4/14/26 Full Show - Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic | Alex Cora joins the show

The WEEI Afternoons episode on April 14, 2026, opens with a fiery exchange between Red Sox manager Alex Cora and the media over Ken Rosenthal’s commentary on long-term contracts for young players, with Cora dismissing the backlash as 'effing BS.' This sparks a broader discussion on the pressures such contracts may place on clubhouse dynamics and player development. The conversation quickly pivots to the disastrous performance of ace pitcher Garrett Crochet, who allowed 11 runs in just 1.2 innings against the Twins—his worst outing yet—raising alarms about his health, command, and a troubling drop in pitching velocity across the staff. Despite Cora’s public defense of Crochet and the team’s structure, the hosts express deep skepticism about the Red Sox’s ability to sustain success without reliable starting pitching and improved defense. The tone shifts dramatically with breaking news: NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic following leaked photos of her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Arizona. The hosts dissect the stark double standard—while Russini’s career as a trusted insider is effectively over due to compromised journalistic integrity, Vrabel faces no consequences, highlighting the asymmetry between a journalist’s and a coach’s professional accountability. The episode closes with reflections on perception, narrative, and the long-term damage of public missteps, as the hosts speculate that even non-football-related offseason decisions could become fodder for criticism if the Patriots underperform. The Red Sox’s early-season struggles and the media fallout from Russini’s resignation underscore a season defined by fragile credibility and mounting pressure on both players and journalists alike.