OPEN THREAD: World Series Wrap-Up

I tried to listen to as much Ticket as I could Friday and this weekend, didn't catch as much as I would have liked.  A little Diamond Talk, a little Orphanage, a little Soul Patch.  I'm liking the Soul Patch, Matt McClearin is growing more comfortable by the week.  I'm also finding that I like listening to Danny Balis talk sports on those too-rare occasions when he turns his attention that way.  I didn't listen to much Diamond Talk this year -- bedtime -- but I may have to make that effort next season.  Good stuff, and I didn't notice some of the Newberry mannerisms that have gotten some adverse commentary here. 

In general, I thought the coverage was about where I hoped it would come out -- informed, calm, non-accusatory, balanced, big-picture.  Put responsibility about where it probably belonged (mostly pitching) without going ballistic. 

I especially liked the commentary from the likes of Mike R that we had focused on the Rangers' "story" to the near-total exclusion of the Cardinals' "story," and that had been our mistake.

So I gots nothing too profound here.  Feel free to offer sportsy baseball commentary as well as Ticket commentary, and if you have a thought on the TV coverage, that would also be welcome.  Here's a very mild one:  I've never thought much of Tim McCarver, going back a long time.  His observations have always seemed generic and obvious to me, but I guess we could have worse color guys.  Contrary to some of the Ticket hosts, I thought A.J. Pierzynski gave the Fox presentation a needed jolt.  Yeah, he looks kind of spiky, and I hear he has been voted putz-of-the-year or something by MLB players, but I thought his observations were fresh.

We haven't heard any of The Ticket's regular programming apres-Series as of this posting, so please return and post your thoughts on what our weekday warriors have had to say as the broadcast week gets underway. 

Me, I'm getting ready for The Ticket's "unofficial" Cowboys pre-game show.  (They've started to call it that on promos -- I wonder if The Fan complained to someone about that.)

*     *     *

[PS:  There seems to be some controversy over whether Danny B has received some kind of formal appointment as "weekend program director."  Anon D says no, it's a bit; a couple of other commenters seem fairly certain that it has happened.  Can anyone shed any light on this?]

Hits way way up the last few weeks.  My gratitude to the Nation.  The party's only getting started.

As always, don't worry about jacking the thread.  If you've got something else on your mind, let us hear from you.  You can also email me at ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com.  I am not case-sensitive.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

World Series Quick Hits

(1)  The Hardline has been brilliant the last few days.  Mike says it truly:  There is nothing more to say about this game, time to play.  Yet Mike, Corby, and Danny manage to be extremely entertaining for the entire show.   The passion and anguish of the fan.   The crosstalk with Diamond Talk has been great.  

This is Mike Rhyner at his absolute best.  When he's interested and engaged, there is simply no more listenable broadcaster in the metro.  This puts Corby in his natural position, with Danny lubricating the whole thing. 

We've heard that the CTO and Mike have a mutual loathing society going.  The past couple of weeks is good evidence of why they will come to terms.  The Ticket needs Mike Rhyner, and Mike Rhyner needs The Ticket.  I don't care what either side says. 

(2)  Did Bob Sturm really hijack Diamond Talk the other night, or were the accounts on the other shows exaggerated?  Witnesses?  I like Bob and in the past I've been inclined to dismiss charges that he's the Sports Bully, but that would qualify.  Unless, of course, it were 30 minutes of unrelieved brilliance, which is entirely possible.  But 30 minutes of droning qualifiers and subordinate clauses would be a bit much.

(3)  Been disappointed with the quality of the Ticket tweets tonight (Game 6).  Too many nothingburger interjections with no content or cleverness.  A few gems, mostly retweets.

(4) If The Ticket had not sent any shows to St. Louis for either segment of the Series there, would we have noted a significant difference?   I did not hear any of the Joe Buck encounters -- maybe that added some local color.  The Ticket didn't bother to send The Hardline the second time around.  I guess the station gets some PR benefit about saying that they sent some showgrams and the other stations didn't.  Hey, I don't mind them going, it certainly doesn't make their broadcasts any worse (technical issues aside).  But since Our Heroes aren't really news guys -- with the exception of Gordon, who gets some local sound from time to time -- no one is really covering the sports scene.  Their presence in St. Louis (or Detroit, or Florida) hasn't much for me one way or t'other.  Not unlike the playoffs and Series last year.

Are the CTO Cleaning Up the Hardli -- Uh, Make that The Firmline?

At least that's what it sounded like to me yesterday.  I didn't get to hear the whole show so I didn't hear the beginning of this riff, but I gather that our PM drive heroes (and perhaps the whole station, although I don't think any other show would be much affected) have been asked to stop using "f-ing" and other substitutes for the f-word and the s-word.  They were joshing about substituting "Z" for those particular words.  I don't know whether this goes to the more casual profanity used on The Hardline (you know, the damns and the hells and the bitches), or for such phrases as "BS" (which Danny changed to "ZX" at one point).  Nor do I know whether it extends to subject-matter censorship (body-cavity, genitalia, and human by-product humor).

In other words -- I don't know much about this.  If you do, let The Nation hear from you. 

In any event, it's welcome.  As admiring as this site is of The Hardline and its proprietors, it has been critical of the increasing vulgarity and profanity on the show.  I've spoken with several P1's who have switched their PM drive allegiance for this reason, although it is obvious that The Hardline isn't losing share for this reason (and who knows, maybe they've increased it).  I've mentioned in the past that Mrs. Plainsman will tolerate any Ticket showgram on while she is present, except The Hardline.

I know this sounds prissy.  Fact is, I'm not particularly prudish about program content and while I don't like the profanity, it doesn't hugely detract from my personal enjoyment of the show.  The problem with its use on The Hardline is that it gives the show an angry and sometimes even a misogynistic tone that is at odds with the rest of the station and grates on the ear.  It sounds deliberately provocative and forced.  So for me it's less verbal immorality -- heckitytoot, I like a little clever smut as much as the next cat -- than it is the damage to the color and gestalt of the show as a whole.  It's just not as good with excessively blue content.

Everyone I hear from on this subject says the same thing about The Hardline's forays into Stern territory:  These guys are better than that.

And they are. 

LOTS more on The Hardline in the weeks to come.  In the meantime, if anyone has any information on any CTO edicts on this topic, do advise.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

OPEN THREAD: Who OverTweets?

Twitter has its merits.  My problem is time.  I don't have enough of it for reasons not interesting to The Nation.  Not only do I not know how to use all of the mechanics, I don't get to just flat-out read all the Tweets regularly enough to learn the individual languages of some of the major Twits.  I'm not much of a Twit -- I alert new articles here, and once in a awhile I'll throw up a  non-promotional Tweet.  But if I think of something interesting, I like to save it for y'all on MTC.
I follow all of the Ticket guys whose addresses I've been able to get.  I have a few more I need to add.   I follow some other local sportsy/newsy guys.

Our title today announces my inquiry.  When I ask you to tell me who overTweets, I have a couple of qualifications in mind:

(1) If there's a guy who absolutely hijacks your page with endless Tweeting, but whose Tweets are of high quality, funny, interesting -- perhaps he is not an overTweeter, but just a guy with a lot of good stuff on his mind.  He gives you quality along with quantity.  Work t'other way around -- maybe a guy only slings a half[-dozen Tweets a day, but even with their brevity they waste your time.

(2) We should probably not count big-game Tweeting, where followers actually "tune in" to hear their favorite guy comment on the game as it goes along.

Maybe we should put it in the negative -- who would you like to see Tweet less?

Your nominees need not be limited to Ticket personnel.

And follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310.

The Fake Jason Garrett: Pretty Genius

A brilliant debut.

This was what I call "process humor" -- it made fun of a certain manner of speaking, of the presentation rather than what was being said (because he said, essentially, nothing).  Very witty and funny, and a great performance, but once it's established, it's a one-joke joke.  The challenge will be to introduce humorous substance, at least if Gordon intends to do it more than once or twice a season, as I assume he's going to.  (I wonder if they'll try to engineer some Fake Jerry/Fake Garrett dialogues.)  By that, I mean Fake Jason talking about something (i.e., football, the prior day's game, players) other than his own manner of talking.

A Jason Garrett fave phrase I did not hear:  "awfully good."

I thought that voice sounded somewhat processed.  It sounded like they had a plate echo on it, and there was a roughness to the timbre that sounded like it might have been artificially added. 

No matter, it was great.   Legend potential.

Some Props for the CTO

This one's a little late, sorry.  I had it slated for a few weeks ago, but then Greggo erupted a couple of times and it slipped.

Confessors will recall a very interesting dialogue I stitched together out of some comments from Little Weak Jeremy and Anonymous.  They're about ten years apart in age, but come to The Little One looking for different things and, in general, find them.  Here are the links to the posts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I won't repeat their positions in detail; suffice it to stay that they each enjoy different things about The Ticket, don't enjoy some of the other things quite so much, but find enough of what they're looking for that they remain committed P1's. 

What struck me about this dialogue, and about running this site generally and reading all of the great comments that Confessors favor us with, is that the "demo" that we hear so much about with The Ticket is actually quite diverse.

And I thought:  It's remarkable that The Ticket has grabbed all of us for many years and is doing nothing but getting more popular.

I think the Cumulo-Ticket Overlords deserve some credit -- actually, quite a lot of credit -- for this success.

Several Confessors have used the phrase "lightning in a bottle" to describe the mix of talents we have heard every day for lo these many years.  I agree with this characterization for the most part.  Junior, George, Mike, the anchors of the Good Ship Ticket since the beginning. Greggo for many years.  Incredible talents and they're still there, save the Hammer.  But BaD was as acquisition; so was Norm.  Corby's gradual ascension through the ranks was not inevitable.  I happen to be a Rich Phillips fan, and he's a hire.  The constant augmentation and improvement of weekend and nighttime offerings are also management initiatives.  It may be "lightning in a bottle," but the voltage of that original inspired team has been considerably juiced as the years have passed.

Of course, the current CTO are not responsible for all of these decisions, but the current lineup has been more-or-less in place through the current administration.  They'll be dealing with Mike's and Corby's future shortly. 

I have no pipeline to the ruminations of the CTO.  But I would be quite surprised if our on-air heroes don't get some nudging with respect to the variety of material they offer.  There are the young listeners who are probably more interested in the entertainment stuff; there are old-timers who prefer the sportsy-talk; and those extremes are stitched together by the overall dosage of generalized guy-talk.  I don't think that's an accident of the unsupervised preferences of the hosts.  I think the CTO manage these egos with great skill to get a mix of broadcast content that appeals to guys in all their variety.  And to a large (and, I suspect, growing) audience of chicks as well.

The CTO are facing a real challenge over the next several years.  Am I correct in thinking that all of the weekday hosts/yuks are over 40?  Mike over 60.  Norm is 67.  (I haven't found any birth info on Donovan.)   So far that collection is doing an admirable job of grabbing and holding the younger listeners.  (See the Little Weak/Anon dialogue.)   I think a lot of this is a tribute to The Ticket's success in making listeners feel like they belong to a kind of exclusive club, the P1.  (I know, I've written that the plural of P1 is "P1's" under rules for making plurals out of words ending in numbers, but "the P1" is kind of a synecdoche, too.)   The remotes and special events have done a lot to foster this feeling among listeners, and that's a function of the integration of marketing, sales, and the Talent.  (The UnTicket has a role in this, as does grubesismyleader and, to a microscopic extent, MTC as well.  As I  have suggested, the UnTicket is probably allowed to repost proprietary content wholesale through the CTO's good graces.)

They can probably keep it up for a long time, but not indefinitely.  Off-hours shows are tryouts for up-and-coming talent:  The Sirois brothers, Scot Harrison, Matt McClearin, Sean Bass, Ty Walker (another 40+, but a fresh voice as a host), and The Next Generation:  Jake Kemp, David Newberry, Mike Bacsik (RIP), Casey Millen, Michael Krenek, and, of course, human lightning rod T.C. Fleming.  Some encouraging talent there, if not all of them can currently be imagined as full-time weekday daylight hosts.  But  the CTO deserve some credit for giving these guys some time to stretch out and turn on the mic once in awhile.

And I'm guessing that Jeff Catlin and his colleagues are pretty clued in to broadcasters in other markets who might fit in here when the time comes.  Guys who can talk in normal tones, in measured cadences, about sports, pop culture, and babes.  (May be some babes on that list, too.)

Don't get me wrong -- The Ticket's gold is in the performance of its broadcast teams.  My point is that management has an unsung role in maintaining that level of performance and the stability of these teams, and we should sing about it a little.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, changes comes February with Mike's and Corby's contracts.  My guess is that the current lineup is going to be around for awhile.  My point is that the CTO aren't sitting around waiting for the next ratings book when it comes to Ticket programming.

Of course, we give the CTO grief in these pages.  Signal; promotion; syndication; hockey.  So I think fairness requires us to give some credit where it is due.

Can I get a witness?

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

OPEN THREAD: Bobless BaD

I've been wanting to post this for awhile, and now that (I hear) Bob Sturm is returning it seems like the right time to do it.

How was BaD Radio without Bob?  Commenters have made reference to it from time to time, mainly in connection with (1) how much they missed Bob and (2) whether a particular plus-one was getting the job done. 

You can still comment about those things, but I have a very specific question for y'all:  How was Dan as the Host-in-Chief? 

Even though he had fill-ins and plus-ones, the few times I caught a few minutes of BaD it sounded like I expected it to sound:  A single-host show with a color guy (no Donovan jokes, please) and Donovan.  Dan by far the most prominent voice.   I thought it sounded pretty good.  (Prompting one of my more absurd STDs that is so absurd that I will probably keep it in the can.)

A lot of Confessors are big BaD fans, think it's the best show, so I'm sure there must be some STDs out there on how the show fared in Bob's absence.  How did it sound to you the past couple of months?

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Seven Very Quick Hits

(1)  In driving around listening to The Little One on Saturday, I was reminded once again of what a terrific play-by-play guy Rich Phillips is. 

I like Brad and Babe doing the Cowboys broadcast, but Brad makes about a half-dozen mistakes per game, mainly misidentifying players.  He's getting worse.  Last week they completely missed plays coming back from breaks on two different occasions -- not because the ads ran long, but because they were yammering on about something else.  I'd like to see the Cowboys appoint Rich to do those broadcsts and I think he and Babe would make a fine team.  Couldn't happen under the circumstances of the Cowboys' present affiliations, but I'd take Rich over any TV play-by-play guy.

(2)  Is C.J. Wilson suffering bad karma because of his poor relationship with The Ticket? 

(3)  Re the Hank Williams, Jr., "Fox & Friends" story:  F&F co-host Steve Doocy is Mike Doocy's first cousin.

(4)  Don't catch Diamond Talk too often, but I enjoyed the pre-post-game broadcast while Sean Bass and David Newbury were on the air waiting for the Rangers game to end, commenting on the game in real time (more-or-less -- the radio broadcast was way, way behind the TV feed).   I especially enjoyed Danny B's contributions.   I like his Hardline persona, but there's an argument that he's even better when he tones down some of the more extreme guy-cynicism and interacts sincerely with whoever's broadcasting.

Anyone know -- is it legal to "call" a game by watching it on TV and broadcasting a report of the game play?  Is that a forbidden use of "descriptions and accounts"?  I'd think it would be some kind of violation of the team's right to control, and exclusively to exploit, its product.  These guys weren't describing the game in that degree of detail, so maybe it's "fair use" if it isn't a regular practice, or doesn't go on too long.

(5) How many more months do we have to listen to those execreable Bud Light "Here We Go" ads?

(6) I have been surprised not to hear anything about the death of Peter Gent, former Cowboy (Lance Rentzel eventually replaced him due to injury).   But he is best known as the author of "North Dallas Forty," fairly controversial hereabouts in its day.  Have any shows mentioned it?

(7)  I have no new Greggo or Richie or RaGE news, opinions, or speculations.

A Followup Note to "Weekends are Tough for The Hammer"

I agree with the sense of all commenters   that this is not going to end well for Greg Williams.  (See previous article and comments.)  Whether he's still under the influence or not, and we hope not, he seems unable to compartmentalize his professional life and keep it between himself and his employers.

I don't know much about broadcasting, but I know quite a lot about the way large companies, and especially public companies, are put together.  Bacsik was out almost instantly at The Ticket because of ONE WORD in his Tweet.  The Ticket could live with a Latino boycott, but Cumulus could not take the PR hit.

If He Who Can Only Rarely Be Named can't keep from mortifying his bosses, he's going to go.  Put Greggo and Richie out of your minds for a few minutes, and think about the guys they answer to, and the guys those guys answer to.  Their weekend is worse than Richie's and Greggo's.

"We don't shy away from Twitter controversy," says Richie Whitt.  I didn't hear that statement, but I accept Confessors' reports as accurate.  Think about what that means:   This isn't "controversy" in the sense of "I have a hot sports opinion about whether Dez Bryant is a goldbrick."  It's "controversy" in the sense of "unauthorized disclosure of confidential company information."  Richie saying that they don't shy away from Twitter controversy is equivalent to saying:  "We embrace self-destructive public airing of internal discord." 

Greggo has forced guys like Richie (for whom I continue to have some sympathy) to triage the damage he's done, and Richie's chosen to deal with it by embracing it.  (Query whether ignoring it might be a better strategy.)  But it can't work.   Greg's behavior reflects on the judgment of Fan and CBS managers and executives -- not just among listeners, but in the industry.  They look like fools if they let it continue.  They cannot tolerate this kind of loose-lippedness much longer.

And it's not like Williams has proven himself a ratings star.  The only downside to his release would be that some Fan guys would have to admit that their faith in Greggo's "this time I'll be good" story was misplaced, not to mention a lot of publicity dollars down the drain.  Hey, it looked like a good move at the time, didn't it?  We can all say aww, we knew Greggo was going to do the Greggo again eventually, but to put two well-known media figures against The Hardline -- one of them a former Hard Guy -- was a smart move at the time.   They were in the ratings tank then, and still are -- the hurt from admitting that it didn't work would go away fast.  But professional damage up the chain of command if there's a truly catastrophic meltdown, where all the warning signs were there, will linger with some suits who do not want failures, much less notorious public flameouts, on their resumes.

[Offbeat:  Here's a scenario to consider -- unlikely but anyone in business has seen more exotic theories conjured up by employment lawyers:  Hammer takes the position that this kind of public confession is therapy for his various addictions -- the "reconciliation" scenario that Anonymous posited.  He gets fired for them (presumably for insubordination) and then he claims that he was dealing with a disability known to his employer before he was hired (1) that did not affect his on-air performance, and (2) that were not "accommodated" by his employer.  That's a suin'.]

There's nothing wrong with reaching out to old friends and colleagues.  It's the public digital trail that's the problem while you've got current colleagues -- colleagues who have gone out on a limb for you -- who deserve your full concentration and loyalty.

I don't want Greggo to fail.  I don't even want him off the air.  I'm just saying that he's bumping up against some institutional dynamics that are going to make it very difficult for him to hang around much longer if he keeps doing what he's doing.

As Bob Newhart said on that old Saturday Night Live skit:  "Stop it."

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman 1310

Weekends are Tough for The Hammer

An Anonymous Confessor passes along some Greg Williams tweets and offers a comment with some plausible speculation:

TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
@tweetgrubes ...I can't believe you won't answer...it's Greggo...
23 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
@CMCrume...they may think I'm the enemy..but I'm not...No ill will against any of those guys...I did great work there..and I love those guys


TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
@Thehermesmeyers I do have a life...but in my recovery...I want to make things right with those guys..we went thru a lot.and had great times

After doing a little Tweeter dumpster diving (there's too much to post up here), it looks like Greggo has been reaching out to every Ticket host. On many occasions. It also looks like he might be having a conversation with Rhyner. If that's so, then, as far as I can tell, Rhyner is tweeting privately to Greggo, while Greggo seems to be tweeting publicly with Rhyner. This does seem to be the case. Unless Greggo is so out of it that he's tweeting as if Rhyner is answering his questions. I find that hard to believe. Don't know what the deal is, but I think somethings afoot, in the workings, or at the very least maybe a reconciliation of sorts is happening.

[Anonymous then clarifies that he believes that the "reconciliation" that is taking place is the "reconciliation" that is called for in the 12-step AA-tyhpe programs -- not a reassembling of The Hardline prior to Greggo's departure, which he acknowledges is almost certainly not going to happen.]

============

I don't know what the evidence is for behind-the-scenes Rhyner communications with Greg.  Whether or not this is true, these Tweets are still fascinating.  They cannot be welcomed by Greggo's Fan colleagues or supervisors.  This cannot be a bit to gin up interest in RaGE.   While it may be a part of Greg's rehab -- and if so, we can only hope it's working -- it looks desperate, it looks like he's unhappy with his current surroundings and wishing that he could turn back the clock.  It's pleading; it's sad.  He might scoff at that, but that is the impression he's giving.  The fact that he's making these communications public, when every Ticket guy's email is on The Ticket's website, suggests that he wants listeners, not just his former colleagues, to know what's going on.  As I suspect he has done in the past, he seems to be hoping that his public will demand some kind of rapprochment with his old Ticket buddies of some kind.

More speculation, of course.  However, I would suggest that these Tweets are even more interesting when one considers:

(1) Mike Bacsik has popped up on The Fan.

(2) Mike's and Corby's contracts are up in February, I'm pretty sure.

(3) Richie Whitt is let go at The Observer for reasons remaining unclear.

(4) Don't laugh -- BaD Radio is humming along sans Bob -- at least, that's my impression -- and it is not beyond imagining that when he returns he might want to make some other changes in his life. 

(5) Cumulus has bought Citadel and has access to much better signals that are currently being seriously underused.

I agree with Anonymous, as he wrote in the comments to the last article, that the chances of a Hardline reunion are extremely remote.  At least on The Ticket. 

But I don't think it's going to far to say that matters are somewhat fluid at The Fan, and we're approaching decision time for a number of individuals at The Ticket as well.

And we'll be mulling these things over in greater detail in future postings.  In the meantime, as Harry Caray used to say, lemme hear ya.

Well, It Finally Happened: Peter Gammons Blows off the Musers

In his defense, it's probably a busy day for Boston-based baseball mavens, and baseball mavens generally, after last night's wild multilple final regular-season drama and the conclusion to Beantown's historic late-season swoon.

Still, a broadcast commitment is a broadcast commitment.  This one doesn't mean much to Gammons, and pretty apparently never has, given some of his selections of broadcast locales.  Although the segment isn't as uncomfortable as it used to be, I always felt like Craig and George didn't have much use for it, either.

Dump him.



The Musers should interview her instead.



*  *  *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

BREAKING NEWS: Is It That (1) Richie Whitt Is Out at the Observer, or (2) the Observer is Getting Out of "Full-Time" Sports Reporting?

Thanks to Confessor Shaggy to alerting this site to Richie Whitt's farewell to The Observer, or its farewell to him.

Richie tees it up as the Village Voice organization "downsizing" by eliminating "full-time" sports.

This site has no idea whether this is the case, or whether, as less charitable minds might wonder, Richie's bosses got a little uneasy with him commenting on an industry segment (DFW sports radio) in which he is prominently employed, and writing about a team (Cowboys) that his station carries and whose game-day shows he hosts. 

Now I'll tell you right now that I don't find that to be a terrible conflict.  To the extent that it is, it is a disclosed conflict and readers and listeners can make up their own minds.

But there's something else:  He's become a little newsier himself than perhaps his editors are entirely comfortable with.  There was the Greggo blowup, and the widespread suspicion that he was anonymously commenting on his own stories hoping it would blow over.  (I know of no confirmation of this.)  That, if confirmed to his supervisors' satisfaction, would be tough to take, and his proximity to Greggo eruptions make him radio news in a way he hasn't been in the past, casting a somewhat fuzzy conflict into much sharper relief.

Well, maybe this will give him more time to keep an eye on Greggo.  Although I doubt that his Observer gig would ever threaten to make him wealthy, if he lost the Fan exposure, he'd vanish entirely.

All further evidence, if any were needed, that partnering with Greg Williams is a high-wire act.

I'm not a RaGE hater and I've defended Richie's Observer work.  I don't listen to RaGE often, I don't find it consistently entertaining, but I've found things to like about it from time to time.  I wish him well.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

*     *     *

SPECIAL TO GYPO NOLAN:  What can you tell us about this?

Memo to Alice Walton: Let Me Broker Your Date with Mike Rhyner

[ITEM:  A week or so ago The Hardline was reviewing the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest people in the U.S. and noting the ones who lived in DFW. Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, topped the DFW list with $23 billion US or thereabouts. She happens to be Mike's age, which got The Hard Ones urging Mike to pursue her.  This site would like to leverage its vast local influence to help Mike with this initiative.]

Alice, I know you’re a Confessor.  Hey, who isn’t these days, what with all of Greggo’s wacky weekend Tweeting!!   You gotta come to good old MTC, right?  Well, you can enjoy one of the many advantages that go along with Confessing by taking me up on my offer to smooth your introduction to one Mike Rhyner, paving your way to a pleasant evening at one of the metro’s swell spots. 

Object:  Romance!

You know, you can’t be too careful about blind dates when you’re clocking in at the tens of billions in the samolian department.   You can’t just waltz out with every lonely swain Mark Cuban dredges up for you out of his Rolodex of mere multimillionaire single buddies.

I would be honored to vouch for Mike and arrange the necessary introductions.  I know the man well.

No – no, his name isn’t Manuel.  I meant that I know Mike well.  I’ve never actually met him, but I’m sure that will change when I become your personal emissary to the Ticket’s stable of eligible stallions.    I have, however, spent several hours a day with him every weekday for the past seven years.

Let me just tick off some of the qualities that make him the ideal evening companion to a woman of wealth and taste.

I know, I know, women don't care about looks, but let's get this out of the way -- Mike  has taken good care of himself.  I mean, at one time or another the guy's been tested for everything. 

He positively radiates charm with his inviting demeanor.

When he has a conversation with a woman, he actually listens to what she has to say; he'll look you right in the eye.



He loves fine literature, and uses his passion for books to mentor younger men in his profession.



But he's not only conversant with the fine arts; he's intimately involved with the performing arts as well.  I think you'll find his stage presence translates well to an intimate evening across an elegant dinner table.

No, I don't know what that is in his pocket.

You say you're not interested because you're more into the furries-plushies scene? Hell, Alice, no problem.

And Alice, I didn't want to bring this up, but when I was researching you in attempting to identify those 37 points of compatibility you hear so much about these days, I discovered that you have, shall we say, a fondness for the fruit of the bottle.

Check.

And that you once called a policewoman who pulled you over after you mowed down a gas meter a "bitch."

Gotcha covered.

Well, Alice, I can't blame you for being a hard woman to please.  I really thought you'd go for Mike.  He's age-appropriate, he just missed the Forbes 400, and  .  .  .  what's that you say?  It's his age that's the problem?  You're looking to get younger at that position? 

Here, let me check my Ticket stallion files  .  .  .

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310



Final Observation on Greggo's Weekend Meltdown . . .

.  .  .  and then I'll put a cork in this topic for awhile, unless there's some news.

=====================

Let's put aside the content of Greggo's bizarre weekend Tweets.

Let's put aside whether his judgment as to the robustness of his employment approaches that of an armadillo deciding whether to cross a highway.

Let's put aside whether he should or should not be on The Fan's Sunday Cowboys coverage, and the reasons he is not.

Here's the true, ongoing problem with what he did this weekend:

It hurts RaGE.

When he reveals to the public how he feels about his employer and his on-air colleague and friend, and how the latter is starting to feel about him, listeners factor that knowledge into their judgment (subconscious or live) as to whether what they're hearing everyday on RaGE is sincere or fake, from both Greggo and Richie.

A display of false camaraderie doesn't give the listener a good feeling about what he's being sold.  The "family feeling" (all right, sometimes "dysfunctional family feeling") that the Ticket successfully conveys, and that RaGE has been trying to develop for the past year with all the on-air palsy-walsy, is destroyed.

Greggo's weekend poetry has greatly damaged his daily product.  You just can't hear RaGE the same way, knowing what Greggo has now improvidently revealed. 

*     *     *

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

My thanks to Confessor ScottsMerkin for retrieving the following recent Tweets where Richie and Greggo try to laugh this off as a bit:

Richie Whitt  Since I'm getting so many inquiries re: @TCUWhiteTrash's supposed "firing" from Cowboys post-game show: 1. He was invited back before season and declined; 2. Remember, he has a twisted sense of humor; 3. You really think I have that kind of power?

Long post from Deck.ly Just now View on Twitter

more twitter

richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Yep, he's kidding you.> @pudgey7 I hope you realize you are nothing without him! Are you kidding me?
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Giggle. >@GaryBlain hy did you fire the greatest air personality, ever, from after game activity? You'd never have a rating w/o Greggo!
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Joking. Of course. >@mrolson is greggo joking about getting fired from pregame and postgame or did he really get fired
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply » richiewhitt Richie Whitt
No. of Ed Hardy shirts I own: Zero. >@Ambien_Greggo Why was I fired? I haven't snorted coke off of one of your Ed Hardy shirts in weeks.
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
richiewhitt Richie Whitt
You really fell for that, tough guy? >RT @ICscott: @richiewhitt you better hope twitter has this one wrong

and then from Greggo

TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
Ok FAN FANS...here is the deal...I was just clowning around and goofing about being fired from Cowboys post game show..it was my decision...

TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
...I was just having fun with the guys..in no way was I fired..just some of my weird ways of having fun...but...Elf was carrying a knife!!
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
...and in no way am I bitter...NOT THE LEAST...I did a cowboys post game for 16 seasons..just wanted a break..and chance to go to games....

*     *     *

My response:

Not credible. Not in the least.

This is damage control, and a pretty sorry attempt.

What bottom-dwelling show does an intentional "bit" about internal discord?

They're moving from dirty-laundry-airing to listener-intelligence-insulting.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Make MTC Your Source Today for Responsible Former-Ticket-Host Journalism and Breaking News re Same

=======================

UPDATED 9-19-11 1:55 PM:    Greggo is on RaGE today and is, in fact, the first voice heard interacting with Josh and Elf.   So in the short run, at least, they're powering through this weekend's differences.

=======================

If you don't know what that headline means, first thing you do, you go back and read the prior article, which is here:  BREAKING NEWS: Is This the End of Greggo?  

Read the comments to that article as well.

Next, consider a Richie Whitt Tweet unearthed by an Anonymous commenter late last night: 

"richiewhitt Richie Whitt
Bull. Ess. >RT @TCUWhiteTrash: Wish I was welcomed at Frankies today..but the other hosts have made thoughts know...being fired hurts..."

So clearly, Richie and Greggo are at odds.

How serious is it?  Will hands be shaken and all forgiven by showtime?  Or will Greggo's pathetic public poor-pitiful-me-the-Fan-guys-won't-let-me-play performance over the weekend persuade the CBS/Fan suits that they need to act before The Final Meltdown?

So we count down to 2 PM, unless there is a prior announcement.

Now, of course, this site is not a "source" for anything.  But we've got some helpful Confessors here who keep us advised of more-or-less reliable industry scuttlebutt and what the Internet is revealing.   You got it, bring it here.  You can also write me at ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com.

Comments:  (1) No (or only very mild) profanity.  (2)  Stay on the right side of the fuzzy line between criticism and personal attack.

And again:  This site's current editorial position is that when Greg Williams is present and audible he hasn't been bad on RaGE, and on occasion has been very good; it would like to see RaGE continue with a healthy and responsible Greggo, at least through Mike Rhyner's contract negotiation; it does not find Richie Whitt a terrible sports-talk host, although not a particularly compelling one.  And finally, it hopes that Greg is well or gets well, and stays that way.

Thank you for shopping at My Ticket Confession.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

BREAKING NEWS: Is This The End of Greggo?

Greg seems to be burning a bridge before being asked to cross it. 

Here are the series of Tweets issued by Greg Williams Sunday afternoon (thanks to Anonymous commenters for the reports): 

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
I have so much 49'er information I want to share on our pre and post games shows on THE FAN...but.I was fired...and the other hosts agreed"

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
All FAN FANS...ask Richie why I was fired..he just said he didn't think I possessed the necessary traits to do a quality post game show.."

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
I really wish I was welcomed at Frankies today..but the other hosts have made their thoughts know...being fired hurts..."

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
@bbshelton ..do you think people would listen??...I would definitely consider it....I miss it so much...but CBS made a decision..and I'm out"

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
@richiewhitt ..Frankie's might be packed...too bad there's not enough room for me...but I understand...you guys DON'T want me there....."

The initial question was whether his "firing" related solely to Cowboy game-day participation, or his weekday gig.  The foregoing suggests the former -- as of 8 PM Sunday. 

Still not finding anything on the Internets about any of this.  To the best of this site's knowledge, he's still employed by The Fan as a weekday host.

But what do you do with a guy who issues serial sad-puppy whining  Tweets about being excluded from Weekend coverage?  Where he reports that his employment savior, media champion, and on-air partner Richie Whitt told him to his face that he didn't have the skill set to do a conventional pre/post-game show?  Has CBS/The Fan just made a decision to ignore these outbursts and judgment lapses?  Or will they do what any other employer would do?  Some kind of discipline, up to and possibly including suspension/termination. 

Suspect RWhitt and CBS/Fan poobahs are meeting tonight to decide what to do.  Oh, yeah, there will be lawyers there.

I have the same question Confessors have been asking:  What is he thinking?  Either he believes he's finished at The Fan and is reaching out for a final grasp at attention, OR he's fearful of it and thinks that by hinting at it online the millions of fans he imagines he has will rise up in his defense.

Either way, I have the same reaction as most of the Confessors commenting here -- it's sad, sad, sad.

Please let us know if you have any news on this.  Email:  theplainsman1310@gmail.com

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @plainsman1310

MAYBE NOT BREAKING NEWS: A Greggo Firing, But Probably Not THE Greggo Firing

An anonymous commenter to the prior article reports that Greg Williams just tweeted:

"TCUWhiteTrash GREGGO
I have so much 49'er information I want to share on our pre and post games shows on THE FAN...but.I was fired...and the other hosts agreed"

He questions whether this means Williams was just fired from Cowboy commentary, or his main weekday gig.  I've done a very quick and superficial Google search and I find no recent items re The Fan terminating Greggo's services generally.

However, this site did report on a Cowboys pre-game last year in early November where Greggo was there one minute, and not there the next.  You can read that report here:  AND AGAIN -- WHERE'S GREGGO?    As to whether he returned to Fan Sunday Cowboy programming in subsequent games, I don't know.

So I'm guessing that the Tweet means -- to the extent Greg's Tweets may be said to have useful, much less credible, substantive content -- that he was disinvited from the Cowboys pre- and post-game on The Fan, and not that he was fired from his daily host duties.  I would think he would have Tweeted more colorfully and fully had that taken place, and the Twittersphere would have exploded.

If any of our incredibly wired Confessors can fill us in on the inside baseball at The Fan regarding Greggo's Sunday duties, the Nation would be grateful to hear from you.

=============

Haven't caught the entire Ticket pre-game, but Rich, Mark F, and Junior sound great.  Bob Sturm is a splendid sports brain and broadcaster, but for a succinct, well-reasoned, elegantly-expressed sports analysis it's hard to beat Craig Miller.

A COUPLE OF QUICK HITS: (1) Paynj and (2) Croak

(1)  Mike's Continued Interest in Unusual Animal Habits.   We have already had occasion to remark on one of the most bizarre moments in recent Ticket history --  Mike R's reference to Green Tail Shiner.  (You need to listen to the links in the comments if you don't remember this -- I mean, Mike was at his out-there best.)

Today, he referred to a canine activity, presumably theoretical, called a "paynj."  I'm spelling it phonetically -- like "pain" with a "j"-sound on the end.  (So why not spell it with an "i"?  So as not to associate it with "pain."  I hope we've cleared that up.)

How did this come up? you may well ask.  Grubes was replaying some old account of how Corby's parents used to wake him up when he was a boy by sending his dog into his bedroom, whereupon said cur would leap upon the slumbering MiniSnake and proceed to (bleep -- presumably, "hump") him until he woke up.  This recollection was the cause of well-earned hilarity, and then, apropos of nothing, Mike makes reference to something called a "paynj."

This perplexed everyone, until someone, I think Danny, suggested that Mike was giving a name to the way a dog would perform a haynj (phonetic) -- because a dog has paws (starting with a "p") and not hands.  Got that?  What it had to do with waking up the adolescent Corby is shrouded in the mists of radio lore.

But shouldn't it be "pawj"?

(2)  Greggo's Lost Cords.  Flipped over for a spot of RaGE today.  Greg's voice had almost completely disappeared.  All he could do, when I was listening, was whisper.  I didn't listen long enough to tell if he was coherent. 

Did anyone hear an explanation of this?

So maybe he was yelling at the TV all weekend.  Doesn't a radio host with a history of vocal problems have some kind of obligation to care for the pipes?

Recent commenters have suggested that Greggo's Tweets are spiraling towards unhingedness.  

Richie Whitt must be fighting carpal tunnel in both hands as he keeps his fingers tightly crossed at all times.

BUCKLE UP, BUTTERCUP!!

Sean Bass has given us the catchphrase for the season, for good or ill.

The pre-game shows have been good.  Sean and Donovan were plenny fine. 

Rich, Norm, and Mark Followill are putting on a crisp, authoritative presentation.  Miss Bob, but this team is slinging an entirely satisfying listen.  God, I love The Ticket.

But it's SeaBass who wins the prize this afternoon.  At the conclusion of his (pre-recorded?) analysis of the Jets, expressing some concern for the Cowboys' fate under the circumstances, he uttered our title phrase.  I laughed out loud, thought it was absolutely pitch-perfect for this season.  Someone, Rich, I think, said what the hell was that?

I don't know, but it struck me as excellent advice to the Cowboy Cadre.

[[NOTE:  The initial post identified the phrasemaker as Ty Walker.  Thanks to Anonymous and That Nice Young Michael Gruber for correcting me in the comments.]]

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

OPEN THREAD: Your 9/11 Recollections

A new Confessor dropped me an email suggesting this, and it struck me as a great idea.  I invite you to tell the Nation your memories of 9/11.  Ticket memories are welcome if you have any, but if not, we would still be grateful for your account.

Here's mine in abbreviated form so I can get this thing online:

My main memory of 9/11 is the blue of the Chicago sky.  No jets lowering to O'Hare or Midway, no contrails making some new weather, nothing.  Just blue.

I was driving east on Irving Park when I heard the first report on -- of course -- the sports-talk radio station WSCR The Score.  I switched over to NewsRadio WBBM 780.  Even the earliest reports -- erroneously reporting that it was a DC-3 that hit the first tower -- made it sound deliberate.  I was driving south on the Kennedy toward downtown when the second plane hit.  My eyes went immediately upward -- to the Sears Tower, as it was then known, already visible in the distance.  My office building was kitty-corner from it.

I called Mrs. Plainsman, in charge of an elementary school in a suburb.  I called her out of a meeting and told her to get a TV on pronto.

No work got done that day.  There was concern over whether the Sears Tower would be targeted, and our building closed down by midday.  I had the only TV in the office, and people huddled around, disbelieving.

I had spent some of my young-guy life in New York City, but a few emails and phone calls blessedly confirmed that no one I knew had been injured or killed.  I didn't know of the full impact of 9/11 on my life until several years later.  I was vaguely aware that my best childhood friend growing up in the Midwest, a brilliant kid and a brilliant man, had eventually ended up at the Pentagon as a financial analyst.  I had not kept in touch with him over the years, and I hadn't thought about him on 9/11.  Later, I did.

If he had been sitting in his office in the Pentagon on 9/11, he would have survived.

He wasn't.  He was in the jet that hit it.

ANOTHER WEEKEND OPEN THREAD: Gordon Is Bored

I thought it was just me. 

Oh, Gordon was his usual brilliant self, but, it seemed to me, more lurid than usual.  The concentration of sex/perversion stories and references were coming thick and fast.  I don't know why they don't just use his altering-his-voice-to-avoid-drop-treatment as drops -- he used it so often the past week that it would serve just as well to identify him as the author of a drop using the voice.

Then I noticed that George and Junior themselves remarked on his more-raunchy-than-usual performance this week.  It was also noticed by Confessor East Texas P1 (from comments to the article on The Fan Sports Lounge):

Anytime Gordon and Corby start with the bathroom / in-the-gutter humor I am out. George even asked Gordo this week "Did you hit your head on something" which I think was only partial humor as Gordo was really off of it.

I didn't punch out, but I did find his performance curious the past few days.  He's an immensely talented guy, and  I don't think he was "off of it"; I think he's bored. 

Have at it, Nation.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

WEEKEND OPEN THREAD: Well, What Did We All Think of The Hardline Today?

I will reserve comment for now.  Commenter Anonymous beat me to the punch in the previous article; I thought it was a thoughtful reaction and I hope he or she will not mind if I repost his/her thoughts:

TC and Jake did a pretty good job today. Especially when you consider it was their first time to be put in such a prominent position. And for the fact that Rhynes pretty much let them take over the show. Much like he does with Corby. I'm beginning to agree with some of the commenters here that Rhynes might be bored or a bit lazy on the job. Like I said, they did a fairly good job. But it grew stale after awhile. TC began to sound more and more like Gen X Davey Lang as the show went on. Meaning that he has a deeper than superficial body of sports knowledge, but he takes the long way home to get any thought out. I think it's evident that he's a smart guy, so he doesn't need to attempt to use formalized language on air in order to let us know he's smart. He's not very good at it, and so it clutters the message. That and he tries too hard to schtick it up as much as possible. If anyone remembers Gen X's tickers they'll get what I'm saying. I was surprised that TC, not Jake, took more of the lead during the broadcast. Jake on the whole was serviceable, but not very memorable. Overall I give their performance a solid B.

What do you say?

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

MORE BREAKING NEWS: The Fan Invades The Ticket's Backyard

I was thinking that maybe The Fan had some Cowboys pre-game, so when the Hardline took a break I switched over.

I switched over just in time to hear a Major Station Announcement on RaGE. 

The Major Station Announcement was that The Fan has acquired the space formerly occupied by The Board Room in Victory Park (8000 sf) and is going to open The Fan Sports Bar.  I may not be recalling the name correctly, it may be The Fan Sports Lounge -- I was dodging texters on the Tollway at the time.  It will obviously be 100% Fan-promotional, and programs will originate from there from time to time.

Not far, I would imagine, from The Ticket's new studios, should they ever actually ever move into them.  I know that the move has been complicated by the recent Citadel acquisition, but that move to Victory Park ahs turned into something of a joke, has it not?  It is certainly not treated very seriously by any Ticket host.

*     *     *

All right, Confessors, I want you to bear with me for a minute here.  You know Your Plainsman likes to look at the big picture, so after almost no careful consideration, I'd like to share with you a couple of thoughts for you to comment on:

The Fan may suck.  Richie Whitt may suck.  Greggo may suck.  The whole damned station may suck, and CBS may suck.  And we can all have a good laugh about The Fan's lousy ratings.  And we can all be very smug about the superiority of Ticket programming, talent, bits, history, all the rest.  I will concede that that smugness has been richly earned, because The Ticket is superior to The Fan in any way that matters to a day-to-day listener.

But I gotta ask you -- be fair now --:   Isn't there a spot of genius in this?  The Ticket moves into studios in Victory Park, but The Fan one-ups them with 8,000 square-feet of fan-friendly promotion right next door.  The Ticket does remotes and they're great, but The Fan is throwing up a permanent remote where listeners can come and identify with the brand while they're doing their favorite things (drinking beer, observing breasts, eating bar food in a bar, watching sports).  And The Fan guys are going to be rubbing elbows with listeners there in a way that Ticket guys haven't had to do in awhile (because they don't have to, because they're local gods).  I'm not criticizing Ticket hosts, who by and large get really good marks for dealing decently with P1's at remotes and in public.  Just saying that The Fan hosts are hungry in a way that The Ticket hosts haven't been, for awhile.  Those hosts and their listeners are part of a community of pain that can be a powerful springboard to improved ratings.

Even if you disagree with me that this is a very imaginative and progressive way to promote the station:  It ought to mean something to Cumulus and The Ticket guys that CBS continues to be willing to pour a ton of dough into promoting The Fan.  This is a signal that they're in it for the long haul, and they're going to fight The Ticket tooth and nail, right next door to our boys.

And all of this with Mike Rhyner's contract coming up.  What?  You don't see any way that The Fan's continuing well-financed assault on The Ticket has anything to do, conceptually or otherwise, with Mike's contract?  You say that Mike has been heard saying that Your Plainsman is a rank fool?  

In the words of the magnificent Rick Arnett, "I don't think so."  

It's going to be an interesting six months, and I hope that all Confessors hang in there for the ride.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

BREAKING NEWS: Cirque to Replace Scrubs

I have it on impeccable authority (that is, I didn't hear this myself) that around noon Cash Sirois announced that Cirque du Sirois would be replacing the Scrubs, or what was left of them -- man, how dispiriting must it be to be the remains of something called "The Scrubs"? -- following the Orphanage on Saturday afternoons.

David Newbury has taken his lumps from Confessors over the past couple of weeks, but I have always thought that he does bring something to the station.  Whether he's cut out to be the star of a showgram remains unclear, but as a hard-core sports guy -- which species some believe is underrepresented at The Ticket -- his credentials would seem to be fairly well-established.  I'm hoping he gets a shot somewhere else on the Little One, perhaps with a strong co-host.

I haven't heard who will be taking Cirque's place on Sunday.  It makes sense to move the strong Cirque to Saturday, which I'm guessing is a more heavily-trafficked listen. 

Well, Confessor and crypto-insider Gypo Nolan had it right -- BIIIG changes on the way for the weekend.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Mr. Miller v. Mr. Do

Your Plainsman has been off work the past couple of days after undergoing a medical procedure.  Nothing serious.  Old Doc Stone rode out on his buckboard and I'm good as new.  I took the opportunity to catch a little of the Bob-less BaD Radio.  Commenters responded favorably to the Followill pairing, and I thought today's Rhadigan plus-one (after the minus-one) was fine, what I caught of it. 

Our subject today is two different positions taken by The Musers and BaD, wondering what you think of it.

Junior devoted a segment to his belief that the evidence of the preseason points to Cowboy management chalking this year up as one for rebuilding.  Not that they've given up the playoffs; not that they won't try to win their games.  Just that they've looked over the team and decided that to be successful in the future, this year needs to be considered one where new, younger players adapt to new schemes and strategies, at the possible expense of a victory here and there.  He was very firm about this, and, I thought, persuasive.  In fact, this has been my own reaction to recent Cowboy news. 




Short-Track Driver Junior Miller

Donovan thought this was "malarkey," and a few other choice descriptors.  (He was not referring to Craig's argument in particular.)  He thought this was purely a cap move.  (One memorable line:  "If Gurode and Costa were both on this team on opening day, who would be starting?")   Possibly reflecting Jerry's reduced economic circumstances, but in any event, mainly economic in motivation.   He had support on this from Dan.  And, indeed, Jerry did refer to economics in his meandering remarks on the topic, and Jason Garrett himself mentioned business considerations.  Not a bad case there, either.

Aussie Exotic Dancer Donovan Lewis

I'm  not sure why both can't be at work here, but I'm more interested in what y'all think about how these guys made their cases, if you heard them, and anything else on your mind. 

As usual.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Non-Tickety Observation on the 105.3 FM Call of the Vikings Game

My non-Tickety observation is that it was terrible. 

Babe Laufenberg was doing the teevee color, so Brad Sham was paired with "Coach Joe" Avezzano and Steve Dennis. 

Is Coach Joe some kind of local beloved character?  I know about his coaching career, but is he known for being an astute observer of the local football scene?  The gags about him being techologically behind the times, and references to what school someone came from, and all the rest, was pointless, unamusing, repeated ad nauseum, and dumb.  I didn't hear one observation from him about what was going on on the field that wasn't obvious; his offerings were so generalized and cliched that I could have written them in advance of the game.  The highlight was where Brad was reading a lst of all the Cowboys who had carried the ball in the game, and when he was done, Coach Joe said "and a porridge in a pear tree." He's like Greggo, without the eloquence.

You know who he sounds like?  Hank Hill's neighbor Bill on "King of the Hill."  Hey, if he's some DFW deity that everyone loves, I apologize for the disrespect.  But man, he was awful in the booth.

Steve Dennis spent more time commenting on his own commentary and Tweeting than offering game observations.  On the TV I would see some cowboy headed off the field on a cart, and those three were larfing it up about some nothing or other. 

Hard to believe that The Fan could not have assembled better support for Brad Sham than that, or that they couldn't have directed Coach Joe and Dennis to do some game prep.  The broadcast was a trainwreck from beginning to end.

==============

NOTE:  This was corrected from its first posting, as I had the channel entirely wrong.  Observations are the same.  Many thanks to Anonymous below for pointing out my error.

Shaggy below also suggests that the Cowboys select the broadcast team.  I had been under the impression that the Cowboys might have approval rights, but the network/station hires the broadcasters.  I'll be there's someone out there who knows.

If it is the Cowboys -- it doesn't improve the broadcast.

Big Weekend?

Contrary to speculation, it appears that Matt McClearin is going to continue to co-host with Scot Harrison on The Soul Patch for a third week.  At least, I think I heard that correctly -- the spot kinda crept up on me.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I believe I also heard Harrison say there was going to be a major SP announcement during the course of the showgram.

And we have sometime crypto-insider Gypo Nolan commenting in an earlier post that htere are going to be, as he put it, a "BIIIGG weekend shakeup" in the offing.

Yah, I know we've got the always-critical third Cowboy pre-season game, and the Angels in town, blah blah blah, but this is important. 

My pants are uncomfortable!!

Congratulations and Best Wishes to Bob Sturm

I'm almost never in my car during BaD Radio, but I was today when Bob announced that he would be taking an extended leave from the show to travel with his family to Honduras to see to the adoption of a five-year-old boy.  He estimated his absence at 4-6 weeks, but suggested that if the bureaucracy didn't work as expected it might be longer.

I'm sure I speak for The Nation in offering our heartiest congratulations and our hope that things go smoothly and safely. 

This represents a notable sacrifice for Bob in many respects, not the least of which is professional -- to be away from The Ticket during one of the most critical times of the sports year, and during a time when he usually assumes extra duties with the Cowboys pre-game.   By mentioning his on-air duties I don't wish to minimize the extraordinary personal undertaking -- a lifetime obligation -- that Bob and his entire family have signed on for.

The Ticket and Cumulus also deserve tremendous credit for allowing Bob this freedom.  Pretty damned cool.

Bob, would there were more like you.  Thanks for your and your loved ones' service to our collective humanity.  I'm sure that this decision will pay immense dividends in joy.

Keep us posted.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Two Quick Hits on AP's Scrubs/Patch Comments -- Actually, Not All That Quick, as It Turned Out

If you haven't read them yet, go back to the just-prior post and scroll down to his comments (there are other good ones in there):   http://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2011/08/scrubspatch-voyage-continues.html

Two things I want to comment on:

(1) Among the pearls in AP's essay is his reminder that these guys are not full-time broadcasters.  They have other jobs.  Some, not all, of the co-hosts do not have long-time relationships.  As a result, their shows sometimes sound like a couple of jamokes sitting around having a sports argument in a saloon somewhere.  And, as AP suggests, this might well be a virtue if it doesn't get out of control, and if it doesn't become physically difficult to listen to (as it might if, for example, the hosts end up talking over and interrupting each other).

 

(2) A note on my own experience with Ticket personnel: 

I was interested in AP's comment that his participation in online Ticket sites brings him into contact with Ticket personalities in ways that tends to give him a rooting interest in the guys he's in touch with. 

Y'all can see for yourselves how often Ticket guys identify themselves as commenters on this site.  Not very often.  Even more rare is a personal email from a Ticket guy who identifies himself.  (No TicketChicks have checked in to date.)  As the site has gotten more popular, however, it's clear that at least a handful of Ticket guys check it with some regularity.  Maybe more.

I also have strong reason to believe that several Cumulo-Ticket insiders comment anonymously, which is both a blessing and a curse.  A blessing, because they can pass along (what seems to me to be) credible inside information, sometimes technical, usually not competitively sensitive, that Ticket fans will find of interest and that can correct speculations that I throw out as well as my factual errors.  A curse because comments from anonymous insiders carry with them the possibility of manipulation -- not just manipulation of this site and Confessors' perception of the station, but manipulation of the anonymous poster's own position at The Ticket (if, indeed, responsible Cumulo-Ticket Overlords visit the site at all, for which I have almost no evidence).  Nothing I can do about it, nor would I even if I knew who the anonymous C-T insider posters might be.  Part of the intrigue of the online world we're all inhabiting these days.

But let's put the suspected C-T anonymous commenters to the side:  AP has identified an occupational hazard of a site like this, and this is as good a time as any to confess (of course) to it:    I'm a fan.  I like The Ticket guys, and it is an affection that, over the years, at least feels personal.  I want them to like me, too.  (Which, given my anonymity to date, I admit sounds fairly ridiculous.)    So the temptation is to be flattered when one of these more-or-less public figures takes the time to write, even if it's to disagree with something in the site, or to correct what they believe is a mistaken opinion I hold.  In addition to the hey-it's-cool-that-a-Ticket-guy-is-communicating-with-us factor, Ticket guys who make themselves known to this site are opening themselves up to adverse comment and further controversy -- including, I'm guessing, the occasional stern note from C-T management about confidentiality.  So they get some points for bravery, too.

And indeed, when one hears the other side of the story, there is an inevitable softening of one's view about whatever the controversy happens to be at the time.

This is a particular hazard for this site.  At the risk of betraying excessive self-regard, I think one of the reasons the site has attracted more followers as time has gone by is that I make an effort to offer praise and support where The Ticket succeeds (and let's face it -- it succeeds way more often than it stumbles), along with the critiques and suggestions.  And, irrespective of my own views, to present the other side of the story through the encouragement -- and, more recently, highlighting -- of the more thoughtful commentary from Confessors.  It may not always be as fun to read as the flame wars, but I'm looking for readers who care about the station and think creatively about it. 

I'm guessing that the Cumulo-Ticket Overlords and their on-air thralls are interested in those citizens as well, the P1's who listen carefully and opine thoughtfully about this large part of their lives.  If the CTO think this site has an ax to grind on behalf of some particular host or other guy, they'll write MTC off as just a (much, much) wordier version of some of the other more rambunctious sites for Ticket venting.

So while I love hearing from Ticket personnel, and while I cannot claim complete immunity from some uptick in sympathy and support for those who take the time to communicate, I do try to maintain some distance.  I've still never met a Ticket guy at any level, although there are several whose hand I'd like to shake sometime, just to say hello and thanks.  I've never called the station or a showgram.  I've never emailed any C-T management (other than in the very early days of this site when I would occasionally send them a link to a post, trying to scare up some interest).   I've probably spent a total of a half hour at remotes in the last seven years.  I don't personally know any of the commenters on this site, including AP.

So, as I think AP's comments suggest, there's a tension between the interest of guys like him and me in getting closer to The Ticket insider community, and wanting to keep faith with readers.  Just know that I have it in mind and hope to keep the latter under control and the former uppermost in mind.  If I weaken, I'm sure you'll let me know.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310

Scrubs/Patch -- The Voyage Continues

Soul Patch sounds great to me today.  They've dropped the self-consciousness and reduced the on-air contributions from the production guys (except for segments devoted to them, like the very good "Bull Durham" segment).  I'm better able to distinguish between Scot and Matt.  A strong effort today

[NOTE:  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE PRODUCTION GUYS, KRENEK AND ALL THE REST, WITHOUT EXCEPTION.  ALL GREAT, ALL CAN HOLD OWN ON MIC.  HOWEVER, HARRISON WAS JUST INVOLVING THEM TOO MUCH LAST WEEK WHEN THE NEW TEAM NEEDED TO BE FINDING ITS OWN VOICE.  DON'T ANYONE BE GETTING YOUR FEELINGS HURT, NOW.]

I did not hear Scrubs last week or this, sorry.  Newbury is getting savaged by The Nation.  I have liked him in the past but must confess (of course) I haven't been by the channel for that show or Diamond Talk in awihle.   From recent comments:

I think I might know why the McClearin and Newbury pair were split up. Because Newbury is absolutely insufferably argumentative. My God, he won't let his partner get a word in edgewise. He's talking over him, interrupting him, telling him that he already knows his points before he finishes them and so dismisses them. It's amazing. And it's also annoying. Maybe Cat thought if he separated McClearin and Newbury things wouldn't be so contentious. If so, he was wrong. It's all on Newbury. He is a man who does not like to be disagreed with. Very uncomfortable radio, for sure.   -- Anonymous

It seems pretty clear to this listener that if Newbury does not respect his co-host, he's dismissive, smug, and a bit of an a-hole. Contrast his work with Sean or Ty where he has to defer to a guy with skins on the wall. Worse yet, when Newbury is working with someone he doesn't respect he tries to drive the bus. And that is a disaster. He's very knowledgable but he's a second banana (potentially a ver good one). But this is not a guy that gets you in and out of segments smoothly or generally can get thru a sentence without a few stumbles."  -- Another Anonymous

Newbury is definitely knowledgeable and has some insights that no one else on the station can offer. Well, since Bacsik's demise anyways. His opinions are generally good. But I do agree with the last two anons. He needs a talking to by the Ticket higher ups. -- Fozzie Bear

 Fozzie Bear sums up the consensus:  Newbury is a very solid sports guy, but lacks some broadcast/locution skills and, for lack of a better word, diplomacy.

Anyway, I'm really glad that The Nation is paying some heed to what The Little One is doing on weekends.  Some good stuff, some drama, and some exposure for the JV.

*     *     *

Follow Your Plainsman on Twitter:  @Plainsman1310