The Freak: It Said What it Wanted . . .

REMINDER: "ANONYMOUS" POSTS WILL BE DELETED.

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

Whither Mike?

I think that last post set a record for responses, about 120.

We can keep up the speculation on who will replace Mike.  My money's still on Jake, but I'd be OK with Mike Sirois or Dave Lane.  Or Bob, although I discount pretty much all info from persons claiming to have inside information other than me.  One reason I don't have much confidence in any of my predictions is that I don't know what the competition sounds like.  I don't really tune into G-Bag, so I don't know what, if anything, the demographic likes about it that they're not finding in The Ticket.  I have to believe that Cat is going to have this in mind as much as just how the various candidates sound with Corby.

But I want to turn now to another topic, and that is what Mike is going to do with himself. 

I need to find some time to listen to the Ben & Skin interview.  I gather from comments we've seen to date is that some Confessors are getting the impression that he may be waiting out his noncompete and will hit the airwaves elsewhere again.  They note that the word "retirement" has not been used.

A couple of thoughts on that possibility -- not that I have any information that that's what's going through Mike's Mind:

(1) If he does land elsewhere, then we'll know that the "I just had that feeling, I knew in my bones, it was just time to go" was not entirely true, was not even mostly true -- he had some problems with what management was saying to him.

(2)  If he does land elsewhere, how will we all feel about that elegaic speech and the looooooong hallway walk and opening and closing doors and whatnot?

(3)  But here's the main thing:  Recall that the feeling was pretty much unanimous that Mike was not, shall we say, fully engaged in The Hardline.  Love the guy, truly do, given me hours of pleasure, but recent years  .  .  .  .  Not a lot of prep, and voluntary surrender to Corby's enthusiastic monopolization of the mic.  In other words, he wasn't keeping his game sharp.

So what if he pops up on another show, and whaddya know, we hear a fully-engaged and participatory Mike?  How will we feel about all that affection he reported that he has for the station and the people there?   If we don't hear a fully-engaged Mike, then why try the act elsewhere?  If we don't hear that, then how would he expect to be a success?

That all sounds pretty snarky, I know, but here's where I come out on this:  Because I don't think Mike is that kind of guy, a guy who will give his best elsewhere when he wasn't inclined to give it to Cumulus/Ticket/Hardline.   I don't think Mike will go to another station, or another show, or another medium, only to cast off his Hardline torpor and be a star again.  If he is willing to work hard now, why would he have been unwilling to do so for the home team?  My answer is:  When he left The Ticket, even though he may not have used the word "retirement," he was intending to convey a truthful impression that he was done with sports/guy-talk radio.  My answer is that he is a man of integrity, and that he won't be returning to radio full-time on a daily talk show.  I expect to hear him on one-offs, and on interviews, and maybe even as a guest commentator from time to time, but nothing much more than that.

Thanks for everything, Mike.

A Couple of Things to Keep In Mind

The P1 mind is reeling with possibilities, questions, speculations, all occasioned by the gaping hole left by Mike Rhyner's retirement.  In mulling this over for the past day, I'm thinking a couple of things:

(1)  Corby and Danny aren't going anywhere.

(2)  And they're going to stay in that time slot.

Recent ratings uncertainty aside, The Ticket is a gigantic success.  (I don't want to downplay the ratings angle, but I don't see it playing a major role at least until current procedural issues are sorted out with Nielsen, and a number of ratings books have passed thereafter -- year or so at least.)  And I think that anti-Corby sentiment is disproportionately expressed on social media, including this site.  A lot of people, and I think a lot of female listeners, as odd as that may seem, love Corby.  He is frequently mentioned as a "leader" on Why Today Doesn't Suck.  And despite his approaching middle age, he comes across as the kind of immature (and I mean that in only the nicest, most complimentary sense) frat-boy type that will not turn off the younger demographic.

But I wandered off-point there:  The point at which I was aiming is that The Ticket isn't going to mess with success.  There is not going to be a rejiggering of the show times.  There is not going to be a reshuffling of hosts.  They're going to fill that slot with someone and soldier on.  Or maybe put Danny in that chair full-time and slide producers and board-ops around, much like when HeeHoo was invited to spend his afternoons elsewhere -- keep the team as is, maybe give a new producer (Justin? Mino? Sirois?) the chatty-producer role that Danny has now.  Maybe change the name of the show, but I'm very doubtful that we will even see that change.  In any event, it's going to be Corby and Danny at a minimum, and it's going to be 3-7 PM, and in all likelihood it's going to be The Hardline.

(3)  The Ticket is, as drops so frequently remind us, A Cumulus Station. 

And Cumulus is a big company. 

And big companies have policies and procedures. 

And among those policies and procedures are those governing job openings. 

Because of (1) and (2) -- that is, because (my opinion, no inside dope) they're not going to make fundamental organic changes -- Mike's departure will be regarded as leaving a "job opening."  And if that's what ends up happening, it means  the CTO (Cumulo-Ticket Overlords) in the person of The New World Catman will have to "post" the position and consider internal applicants for the job.*  That is, Ticket colleagues will have the opportunity to request the slot and compete for that position in a formal kind of way.  I don't know what the Cumulus employee handbook says, but it wouldn't surprise me if the job will be externally posted as well. 

So while Mike's departure will mean Big Changes, my guess is that it will likely only mean one Big Change:  Who will sit in Mike's chair.  If it's Danny, then sure, there will be a producer/board op ripple effect, and that's not a small thing.  But after all is said and done, unless Cat ends up hiring Kathy Griffin for the slot, the changes will not be seismic.
 ____________
*  I will want to consider this at a later date, but when things like this happen, politics that simmer below the surface tend to take on much greater importance.  Rivalries, interpersonal conflicts, and personality mismatches that don't mean much when ain't nothin' goin' on will erupt when an extremely rare and valuable advancement opportunity arises.  Although it is a pretty cohesive bunch, some JV aren't crazy about other JV; very doubtful any will report to me, but if I get wind of anything  .  .  .  .

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

BREAKING: Mike Rhyner Leaves The Ticket

Not exactly breaking; I'm among the last to know.

The first of a couple of handfuls of shoes to fall.

Classy way to do this, and a nice presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ew3-jdTeS4

Lots to say about this.  But thought you'd like a nice fresh thread to get started.

Sounds like this has been in the works for awhile.

My first thought is that something prompted this other than the passage of time.  Could it be the apparent -- even if possibly illusory -- shift in the ratings?  And he doesn't feel like going through some adjustment in procedures and presentation that this might require.  No reason to think that, but what I thought when I saw his presentation was -- he looks tired.

My second thought is that with the cornerstone taking a walk, those whose who have been committed to The Ticket monolith because it was a monolith might feel less sentimental about entertaining other employment now that the face of the station is stepping away -- Bob and Dan coming to mind.

Anyway, let's hear from the Confessor.

My Ticket Confession thanks Mike Rhyner for his service, and wishes him a long life, good health, and as much happiness as he's given for the past two dozen years.

Jason Garrett's available.

 

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

@Plainsman1310

Look Deep Into Your Hearts

There comes a time in the life of every P1 and Confessor when he pauses, thinks:

that he must really be honest with himself,

no matter what he is saying to the outside world,

or in the comments he leaves on Reddit or My Ticket Confession,

or in the emails he sends to Jeff ("The New World Catman") Catlin,

or what he mutters under his breath when he's driving home from work;

and he asks himself:

Is The Hardline really as bad as I've been saying and thinking it is?

Corby and The Hardline get more grief from readers in these pages than do any other host/showgram.  Is it deserved?


I acknowledge the obvious:

The Hardline lads are very light on show preparation.  We can hear it, and we hear other Ticket notables acknowledge it on the air (Mike Sirois being a recent example).  Corby is a bit of a celeb-sniffer and has a strong attraction to the kickass lifestyle he is able to enjoy because of his local celebrity, and has a stylistic addiction to hyperbole.  Danny's cynicism can be wearing.    Each of them is at or near the bottom of apparent sports knowledge among all of the hosts.  (No?  The only evidence we have is what comes through the buds, sorry lads.)  The political leftism is just so unnecessary and trendy and contrary to the iconoclasm one would hope from a show called "The Hardline."

And the jewel in the crown of the show's issues:  Hall-of-Fame Mike too often becomes Checkout Mike.  This site has offered the thought many times that Mike, not Corby, is the author of the weaknesses of the Hardline.  He has -- yes, I think he still has, I don't think it's atrophied from disuse -- the authority to sharpen up that show, and to beat back the browbeating he takes way too often and at too-great length from Corby and Danny.  But he seems to have decided that, most of the time, it easier not to.

It's can be sad to hear, because I and many of you have observed that Corby is better, much better, away from the Hardline when he's had to step up his game, or when he's running a Hardline on his own.  When Mike is engaged or has a sportsy co-host during a Corby vacay, he can rise to the heights of the pre-Greggo-meltdown days.  Danny may be the wittiest off-the-cuff guy on the station.

So let me stake my position here:  I still love The Hardline. I almost never punch out.  I'm in for the sometimes genuinely hilarious stuff they get going.  Corby can be a very funny man -- I probably laugh out loud at him more than any other host on the station (Junior and Gordon in a tie for a close second).  Yes, I'd like much greater balance.  Yes, I'd like to feel like segments didn't get planned during the just-completed commercial break.  Yes, I'd like to hear Mike get up on his hind legs and sound like a real old grey wolf who has had enough.  But in the meantime, there's plenty to enjoy on The Hardline.  The ratings back me up -- still on top despite the repeated efforts of the competition to cull a compromised calf from the herd.  Corby is a frequent leader to those who correspond with Why Today Doesn't Suck.  It isn't just that there isn't any competitor worthy listening to -- on its merits, The Hardline is -- is still -- great radio.

I'm not going to tell anyone to stop listening if they loathe Corby, although that would seem to be a simple route to a better life if you really can't stand the guy.  You may be weary of this characterization, but I really think Corby is the Howard Cosell of The Ticket.  (Uh, do Confessors remember Howard Cosell?)  An annoying on-air presence, a weird voice, but a superior interviewer -- come on, guys, he's really good -- and somehow oddly compelling enough that you can't turn away. 

Now, you don't have to stop criticizing Corby or Mike or Danny or the show as a whole on this site (with the usual cautions regarding vulgarity, anger, and ad hominem attacks on co-Confessors).

But I do want you to search your soul and consider whether, on balance, The Hardline really, really lets you down with regularity.

Speaking only for myself (who else?), it does not.   It's about as good as it's ever been, if not better.

I'm with you, Pdunce.  And that Mino is dreamy!

Change is Good

As we approach the 25th Anniversary of The Ticket and this year's TicketStock, I've been thinking of what I should put in this space to commemorate it.

I couldn't think of anything.

I don't have a lot of interest in Top Ticket Moments for some reason, astounding and entertaining as many of them have been.

I've been listening to The Ticket since 2004, the year I arrived in Dallas -- 15 years.  The singular fact about The Ticket during that period -- and before -- is that it hasn't changed much.  With a few changes, some of which occurred very early on, it's been the same hosts in the same time period for all those years.  Amazing, and certainly a reason for its continued success.

But The Ticket has changed, sometimes in subtle, gradual ways.  I was hoping to come up with three, but I've settled on two:

(1)  The Ascendance of The Musers and Craig "Junior" Miller.   The shows have never been ranked, but in my early years of listening I would have said, if asked, that The Hardline was the quintessential Ticket show and certainly the one most closely identified with the station.

I think that has changed not because The Hardline has declined -- I don't think it has, contrary to the views of some Confessors -- but because The Musers have continued to grow and improve.  "The Musers" is now the most prominent and celebrated show on the station and I would say that even if the ratings didn't bear me out.

And I think the rise of The Musers is because of the rise of Junior Miller, the Fred Astaire of The Ticket.  When I began listening, George Dunham was "The Commander."  You don't hear that much any more.  Instead, Craig Miller is the Judge and Lord High Executioner for station controversies, and the creator of "tiers" to rank the relative prominence of persons appearing on the station.  He is the most prominent host on The Ticket, eclipsing Mike Rhyner and even his podnuh George Dunham.

(George -- love the guy, but there came a period some years back where his interest level clearly waned.  I don't know if it was because he was building a house or building a band, but there were some segments where he simply wasn't ready to broadcast, and you could hear Junior's irritation.  Not really a knock on George -- he's still great -- but not the station leader he once appeared to be.  (And his occasional unpreparedness seems to have abated in recent years.))

(2)  The Growing Prominence and Quality of the Junior Varsity.  I credit Jeff Catlin for hiring and showcasing down-tier talent.  Yes, there have been some flameouts, some misses, some jerks, and some who just flat failed to launch, but by and large the non-daily-host on-air people are very good and getting better and better.  There's not enough room in the broadcast day to give some of them the prominence they deserve.  Too bad you can't sell enough advertising off hours to give some of these guys (and Julie) their own shows other than on weekends.  (Or can you -- while leveraging the broadcast day on the Ticket Top Ten is genius, could you do better with a live Work-in-Progress from 7-10 nightly?) 

I hesitate to name names for fear of leaving out some top-quality folks, but in no particular order, there's Justin Montemayor, Mike Sirois (honorable mention -- Cash), Jake Kemp, Sean Bass, Ty Walker, Julie Dobbs, David Mino.   (I don't count Danny Balis as JV, but he's kind of equivalent to Jake on BaD, so you could list him here too.)  Dave Lane as a cameo JV.    Hey, I'm sure I'm leaving out some real good up-and-comers, so help me out here in the comments.

(3)  The Hardline?  I said I was going to do two, but of course the show with the most wrenching change during my listening history has been The Hardline, with the separation of Greg "The Hammer" Williams a decade or so back.  Of course that's a "change," but here I'm going to offer a view which I know will be at odds with those of some long-time listeners:  I think The Hardline is in some ways a better show now than it was when HeeHoo was on it.

Yes, it is true that Mike's interest has declined and he doesn't pay a whole lot of attention sometimes.

Yes, it is true that Mike allows Corby and Danny to browbeat him when he should be putting them firmly in their respective places.

Yes, it is true that Corby is a mic hog.

Yes, it is true that the lack of show prep can verge on disrespect of the P1.

But for all that, I listen.  And I laugh more at The Hardline than at any of the other shows.  I've said it before:  Corby Davidson is the Howard Cosell of The Ticket -- he'll irritate the living bejeebers out of you, but still you tune in and (usually) don't tune out.  And I and other Confessors have observed how good he can be when he's away from the nurturing biosphere of the who-cares Hardline.

I was tired of Hammer's ignorant redneck act before he got the heave-ho, and his various issues were plainly affecting his broadcasting long before he crashed and burned.   I'll punch out on Corby and Danny from time to time (Mike isn't present or flavorful enough to excite the punch-out finger much anymore, although he's still a mesmerizing broadcaster when he's engaged -- that is, when he's got a subject that really interests him, or with a co-host who engages him), but for me, The Hardline is great entertainment and better than it was 15 years ago.

*     *     *

I'm not going to make TicketStock this year, so send your photos of TicketChicks and other watchables to:

ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com

*     *     *

How has The Ticket changed for you?

Check Me on This

It has become a commonplace among Confessors -- and, from time to time Your Plainsman -- that Mike checks out more than he should.  There have been periods of time when The Hardline seems to have become The Corby Show, Featuring Danny.

Now mind you -- I am not a major Corby basher, and some time ago I likened Danny to bacon -- everything is better with a side of Danny.  As far as Corby is concerned:  Yeah, he's not as prepared as he should be, and he's Superlative Corby, and maybe he isn't hip to absolutely all of the facts a host might be expected to have when holding forth on one topic or another, he's a bit of a celebrity-sniffer, and he has a kickass life, but I must say that the man amuses me.  I'm OK with most of that -- I'd like to have a kickass life myself and sniff a celebrity now and then.  (Lately, the Siroisie are pretty much it for me.  They smelled great!)  I find myself laughing out loud at some of his remarks, which I don't do that often during my solitary listening to The Ticket, amusing as it often is.  I know this departs from the views of some Confessors, but there you go.

But lately, it seems to me that Mike is in one of his Engaged Mike Eras.  They emerge from time to time, and their duration cannot be predicted.  Seems to me that I'm hearing More Mike than I have for awhile now.  That's a good thing, makes for a better showgram stem to stern.  He's a legend for a reason, and that reason, I think, is that he is simply an engaging adult presence. a guy whose voice one likes to hear on the radio.  Not even a past-middle-age-trending-towards-older-guy adult presence, but more of a get-off-my-lawn guy who doesn't take that pose all that seriously, and who is seriously fond of his co-host and producer.  I like that attitude.

In the words of a keen formerly-inside observer of All Things Tickety:  Am I wrong, guys?

This probably invites the usual Corby-bashing, and that's OK, but let's keep it civil.  Keep the focus on The Founder, if you can.

I'd pay eight dollar d-dollar dar in 1950 dollars for the chance  to have a drink with The Old Grey One.

  

Glad I Caught the Line of Hardness Today PLUS BREAKING BREAKING: FAHY SEPARATION FROM TICKET NOT A BIT

I've been away from the waves for awhile, but I was in the Conestoga today during PM drive and caught two fantastic segments.

The first -- I have no idea what it started out to be, something about George Clooney being the father of a one-year-old in his fifties, but it finished up with speculation on the Mikes (Rhyner and Sirois) becoming fathers at their respective stages in life.  Haven't laughed so hard at The Ticket in months.  Bent over the steering wheel laughing at Corby's -- yes, Corby's -- remarks and baby-mother riffs.

The second was a segment on artists (like Harry Styles) who shift genres after success in one genre.  Not hilarious, but very solid.  One of those segs that had more information in the bag -- more, ahem, "preparation," if you will, but they ran out of time.  Hope they reprise this when I'm listening again.

The Hard Ones take it up the keest on this site once in awhile, but today reminded me of why I don't spend a lot of time investigating the competition.

*     *     *

BREAKING BREAKING ON 2018 06 09:   A usually reliable Deep-Cumulo-Source confirms that one of my personal favorites, John Fahy, has indeed been let go by The Ticket.  I do not have details but it was not, shall we say, for financial reasons.  Very sorry to see him go, he was a cool voice on The Little One.  Hope he lands somewhere cool.

Hardline News

First, thanks to Confessor DRW1961 for the link to the Corby story and interview:

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/other-sports/moresports/2017/10/04/tickets-corby-davidson-reluctant-hardliner-thrived-since-forced-joined-show

The response that will get the Confessor going:   "Our whole lives are prep. But I start thinking about the next day while driving home from work, trying to piece it all together. But the whole show is in my head before noon. I've got it all planned out."

Skepticism-inducing responses aside, I think it's a pretty good interview with Corby.  He comes across likable and menschy.

Second, thanks to Confessor 1106 (two posts back) for this account of the end of E-News yesterday:  

"Corby and Danny getting each other worked up on gun control issue. Corby says to Mike, "you are awfully quiet over there. What do you think about this?" Mike responds, 'I don't think this is what people listen to us for.' Corby and Danny were both a little taken aback and they went to break almost immediately after."

Considering the response we got to the last post, think how many more emails these guys must get on this subject.  Not to mention My Leader COTA.  Email can be an unreliable barometer of listener reaction, of course, but I'll bet they've heard on the subject of excessive political coverage -- if you can call it that -- for a long time.  If 1106's account is correct, it's refreshing, and bravo Mike. 

In these dreary days of partisanship and slaughter, we need something to smile about:

 

Getting a Day's Jump on Wishing the Founder of the Feast a Very Happy Birthday

Mike Rhyner, born August 16, 1950.

I'll be away for a week and on the road quite a bit of that time.  Take good care of the site until I can get back and start deleting you.

Thanks, and Happy Birfday, you Old Grey Wolf

I'm not hip enough with Photoshop to turn this into Reinz 57

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Feeling special, Michael?"

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

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

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

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

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

===========

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

Shaggy said...

Rhynes-Machine controversy brewing on twitter...

July 4, 2017 at 12:27 PM

Anonymous said...

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

July 4, 2017 at 1:23 PM

Gopher said...

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

July 4, 2017 at 5:03 PM

The Plainsman said...

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

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

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

July 4, 2017 at 5:31 PM

Shaggy said...

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

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

July 4, 2017 at 5:52 PM

Shaggy said...

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

July 4, 2017 at 5:55 PM

The Plainsman said...

Thank you, Shaggy.

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

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

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

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

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

July 4, 2017 at 8:07 PM

Anonymous said...

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

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

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

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

July 5, 2017 at 8:36 AM

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

A Couple of Quick HIts to Get a New Thread Going -- UPDATED [2]

(1) My schedule has changed so I'm sometimes not in the car as much during drive, so my Hardline listening has diminished a bit.  When I tuned in this past week, I have to say, I enjoyed the show.  I thought the Danny rat story was overrated, but they did some car talk that got me laughing, and it seemed to me that I heard More Mike than I'd heard in recent months, which always makes for a better show.

(2) I sometimes punch over to ESPN, and heard something that I really liked on Monday afternoon:  a couple of hours of "Football Firing Line," which I guess has been going on for awhile.  It was Tim Cowlishaw and Matt Mosley, the usual Afternoon Show hosts, with Steve Dennis, Nate Newton, and another guy whose name I wrote down and now I can't find the slip.  The Internets say Ed Werder is on the panel, but it wasn't him, it was an AA with a four-letter first name, a middle initial, and a last name.  One of you guys can tell me who it was.  [UPDATE 2:  The other guy had a four letter last name:  Clarence E. Hill, Jr., of the Star-Telegram.]  Anyway, I thought it was a lot of fun with some trenchant Cowboys analysis thrown in for good measure.

What's the story on Steve Dennis, anyway?  He seems pretty spicy and zero-BS but it seems all he does is fill in around the Dallas sports media scene from time to time.  Would he make a good full-time host somewheres?

(3) Danny has a great radio voice, but in recent months it's gotten rough and a little breathy and sometimes cracks, as though perhaps he smokes and perhaps smokes a lot.  (I don't know if he smokes.)  Maybe he's been performing a lot.  (You can tell when Mike's not far past a Petty Theft performance -- his voice gets noticeably tired.)  Maybe he has to yell a lot at the Twilite Lounge.  Maybe he's using a different mic or he's getting EQ'd so the treble is turnt up.  His habits are none of MTC's business; I'm just saying his on-air sound has frayed some.

(4)  UPDATE:  Hey, how long has Matt McClearin been hosting the Cowboys post-game on ESPN?  (Since there's only been one other game, I would think that's probably the answer.)  Maybe the better question is, how long has Matt McClearin been working at KESN?   I punch over from Norm and Donovan once in awhile just to see what's airing on ESPN or The Fan, and he was running the show (it sounded like) with Steve Dennis and Tim McMahon, if I caught it correctly.  I thought it was pretty good.

I knew that he and Scot Harrison had lost their WJOX Birmingham show back in July but hadn't heard anything further.  Since Cumulus is operating KESN, maybe Jeff C welcomed him back.  (Scot's LinkedIn page says that he's "Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Taco Mama."  Matt's says that he's "Account Executive at New Home Guide," which sounds like something you do until Cat can find a spot for you.)

Three Quick Ones

(1)  I'm way behind the curve on rap/hip-hop music, always sounded like doggerel to me, but I absolutely loved Donovan's and Jake's segment on sampling as they filled in for the Hardline yesterday afternoon.  That Charles Aznavour slice was astounding.  Listening to rap/hop talk on The Ticket has awakened in me an interest in the genre.

(2)  I do not favor Gordon's pursuit of Skittles for an interview unless Skittles gives some indication that he's in on the joke, kind of like William Hung.  Love me some GK big-time, but bringing clueless citizens to the airwaves to patronize and snicker at them is his least attractive bit.

(3) How many times do you suppose Mike Rhyner has actually asked P1s why they decided to lease rather than buy a car, as he claims to have done in that Autoflex ad?

 

Thanks-Hardline-Giving

A quick one for for you:

The Hardline is great this morning.  Funny, sharp, goofy.  Not smarmy, not snarky in the snide way that has sometimes wears.

I'm thinking:  Maybe the reason the Hardline has declined is that Mike is just tired by the time 3 PM rolls around.  Maybe the show would be better if he were operating on the front end of a good night's rest.

There is no chance of this, of course.  But they started talking about the sound of today's show and remarked that the show this morning was as silly as it ever gets, and they weren't talking about it like it was a good thing.

"Silly" may not be the right word for "good Hardline," but there is a patina of craziness on the showgram today that has been missing from the PM drive for awhile now.  I wish they could feel that and get that spark into the sundown hours.

Although I could have done without the rerun of "Thanksgiving Loves the White Man" and the references to violence against women.  At least they remarked on it with some remorse.  And no, the times weren't "different" when Corby wrote it.

Anyway, a good listen today.  Wish they could bottle that goofiness and uncork it afternoons.

Have a thankful day and don't drink and drive.

"If you see two of me, pilgrim, I'll take those keys."

CONFIDENTIAL TO MIKE R: Carol Doda, RIP

Legendary Pioneer SF Silicone and Topless Stripper Dies at 78

GUEST POST: East Texas P1 Schools Superlative Corby and Mike on Texas-A&M "Hatred"

You guys know how I like it when a Confessor volunteers a piece I can use here.  Long-time responsible Confessor East Texas P1 asked some time back if he could do a piece on a Hardline segment that struck a nerve with him.  Sure, I said, would love to see it.  He cranked it out over a weekend and sent it to me and I offer my sincere apologies to him that it took me this long to get to it -- he and I both would have preferred that it have run closer to the segment he's commenting on.  Sorry, Tex.

And you have got to love a Confessor who supplies his own redhead, in this case his favorite East Texas beverage consultant and technician (who, he assures me, has given permission for her photo to appear here).  

I have edited very lightly for clarity but left it pretty much intact.  Please send your submissions to theplainsman1310@gmail.com.  After six years, my topic wheel needs some air.

*     *     *

On Thursday, September 30th 6:40 segment Corby took the stage about “bits going on at Texas A&M."  Evidently a regent at A&M posted a message on Facebook that the A&M/UT game should be reinstated. However, his reason was not to restore the rivalry but because UT had become a “cupcake” program and would offer a rest between the SEC schedule and A&M's current non-conference schedule.  You can find the audio here about 3:47 into the program.

http://www.theunticket.com/ticket-shows-9-30-15/

I agree that all schools have the 1% - 3% of knuckleheads, whether they are students, alumni or regents, that positively “hate” the other school.  The TAMU regent who posted about the “cupcake” school was definitely wrong, maybe trying to be funny or tongue-in-cheek, and it did not work.  Corby exposited that most TAMU fans would shake their heads and be like: "Dude, shut up."  Mike, however, offered the observation that no, most Aggies were more like "hell yeah!" (my words, not his).  

This is where it turned weird, to me.  Corby (and to a lesser extent, Mike) went on a long rant about how much each school “HATED” the other and did not respect one another.

My question to Corby:  Where doe you infer this so-called hatred?  There were phrases thrown out that there was “a superiority complex,”  “no respect between the two and never has been,” and, “the hatred is so strange to me.”  And then the references to schools like Notre Dame v. Southern Cal, Ohio St. v. Michigan and even Oklahoma v. Texas, who do things right.  Give each other the “knowing nod.”

I am not a multi-generational Aggie though I have been a fan since 1979.  My daughter graduated from there, class of ’10.  My family is a mixed family, with some nieces and nephews graduating from both schools.  My brother graduated from UT.  I don’t know of any “hatred” between the schools.  I asked my daughter and her answer (and her husband’s, Class of ’09) was that it was a friendly rivalry, intense at times but nothing more or less.  There are well-entrenched opinions on both sides of the ball but that is true at all schools, not just these two, whether they be SEC, Big 12, FBS, FCS or whatever.  (Again, we'll put aside the small number of knuckleheads at any school.)

My first point of the bond between the schools would be to reference “The Burning Desire,” the documentary about the bonfire collapse.  Unfortunately, copyright protections keep most of this off the internet so I can’t post a link.  However, in this documentary, produced by A&M, the uplift and support by Texas students in the days after the collapse and preceding the game was very well recorded.  Blood drives, cancelled hex rally, Mack and Sally Brown’s support, etc.  Believe me, there was no “hate” during that week and the same feeling has continued.  Look at the respect the UT band gave A&M during halftime.  Brought everybody to tears is what it did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rLj3vw5fwI  

Last 2:32 minutes of the Longhorn band performance.  Watch that and tell me if your allergies didn’t act up just a little.  

There was another article about the meeting of mascots.  Interesting read.  http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/the-meeting-of-two-mascots/  I

I think the interesting quote from this article is from Daylon Koster, Reveille VIII’s handler:  “It was a dot dot dot moment. To be continued,” Koster said. “I wouldn't say friends, I wouldn't say enemies. There was utmost respect between schools and mascots”.  Please note in the story this was in 2013.

Then there is this from 2011, 12 years after the collapse.  A UT fan left a piece of paper at the Aggie memorial to the bonfire collapse.  It references the statements made at the time by UT vice-president of student affairs at that time, Eric Opiela (also referenced in The Burning Desire).   Are we seeing a trend here, Corby?

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/opinion/2011/11/21/thank-you-longhorns.  

Finally, and while this is not directly applicable to the A&M/Texas situation, I think it goes to the culture of TAMU from someone who is not indoctrinated / drinking the Kool-Aid that sometime infects A&M fans and others.  A Florida fan comes to TAMU for the first ever TAMU SEC game:

https://tabmetrodallas.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/74/

So if Corby was doing a bit, then I get it.  But I don’t think he was.  I was speaking with my brother after the Texas-Oklahoma State game about all the freshman / sophomores on the Longhorn team.  Corby and Mike opined that Texas will be back sooner than later.  As a TAMU fan I agree.  I told my brother that I did not see any quit on this team from any of the players, and the malcontents that did not like playing under Charlie Strong are gone.  As superlative Corby spoke “I don’t know when they will be back but they will be back.”  I agree, and I give it two years.  Give Charlie Strong two years and that A&M regent will be eating that “cupcake”.  (This piece was started before the TCU game but I still stand behind my opinion.) 

  

Yes, I want an A&M-Texas game.  As a mixed family (as noted above), Thanksgiving dinners were so much fun when half the house was for one team, half for the other.  I may be wrong, but this is how I feel it is between the majority of fans of the two schools.   I want that atmosphere back.  So Corby, come eat Thanksgiving with us.  We don’t hate.

The Return of Becca and the Revenge of Mike

Unrelated quick hits:

(1) I have nothing against Christina (sp?) Ray (sp?), but my heart belongs to Becca.  I mean no sarcasm when I say that I don't feel fully awake each day until I hear her first phelgm-piercing utterances on traffic conditions, those delightfully nasal head-tones absolutely searing the latest Tollway transgressions into the living tissue.

Yesterday on the Davey-Rhads-Danny show, they made reference to Becca's deep loathing for Davey.  I wasn't aware of any previous run-ins between them.  Then Davey did a reading of Ariana Grande's "apology" for her donut-shop utterances expressing her loathing for these United States in that semi-Valley-Girl slack-jawed gum-chewing teenage-girl voice.  Funny.  When he was done, the lads once again shook their heads over the awkwardness of Becca and Davey having to be in the same studio.  Sounded like maybe a bit, but maybe not.

Then, at the end of her next scorching traffic report, Becca assumed that same accent -- imitating Davey imitating -- her?   That's what they said on the show, but again, I wasn't aware of any Davey-Becca antecedent bit.  She was funny -- I would love to have heard the entire report done with that accent.

If you know where this Davey-Becca thing came from, let us know.  And if it's real or a bit.  If real, that would make me sad.

Welcome back, Becca.

Not Becca

And by the way -- Davey is going down really well with me on PM Drive.  Not sure that Rhads is the ideal sidekick, but I even kind of like his cornball thing.  Without Corby there, even Danny seems to have elevated his attitude some.

 (2)  Among Mike's frequent HSOs is that the biggest name free-agents will never, ever come to the Mavericks.  When DeAndre Jordan was announced as coming, he resignedly said that yes, he's coming.

And then  .  .  .  .

(3) How about let's focus on some positive, or at least constructive, comments for awhile?  I let through lots of negative stuff that doesn't violate the Rules of the Confessional, but really, men and women, some of it is getting pretty tedious.  Let's strive for some originality here, and, jeez, how about stepping back and considering why you do listen to the thing?

(4) BREAKING:  Correspondent Lindsay passes along this photo of the Real Becca pre-enceinte:

I was a little reluctant to publish this since it appears to be a personal snapshot, but since it's so nice and flattering I'm hoping Becca won't mind.  Becca, should you wander this way and you would prefer that this image not appear here, just drop me a line or leave a comment and I will take it down.   And you may want to have a word with Lindsay.

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