Is There Tension?

I ask this question sincerely.  I invite daily BaD listeners to weigh in, because I've recently heard something on BaD that I did not expect to hear.

I have been able to tune into BaD twice in the last couple of weeks.  I regret that I can't listen more often, because I've kind of been warming up to the show over the past year or so.  But I did have a chance to punch in a couple of times recently.

Both times I heard a very tense moment between Bob and T.C.

T.C. would pop on.  Now, in T.C.'s defense, if he needs one, these pop-ons did not seem to me to be any more annoying than T.C.'s usual pop-ons.  You listen to BaD, you're going to hear T.C. pop on.  It goes with the territory.  One of them was a little sarcastic -- I don't recall the subject matter of either -- but well within T.C. historical tolerances.  Some people are OK with T.C.'s pop-ons, others less so, others not at all, but these sounded to me like not-out-of-the-ordinary pop-ons.  I did not take particular note of them, did not think T.C. was out of line in comparison with what he's apparently been allowed to do in the past.

But Bob took note and -- I don't think the phrase is "snapped at T.C."  I think the phrase is more like "expressed very distinctive annoyance at T.C. popping on, or perhaps at the said popped-on content."

In both cases -- my recollection may be a little thin here -- he paused before he spoke, as though considering his words carefully, or to signal that something unusual was coming.

In both cases, he called T.C. "Chuck."  Is that new?  Does he call him "Chuck" when he intends to make a slighting reference?

In the most recent episode he made reference to T.C.'s mic always seeming to be on.  In another he sarcastically -- the sarcasm was not veiled -- "thanked" T.C. for his contribution.

Dan did not speak during these uncomfortable passages.

In the most recent instance, Justin M was sitting in for Jake and had been participating in the show, although less than Jake usually does.  No interaction between Justin and T.C. during these passages (or at all).

I guess this could be a bit.  Again, I don't listen to BaD enough to know if this is some ongoing schtick, or if Bob is growing unhappy with T.C.'s always-bubbling-beneath-the-surface desire to participate in the show. 

Confessors, please -- this is not an invitation to unload on T.C.  We've seen enough of that in the past and we all know how you feel.  I mainly want to know if either Bob or Dan has been spatting with T.C. on the air, or whether what I heard on my two recent flybys was anomalous.

T.C., you're  .  .  .  you're so much more than banter.