OT: - Sports Pope returning to WFAN | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT: Sports Pope returning to WFAN

I think CMB still needs some time. Supposedly they narrowly lost the Q1 book to Kay. Scott is the weak link and I don't like Carlin's teasers but I would have given them more time. I was a big Francesa fan but this move is classless. Reading some f the articles it sounds like he couldn't land a spot on ESPN or WOR so he forced himself back. He claims the tipping point for him was that elements at WFAN didn't want him back so he decided to fight. Disappointing. Francesa comes across as everything he's ever been accused of: a greedy, selfish egomaniac.
 
The Funster said:
I think CMB still needs some time. Supposedly they narrowly lost the Q1 book to Kay. Scott is the weak link and I don't like Carlin's teasers but I would have given them more time. I was a big Francesa fan but this move is classless. Reading some f the articles it sounds like he couldn't land a spot on ESPN or WOR so he forced himself back. He claims the tipping point for him was that elements at WFAN didn't want him back so he decided to fight. Disappointing. Francesa comes across as everything he's ever been accused of: a greedy, selfish egomaniac.
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I actually was impressed with Bart Scott relatively speaking due to expectations, same with Maggie. Carlin is dreadful in so many ways I don't know where to begin. His voice, the fact he thinks he's funny when he's the furthest thing from it and he is all over the place with where he stands on subjects, very inconsistent and ever-changing. The show wasn't awful but it wasn't real good either and at that time slot they needed to be really good - it's too bad for Maggie and Bart but I do believe they need a different time slot but more than 2 hours.
 
dtrumpet said:
totally agree. As he was wrapping up he kept saying he had plans and would announce them when he could, often implying that a period of time had to pass before his announcement. He will spin himself as a savior though. I stopped listening years ago and popped back the last 6 months or so of his "farewell". Even then I had to turn him off, the attitude, the condescension, its just too much. He's a familiar voice that will spike the ratings for awhile though, especially with so little competition.
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I tuned in the last 6 weeks as well. More as a goodbye and closure to my youth. I will definitely listen his first day back but that is it. I won't listen going forward.
 
Maybe the winter off gave him a chance to learn college basketball.
 
A. Live in Boston, our sports radio is terrible, mostly unlistenable unless you want Pats 365/24/7.
B. Was in CT for Mike & the Mad dog early years, nothing compares
C. Was about done with Mike, liked him less on his own, his pompous attitude only tolerable in small doses
D. Thought retirement saga overblown, drama queen, dinosaur
E. Looked forward to a podcast option though
UCONN - After seeing that clip about the clown & 'those close to Calhoun think he'll retire', I'm 1000% on board for him to be back on FAN. GO Mike!
 
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MattMang23 said:
But Minihane.
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I used to listen some to Dennis & Callahan maybe late 90's or early aughts? Their schtick got very old, I've always been frustrated that there is 0 college hoops talk ever even during the tournament. Boycotted almost ever since I listened to a 20 minute conversation about what to do with Troy Brown on a 1st round NCAA opening day. 98.5 is ok but I'm not a hockey guy so as soon as that's mentioned I'm out. Never tried any rhythm listening to those guys & typically will switch to a podcast.

I've turned to Callahan & Minihane a couple of times over past 6 months for 5 minutes tops. Callahan doesn't keep himself truly engaged in sports anymore & is unlistenable on topics he randomly & unnecessarily spins his politics into. Are you saying Minihane is an outrageous dufus playing the extreme hot-take card or an actual interesting irreverent wildcard?
 
Dogdeacon said:
Are you saying Minihane is an outrageous dufus playing the extreme hot-take card or an actual interesting irreverent wildcard?
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Both. He's a chameleon. He fascinates (to use a Callahan word) me. He's a nutcase, his wacky FM radio bits (Fire Felger protest, the Battle of the Brainless) are entertaining. He's acerbic, contemptuous, unforgivingly harsh and critical when necessary, and, when something sports-related intrigues him enough to delve deeper, he's really knowledgeable and usually offers a differing but interesting perspective.
 
Mike is a take him or leave him guy. When he blows off a caller because he disagrees its absolutely disgusting and you wonder how he ticks. I mean you can tell when the guy is in a bad mood for the day immediately over the last couple years, just listen to the voice. Then he has days where he's nice to everyone like he got a BJ that morning.

But he's still a lot better than the alternative. When engaged with homework done there's not a lot better for the overall sports world. He's not as good on particular sports as some of the color guys relative to football, baseball etc etc but you get a Mark DeRosa (best baseball guy going now) on he's ready for him, asks great questions and it's a fun 30 minutes.

I like Mike and I don't like Mike, but that's maybe why I listen. He's better than Boston sports talk radio just with what he's forgotten that's for sure.
 
mauconnfan said:
Mike is a take him or leave him guy. When he blows off a caller because he disagrees its absolutely disgusting and you wonder how he ticks. I mean you can tell when the guy is in a bad mood for the day immediately over the last couple years, just listen to the voice. Then he has days where he's nice to everyone like he got a BJ that morning.

But he's still a lot better than the alternative. When engaged with homework done there's not a lot better for the overall sports world. He's not as good on particular sports as some of the color guys relative to football, baseball etc etc but you get a Mark DeRosa (best baseball guy going now) on he's ready for him, asks great questions and it's a fun 30 minutes.

I like Mike and I don't like Mike, but that's maybe why I listen. He's better than Boston sports talk radio just with what he's forgotten that's for sure.
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Pretty much nailed it with this post, for me.

Shame on Mike for doing this.

Shame on WFAN for capitulating to a tyrant. I mean, someday he's gonna be gone. What are they gonna do then?
 
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The Funster said:
Pretty much nailed it with this post, for me.

Shame on Mike for doing this.

Shame on WFAN for capitulating to a tyrant. I mean, someday he's gonna be gone. What are they gonna do then?
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They’re going to get someone who knows sports and has a personality. Michael Kay’s show is worse than Carlin’s which is terrible so even though I dislike the Pope, if the topic is right I can listen for a bit. He lapped up a lot of testimonials that last year but he;s about to get more sugar from his sycophants.
 
MattMang23 said:
Both. He's a chameleon. He fascinates (to use a Callahan word) me. He's a nutcase, his wacky FM radio bits (Fire Felger protest, the Battle of the Brainless) are entertaining. He's acerbic, contemptuous, unforgivingly harsh and critical when necessary, and, when something sports-related intrigues him enough to delve deeper, he's really knowledgeable and usually offers a differing but interesting perspective.
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That's kind of what I surmised from my brief listens plus exposure to his suspension antics/stories. So presumably its a shtick, but just not certain his intellect is more engaged than his Barnum & Bailey instincts to make him worthwhile.
 
He’s at his best when he explodes against local teams
Maggie has talent, they should force him to come back with her and tell her to call him out for being ludicrous when necessary.
That should have been part of the negotiation.
 
Dogdeacon said:
That's kind of what I surmised from my brief listens plus exposure to his suspension antics/stories. So presumably its a shtick, but just not certain his intellect is more engaged than his Barnum & Bailey instincts to make him worthwhile.
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Yeah, he can wear on people. He's a Stern knockoff and, while he may end up crashing and burning eventually due to the brashness of his on-air character, he's breathed life into a show that was left for dead.
 
MattMang23 said:
Yeah, he can wear on people. He's a Stern knockoff and, while he may end up crashing and burning eventually due to the brashness of his on-air character, he's breathed life into a show that was left for dead.
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That's the thing with Stern though, he's exactly the person he plays on the air - at least in terms of his inner dialogue. Maybe he morphed more into his on-air personality over the years, but his core outrageous thoughts and instincts were always honest. It was so much more fun on NBC when he had a internal (pig vomit) and external (FCC) nemesis. Now I think he retains listeners similarly to the way another old foil Imus did for years (jeez, was he still on until recently?!).
 
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The Viking said:
He’s at his best when he explodes against local teams
Maggie has talent, they should force him to come back with her and tell her to call him out for being ludicrous when necessary.
That should have been part of the negotiation.
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Maggie is miserable, could careless about her opinion or thoughts. Carlin is shot as well. The only person of the three is even somewhat interesting and entertaining is Bart and that is only because he has played in the NFL and he tends to give you some behind the scene stories about what happens in the NFL and with professional athletes.
 
this is such a weird turn of events. like, it almost feels like he was bluffing with the retirement announcement the whole time, hoping for more money or some other demand that the station wouldn't give him

apparently he went back hat in hand and took about half the money he was making to come back. like george costanza when he goes to try to sell the pilot back to NBC after he turned down the original offer

I knew he wasn't ready to "retire" but I figured he at least had some ideas of what he might like to do instead of afternoon drive time radio. apparently he just left without any plan at all lol
 
jibsey said:
They’re going to get someone who knows sports and has a personality. Michael Kay’s show is worse than Carlin’s which is terrible so even though I dislike the Pope, if the topic is right I can listen for a bit. He lapped up a lot of testimonials that last year but he;s about to get more sugar from his sycophants.
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See, here's the thing: this is the group that FAN set up and they took a while doing it. You would think they would give them time to work it out. The first sign of issues was when they started giving away money but still, after 3 months I thought they were starting to get better. Instead, after Mike and Dog take potshots at them the wheels start turning. I mean seriously, who the hell is Dog? High Heat? Who watches that dreck? This is playing out like pro wrestling story arc. Aging wrestler walks away from the ring and then returns when his replacement "stumbles".

I was a staunch Francesa supporter. I haven't missed him a bit. So two radio stations aren't interested (including ESPN who Fat Mike supposedly hates) so he manufactures some BS get back on the air and WFAN laps it up. Incredible. Mike Francesa is a fraud and WFAN comes out of this looking really bad, IMO.
 
He probably has a 1 year deal. Once he's first again in the ratings what happens to his contract next year? He'll get the money back. His wife probably told him he has to get out of the house a few hours so he's talking sports 3 and 1/2 hours a day, he's not digging ditches. And he takes a ton of time off, goes to Saratoga for a long vacation in August. Would any of us rather do that than our current jobs?
 
The Funster said:
See, here's the thing: this is the group that FAN set up and they took a while doing it. You would think they would give them time to work it out. The first sign of issues was when they started giving away money but still, after 3 months I thought they were starting to get better. Instead, after Mike and Dog take potshots at them the wheels start turning. I mean seriously, who the hell is Dog? High Heat? Who watches that dreck? This is playing out like pro wrestling story arc. Aging wrestler walks away from the ring and then returns when his replacement "stumbles".

I was a staunch Francesa supporter. I haven't missed him a bit. So two radio stations aren't interested (including ESPN who Fat Mike supposedly hates) so he manufactures some BS get back on the air and WFAN laps it up. Incredible. Mike Francesa is a fraud and WFAN comes out of this looking really bad, IMO.
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Wow, you sound bitter! Is even the possibility that he whole retirement thing was staged ala Pro Wrestling or at least never sincere enough to keep you away forever?
Really seems like WFAN kind of played it well from a business perspective:
1. Milk the retirement for all the ratings its worth
2. Try some cheap new guys if they are good lucky, and move to plan B
3. Hire Francesa back at discount, hype the he's back storyline to resume ratings juggernaut
4. Go back to advertisers get old Francesa monies
5. reap profits, repeat as necessary (maybe a suspension next time ;)
 
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Dogdeacon said:
Wow, you sound bitter! Is even the possibility that he whole retirement thing was staged ala Pro Wrestling or at least never sincere enough to keep you away forever?
Really seems like WFAN kind of played it well from a business perspective:
1. Milk the retirement for all the ratings its worth
2. Try some cheap new guys if they are good lucky, and move to plan B
3. Hire Francesa back at discount, hype the he's back storyline to resume ratings juggernaut
4. Go back to advertisers get old Francesa monies
5. reap profits, repeat as necessary (maybe a suspension next time ;)
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WFAN lucked into the outcome.

Mike’s misjudgement is that he plays outside of NYC. The ratings for the Mike and Dog 30/30 are a screaming reminder that the whole country is not obsessed with NYC. Me and a dozen friends were fired up for that 30/30 and I think it might have been the lowest rated debut.

Dog proved to potential suiters the audience doesn’t follow nationally and Mike doesn’t want to do a national show anyway. People outside of NYC actively dislike him.

If you didn’t listen to him and Dog during their glory days he’s just a pompous jerk who talks about teams you hate.
 
whaler11 said:
WFAN lucked into the outcome.

Mike’s misjudgement is that he plays outside of NYC. The ratings for the Mike and Dog 30/30 are a screaming reminder that the whole country is not obsessed with NYC. Me and a dozen friends were fired up for that 30/30 and I think it might have been the lowest rated debut.

Dog proved to potential suiters the audience doesn’t follow nationally and Mike doesn’t want to do a national show anyway. People outside of NYC actively dislike him.

If you didn’t listen to him and Dog during their glory days he’s just a pompous jerk who talks about teams you hate.
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Mike has never said he plays outside NYC. He's had plenty of chances to take his show national and didn't, probably because he knows that it won't work. It's a New York show.
 
ivrytontusker said:
Mike has never said he plays outside NYC. He's had plenty of chances to take his show national and didn't, probably because he knows that it won't work. It's a New York show.
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He was on FS1 and 2. And failed.
 
ivrytontusker said:
Mike has never said he plays outside NYC. He's had plenty of chances to take his show national and didn't, probably because he knows that it won't work. It's a New York show.
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Let’s assume that’s true. What in the world was his strategy the last 18 months then? Is he stupid enough to believe another NY outlet was going to outbid the FAN?

I guess that is plausible... doesn’t speak well of him or his reps though.
 
I like Mike, but what is WFAN going to do during Francesa retirement 2.0? He was never going to be easy to replace. (Although when I tuned into CMB and Gray was talking about why the World Series shouldn't be called the World Series, because it doesn't involve the entire world, I'd had enough.)

At least when the (actual) Pope retired he stayed retired. It's a bad look for Francesa and for the station.
 
whaler11 said:
Let’s assume that’s true. What in the world was his strategy the last 18 months then? Is he stupid enough to believe another NY outlet was going to outbid the FAN?

I guess that is plausible... doesn’t speak well of him or his reps though.
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I thought he was sort of done with daily radio. He talked about how it was too much to do a 5.5 hour show by himself every day, etc., etc. I thought it was going to become a weekly thing. Apparently Russo offered him a spot on his Sirius channel, but I doubt Francesa wanted to effectively work for Russo.
 
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