in Peter King’s Tuesday edition of his Monday Morning Quarterback (usually a mailbag-type setup) on 5/19. King was describing the scene at a charity dinner for the great Paul Zimmerman.   “Yogi Berra and Dick Ebersol next to each other at the NBC table. When I introduced Yogi as the greatest living baseball player in the United States, everyone began clapping, and Ebersol stood, and then everyone stood.”  
Kirk Minihane
05/19/2009 - 6:29am
Favre Should Take a Lesson From the Marvelous One
And it was all over. He came home an American hero. He bragged to the world he'd beat the Russians. He delivered. He can now command the same money as heavyweight prizefighters. He was invited to dinner by statesmen and kings. Then Bobby Fischer made the most original, unexpected move of all. He disappeared. --Searching for Bobby Fischer   Brett Favre has me thinking about Marvin Hagler.  
Kirk Minihane
05/11/2009 - 2:48pm
Manny's Aftermath: Winners and Losers From His Suspension
I’m not sure there is anything left to be written about Manny Ramirez, so I’ll try and leave out all the stuff that you’ve seen over the past four days. We’ll just focus on how this affected some of the major supporting characters in the saga and try as best we can to stay away from the lead. It’s sort of like how you never actually saw Nixon in “All the President’s Men.” That’s a good comparison, of course, because like Nixon, Manny was raised a Quaker and was always fiercely anti-communist.
Kirk Minihane
05/04/2009 - 11:45am
Where Does 'The Truth' Stand?
Is Paul Pierce a Hall of Famer?  


Audio On Demand

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