Traina Thoughts: Boston Writer Gets Duped on Fake Tom Brady/Jimmy Garoppolo Story
1. Boston Herald reporter Ron Borges was allegedly tricked by a fan pretending to be Tom Brady's agent last night. The fan texted Borges that Brady was going to skip OTAs if he didn't get paid like Jimmy Garoppolo, who was given a 5-year, $137 million deal by the Niners earlier in the day. Borges thought he had a big story and so did the Herald.
At first glance, even though Borges ran with the story without seemingly doing any checking or additional reporting, I had some sympathy for Borges because he could end up losing his job after being set up. This was the stance taken by respected NFL reporter, Ed Werder.
However, once you dig a little deeper, it seems Borges has many other issues. For starters, in his story, which has since been deleted by the Herald, he said he had "sources" on this story—meaning more than one.
Not good. Not good at all. It's one thing to be sloppy in the reporting, but when it seems you flat out lied about having more than one source in the story, it makes it harder to garner any sympathy.
In the end, every aspect of this story, from the fan messing with Borges, to Borges doing a terrible job, feels dirty.
UPDATE: Friday afternoon, the Herald suspended Borges and released this statement:
"A column by Ron Borges in today’s Herald regarding Patriot Tom Brady’s salary discussions was based on information which proved to be false. The Herald apologizes to Brady, his agent Don Yee and the Patriots, and to our readers for this erroneous report. Borges’ column has been suspended pending further review."
2. This Jazz fan was alerted to the fact that Rodney Hood had been traded with Utah landing Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose while still under anesthesia and the result was spectacular.
3. Even the Miami PD caught NBA trade deadline fever after the Cavs traded Dwyane Wade back to the Heat.
4. Wade's wife Gabrielle Union seemed particularly happy to leave Cleveland behind for Miami.
5. If you're an old-school, 1980s WWF fan, last week's Something To Wrestle With podcast on "The Main Event" -- a 1988 NBC special which featured the famous Andre The Giant-Hulk Hogan match that saw the twin referees ending -- is a must-listen. Deadspin has an excellent deep dive into that 1988 TV event, which drew 33 million viewers.
6. Tim Tebow is the guest on this week's Off The Board podcast. Tebow, who is headed to Mets camp next week, talked about his baseball career, the possibility of joining the XFL, his favorite wrestlers and much more. The second half of the podcast features a 20 minute roundtable with two of my SI.com colleagues, Daniel Rapaport and Chris Chavez, about The Office.
You can listen to the full podcast below or on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.
7. One person who was smart enough to listen to the above podcast was Twitter follower Tom Horan. He was kind enough to pass along this informative tweet for all fans of The Office.
The best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts. And check Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast "Off The Board" on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.
FINAL THOUGHT: If Vince McMahon doesn't get Jason Kelce to appear on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw to cut a promo, it will be a big disappointment.
