The Hurley Edition

It's the six-month birthday of The Hurley Edition (yes, we're counting six-month birthdays), and with the holidays approaching, it's the perfect time to look back at the best and most memorable moments from the first 16 guests of the podcast. From Michael Felger to Rich Shertenlieb, and everybody in between, enjoy some of the best clips from 2017.

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On this episode of The Hurley Edition, Sports Hub host Adam Jones joins the podcast. Jones has been dubbed "The Dark Knight" and "The Sports Vulture" for his negative sports takes, so he's asked if he's a bit misunderstood (2:15). Jones then explains the unique challenges facing the evening show (4:55) and weighs in on what percentage of fans who give him a hard time on Twitter are in on the joke or are actually angry (8:30).

Jones reflected on his early days at The Sports Hub and shared how he ended up getting to the Hub from Northeastern, by way of ESPN 890 and with a stop at ESPN Boston (10:15). He explained what his goals were when he got the night show gig back in 2012 (32:20), and discussed how he stays healthy despite the nocturnal work schedule (39:00).

Jones also discussed when the show lost Rich Keefe (46:15) and added Nick Cattles (48:20). Before saying goodbye, Jones shared his best and worst memories from his five years of hosting the evening show (52:25).

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On this episode of The Hurley Edition, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Randy Scott joins the program. The conversation began with what life is like as a SportsCenter host (3:00), including how the job and the industry has changed (12:00) over the years. He recalled what life was like living on month-to-month contracts at NESN (14:35) and his early career bouncing from small town to small town (23:00). He then revealed that he wakes up for work every day at 1:45 a.m. (25:55), and he explained how that affects his life.

The conversation then turned to the amount of hatred and rage felt toward ESPN from many people around the country (38:35) and how he feels about it. He also talked about how difficult it is when ESPN undergoes its highly publicized layoffs (49:55).

Then Mike had some fun at Randy's expense for how tormented his life has been since the Tuck Rule ruined his life as a Raiders fan (58:10). Randy also shared a great story about how he accidentally bashed Tom Brady for a whole night in front of Tom Brady's sister (1:04:20).

Before the podcast ended, Randy turned the tables and asked Mike a question about why he is so bothered by the famed Seahawks fans who refer to themselves as The 12s (1:12:50).

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This week on The Hurley Edition, Rich Shertenlieb of The Toucher & Rich Show joins the podcast. Rich shares the truly unbelievable stories of his hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia (6:10), and how he successfully escaped (15:30).  He also discusses how he planned to pursue a career as a rock star before beginning his radio career (18:15).

Rich talked about his mind-set when recording bits in situations that most people would find very uncomfortable or awkward (28:20), and talks about the time he gave fake Star Wars spoilers to a room full of nerds who got dressed up to see the movie (30:20).

Rich got into his relationship with Fred Toucher, discussed the secret to having a successful morning show (34:35). 

He talked about how surprising it can be to meet people he's made fun of for years, like Bronson Arroyo (42:08), before explaining his background as a sports fan (45:00). That includes the odd sexual attraction that many women in the '80s felt toward Kevin McHale (46:10). What was that all about, anyway?

On a bit of a more serious note, Rich discussed his wife's battle with cancer and his family's experience of being in the middle of the Boston Marathon bombing (52:20).

They close out the conversation on a lighter note, like how he got Charlie Sheen to come into studio at the height of his popularity (1:06:00) and how he got to ask Madonna a question about A-Rod at the Super Bowl (1:09:30).

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On this episode of The Hurley Edition, Big Jim Murray from the Felger & Massarotti program joins the podcast. Murray details his journey from growing up in Melrose, to getting his start at WFNX in the '90s (7:00), and he recalled some of the more tumultuous times during his stint in rock radio (19:20) and how he basically tried to get fired for a while. He also discussed how he managed to work at WBCN without actually working at WBCN before having to quit his "job" from WBCN (29:50). 

He then explains how and why he went to Atlanta to host a sports talk program (36:30) and how he ended up coming back to Boston (40:30). He discussed how he fits in to the Felger & Massarotti program (46:45) and then faced a rapid fire round of questions (1:01:30) to close out the podcast.

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This week, Sports Hub morning show host Fred Toucher joins The Hurley Edition podcast. He answers the age-old question of how in the world he lives despite waking up so early every day (2:30), discusses the origins of the Toucher & Rich show (8:05), and recalls the uncertainty of going through the format flip from a rock station to a sports talk station in 2009 (11:18).

Known to hold the occasional antagonistic interview, Fred talks about that quality (19:53) before discussing how frustrating it can be to spend time on Twitter (29:30). Then he talks about which famous people have gotten angry at him over the years (35:23). He also discusses how he navigates a talk show during the weirdest era in American politics (39:10).

Finally, Fred and Mike get into their main topic of the day: the eighth season of New Girl (45:20). The guys go deep on New Girl -- deeper than they knew possible. And then talk a little bit about their mysterious co-worker, Michael Felger (51:58), and Fred shares his vision for his future podcast (54:12).

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On this episode of The Hurley Edition, Rear Admiral from Barstool Sports joins the podcast. The conversation covers a lot of different areas. He talked about how Barstool rose from a local Boston site to a national empire (5:10) and the challenge he faces in getting more prominent promotion from the site (16:00). The two talked about how there's a lack of traditional media coverage of hockey compared to other sports (23:55), and how the NHL can't seem to get out of its own way all too often (29:50)., including the shame of preventing players from participating in the 2018 Olympics (35:38). Then, Rear Ad got into his true passion: watching movies (42:35).

And being a lifelong Boston guy, he gave his thoughts on the significant changes the city has undergone in the past 15 years, and what's been the most disappointing change (49:25). Before signing off, he showed off a rare talent that only a hockey fanatic can pull off (58:40).

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On this episode, Michael Hurley welcomes in Scott Zolak, a local legend and a bit of a Boston sports phenomenon. Zo shares how he got his career in the media started (3:00) before going back to his days as a kid watching Joe Montana play in high school (6:15). Zo explained how he lasted 10 years in the NFL (13:50), shared some praise for Pete Carroll and his unorthodox methods (15:45), and shared some behind-the-scenes information from Bill Belichick about how the Patriots felt they forced the Seahawks to make that historic decision to pass at the goal line at the end of Super Bowl XLIX (17:55).

The trip through the '90s includes a tale about Bill Parcells volunteering to babysit Zo's dogs (21:50), before Zo explains how critical he was of his early days on TV as an analyst (25:20). He discussed how he watches games as a radio color commentator (28:55) before answering the question that cannot be answered: How does he have so much energy? 

Hurley uncovered some never-before-heard audio of Zolak giving an interview in 1990, which is some must-listen stuff (32:30), and before signing off Zolak shares what he hopes the next decade of his life brings for him personally and professionally (37:45).

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This week on The Hurley Edition, Celtics writer Brian Robb joins the show to offer some thoughts on the shocking trade of Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving and also to talk about what life is like working full-time for the new sports media outlet.

The conversation begins with a discussion of whether the Celtics or Cavaliers would win a series right now (2:28). Robb talked about the one aspect he was very surprised by with the trade (5:30) and then they discussed how it was a bit stunning to see the Celtics trade Thomas after all he did for the Celtics (14:22). 

After that, Robb talked about the decision to join a sports media outlet that didn't even exist yet when he started (16:50). Robb then shared what life as a freelance sports writer was like (20:24) and then the two shared the time they sort of got fired by some podcasting company after just one show (28:10). Lastly, Robb answers the question to which everyone is dying to know the answer: Is this the end of BRobb in the closet? (29:42)

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The Hurley Edition is back, as former Patriots linebacker and current analyst Matt Chatham joined the program. He talked about the difficulties of earning a roster spot in the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of The University of South Dakota (3:25), what it was like to make the game-ending tackle in Super Bowl XXXVIII (16:00), and how many times he's had to talk about tackling the streaker at that same Super Bowl (18:20). Chatham shared a story of when Bill Belichick was so angry with him that the coach called out Chatham specifically in front of the entire team (21:00) and discussed what it was like being on the Jets when Spygate blew up in 2007 (26:00). Chatham talked a little bit about the dishonesty and arrogance in Roger Goodell when he became commissioner during Chatham's playing days (30:29). He also talked about what drew him into the world of media following his playing days (31:30).

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