I don’t spend much time listening to sports radio. First off, I’m not in the car all that often. Second, when I am in the car it’s usually with my kids. Third, well, I’m just not into it. No disrespect—there are some excellent hosts out there, especially on my local station, WFAN.
That said, whenever I go to the gym on weekday mornings, I somehow find myself tuned into 1050 ESPN. The reason? Because I seem to enjoy horrific wrecks.
For the most part, ESPN Radio is excellent. Mike and Mike have established themselves as stars of the medium and Michael Kay is infinitely better than Mike Francesca. It’s a strong lineup, and the guests are always top choice.
Between 10 and 11 am, however, ESPN hands the mic over to two men who drive me insane. I listen, cringe, turn away, turn back, cringe, feel my head pounding, turn away. It’s so bad it’s good, so I absorb the badness. Then, as I’ve said, I run for the door.
Today I went to the 1050 website to learn the identities of the purveyors of swill:
2. Ryan Ruocco
When their voices have oozed through my speakers, my first reaction is generally, “These guys seem very young.” Which, it turns out, they are. Ruocco graduated from Fordham in 2009, and Lundberg looks to be about the same age—maybe a tad older. What strikes me is their utter, jarring lack of sports knowledge. I know … I know—they’re young. But I’ve gotta believe most die-hard sports talk listeners expect the so-called “experts” to be experts. WFAN’s Evan Roberts, for example, is a young guy. Mid-20s, I believe. But ask him about 1970s and 80s baseball, he seems to have a very strong grasp.
These clowns, on the other hand, are all about bad one liners, lame cracks, deep-as-a-dime analysis, etc. It’s maddenings, because I’m sure ESPN employs 8,000 people with more knowledge, more understanding, more … everything.
Anyhow, I’m just venting.
Peace.
