Anthony Ezio Massarotti (born October 28, 1967) is an American author and a former sportswriter for the ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'' and ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

''. He co-hosts a sports

talk radio show Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews wi ...

, '' Felger & Mazz'', on 98.5 The Sports Hub with former ''Boston Herald'' columnist

Michael Felger Michael Alan Felger (born August 6, 1969) is a sports radio talk show host on WBZ-FM in Boston, co-hosting " Felger and Massarotti" with Tony Massarotti, a former columnist for the '' Boston Herald''. He is also a television host for NBC Spo ...

. Massarotti has also served as a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

, during their 2022 season. Massarotti is a graduate of Waltham High School in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

, and a 1989 graduate of

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, where he majored in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

. He was also a member of

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international men's college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856, at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont. It has initiated more than 215,000 members and has over 8,900 collegiate members across North A ...

fraternity.

''Boston Herald''

Massarotti joined the ''

'' in 1989 and covered the

for the paper from 1994 through 2008. During his time with the ''Herald'', Massarotti frequently covered the Red Sox for Fox Sports New England, and he appeared occasionally as a guest on WHDH's ''Sports Xtra''. He also appeared on Boston's WEEI sports talk radio program '' The Big Show''. These appearances ended with his later leaving the ''Herald'' for the ''Globe'' due to a long-standing ban on ''Globe'' staffers appearing on the station. While with the ''Herald'', Massarotti was known for his staunch support of former Red Sox managers

Jimy Williams James Francis Williams (October 4, 1943 – January 26, 2024) was an American professional baseball infielder, Coach (baseball), coach and Manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 ...

and

Grady Little William Grady Little (born March 30, 1950) is an American former player and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2007. He recently served in the front off ...

, despite Little's controversial decisions during Game 7 of the

2003 American League Championship Series The 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a semifinal series in Major League Baseball's 2003 postseason played between the Wild Card Boston Red Sox and the top-seeded New York Yankees from October 8 to 16, 2003. The Yankees won the ...

''The Boston Globe''

In September 2008, Massarotti joined the staff of ''

''. In addition to writing a regular column for the paper, Massarotti became the voice and face of the ''Globes online Boston.com sports feature. In March 2013, he left the ''Globe''. However, after a brief hiatus, Massarotti returned to writing for the ''Globe'' online sports blog in early 2014.

Notable columns

Theo Epstein contract negotiations

On October 27, 2005, Massarotti published a column in which he accused

Larry Lucchino Lawrence Lucchino (September 6, 1945 – April 2, 2024) was an American lawyer and Major League Baseball executive. He served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the San Diego Padres, and preside ...

and the Red Sox management of smearing general manager

Theo Epstein Theo Nathaniel Epstein (born December 29, 1973) is an American Major League Baseball executive who is, since 2024, the senior adviser and part-owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball and Liverpool FC o ...

during contract negotiations. In the column, he also suggested that coverage of the negotiations at two local media outlets was compromised. He documented that ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (parent company of ''The Boston Globe'') owned a 17 percent ownership stake in the Red Sox and that local sports talk radio leader WEEI was currently in negotiations for Red Sox broadcast rights and paid Lucchino for a weekly radio appearance. The timing of the column was notable as it came four days after ''Globe''

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

Richard Chacón published an article in which he criticized ''Times'' management for accepting

World Series ring A World Series ring is an award given to Major League Baseball players who win the World Series. Since only one Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the team, a World Series ring is an individual award that players and staff of each World Series ...

s from the Red Sox, and three days prior to a

Dan Shaughnessy Dan Shaughnessy (born July 20, 1953) is an American sports writer. He has covered the Boston Red Sox for ''The Boston Globe'' since 1981. In 2016, he was given the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame. The 1980s Boston Celtic ...

column in which he revealed information detailing the nuances of the relationship between Epstein and Lucchino, to the favor of Lucchino. The information in the column was widely thought to have originated from Lucchino and may have contributed to Epstein breaking off negotiations and resigning his position as General Manager.

Jon Lester cancer story

In August 2006, Massarotti received some criticism for publishing a column detailing rumors that Red Sox pitcher

Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...

was being tested for cancer. In fact, the rumors turned out to be true, and Lester went on to be treated for a rare form of

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tire ...

''Felger and Mazz Show''

Since 2009, Massarotti has worked as the co-host of ''The Felger and Mazz Show'', an afternoon sports talk show broadcast on Boston's ''98.5 The Sports Hub''. In February 2023, Massarotti was suspended by the Sports Hub for a racially insensitive joke he made about two black men in New Orleans.

Awards

* Massachusetts Winner of the 2000 and 2008

National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association The National Sports Media Association (NSMA), formerly the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, is an organization of sports media members in the United States, and constitutes the American chapter of the International Sports P ...

Sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism has its roots in coverage of horse racing and boxing in the early 1800s, mainly targeted towards elites, and into t ...

of the Year award. *

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a Industry trade group, trade association and lobbying, lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, broadcasters in th ...

Marconi Award :''"Marconi Award" links here. Note that in the Netherlands, the radio academy awards are also called Marconi Awards.'' The Marconi Radio Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to the top radio stations and ...

. Along with co-host

Mike Felger Michael Alan Felger (born August 6, 1969) is a sports radio talk show host on WBZ-FM in Boston, co-hosting "Felger and Massarotti" with Tony Massarotti, a former columnist for the ''Boston Herald''. He is also a television host for NBC Sports Bos ...

, Massarotti received the 2019 NAB Marconi Award for ''Major Market Personality of the Year''.

Books

* ''A Tale of Two Cities: The 2004 Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry and the War for the Pennant'' , co-author John Harper, sportswriter for the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' * ''Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits'', 2007, , co-author

David Ortiz David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican Americans, Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1997 ...

, Professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox * ''Dynasty: The Inside Story of How the Red Sox Became a Baseball Powerhouse'', 2008, , Foreword by

Jason Varitek Jason Andrew Varitek (; born April 11, 1972), nicknamed "Tek", is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded as a min ...

, professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox * ''Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch'', 2011, , co-author

Tim Wakefield Timothy Stephen Wakefield (August 2, 1966 – October 1, 2023) was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year ...

, professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox * ''This is our city: four teams, twelve championships, and how Boston became the most dominant sports city in the world'', 2022,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massarotti, Tony 1967 births Living people Sports in Boston The Boston Globe people Boston Herald people Sportswriters from Massachusetts American radio personalities Boston Red Sox announcers Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Waltham High School alumni