Love the show. First time listening to Mac for an extended period of time. Like the viewpoints he brings to the table. Also like his honesty, such as how he's not interested in the Bulls unless they are winning. As a Cub fan, I like the opinions he's voiced regarding the North Side Train Wreck.

But I have a question: What is with this need to bring up wealth/material goods/name dropping?

I lost count on how many times Mac brings up watching something on a 60 inch HD/multiple T.V.'s. How he's going to play Olympia Fields. How he wanted Meatpants to take his Sox/Indians bet . How he hung out with the Sox at Spring Training during his time on the beach. How he bonded with Joe Crede.

Mac, I get it. You've got a sweet gig and all the trappings that go along with it. Why the need to remind everyone?

He's kind of like the Ed Farmer of radio hosts. It reminds me of the old joke: Check behind you, I think you dropped a name.

I honestly do love the show, but the "we're happy for you" drop could be played quite a bit during any one show.

And I'm sure this has been covered in an old post, but I'm too lazy to look it up.

Complaints like this--and Mac defending himself against them--have been around at least as long as I've been on this board. I would say it's part of the Mac package at this point and ain't going away. You take it or you leave it.

I thought maybe he'd tone it down when he started the new Score gig but, like you say, after several references to his television setup at Mackeyland, I just said, "Mac is back."

So what is the help you request Peoria?

Gotta have the 60 inch- don't you watch cribs?

Go play golf at any decent course, it aint cheap buddy, it's fine with me naming the course

and dropping names is fine, especially when you have a radio show, what makes it weird is when Ed Farmer drops a name and then drops what he knows about that person like he is great friends with him "George Bush, down in Coddington Texas is listening tonight, he just got a brand new SUV for that new ranch of his"

Did I tell you I got to watch a Sox game with Ted Lilly on the 80 inch screen after we played Harborside?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Point taken. If it's part of the Mac package, I'll take it.

Maybe he will pick you up one day in the V -12 Ford Excursion XLT+

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

DON'T know if he'll have room with all the Alan Brothers products he's got stuffed in the truck.

So are you saying Mac is the only sports talker in town who gets paid a lot of money, plays golf on nice courses and has a lot of TVs?...Because he's the only guy who makes constant mention of these facts. The ubiquity and intensity of his conspicuous consumption are tedious.

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yeah, you might have to keep a box of bone-in ribeyes on your lap for most of the drive, but at least you'd get to sit by the pool and see the hall of fame room.

is tedious....

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@audioidkid

See, Mac always tried to be the "everyman" and to me this damages that image. We went around and around with the boat thing when it happened. Personally, I find the consistant hints at wealth to be distasteful.
Mac had pretty much been very bragadocious about his TV's, his meat, his ride, and so on for a long time now. As long as I've listened to him. This is known Mac. And yeah, it kind of does make me wince when I hear it. It's just not becoming of a talkshow host.
A little free focus group here mac. It's not jealousy. I may very well have the means to do these things you do as well, but I choose not to talk about that kind of stuff with people. I'll say I watched the game, won't say how many inches of the game I saw and in what defination. Because that's not important, is it?
People are particularly sensitive during this economy. 10% of your potential audience is out of work, an additional 5-10% is worried about losing their homes, and/or worried about paying for their medicines. It's not easy to listen to someone going on about their mancave with 5 bigscreens 1080p TV's. No one needs to hear about the $40 cut of beef when they're having trouble feeding their children.
Again, Mac, I am actually a fan and i do wish you well which is why I say these things. This is by far and away the most legitimate criticism of your work I've heard, and I wish you would take it to heart because I would like to see you continue to succeed, and continue to be the hard working host you are. I'm not saying you don't deserve your pay and your finer things, I just think you might cool down the bragging for now. We're not tuning in to hear about life at mackeyland, we're tuning in to hear what you have to say about the sports scene in town.
Just remember to play to your audience. There's a lot of people hurting in Illinois and NW Indiana, and they might not appreciate the consistant reminders of how comfortable you are.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Insecurity, most likely.

Great post Darkside!

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken

I don't mind him talking about the TVs. Any dope can fill a basement full of TVs.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

BLAH , BLAH , BLAH......Been their done this move on already. I enjoy Mac's rants and it's done mostly in tonge and cheek. Can we get off the fucking economey thing already as an excuse with people making a living as well!! Games are sold out in this town and we have Hawks fans on waiting lists, Wrigley is still sold out and Jay Cutler is making almost as much as Marion Hossa just signed for and I don't see people in soup lines so can this shit already .

Keep doing what your doing Mac as the ratings will reflect why you have meat , a pool, flat screens and a home with a gazeebo.

I love Mac, always have. I have no problem with his name dropping and talk about his wealth. He earned that stuff, and his story is one of success. I get tired of people in this country trying to force successful people to apologize for their hard work. We do this with athletes all the time. If you are talented and/or hard working, then you deserve the rewards that go with it. Keep in mind, there is a guy on the other side of the table (i.e. the employer) that is trying to profit by your talents. Mac is real, and that is why I love him. You said you like his honesty, well that is part of the gig. He brings you into his world.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Do you buy a lottery ticket because you like the idea of 10,000,000 to 1 odds?

I like to hear how other people live every once in a while. Fuck the everyman. I'm the everyman and I could not stand listening to me talk for 4 hours a day.

You want to hear living large...as we speak good dolphin is having a new cement driveway poured...we're talking 5 bag mix baby!

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The "danger" with this is if Dan starts to come off as a too full of himself. Nobody likes a braggart.

You could look at North as a model NOT to follow.

I don't get the full sense of that from Mac at all.... What seperates him, IMO, is that he tries, he listens,....and the man just wants to have fun. Enjoy life. Plus....I have a 63" HD TV with direct tv & the nfl ticket and any man worth his salt has "GOTTA" talk about that!

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

I will say that I've managed to listen to many Chicago sports talkers over the years with VERY little mention of their cars, TV-viewing arrangements in their homes, other freebies and creature comforts to which they may be entitled, etc. (This of course excludes Mike North, perhaps the most self-absorbed person on the planet.)

Personally, I don't see why the host has to read us the spec sheets of the TVs on which he watched the games he's about to discuss, but, hey . . . what do I know? Mac's been doing this quite a while with some degree of success. His style is what it is, I guess.

Well you didn't listen to the old Saloon show when Harry would drop names of bars, roofing companies, eatery's , ticket managers of any Chicago sports teams , limo companies with hopes of getting comps or getting comps with the idea of name dropping said compaines or people on the show the next day . I found that being more annoying more than anything. Using the pulpit of your show and telling people who you are to get free shit is douchebaggery in my book. Networking it is cool but to name drop at every turn is a turn off. I herd Mac do it as a thank you but Harry used it as a tool to pad his pockts.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect the man to apologize for his success. I am actually really happy for the guy. That's great. It is my opinion that it's bad form to brag about it.
All I can say is that I completely agree that the bragging comes off as a bit more than tongue in cheek, and it does turn off listeners. Here we have a wonderful tool where the hosts can see what people like, don't like, hate, and love. And Mac gets plenty of criticism for this behavior. I happen to agree with the criticism.
I'm also a listener. I like Mac, I like the show. My opinion is that he comes off as a bit elitist is all. Other than that, great job.
It's just a little distasteful that's all. And it's my opinion. I get that some of you disagree.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

you are having a concrete driveway poured. cement is powder that when mixed with aggregate, sand, and water yields concrete....
every pour is a "5 bag mix"

bam...you just got enginerded!

Hey STU!
you have to eat with Frank at the bar at Harry Carry's....

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@audioidkid

I found Harry's namedropping and roofers plugs to be distasteful as well. It sucks t have him sucking the cock of everyone he can to get a freebie. I've been on record as saying I like Harry in person but on the radio he comes off as a jackass for the reasons you've mentioned above. there's a reason why I don't listen to the Saloon.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

just one?

Harry does like to drop names of restaurants and Bars. I wonder how many dollars he has saved, on free meals/drinks over the years? The roofing stuff is really a commercial, so I discount that. That's the same as Gino's East-home of the sausage patty. The station is also getting paid for those spots.

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Go Cubs!!!!

The problem is that just as there's nothing inherently interesting about your driveway story, there's also nothing particularly compelling about the number of monitors Mac has working at Mackeyland on a given night. I really don't give a shit about either. The difference between the two anecdotes, though, is that your story is one of functional consumption whereas Mac apparently needs to constantly signify his social status with his tales of conspicuous consumption. Unfortunately, the unimaginative way in which Mac spends his money just makes him seem boring and shallow. It's not like he's having orgies with pricey hookers and swimming pools filled with champagne or jello pudding, so his mundane forms of fundamentally "suburban" consumption aren't half as interesting as he thinks they are. Mac pictures himself as Keith Richards, but he's really Mr. Brady.

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The man can't help his voice, but he can help his overwhealming meatballery and shoutouts. His awful jokes and his stupid ass bits just make the show unlistenable for me. I would rather pop in a CD (wishing I had some Passive Aggressor right now).

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

But he doesn't get to nail Mrs. Brady every night.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

[

That's going on over at Slappy's Midge. BTW, I have said this before but Mac is a very humble dude and shares a ton of his success with listners and friends and many here on the baord have been invited to do things with the cat and again he makes fun that he makes a good living doing what he does.

I don't think he going to lose sleep over what anyone say's here and again we have beat this topic and many have no problem about what he says.

Yeah, Mac seems like a good guy. I am just pointing out an annoying aspect of his on-air persona, which I otherwise generally enjoy.

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This hits the nail right on the head.

Mackeyfish, the world is your oyster. 90% of the time everybody loves you. It's that 10% where you sound like a total douche. Think about how Harry soundas when he throws around the plugs so he continues to get free stuff. That's how you sound.

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[quote="STU-GOTZ, I have said this before but Mac is a very humble dude and shares a ton of his success with listners and friends and many here on the baord have been invited to do things with the cat and again he makes fun that he makes a good living doing what he does.

I don't think he going to lose sleep over what anyone say's here and again we have beat this topic and many have no problem about what he says.[/quote]

That's what I find to be the difference between Mac and the latter day North. Mac spreads the wealth. North used to do this as well. I don't find his discussions to be bragging or lording it over others. He has it but he is willing to share it with the people who have brought him his success.

He is Daddy Warbucks and STU is his Little Orphan Annie

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.