No.
Nothing against Mike, who a favorite of this site.
MTC's anniversaries tend not to be recognized by Why Today Doesn't Suck.
But Tuesday is, indeed, the eleventh anniversary of what I believe to be, Reddit aside, not only the longest-lasting Ticket blog, but, at present, the only one.
Is that at all surprising? It is, a little, to me. There have been others that have popped up and lasted a few weeks. A couple of them were interesting, good. Was hoping they would hang around. But they vanished as abruptly as they appeared. (A couple survive on the link-list on this page.) But it seems odd to me that we've got this amazing station -- I mean, the evidence that it is the greatest radio station in the country is substantial -- with the absolutely hippest social-media-savvy listenership around in DFW and elsewhere, and yet there is really very little celebration of it online. Maybe Reddit's comprehensiveness sucks all of the interest in anyone doing their own periodic running commentary on the station. Certainly there is room for commentary in addition to my meager offerings.
Which, to date, and not counting this one, equal 940 posts. I think a handful of those are archival reposts, but that's still a lot.
In any event, I want to thank all of you chordates who have clicked on the site, offered comments, dropped me emails, checked out the reds, and generally supported my efforts here. Yes, even those of you I have to bounce from time to time.
And I thought I'd better give you my current thinking on the site. You will have observed I haven't posted in quite some time. I very much appreciate those of you who have continued to comment and especially those who have been encouraging about keeping the site going. That's how I get paid.
I still love The Ticket. I still love checking in for comments. I still like breaking the occasional newsie item. I still like hearing from Deep-Fingered Correspondents from time to time with Ticket Tidbits.
Some have speculated that certain over-woke and over-anti-woke Confessor commentary, or perhaps the poli-talk on The Ticket itself, are driving me away from this particular hobby.
Annoying as those comments are on both sides of the aisle, and as tedious and disappointing as some of the hosts' posturing can be, it's not so. It's not all that tough to bounce inappropriate comments, and usually that calms the commentariat down. The political showgram stuff seems to have moderated some, what little I've been able to hear. And I'm actually very fond of even the most bumptious of my readers.*
*Side note on Surly, formerly Shaggy: Early in this site's history, a sometime commenter dropped me an email warning me about Shaggy, with whom he was butting heads on some site maintained by my correspondent. I recognized Shaggy as a bit of a grumpasaurus, but also perceived he was sharp and, in general, willing to follow the Rules of the Confessional. So he remains welcome here.
Nope, this is all on me. About a year-and-a-half ago, and again a few months ago, my life took some gigantic swerves. I guess the kids call them "pivots" these days. These were not bad things, they were and are rather good things, but two things have resulted:
First, my Ticket listening time has been slashed. Just can't do it like I used to, even the early-morning Musers have taken a huge hit. For reasons unrelated to The Contagion, I am not in my car nearly as much, which is a big factor in reducing my listening.
Second, multiple projects are demanding huge chunks of even my discretionary time, which is to say, my writing time. I have at least three major writing projects going now that are not My Ticket Confession. The time just isn't there, and, of course, because of the first factor, I don't hear as much that would inspire a column.
None of this demands that I quit the site. But I feel that if I can't hear the station as much as I would like, I not only don't have much grist for my writing mill, I'm likely not really to know what's going on at the station. Kinda feel like I'm letting the good Confessor down.
But . . .
. . . I do still hear the station from time to time. Today, for example, I was able to catch a fair amount of Mike Sirois, Rich Phillips, and Danny Bailis in the Jake/Dan slot. Great show, really solid content and a pleasure to hear Rich (another favorite of mine and, at one time, an MTC pick to be a national breakout play-by-play talent) again. Then heard WTDS hosted by Mike, and maybe 45 minutes of The Hardline. All good.
So this is not farewell. I'll do my best to gin up a topic from time to time, so please do stay tuned, check in with comments, and always, always say nice things about My Ticket Confession.
At which I thank you all for shopping.
Even, occasionally, one or another Sirois.
And to my first Confessor, that Nice Young Michael Gruber, I offer my thanks for your first-ever comment on this site, wherever you are.
And you too, Barb Smith, who put this site on the map.
ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com
@Plainsman1310
That’s an...interesting side note. Honestly the only person I have any recollection butting heads with on any other site would be Richie Whitt, because I spoiled his BaD Radio contract story. But if it was 10+ years ago then maybe my memory is just shot. And anyway, I’ve changed the way I do things over the last 10 years and I don’t think that’s been recognized.
ReplyDeleteRhyner and Greggo are doing a podcast once the non compete is over
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're not killing the site, Plainsman. I think it has value, and I still come here a few times a week.
ReplyDeleteLike most people, I have strong political opinions, but I just think they ought to be presented in the right time and place. My gripe against Danny and Corby never was that they are too liberal, but that they gave their viewpoints in such a way that only an idiot would date disagree with them. Thankfully, they have curbed that behavior in recent months, so it's not a problem anymore.
IMO, the Ticket is in a lull these days because there are (nearly) no sports games/matches going on right now. You can only spend a certain number of segments talking about Zak's contract. The energy level at the Ticket will pick up once Big 4 sports contests resume. And when that happens, I suspect that energy level at MTC will likewise pick up.
Now, about those other writing projects you speak of: Anything you want to share with the class?
The Mike, Rich, and Danny show was quite refreshing today.
ReplyDeleteIt was also nice to hear some knowledgeable NASCAR talk for a change. None of the other host give two flips about the sport, even Bob since his Lynchburg days are far behind him, brushes it aside. The interest in it has been slipping the last 10 years or so as Rich talked about due to some questionable upper management decisions. Once you get past the local and regional appeal, interest in motor sports, even F1, seem to be down worldwide. It seems to be headed to the same level as horse racing, something of a bottom of the page side note.
YMMV
Anonymous 9:34
ReplyDeleteWhere is Greggo these days? He used to be a volume poster on Twitter and hasn't been heard from since March.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Glad you aren't closing up shop, Pman. Really glad, in fact.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I can say with certainty is that a lot of the 45+ demo I know (which in full disclosure is mostly who I'm friends with) either already have or are moving on from The Ticket. For some it's a specific reason (political talk or something along those linesO. For some it's a sorta outgrowing the thing. For others it's Covid-not sports to talk about related. Whatever the reason is, and this goes for myself and those buds that are still listening, across the board the enthusiasm for thing just isn't what it used to be. There's no personality much less personalities or an across the board vibe that jazzes anyone to the point of must hear content. If I miss a segment, a show, an entire day or days now it's no biggie. Same goes with every listener I know. Look, it's still better than ESPN or The Fan. Is that really saying much? Though it's not MUCH better. Man I miss the days when I would get PISSED OFF if I missed a segment. Been a long time since it was that way. Never will be again. But I'll keep listening.
I've suspected a podcast is in Rhyner's future. But I don't think he would gamble getting burned again by Greggo.
ReplyDeleteBut if I've learned nothing else in 2020 I've learned not to be surprised by anything.
Hee Hoo has let down (and worse):
ReplyDelete(1) The Ticket/Hardline;
(2) FAN/Richie Whitt;
(3) Big Dick Hunter;
(4) John Clay Wolfe; and
(5) ESPN/RJ Choppy.
He has his side to all these stories, but it's like that old saying -- when everyone you know is a jerk, you're the jerk.
Can't imagine anyone with Mike Rhyner's local media experience, not to mention direct HH experience, planning anything very substantial with him. Podcasts are cheap, so maybe. But probabably not, or at least not for long.
Yeah Plains, but 12 years later, we're still talking about "He Hoo". Nobody cares about the others, which mostly are jerks.
ReplyDeleteRhyner hasn't been in contact with Hee Hoo in over a decade, not even once, not even obliquely. There's no OG Hardline poddie coming online. As to what the countdown is about I neither know not care. I'm saaaaawrrrreeeee but I have more interest in Dick Hicks' return to The Ticket and if whether it'll lead to a permanent hosting position than, well, anything Mike has to offer. You can gather from this that I also have zero interest in the doc being made about him. Again, all apologies, but what could he possibly have to say that he hasn't repeated ad nauseam. There's nothing either Ticket or Zoo or local media wise to relate unless he digs up graves and reveals the skeletons. And that ain't happening because he's not that guy and if he was, his bones would be exposed in short order, not too mention he'd make enemies out of friends. So what's left? A senior citizen discussing his junior-year-in-college take on Dylan? Musings on Petty by the founder of a Petty cover band? Is a man who YEARS AGO stopped seriously paying attention to sports (even baseball) going to wax poetically on, what, the state of the Rangers?
ReplyDeleteMike has made a real, legit, difference. His legacy is The Ticket, and that's no small beer. He revolutionized the industry. He was at one time THE most compelling voice in the DFW market, no matter the genre, no matter what, period, full stop. The former's influence and importance will live on long after its and Mike's demise; the latter, like Rhnyer, died many years ago--its/his body can be found buried somewhere along Dowdy Ferry Road.
Mike is a legend and merits every bit of the industry's, his peers', and the listeners' respect and thanks. He certainly has mine. And none of this can ever be taken away from him. Still.....
That's a great comment, 400. I'm with you. Mike took his long, melodramatic -- actually, somewhat comical -- walk into the sunset. He's got everything to lose by dipping his toe in broad/podcast waters again. Whether this is true or not, it will seem like he couldn't be bothered to sharpen up his act for the station he founded with his beloved radio pals, so now he's going to show everyone how it's really done when you don't have investors and station managers and program managers and account managers telling you what to do.
ReplyDeleteHe deserves all the accolades he's received, but if he's going to be anything other than a nostalgia act -- which would actually be OK, as long as everyone, including him, knows it -- he's going to have to go to work. Maybe he still has it in him -- if so, it'll be a treat.
But if so -- why not employ it on behalf of The Ticket?
I really enjoyed W.I.P today!! I really wish Mino and Monte would get a regular show. There’re very good together. It seems like Justin hasn’t been on the air in awhile. But I’m listening less and less to the ticket now a days. I’ve grown tired of the social lectures given by most of the regular hosts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I’m done with the Bob on the Hardline move. They don’t have on air chemistry. I’m growing tired of studdering Bob with a 3 min setup up w/zero payoff. One of the latest that comes to mind is the Prohibition lesson we received a few days ago. Also, how he dances around something controversial and try’s to walk a line and always says “I’m just asking the question” like he’s spoon feeding us the way we ought to believe. I get sick of him trying to “thread the needle” on social topics.
905, I was just going to write that I was hoping that people were tuning into mornings on The Ticket to hear Work in Progress. If you don't usually tune in Sunday mornings you're missing out on a really nice little show, really the freshest sound on The Ticket. A worthy replacement to the sainted Musers.
ReplyDeleteI expressed my admiration for WiP here:
http://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2020/03/is-this-best-show-on-ticket.html
I understand your opinion of Bob, but I've grown accustomed to his pre-qualification of all of his opinions, which do tend to take the form of "I may be wrong, but." And there's nothing really wrong with asking questions to which you don't hazard an answer as a rhetorical device. Nope, I think Bob is all right, and I think the Bob and Corby show is a gigantic improvement over the Hardline of the last several years..
Given the Ticket's brand, they're not just going to ignore the major social, political, economic, and cultural issues of the day. I don't expect them to, either. But the hosts aren't any better at this kind of talk than the guy who services my lawn mower (and he's less given to virtue-signaling and virtue-claiming than they are).
ReplyDeleteI know the WIP guys are good guys with tier-1 asipirations, so I hesitate to be negative about them, but I have to respond to those two comments which praise the WIP presentation: I have no idea how you can come to the conclusion that they're even interesting, let alone entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI though they were awful a couple of years ago, but so many commenters here (including the Plainsman) kept saying they were good-to-great. So I gave them multiple chances these past few days, and it's. Just. Been. Awful.
Look, I don't like mayo. I like mustard. But if you ask me why I like mustard and not mayo, I won't be able to articulate it. Likewise, I cannot put into words why the WIP guys are just not very interesting, and I doubt you could explain to me why you like them. But I think I have put in enough hours listening to them to come to a solid conclusion here.
Looking forward to the return of the Musers.
Oh boy, the pc grass fires are burning out of control again. Im listening to big Bob Sturm doing the "we know what's best damn-it!" spiel about changing the name of Washington Redskins. Does anyone care that there have been several polls taken amongst native Americans, and the vast majority approve of the name?
ReplyDelete6:42
ReplyDeleteNo, they don’t care about the polls because they know better! I have become tired of the self-loathing white guilt.
That’s why I LOVE the Crazy Gun Dealer spots because I know most every tier 1 host hates it. Gordo has talked about having guns in the past...the only thing is he believes none of the rest of us have enough sense to own one. I find he’s rather smug about it.
I enjoy the WIP guys, Justin especially. Mino is just kind of wishy washy and, shockingly, a bit arrogant sometimes. Justin can be very funny and is pretty knowledgeable about the NBA in particular. Ryan Medellin needs to shut up as he's a big bag of nothing. Sam Hale seems cool.
ReplyDeleteNo opinions on anything other than the Musers. I've quit listening to anything else. I'm even out on the Musers after about 9am. And, yet, life goes on.
There is a disturbance in the force. OGW on the record saying that he is taking his talents somewhere else. Although somewhere else is still anybody's guess.
ReplyDeleteHosting a show on The Zoo on Vokal
ReplyDeleteIn what authority, Surly?
ReplyDeleteSurly, if true, that would be awesome. Is Rody still doing his low power station in Ft. Worth?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteRhyner talking to two women no one remembers. Offering up sage advice like "just be you," etc. Hinting at something sharly hinted at above. Not sure when this was posted, but it seems recent.
https://vokalnow.com/video/3141
Anon 8:41 - I am guessing sarcasm on "two women no one remembers". Or maybe just a little mysogyny on your part maybe? This is the podcast "The Mom Game" by Julie Dobbs and Emily Jones.
ReplyDeleteI did not get any hint of anything "sharply hinted" at anything Rhyner was was planning. He just said he was going to let the game come to him.
This podcast (I think) posted on May 3. Thanks for reminding us and posting the link. When I first tried to listen it was unlistenable. Too much wind noise and over/under modulation that I was constantly adjusting volume. Evidently a good sound engineer cleaned it up. Looking forward to listening to the Mom Game podcast with the mad pirate Mike Leach.
ET P1
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletereally plainsman, it's ok for your regulars to make unfounded accusations, but it's not ok to tell the regulars to back off?
ReplyDeleteIt was the snide, insulting, and uncalled-for tone that got that last comment bounced, not its content.
ReplyDeleteThe virtue signaling and onward SJW soldiers diatribes for the last month ruined every show on the Ticket. The oldest host came across as level headed and he's an actual Bob Ray Sanders type liberal. The Musers were the worst of the bunch. The sheepskin sniffer and local Baba Booey, GK, was the worst of that crew followed by the ever fearful Jr. and the Checked Out a Long Time Ago Jub. So sad. Retire!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed the virtue signaling by the Musers which I think is sincere. The virtue outrage by one side is very troubling when it comes to living in a fair progressive society. Good on the Musers for standing up for racial equality and acknowledging that we as a society have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I guess Jub doesn't go full court press on anything anymore. He seems on the periphery, much like Mike R. did before his Irish exit. Speaking of Irish exits, that's it for me boys. Too much bickering and underhanded comments on here. I know Plainsman does his best, but there is enough crap in the world right now without reading about it here. I've tried to keep it Ticketcentric, but that doesn't seem to be the focus anymore. Ciao.
ReplyDeleteWhat 7:44 said
ReplyDeleteNew post up:
ReplyDeletehttp://myticketconfession.blogspot.com/2020/07/from-archives-rules-of-confessional.html