Lessons in Chemistry

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Farewell, Work in Progress

A Fitting Farewell to Norm, and A Couple of Quick Hits

FROM THE DRAFT PILE: Who Will Be the Next Ticket Guy to Strike Out for Greener Pastures?

[As of this post there have been 942 posts on My Ticket Confession.  All but a very few are original drafting, the small balance being archive replays and a couple of guest columns.  I noticed that I had 9 unpublished drafts.  I went back to look at them and was mostly amused by my errors.  But it was fun to go back and read them, and I thought I'd publish a few of them so you could be amused too.  This also has the merit of substituting for actual new composition, making up for my lack of production recently, and the difficulty I have had in finding Ticket-listening time.

This item was drafted on December 27, 2012.]

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I include in this survey any Ticket guy whose name you would recognize, whether they get much on-air time or not.

I'm not talking about getting fired, I'm talking about leaving voluntarily. 

Here's my candidate:  Ty Walker.

Ty is a pretty talented and valuable guy.  I've come to appreciate his co-hosting skills with Sean Bass, his Tickers are very skillful (if you like Tickers), and he's experienced.   I haven't always felt that way about him, but I've come around; when I catch him and Bass on Ticket Sports Weekend it's always a strong show.     I don't know what goes on behind the scenes, but for some reason the guy gets little or no respect from the shows upon which he toils, most notably The Hardline.  Whether there is a reason for that, I have no idea.  I'm not aware of any.  Yeah, the porn enthusiasm and Star Wars stuff is a little peculiar, but no more than the crotchets of any other host.

The guy is a man; he's forty or thereabouts.  If he left for anchor work elsewhere he wouldn't be giving up a plum position or big coin, but he'd be leaving behind what sounds to me like not-in-fun ill treatment he sometimes receives.  Maybe it's a bit, maybe he's OK with it, but it sounds to me like there's an edge to it. 

I've speculated on the station's odd attitude toward Ty in the past, most notably in connection with the mystery of his network assignment at the 2010 Final Four and why The Ticket completely ignored it. 

I hope he hangs on at The Little One, and I'd like to hear more of him as a host. He deserves more of a shot; at a minimum, enhanced appreciation from his colleagues. 

Unless, as I say, there's some off-mic stuff we don't know about.

Any thoughts on who might be next to bolt?  Do you agree that Ty is an asset?

[This item seems to be unfinished.  I don't know why I didn't return to it.  It sort of looks like it started out to be a list, but ended up with only Ty as the only "candidate," singular, and the last line looks like a sign-off.   I don't know who else I might have put on this list before I stopped writing it, but I'm pretty sure two others, maybe the only two others, would have been Rich Phillips and Gordon Keith.  I might have included Donovan Lewis back then.

In commenting, you may wish to speculate on who among the present lineup, including producers, weekend talent, tickerpeople, and others whose names we know, might be candidates for departure.]

A List, and Some Thoughts

I'm still thinking Corby and Danny stay where they are in the positions they now have.  I don't think Danny will be elevated, if he even wants that with his other outside interests.  He may not.


The thought I have is that the replacement must have sports knowledge.  Must.  This is where The FAN eats The Ticket's lunch.  It's where The Hardline has weakened over the years in a way that there simply was almost no serious sports talk on the show except maybe when Corby would talk tennis or college football, and even then  .  .  .  .

The second thought I have is that the replacement needs to have some weight, some heft, some adult credentials to rein in Corby/Danny's more juvenile tendencies.  Although, on further consideration, maybe The Ticket is looking to get younger at all positions, bring in some guys at the lower end of the demo that they seem to be losing.

So let's go through the list:

Of the current hosts, only Donovan strikes me as a potential Hardline replacement, and I don't see that working, much as I like Donovan.  Just not enough razzle-dazzle, and I think Corby and Danny would be tiptoeing around him to some degree.  While he and Corby do seem comfortable together and can put on a good show, that combo just doesn't spark for me.

Cat isn't going to break up BaD, and is not going to move BaD into The Hardline slot -- I don't think.  


That leaves, in no particular order:

Jake:  Leading coming out of the turn.  Sportsy, loquacious, smart, snotty.  At first I thought Jake with Corby would be too much snot for one show, but of the people at the station, he's probably tops.  There's no weightier Ticket guy available except Donovan, assuming neither Bob nor Dan graduates to The Hardline.  (And, if so, it would have to be Bob.  Dan -- Corby would say, "Are you kidding me?"  Besides, I think both Bob and Dan really like their time slot and massive intern support where they are now.)

Mike Sirois:  Love Mike Sirois.  Sportsy enough?  A little thin-skinned sometimes, makes for some interesting radio.  Cirque is frequently replaced, although he seems to be present for his producer duties with The Invasion.  He doesn't suffer fools gladly and he and Corby/Danny might be a tense fit.

Sean Bass:  Oddly, Sean seems to be a polarizing figure with the Confessor.  I like him.  Is he flavorful enough to boost The Hardline?  He's been moved into a semi-management role at The Ticket, so there's some weight there, and he is sportsy.  I don't recall a Sean/Corby pairing in the past but I'd like to hear it.

I don't see anyone more junior than Jake, Mike or Sean being serious candidates, as talented as some of them are.  Both Justin Montemayor and David Mino have turned into accomplished hosts on the Work in Progress Sunday show, they're both very good.  But with them there's the weight problem.

Ty Walker:  Like him on Country Force, and he can talk baseball.  He's gotten kicked in the cojones for so long by hosts -- all in fun, sure -- could he be elevated?

Dave Lane:  Again, a guy I like whenever I hear him.  I didn't think his +1 coat-and-tie "interview" appearance last week showcased him to good advantage.  His Mike tribute was great, but overall he didn't seem to be at his best.

I like Eli Jordan quite a lot, but I just don't see him leapfrogging more tenured in-house candidates.

One possibility is to do nothing.  No replacement.  Leave it as the Corby/Danny show.  Anyone else thinking that Corby sounds more responsible without Mike present?  Danny too?  Maybe I'm imagining things.  The Confessor seems to think that would not be a good idea, but I wouldn't mind it.

Let me throw out a couple of longshots:

David Moore.

Mike Doocy.

They're both sportsy; they're both adults.  I have no idea whether they are available or willing.  I do believe that Doocy, at least, could keep his current gig and still do the afternoon show.  David has to be present at Cowboy events and skulk around the locker room, so his availability is less certain.  However -- what is it that is making me think that David Moore is not a young man?  I went looking for his age and couldn't find it, but I think I heard somewhere that he's actually out of the demo.  (David, sorry if I've misheard that somewhere.)  He may be ready for a regular radio gig and broadcast paycheck.  Both are familiar to Ticket listeners.  Both have a sense of humor.  Doocy would need to tamp down his natural inclination to deference.  And again -- The Ticket may not want to replace Mike with an actual adult.  No idea whether either would blend with Corby/Danny.

And I think Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton is available.

I'm probably forgetting someone's favorite, and when you tell me who I've forgotten I'll smack my forehead and apologize.

A Few More Quick Hits

(1)  This is not the STD I have planned.

(2)  The Ticket must not be selling out its ad space on the stream.  Getting lots and lots of that cheesy synth filler where, presumably, there should be commercials.

(3)  For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why anyone would call a business "Mr. Store."  Improved automotive audio reveals that if you have fire/water damage, the entity to call is "Mr. Restore."

(4)  Does Jake seem a little cranky lately?  Must not be getting sufficient sleep with the new little one.

(5)  I get an icky feeling when advertisers try to make you think that they're big P1s, or include other Ticket references, like the commercial referencing "Norm The-Mozart-of-E-Brakes Hitzges"  At least, unlike George and one or two others at the station, they pronounced his name correctly.

(6) Musers showgram had an odd sound today without Becca or Sean.  I didn't hear why they were absent.

(7) I'd be interested in a study on the percentage over time of the Ticket broadcast day dedicated to sex/gender-related matters.   Speaking of icky-feeling listening.

Thank you for your patience.

A Diamond Talk Question

If I have a weeknight Rangers home game on through conclusion, I sometimes flip over to Diamond Talk with Sean Bass and Ty Walker.  Always like it, always good. 

It's got to be a tough job when things aren't going well for the old Rangeroos, so I always think of them when the team puts together something of a winning streak.

And as married guys with kids running about, I'm sure it interferes with family stuff.

The promos for Diamond Talk, and the online ads, say that it is "Award Winning."  (No hyphen.)  They also say:  "the longest running [no hyphen] post game [no hyphen] show for any sport or any team in the history of Dallas Ft Worth [no hyphen, and "Fort" should preferably be spelled out, although even if it isn't, it should have a period after it] Radio."  What is it with Ticket copywriters and hyphens?

Returning to topic:   Not hard to believe that Diamond Talk would win an award, or more than one.

But what award(s) did it win, and when? 

Thanking you in advance.

BREAKING: Shake Joint News

I don't have much information, but here's what I do have:

Bob did let the secret out of the cat-bag, so I believe we can take it as confirmed that The Shake Joint will be moving on.

I am advised that Jake and Sean will address the issue when TSJ substitutes for BaD tomorrow (Friday), and probably also on the Sunday show.  So tune in if you can and report here.  My ability to tune in is uncertain.

I have no information on other weekend changes -- zero.  However, Your Plainsman is going to go out on a limb and speculate -- really, I'm making this up -- that filling TSJ's slot will not be the only weekend change.  Look for movement and possible realignment of other weekend programming.  Other departures or lineup changes are not out of the question.

Your Plainsman also has no information on the reason for any of this; however, I believe I heard somewhere that TSJ was regarded as a ratings success as weekend listening goes, so suspecting this may be one of those "personal reasons" things.

If The Ticket is losing either Sean or Jake -- I hope not -- My Ticket Confession wishes him the best. 

[LATER BREAKING:  Please note comments below indicating Jake & Sean not departing, but moving to Cowboys pregame.  No news to date if Shake Joint will return; I'm speculating "no," but don't know.]

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Not everyone shares this view -- not everyone shares any view about The Ticket -- but I liked The Shake Joint a lot.  Never understood people criticizing Jake's and Sean's "chemistry," which I thought was excellent, and their collegiality genuine.  Neither hogged the show.  And it got better with time.

I'm going to miss it.  The silver lining is that other deserving -- or at least new -- JV voices will get a tumble.  Craig "Junior" Miller may have to revise his Tier assignments.

Will MTC's Country Force campaign finally bear fruit?

I'm still waiting for my commission on the move to 96.7 FM.

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This morning's redhead from the prior post didn't get much exposure, so she gets another shot here, and I'll add one more.

Hey, thanks, Plainsman.

Bye, guys.  Don't you be moving too far up the dial, now, y'hear?

Anyone Know What Bob Said?

Confessor Shaggy reports, second-hand, that Bob "let slip" that The Shake Joint showgram with Sean Bass and Jake Kemp is coming to an end this Sunday.  Did anyone hear that and can anyone give a report?

Does it have anything to do with even more Cowboys' pre-game coverage?

I'll see if I can find out anything.

Thanks for tending to the joint while I was away.  I'm back and trying to find time to give you a report.

In Defense of that Nice Young Michael Gruber

Not that Michael needs any defense as a general proposition.  He remains a Ticket legend, his influence apparent on the station every day.

But, alas, The Ticket is having a great deal of fun -- every show, and the weekend shows, too -- at his expense.  I probably don't need to go into detail on what took place.  He called into Diamond Talk after the Yu Darvish trade and, as things turned out, didn't manage to complete a point that sounded like  .  .  .  an actual point.

BaD Reviews Michael's Diamond Talk Call

The consensus seems to be that sometime before placing that call, Michael had been overserved.

A firm hand at the controls.

I do not wish to be understood as suggesting that Michael was not pixilated.  It is at least possible.  Perhaps more than possible.  I hope he got home safely.

But I think he was calling to make an actual point.  To my ear he started to make that point but didn't get it out with enough detail to give Sean Bass something to hang his hat on.

I think his point was going to be -- at least this is what I "got" as his point before things went awry -- that Yu Darvish was ready to be traded, ready to go anywhere, ready to leave the Rangers for any team that would take him.  That Yu wanted to leave the Rangers.  I don't know if that was going to be his point had he gotten it out with a bit more detail, but that's where I thought he was going right from the start.

What happened, though, was that he did not get that thought out clearly, and Sean, who was trying to keep Michael on track, converted it into a technical question about Yu's no-trade list, which gave Michael two problems:  (1) he wasn't really calling to make a point about the no-trade list, which got him off-message, and (2) Sean's question required consideration of what resembled a double-negative, i.e., a team "not being on his no-trade list," which someone in Michael's condition was not prepared to process, and which led to the stumbles we're now hearing ad nauseum.

Let me stress that I do not blame Sean for Michael's aimless performance -- he was guessing at Michael's point, as I am.

But I do think that, nudged gently in a slightly different direction, Michael would have been on his way to making a legitimate Sports Point worth discussing, that being:  Yu's overall attitude about being a Texas Ranger at that point was that he didn't want to be.

Any takers?

"You leave Michael alone.  He makes more sense tight than most Ticket hosts do straight."

 (The site had a request for more Myrna Loy.  Always pleased to oblige.)  

Excellent 2017 07 05 Shake Joint AND Mike R v "Not a Podcast"

(1)   I never went to church camp but today's segment on it was one of the most entertaining things I've heard on The Ticket for a long time.

(2)  Not attributable to Shake Joint, but:  Charlie Gray is asking listeners to let him know if Hidden Cost Motors and Heavy Metal Motors should be permanently retired.  Think his email might have given him a clue?

(3) Can't believe Sean will be interviewing one of my favorite crime writers, Don Winslow, here in just a little while.

(4)  Thanks to Jake for asking Sean to explain what "pitch framing" is from a stats point of view.  I kept hearing it mentioned on The Ticket, but had no idea what it meant.

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This Machine/Mike R issue is intriguing.  It only came up yesterday, so here's the string from the commentary for your reading pleasure, and a late unrelated comment from a reader.  I doubt we'll see much more about this on Twitter, but I think it's a large-pulling back of the curtain.

Shaggy said...

Rhynes-Machine controversy brewing on twitter...

July 4, 2017 at 12:27 PM

Anonymous said...

Can you give a little detail, Shags, por favor? I'm not on the Twitters.

July 4, 2017 at 1:23 PM

Gopher said...

Shaggy: I'm not seeing anything on either feed. ?

July 4, 2017 at 5:03 PM

The Plainsman said...

I haven't taken the time to learn the structure and practices of Twitter, so it's hard to tell exactly who is saying what to whom. However 16h ago (as of July 4 at 5:27p), Father John Zesty tweeted: "When the people you look up to shit on you on the internet." Attached to that tweet was a shot of what appeared to be another tweet of someone who was "Replying to @FYFMethod, k@BracketDan, and 6 others," with the following text: "Hopefully his tastes are discerning enough to turn off 3-7 today."

Circumstantially, it looks like whoever was the original author of that tweet -- and I can't find it anywhere, including @OldGreyWolf -- was taking a shot at Monte + The Machine filling in for The Hardline.

That's all I know. If anyone else can excavate what's going on here, let me know. If that was Mike R shooing people away from The Hardline's fill-in show, that would be news.

July 4, 2017 at 5:31 PM

Shaggy said...

Nope, the original tweet was a P1 wife "complaining" (but not really) about her husband listening to the ticket on his phone on vacation in Florida. Completely innocuous/complimentary of the ticket in general. Not related to Not a Podcast in the least. Mike's shot seemed to come out of nowhere

https://twitter.com/fyfmethod/status/881984097274527744

July 4, 2017 at 5:52 PM

Shaggy said...

(It was Rhynes that said "Hopefully his tastes are discerning enough to turn off 3-7 today")

July 4, 2017 at 5:55 PM

The Plainsman said...

Thank you, Shaggy.

Mike's shot doesn't feel like a bit; nothing about it suggests he's teasing.

That's extraordinary. Mike R apparently displeased at the prospect of Monte + The Machine's stewardship of his time slot.

We wrote last week speculating -- well, mostly speculating, but also crediting some rumbles -- that perhaps The Musers aren't the warmest home for certain factions of the JV.

Now we have Mike R going radio silent (NPI) on David Mino and suggesting, quite gratuitously according to Shaggy, that people shouldn't listen to his distant-tier JV drydock replacement.

This site likes to pump up the JV when it has the slightest excuse to do so, but in this connection I must report that on a startling number of occasions when I've been tuned in Machine has presumed to dish it out to some weekday hosts and other of his Ticket way-betters. I hope he's as prepared to take it.

July 4, 2017 at 8:07 PM

Anonymous said...

A few questions to anyone and I will hang up and listen.

1) Is "not a podcast" a reference to IJB? I know a lot of the JV'rs are annoyed with the way one of that group left and made it back as if it never happened.

2) Who is running the ESPN station? I know cumulus owns their signal, but how does that work? JJT was fired at ESPN but still runs a radio show. The reason I ask is it is stated it is less expensive to run national instead of local each night. Yet several nights their is local programming with Elf and others on ESPN.

3) If host are stretched for content during the summer, why not a soccer segment? plenty of MLS and Gold Cup or other tournament action. I guess we could have another will the Cowboys win 12 or 11 games this summer. There are plenty of things going on besides the Rangers or whatever they pull off ESPN headlines and just repeat the article. Several shows last week seemed like they were just stretching to get to that next break. Certain host def need a strong second host with them.

July 5, 2017 at 8:36 AM

Mike R or Mike M?  Do I have to choose?  They're both so  .  .  .  radio-handsome.

Sunday Morning Quick Hit

Yow.  Jake and Sean are really on it this morning with their 7 AM start. 

You may disagree with what one or both of them is saying or how they're saying it, but it is sharp, solid conversation and no punches pulled -- including a few jabs at one another.  Good radio.

We all need to step back before launching bombs.  I include myself in this caution.  One can disagree with what a host says but before we issue an opinion that isn't tied to something in particular we've heard on a showgram, at least consider whether it's thought-provoking, entertaining radio -- whether you'd rather be listening to, or doing, something other than listening to The Little One. 

I punch out sometimes during the week or JV time when I think things are getting a little too fatuous or smug or repetitive, but I almost always re-punch before too much time has passed.  I've sampled the competition -- in fact, I'm thinking of doing a multi-week Ben & Skin immersion and reporting -- but I think it's very difficult to deny that The Ticket, for all its occasional sour notes, is still the greatest radio any of us has ever heard.

Even with bedhead, it's worth getting up early to listen to That Shake Joint Thang.

Back . . .

.  .  .  and enjoying the heck out of The Shake Joint with Sean and Folly this morning.

Mrs. P and I were in Maine last week.  We were dining at a restaurant one night when I glanced at the front door, and who should come (quite literally) rolling in, but President Bush and Barbara -- he in wheelchair and neckbrace, she with a walker and trademark pearls.  They passed by our table and sat about 20 feet from us, and the Secret Service guys were all sitting at the next table.  They dined with another couple and seemed to have a fine time. 

I did overhear the President say that he'd like to hear more Dave Lane now that the Orphanage is hors de combat, but in general he thought the Ticket weekend changes were working pretty well.

Cue Vivaldi.

Thanks to the Confessor for some solid offerings this past week.

The Song of the P1 Yout'

The following item was offered as a comment to the last thread.  I thought it was worth highlighting as a post because it is indeed reaching the point where the successive midday ratings books may well be characterized as illustrating a trend.

It's a little stream-of-unconscious but I think the essential points are hard to miss.  And reflect what we hear from other younger P1s from time to time.

Thanks to Anonymous for his or her thoughts.  They follow the asterisks.

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How about those ratings!

No need to worry, Cat "has this," Just ask him. Oh wait, we did.

I'm 23 years old. I can tell you exactly why The Ticket is losing listeners and why The FAN is gaining them. Nothing to do with the Cowboys or Rangers. They've had the Cowboys for several years, and the ratings weren't an issue in the past. The Cowboys being good has nothing to do with it either. They kill in the ratings no matter how they play. Always have, always will.

It's a connection thing with listeners. Thing is, me and my friends listen to both stations. Sorry ESPN, you don't cut it and the ratings show it. Basically it comes down the hosts on The Ticket that are in my demo are too cool and the supposed anchor show is trying to be the too cool younger personalities. It doesn't work, anyway you slice it.

The overwhelming majority of us younger listeners do not listen to or really know about all the hip, cool and only the tastiest of tasteful people music and festivals and have all the right political and social views and all that. The stuff we like is nothing but made fun of and shitted upon. That means we are made fun of and shitted upon. From what I understand, it used to be for everyday dudes by everyday dudes. Now it's Dallas Observer radio. Don't get me wrong, a little hipness is cool. But the guys who I'm supposed to relate to, Jake, Machine, and I guess Sean Bass, are totally cliquish. The Hardline is a joke to most of us. My grandpa and 2 uncles acting like their my age. Are you kidding me? If that's the way Mike, Corby and Danny really are, then holy s, someone kill me when I'm their age if I think I'm still my age now.

Obviously I wasn't around back in the day but from what I hear it was all about connecting with listener. Seems like The Ticket only wants a certain kind of listener. Fact is, there's a lot more of us un cool kids who like all the music and things in life that so many hosts on The Ticket go out of their way to put down, and put down harshly, than there are cool kids. When they do that, they're also putting us down.

Sure Chris Arnold is [unflattering descriptor omitted] who tries way too hard. Sure Gavin and some of the other hosts and board ops and others can be douchey at times. But they never go out of their way to slam everything that doesn't meet their standard of coolness. You want to feel like you belong. Not like you can't get in the club. The FAN is way more inclusive. I admit that it's awfully flawed. Still. I'd rather hang out where I'm not constantly taking it in the nuts for so much of what I think, like and believe. Trust me. I'm not alone. The ratings show it.