Ah, Confessors.
A couple of years ago it dawned on me how long I've been doing this blog.
I thought to myself at the time -- I'll keep it going through ten years, then I'll decide.
Forgot about it.
Then looked at the calendar a couple of days ago, and there it was.
I wasn't ready to decide, and, truth to tell, I'm not ready now.
I mean, look at the damned thing. I get something up maybe once a week, usually not even that often. There's nothing much new to say about a station that doesn't change that much. Even the JV have been pretty steady for awhile.
No scoops. No scandals. No Ticket guys back-channeling me with a tidbit from inside.
Hell, I'm not even a Ticket influencer.
My first commenter? Michael Gruber.
I look at the dashboard. 908 entries. That's a lot; that's enough. Several other Ticket blogs have come and gone, lasting at the most a few weeks before vanishing. Ten years, that's a nice body of work. And a nice round number.
But there's that nagging line item -- "Drafts (10)." Items I've started and put aside for another day. Some of it is stale, but there's material there for more articles. And I've got a list of other ideas -- again, some out of date, but some could be freshened up for a new entry.
I've been teasing a big STD (Scorching Ticket Disquisition) for awhile. It would be about BaD Radio, since I've been able to listen to more of it lately, and for some reason Confessors have the idea that I either dislike or have underappreciated it. I don't think either is true, and I was going to write about it.
Note, however, that I haven't done it.
The Ticket is ten years older, and so am I. My life has changed a lot -- O, my Confessors, a lot -- since I started this joint. I still listen to The Ticket every chance I get and it still means so very much to me. But I'm not sure I have much more to say about it, and my time -- ah, my time. So much else going on I'd be happy to tell you about, but it would be of no interest to the Confessor.
But it would explain why I'm giving some serious thought to drawing shut the curtains on the confessional.
But not today.
So spare a good thought for My Ticket Confession and your faithful Plainsman, and wish us a happy tenth anniversary.
And -- of course -- Thank You for Shopping at My Ticket Confession.
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| Yeah, Mr. P, tell me what it's like to hang around for too long. |
What a rollercoaster
ReplyDelete1. Congrats on the anniversary.
ReplyDelete2. I hope you don't close up shop. I haven't found a place like this; not even close. There's a Facebook group, but it consists of commenters thinking they are funny when they randomly post "Uhh, Paul in, uhh.." multiple times a day. Other places seem to be just a place for Corby-bashing. I have no interest in such things. I do, however, appreciate MTC, because there's more substance here than those other places.
3. That said, I do understand that life is full of chapters, so if your current life situation is such that it might be time to close this particular chapter, I respect that. But I hope it's not time yet.
Thank you, James. I do try to keep the Corby-sux prose to a minimum. Sometimes it can't be helped, but there are better fora for that. And try to direct attention to the positive on the programs and also support the downtrodden JV -- except, of course, when they sux.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy it, and hope you'll keep it going. And I may be able to toss you a new post once or twice a year. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, all good things come to an end. But I for one hope this isn't ending. Though, to echo Plainsman, there really hasn't been anything to discuss for many years now. The Ticket, for all its faults, is an institution of long-term stability. Such a sustained stability in the radio industry is almost unheard of in today's atmosphere. While this is all great for us P1s (at least for most of us, Corby Obsessors aside), it makes for repetitive dialogue. I honestly can't think of a topic that long ago hasn't been done to death. And while I'd love to hear Plainsman's BaD STD, I doubt it'll much move the proverbial needle. I mean, what else is there to say? I've been shopping at MTC since its inception, and I believe every angle, every barstool psychological and philosophical analysis, every conceivable what if?, hypothetical, criticism, praise, you name it, has been offered--each one on numerous occasions. Having said all that, as I stated at the top, I sure hope MTC sticks around. Even if its original subject matter hasn't "titillated" in years, as others have said, the very fact that a civil space like this exists on today's interweb is a minor miracle and should therefore live on. As well, one never knows when things will get interesting again. How's that old adage go? "When you least expect it, expect it." Seems like The Ticket's due for some movement. I'd hate not to have MTC around when the s*** hits the fan. Who knows, when/if that happens maybe we'll get back to the halcyon days of MTC (?): when you'd check in to find seven damn near epistle length, well-written, clearly thought out and impassioned analyses and opinions--the replies being equally as good. And one more thing: Plainsman, you say that you aren't a Ticket Influencer. Sir, what other blog has the PD, the Varsity and JV hosts, board ops, Tickerpersons, and everyone in between (past and present) checking in? MTC has/does. Damn straight, it does. Maybe not like it once did, but then again, alls been quiet of the Western Front. If you put your ear to the ground and listen very carefully, you can faintly, ever so faintly detect the slightest whisper of a trace of a tremor.
ReplyDeleteI want to echo 9:24. I am a day 1 MTC. And, I agree, we've bantered just about every angle. But, I do come back, when things happen, even small ones. I appreciate the comments here. The FB page wears me out. However, let me give my other thought.
ReplyDeleteSuppose Mr P. closes down, and 6 months from now, for some reason, Norm retires, or Mike, or something else does happen. This is where I would go. I really don't have another place. Just like yesterday's tragic news. I get an alert and immediately turn the Ticket on to hear commentary on a young life lost. Well, when things happen on the Ticket, where would I go?
At the same time, I completely understand life changes. And to quote a former QB... "If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me, life wasn't that bad"
Thanks Plainsman.
Scott,
ReplyDeleteIn that scenario you would go to r/theticket
We appreciate what you have here and have done for the P1 and it would be a great loss if it were to go away. I feel for anyone who tries to moderate a board of any kind on the net.
ReplyDeleteI found this blog during the days of RemoveRowdy/BobandDan.net/Grubesismyleader/HeWhoMustNotBeNamed and it was a breath of fresh air. R/Ticket has become a rather bitter place, much like the old forum boards without the personal attacks. It has become a bastion of hate for Norm, Corby, and now they seem to be turning on George and Craig.
I ride for the brand here Sir, thank you.
Gopher, you are spot on regarding r/ticket. The amount of Jub hate over there is beginning to equal the Corby bashing. And the anti-Joonz comments keep growing too. The latter, coincidentally or not, seem to coincide with Jake's misfired text pertaining to Joonz's NBA HSO. There too used to be a very prominent member of said page that was most likely the infamous MTC troll.
ReplyDeleteDid the Hardline just compare Bob Wier to the great Don Henley and Robert Plant? Most people don't even know who Bob Wier Is! Congrats on the anniversary!
ReplyDeleteCorby did. Understand that if X is in Corby's purview, is a part of his world, then in his mind X is also a part of yours and a part of.mine...part of mine. Oh, and this isn't Corby bashing, this is merely an accurate observation.
ReplyDeleteI just left my house and caught the early morning repeat of the top ten. I heard the Bob Wier bit. I have absolutely no idea who Bob Wier Is. But then I was never a Grateful Dead fan either. I couldn't tell you one song they have. That was pretty funny after Corby's long in-depth question, the dude goes "what was that again?" Yes Plains, keep it around. You've done a great job. Happy Anniversary.
ReplyDeleteBob Weir is a fine musician. A bit of an oddball, bit of a crank. I always thought he deserved more credit for the Dead's propulsive sound than he received, most of the accolades going to Jerry "Captain Trips" Garcia. Pretty good vocalist, too. I'm not even sure why one would compare him to a solo vocalist like Plant, or a drummer/songwriter/lead vocalist of very different types of songs, like Henley.
ReplyDeleteI have appreciated the nice comments above. They have surprised me some. I'll have some further thoughts on "whither MTC" soon.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, not sure why that last comment showed up as "Anonymous." It was me.
ReplyDeleteP-man, let me add to the group hug.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the ticket and MTC are synonymous. I started listening to the ticket about 10 yrs ago when my morning commute went from 20 mins to over an hour. Shortly after I found MTC. To me, one without the other is something I don't want to think about.
The fact the new posts are slow in coming are not a problem. We will be happy to have what we can get, but the comment conversation is of value as well.
And ditto from me on the comments above from others showing the love.
I found this site when I was looking for news on the BAD radio contract negotiations circa summer bash years ago. Still check in to what’s going on.
ReplyDeleteKeep doing what you do and chase that money playboy
Yeah, this site is a big, big moneymaker for playboys like me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, P-Man
ReplyDeleteNo Hardline, you have not outrun your catastrophe, and "hanging around" is a pretty good description of your show these days.
ReplyDeleteSome table talk Tuesday afternoon suggests Cat has issued another edict about political discussions.
ReplyDeleteCan you give a bit more detail?
ReplyDeleteMatt Birmingham's Top 10 is my least favorite version since I moved to town. All snark and attitude, almost none of it entertaining.
ReplyDeleteSorry you feel that way, maybe I'll get eaten by a bear next week on vacation
ReplyDeleteP-man –
ReplyDeleteI, too, wish to jump on the laudatory bandwagon with the other Confessors wishing this website / blog continues in some format. I swing by a few times a week and have been meaning to comment since this post came out on 6/30/19. Here it is now eleven days later and I am just getting around to putting my thoughts to pen and paper (okay, Word). I guess we are all just busy with our day-to-day; with me starting a new job and still acting as a consultant on the old one to ease the transition. I only say this to understand how your life has changed and has different callings throughout the years past and the years coming.
You once graciously posted a column I wrote, thank you. Mike, Corby and Danny were going on for multiple days about the “knowing nod” and how Texas never respected Texas A&M. I don’t know if my post had any journalistic integrity but you posted it anyway and I thank you. It was meant as a rebuttal and clarification of what Corby and Danny (and a little of Mike) were (IMO) way off base.
At one time Corby was completely attacking and devastating TC Fleming. Now I am no big fan of TC because I rarely listen to BaD; real world interferes. But I could not believe that Corby was attacking a board op / ticket guy on another show and posted that Corby was being a pure bully. At some point TC acknowledged a 3rd party website had his back and later Corby apologized and/or commented on it. Not saying I had anything to do with it because others also commented and I don’t monitor any other blogs, but I feel sure your blog allowed a correction to be made.
So I say all of that to say this. Anon 07/01/19; 9.24 PM hit the nail on the head. There is not a lot to be discussed that hasn’t already been dissected. So I offer you an alternative.
Are you open to reader contributions that are not Ticket-specific but related to Ticket on-air subjects and conversations? As an example, recently THL had Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead on. I am not a “dead head”. But maybe some other listener is. Give us (you the listener) your perspective; what can you contribute if you were in the room with a microphone with Mike, Corby and Danny.
Corby brought up the other day the 35th anniversary of Springsteen’s 4th of July and proceeded to get about half of it right. I can give you my history with listening to Springsteen since about 1979. Been a fan long before internet and cell phones.
Just my two cents. I will contribute my Springsteen views of the past ~40 years if you want.
Ham, I for one think you do a fantastic job. Keep up the good work, pal. And don't let one hater discourage you from frequenting this site. Stay hard, brutha!
ReplyDeleteIf you do run into bears watch out! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-remnant-with-jonah-goldberg/id1291144720?i=1000440226186
ReplyDeleteI turned on my radio/phone to listen to good old 1310 as I walked the dog this morning, I could not stay with the morning show 5 minutes this morning, just drove me away for no particular reason. Tried 103.3 and they could not have been more boring so I went over to 105.3 and was out in 5 minutes.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is what other cities have to put up with for 48 weeks of the year. With the exception of having Norm still here after 2010 and corby after 1998, we are pretty lucky.
@ Anon July 10, 2019 at 10:42 AM
ReplyDeleteIt's been a couple of days now, so here is a highly paraphrased revisit to the discussion.
Mike's Mind segment. Mike is talking about a player on the 69 Mets world series team who never got a ring. He reached out to the team to see if they would make a ring available to him and was told it would cost him $3500. Ensuing talk about the sorriness of the Mets front office.
Mike: "And this is why the Mets front office is like the Trump White House!"
Danny: "We just had a meeting with Cat not thirty minutes ago."
I think it was Mike just having some fun with Cat, but at the same time I think there is a piece of Mike that resents being told what he can and can't say on the radio station he created.
When an artist sells their work they lose the right to bitch about how or where it is displayed.
ReplyDeleteMike took the money so he should move on to something else or do what is asked of him by management.
I'm wrapping up a big project and will have something up in the next few days. Thanks for keeping the joint going.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ham/Matt, many thanks for weighing in, and I'm real good with the Top 10. As for it not being entertaining -- that's hardly at your door.
I have a feeling that the JV read this site, but that few hosts ever swing by for a cup of coffee.
You may be surprised mr plainsman.
ReplyDeleteEither way, ty. And the two cents from a rando....the ticket keeps on keeping on. I am amazed at the content they keep providing.
Mr P- you've done a fantastic job with this and it is much appreciated. As far as shutting it down, we'll take what we can get as far as posting frequency; please don't go.
ReplyDeleteWhen reflecting on the past 10 years of The Ticket: my love for The Musers has grown, and has faded a bit on the other shows. The needle has moved down on The Hardline, but both Mike and Corby still put together good segments frequently. An improvement could be made on the Hardline if they eliminated the Danny/Corby bashing Mike routine. It is constant and very tiresome, but most of all not funny or entertaining.
George, Craig, and Gordon are consistent, have great takes, awesome chemistry, and they're happy, which is just personally more enjoyable to me. I guess that's why they call them the Gentle Musers.
I like Dan, he's whimsical. I like the way he pulls back the curtain on his personal life. On the other hand...I can't get over how overbearing Bob is. While I respect and appreciate his sports knowledge and takes, I can't get past how he obviously doesn't care at all about what anyone else has to say. If Bob is not talking, he's only waiting to talk again. My advice to Bob, FWIW, don't say "and", "because", or "then" at the end of a thought; this is why you can never find an ending point when you talk or ask a question.