(WEEI.com is counting down the “Top 10 Things We Couldn’t Shut Up About In 2009,” with No. 8 being the case involving Sgt. James Crowley and Louis Gates Jr., and the Steve Phillips saga coming at No. 7. Here is a written, visual and audio look at two off-the-field items that dominated discussion.)

No. 10: Bruins getting bounced by the Hurricanes

No. 9: Garnett’s knee injury alters Celtics’ fate

No. 8: The drama between Crowley and Gates Jr.

No. 7: The downfall of Steve Phillips

They were two drastically different stories, although they both had one common bond: The Dennis and Callahan Show talked about them … a lot!

We are lumping together No. 8 and No. 7 on our list because of their unique standing compared to the rest of the topics in the countdown. The cases of Sgt. James Crowley (No. 8) and Steve Phillips (No. 7) both found their names being mentioned incessantly on the WEEI air waves because of non-sports-related activities. But since both stories had two of the longest shelf-lives of anything uttered in 2009.

Crowley’s spot on the list was cemented thanks to another name — Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. It was on July 16 that Crowley arrested the renowned scholar known for his work with African-American history after a neighbor of Gates Jr. called police in regards to a possible break-in at the professor’s Cambridge home. The arrest on the charge of disorderly conduct came only after Gates Jr. displayed what was termed as “loud and tumultuous behavior”, with Gates Jr. telling Crowley at the time that he was being targeted because he was a “black man in America”.

The issue became even more polarizing when President Barack Obama said the police “acted stupidly” when asked about the incident. The president and Vice President Joe Biden would later join the two men for a beer and 40-minute discussion in the White House’s Rose Garden.

Of note was that it was WEEI whom Crowley called after the incident to clarify his side of the story.

Then there was the sad story of ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips (No. 7). Phillips, the former Mets’ general manager, found himself embroiled in controversy when a former ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley was found to be having an affair with Phillips. Making matters worse was the public nature the relationship took on when in late October it was discovered that Hundley had taunted Phillips’ wife with phone calls and descriptive letter.

Both Phillips and Hundley would be fired from ESPN, with the former GM checking himself into sex addiction rehab.

Sgt. James Crowley, Cambridge Police: Sgt. Crowley joins Dennis and Callahan to tell his side of the Professor Gates story: http://audio.weei.com/m/25432556/sgt-james-crowley-cambridge-police.htm

Steve Phillips, ESPN Baseball Tonight: Steve Phillips joins Dennis and Callahan to recap the 2009 Red Sox season and look ahead to 2010. Phillips has an interesting take on what to do with Papelbon this off-season: http://audio.weei.com/m/26908022/steve-phillips-espn-baseball-tonight.htm

3 Comments for “Looking back: Off-the-field drama”

1. Capn'_Obvious Says:
   December 29th, 2009 at 2:47 pm

   Unfortunately, I wasn’t living up here in Boston when the Crowley/Gates issue hit – I bet Gerry had a field day with this one. As for Phillips…I was here for that episode, but it seems insignificant now, thanks to Tiger’s sex-capades.

2. His_Dudeness Says:
   January 1st, 2010 at 7:05 pm

   where’s 6 thru 1?

3. Beate B. Says:
   January 31st, 2010 at 2:42 pm

   Super Post, kaum etwas hinzuzuf

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