Something I ran across on the net that might be of interest
An Interview With Mike North
Mike North is the classic rags to riches story. Dropping out of high school, he joined the army and worked a series of odd jobs before opening a successful hot dog stand named after his wife Bebe. Being in the right place at the right time, he parlayed an opportunity and became the most controversial and well-paid sports talk show host in town. Still a bit unpolished, his regular guy persona has gained him a loyal audience along with his share of critics. In this feature, he answers the question if the ‘Score’ can be unbiased in its baseball coverage now that it’s a Sox’ station, reacts to those that call him a racist, and gives his take on people who put ketchup on a hot dog.
The Heckler: How did you get your start in radio?
Mike North: I was at the hot dog stand one day and I started saying you know what, business is ok, but I’m killing myself and I want to get into radio, so I talked to people about getting into radio. They found out that I could lease some time, and I told my buddies I wasn’t going to play softball that year because I was going to go into small time radio and they thought I was out of my mind. Things worked out and I sold my own advertising and I bought time for 300 bucks an hour one hour a week at a small station, WSBC, and now fourteen years later apparently it worked. I just keep waiting for them to tap me on the shoulder and say get your ass back to the hot dog stand.
TH: How did you initially get hooked up with the Score?
MN: WXRT was in the neighborhood and one of the guys was over here and said they were going to start a cool country station and I said they should start a sports station. So they decided to go in that direction and I told Danny Lee (WXRT owner) that and I guess they felt sort of indebted that I helped give them the idea. They acted on it and said let’s give him a try out and see what happens. Originally I was supposed to do weekends and somebody dropped out. The rumor was that it was Bruce Wolf but I don’t know. I ended up getting the tryout and they said you’ve got a six-month tryout and the next thing you know, I’m still here.
TH: Weren’t you the one that insisted that you wanted to be an everyday host rather than just a weekend guy? How did you have the cajones to tell them that?
MN: Because I was thirty-seven at the time. I’m not a twenty two year old kid coming out of school who will take anything, and deservedly so. They should take anything they get their hands on. I was making a pretty good living selling hot dogs. I said I don’t want weekends; I want an everyday deal. They said you’ve out of your mind, you’re not going to get it, but then somebody dropped out and I ended up getting the gig.
TH: What do you think made you the most popular and well-paid host on the Score?
MN: I think what made me one of the highest paid guys in radio was that other stations went after me. What happened was WFAN in New York wanted me and there was no out of town clause in my contract. They never thought here at the Score that somebody would come after me and after that the first WMVP came after me with Larry Wert and Jimmy DeCastro and they offered me a ton of dough. I’m in the twilight of a mediocre career but I’ve done pretty well financially. I’ve always said that I’m a better businessman than I am a radio guy. Believe me, ask any of my e-mailers or listeners on the radio side of it.
TH: What made you stand out from the rest of the hosts on the Score?
MN: I think being the hot dog guy, being a street kid, being a high school dropout. All of the things that were not acceptable. I couldn’t get a job in radio today with all of the corporations. If I walked in and said listen, I own a hot dog stand, I have a small time radio show, I never finished high school and I’m a street kid, they would tell me get lost. They would say, we got a writer, we have an ex-athlete; so I think it would be very hard today. I’m like a freak in the business and I’m very fortunate and I was very lucky.
TH: One of the things that made you popular was that you were a regular guy and people related to you as one of them.
MN: And I still am a regular guy. I think the tough thing for me has been because you made a lot of money and you move from your house and people go how could you move from your house? Why did you improve your life? You’re not blue collar anymore. To me, blue-collar has always been an attitude. It has nothing to do with how much money you make. There’s guys that make a ton of dough that are still blue-collar. Pete Rose was a blue-collar guy. I don’t care how much money he made. He lived in mansions but he was a blue-collar guy.
TH: Do you think the people that related to you because you were one of them still relate to you on the same level?
MN: If you don’t relate with me, you can’t relate with anybody. I don’t hang out with anybody in the business for the most part. If you want to look for me on a Saturday, I’ll be in Edison Park at Tony’s Deli with my buddies. I play basketball Sunday’s with the guys I grew up with around Senn High School. If I start acting like I was hot shit, my wife would say something, and I started to after about a year. Once in a while I got off the beaten path and she told me what are you doing and my buddies keep me in check, so they do a good job.
TH: Has your success affected your relationship with anybody you have worked with throughout the years? Has there been resentment perhaps from other hosts that haven’t made it as big?
MN: They’ve never said anything to me. There have been people that have said they sensed that maybe this guy is resentful or that guy is resentful, but I’ve always enjoyed all of the people that I’ve worked with. I enjoy seeing Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein and Mike Murphy, and even people on other stations, Danny McNeil and guys like that. So if there is resentment, they’ve never told me. Everybody is doing pretty well for themselves. Is everybody doing as well as I’m doing, well, it’s all relative. We could make all the money in the world, but if we’re not healthy, if we’re not feeling good, if our wives are sick, what good does it do anyway?
TH: You mentioned Dan McNeil. Didn’t you have a problem with each other at some time?
MN: We had a rough patch for a while for whatever reason. I don’t remember what it was about to be honest with you. But Danny was trying to establish himself which he has done over at the other place and maybe he used me as a way to do that. With Danny, I don’t think it was ever personal cause Danny and I are friends. It was about radio stuff. I kid around some times about certain radio guys on other stations and I have nothing against them. So I don’t think it’s anything personal.
TH: You’ve always liked to go out with your buddies and one of the things that you have been famous for throughout the years was your “World Tours.” It seems like you have cut down on that quite a bit now though I heard you mention last week that you were out on one the day before and you hadn’t done that for a while.
MN: I hadn’t done that for a while because I’m working mornings and I get up at 4 o’clock and I leave the house around 4:25. I get here about ten to five. I tried it early on a couple of times. If I get hammered and go to bed at 8 o’clock but have to get up at four, it’s no good. Now if I come home at ten and I can sleep until eight in the morning when I started at two, then it’s okay. But it’s just too hard, so I don’t do a lot of that anymore. I save my drinking, and I love to drink and to enjoy myself on Friday’s and Saturday’s. Once in a while, if there’s a function that you have to go to, you have a couple of cocktails, but you can’t go hog wild like if you work mid-days or afternoons.
TH: When you were on the other shifts, were there ever times when you dragged yourself into the studio?
MN: Twice a week. I’ve had dizzy spells on the air; I’ve been hung over on the air. At the risk of sounding like Bode Miller, I had done a couple of shows where I still think I was hammered on the air, but you know what, I got through it and I never missed a day of work. It’s one of those deals where if you’ve got a hangover, you’ve got to deal with it. Nobodies going to feel sorry for you. The guy in the truck doesn’t want to hear your problems.
TH: Did your ever have a problem where your bosses said anything to you about that?
MN: No. My bosses for the most part have all been very good. They understood the nature of the beast. I’m not a corporate guy. I walk in at thirty-seven years old from a hot dog stand and all of a sudden I’m working for a company. At first it was privately owned and then CBS and Westinghouse bought it. It’s a different deal but for the most part, things have been good.
TH: Since you had gone to the morning show format, it seemed like you focused on a lot of different things like politics and entertainment and now it seems like you’re shifting back more to sports. Why is that?
MN: We had to find a balance, and I’ve got to admit I made a mistake early on. I knew they were giving us time so I wanted to see how that would work out and it was like fifty-fifty and it wasn’t working. So it’s mostly sports now, but we still do the news and I still comment on the news, and once in a while we’ll get a Dick Durbin on, but now it’s only about twenty or twenty-five percent of my show. But you’ve got to remember there’s times where there’s nothing going on in sports, and there’s been times where the Score has suffered because of a lack of good teams, so I wanted to try to have a more broadened show. It hasn’t worked for Keith Olberman. I see where Bob Costas does something on HBO where it’s not a sports show, but I understand why people want to listen to me and for the most part it’s for sports.
TH: You’ve worked with different hosts on the station and you also worked solo. Do you have any preference to who you enjoyed working with the most?
MN: I loved working with Doug Buffone and with Dan Jiggetts, and I loved working by myself. They were all great shows but I enjoy what I’m doing now doing morning drive in my hometown. I love who I work with and I look forward to coming to work everyday with Fred (Huebner) and Annie (Maxfield), Buch (Steve Buchman), Rock (Mamola), and Jen (Patterson). Right now, I would say this is the best show I’ve done because I’ve gotten a little bit older and a little bit more mature, and I’ve gotten better at what I do. Jiggetts allowed me to run which was great. Doug is one of the great guys you would ever want to meet. I think working by myself was not the best thing. I have to have somebody to go off of.
TH: The White Sox are now on your station and a lot of people before thought WSCR stood for White Sox Central Radio. Most of the hosts on the station are Sox fans. Is it going to be difficult for Cub’s fans not to think you’re biased towards them and that you’re not favoring the White Sox?
MN: Let me tell you something, if the Cubs won this year I’d be thrilled. I’m a Sox fan but I’m a Chicago fan. Up until last year I was saying I wanted any team to win and I’ll say it again this year. If the Sox weren’t going to win this year and the Cubs were to win, I’d be ecstatic. That being said, just like WGN is known for its Cub leanings, the Score is known now as the Sox flagship. But I’ve hired on Ryan Dempster, I’ve hired Barry Rozner (Daily Herald) who used to be a Cub beat writer. Right now we’re in negotiations to add a former Cub, so that’s all nonsense. Jerry Reinsdorf was on the show recently with me and we talked about this White House fiasco with Ozzie Guillen and him and me got in this spirited discussion about it. I’m not beholden to anybody and I don’t care if it’s a Sox station. The Blackhawks are on this station and I give them a beating. They deserve it. If you’re not playing well, if the Sox are 10-20, you’ll know it from my show. If the Sox are 20-10, you’ll know it. The same with the Cubs. I’m all about Chicago; I’m not worried about one or the other. If the Sox don’t perform this year, they’re going to get a beating and they know it.
TH: A lot of fans in Chicago consider a perfect day when their team wins and the other one loses. I’ve listened to you since the Score came on the air and I know you’re a Sox fan. Isn’t there some time that you’re happy that the Cubs lost because I know at times when I’ve listened to you, it seemed you enjoyed it when the Cubs lost?
MN: Here’s when I’m happy when the Cubs lose. I’m happy when the Cubs lose when their bone-headed management does something like with the Todd Walker situation. You’ve got a solid second baseman and the other two guys don’t even play second. If he doesn’t start for them this year and there is an error at second base by Neifi Perez, I’m going to say they got what they deserve. But the same holds true for the Sox. I was pissed last year when Brandon McCarthy didn’t make the playoff roster. He deserved to be on the playoff roster instead of Damaso Marte and if he blew it for them, I would have said, it served them right. Now did I sound like a Sox fan then?
TH: But still enough though, weren’t you happy when the Cubs lost?
MN: Here’s how I was. If the Cubs won and the Sox won, that was fine with me. If the Cubs lost and the Sox won, it was great. When the Cubs won and the Sox lost, I’d hear it from my buddies. There was eighteen of us, nine were Sox fans and nine were Cub fans. It’s a child’s game. I’m fifty-three. I want to see these teams succeed. Right now I’m at the age where whoever wins – wins.
TH: You mentioned Jerry Reinsdorf before and he had a problem with Jay Mariotti when he was a host on WMVP and criticized his teams. Do you think that’s going to be a problem now with the Sox on the station where he’s going to be upset if you’re too critical of his team?
MN: I don’t think so because Jerry Reinsdorf and I have had a growing relationship since 1992. Here’s what Jerry Reinsdorf if he gets mad at me has got to remember. After the strike in 1994, I was still saying he was the best owner in town. And I was still puzzled why people were just mad at him and not MacPhail (Andy) because he was the hawk in the strike but so was MacPhail, except MacPhail kept a lower profile. Jerry Reinsdorf always has come on our air. Jerry Reinsdorf has taken the heat. Jerry Reinsdorf has got thick skin; he can handle it. When you talk about the Cubs and are mad at management, who are you mad at: The tower? With Jerry, people knew where to focus. So, I’m not worried about that. Our friendship is stronger than me criticizing his team if it deserves to be criticized. I think the problem that Reinsdorf had with Mariotti is if they won a game 5-1, he’d be wondering why that one run scored. He’d find anything to criticize him with. And he thought it was unfair, and in a lot of ways I did too.
TH: So the station hasn’t said anything to you about laying off the White Sox when it comes to criticism.
MN: Nobody said a word to us. Here’s what I was suspicious about. They let go of Jimmy Piersall and he’s been with us since 1992. They said it was a money issue. I didn’t totally believe them but now I find out it was a money issue. I tried to hire Jimmy before MVP got him for my own show. I’m conscious of the fact that Cub fans are going to wonder, but I’m going to have plenty of Cub talk, believe me. Dusty Baker makes it possible for that. And they’re still the number one team in this town. They’re not the best team in this town, but they’re the number one team in this town.
TH: Do you think Chicago can ever become a Sox town, or do you think it’s always going to be a Cub’s town?
MN: If the Tribune Company continues to do stupid things like put a peephole that people were supposed to be able to watch the game and put a tarp in front of it, like they did with the tarp and balloons to block the rooftops. If they continue to charge exorbitant prices for parking, if they continue to screw around fan favorites like Todd Walker, it’s possible it could even up. But right now, I don’t think the Sox will ever run away with this town.
TH: You already mentioned that Jerry Reinsdorf was the best owner in town. Who’s the worst?
MN: Bill Wirtz is the worst owner in town by far. It’s not even close. I mean he makes McCaskey look like a wizard. He killed the sport in this town. They’re on the station and sometimes I say to myself, why? They pay the station. They can’t even get a contract from somebody else.
TH: You’ve never been afraid to criticize your bosses on the air. Have you ever been disciplined by the station for comments that you have made criticizing management?
MN: I’ve never been suspended. People say you’ve got to watch what you say on the air but I’ve never had an FCC violation. The way people talk about me you would think I’m swearing on the air. I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, but I’m smart enough to know what you can do and what you can’t do. I just don’t think about things a whole lot, I just do them. I know you can’t say f—k. Can you print that by the way? There’s things you know you can’t say and those certain things are going to get you in trouble. I’ve been taken aside a couple of times and been told to tone it down a bit, but that’s it.
TH: You’ve always been known for speaking your mind and you’ve probably offended every different ethnic group in Chicago including blacks, Asians, Spanish, Jewish, Italian, etc. People that listen to you have said that Mike North is a racist. Would that be a fair assessment or do you do it for the shock value?
MN: I don’t do anything for the shock value. I speak my mind. What happens is if you criticize anybody, from any other culture, …I’m half Italian and half Irish and I’ve had the Italian chapter of Unico come after me for things. If you criticize Shani Davis for being the way he is, you’re just a racist. I’m always leery of people who call other people racist. I don’t have a racist bone in my body. I went to public high school in this town (Senn). I was in the army. A lot of my buddies are and were black. I was partners with a guy for eight years, (Dan Jiggetts) and we never had a problem. He’s one of the great men you would ever want to meet and last I checked he’s black. To me, I’ve never even taken it seriously. They forget when I criticize (Brian) Urlacher; they forget when I criticize Kerry Wood. I’ve criticized my share of blacks also. I get really humored when people say I center on the black athletes. I don’t. If you don’t get the job done, you’re going down.
TH: People are going to say when you’re criticizing athletes you’re going to criticize everyone because anyone who’s bad deserves to be criticized. But when you come out and make comments like the Chinaman or the Mexican wearing the sombrero; that’s where people are going to have a different take on it.
MN: You know it’s amazing to me that people will go out of their way to say that a guy is Hispanic and then you just say, why don’t you just accept him and not even bring up his nationality. Why do people want to bring up nationalities unless it’s for groundbreaking stuff? What Shani Davis did was absolutely incredible to win the gold medal, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a tool. I’m not going to hold back and say I’m not going to criticize this guy because he’s a certain race or certain ethnicity or certain gender. I’m going to say what I feel and that’s what I do. The last I checked this is a free country like Ozzie Guillen said recently. But you’ve got to live with your comments just like he has to live with his comments. I can’t hold back. In my world, I’ve got to look in the mirror. I can’t be a phony; that’s the way I am.
TH: You’ve done endorsements for several different products and Mike Ditka, who is a good friend of yours, has been criticized in the past for all of the endorsements he has done. People say he’ll endorse anything as long as they pay him. When you do endorsements, is it if someone’s going to give me money I’m going to take it or is it something you believe in?
MN: I’ve turned down deals before. I just recently turned down a car dealership. My buddy Fritzie used to be on the show, and he said something that they didn’t deem was proper and they put pressure on our management and said that maybe they weren’t going to advertise. So my management team said no more Fritzie, so I told them (the car dealership) forget about it, I’m not going to do it. I’ve turned down other things that are not appropriate so I don’t take everything that’s thrown out at me and I don’t think Ditka does either. But if someone’s offering you a ton of dough, it’s hard.
TH: How do you see the Cubs and the Sox doing this year?
MN: I think the Cubs are going to come in second, maybe for a wild card, maybe not. And I think the Sox are going to repeat, well not repeat but get into the playoffs. It’s anybodies game once they get in.
TH: What do you think has been wrong with the Cubs throughout the years?
MN: I think when you talk about extending the manager and the general manager’s contract and they haven’t accomplished a damn thing, I think that’s troubling. When the managers making more than Ozzie Guillen and Ozzie Guillen has taken you to the World Series, I think that’s troubling. Kenny Williams, who I have criticized in the past, has done more than Jim Hendry has ever done. I think it’s been the front office and the ownership. I think they’re the reason. Jim Dowdle is the one who put up the Harry statue when he should have put up Brickhouse. They’re the ones who embraced Sammy, Jim Dowdle and Tribune management. Let’s put one guy above everybody else. That’s not a team concept. The Sox didn’t work that way last year. They have in the past and one of their guys (Frank Thomas) was a stubborn, surly son of a gun.
TH: What’s your opinion of someone who puts ketchup on a hot dog in Chicago?
MN: It takes away the taste. You can’t do it. It’s like being a communist. Mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickles, peppers, (that’s what we call dynamite sticks) and celery salt.
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