What is wrong with this guy? Seriously?

I get that he calls game in the same city as catch-phrase machine Harrelson, but geeze. His NEED to "know exactly when" to say "AND FADE...TO...BLACK!!!!" is just dumb. I don't get it. His growling TOUCHDOWN, TOUCHDOWN BEARS!! blows. Seriously, it's embarassing. Everytime I hear his radio call used in a highlight package I'm embarassed. DEVIN HESTER...YOU...ARE...RIDICULOUS.

No, Joniak, you are ridiculous. Take a breath. Stop worrying about when to unleash a catchphrase and focus on getting real time calls correct - from the result of play to the ACTUAL player who made the play.

I can't be alone in my confusion over why this guy is the play by play guy for the Bears, can I? Thayer does what he's supposed to do - be a former player homer, who is able to break things down and scream like a goof.....his partner just stinks.

thank you, Harry. Agreed.

Joniak is to broadcasters what Angelo is to GM's.

He is a cheesy, screamy amateurish broadcaster. May be a nice guy and from what I've heard really puts in the work preparing but the bottom line is he's bad at his job. Way too many dumb catch phrases. It's been all downhill since Larivee left.

Lucky he followed Gary Bender or he'd sound even worse.

Agreed, he's an embarrassment.

totally unnatural should be doing Sox games.

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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.’”

Farmio/Joniak would be like an audio acid trip.

You ever do Acid? No, you? No.

3rd and 7

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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.’”

Can't wait til Frank reads this.

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I am sure Frank will take it light hearted as he takes everything else.

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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.’”

Joniak's OK except when he gets too over-dramatic (yes, the "fade to black" being a fine example). Mostly, when he morphs into his hulk hogan voice, that's when he's at his worst. I don't know why he thinks that's a good idea.

I also started a thread blasting him in preseason. I like Sam Rosen.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Good to see I'm not alone on this. Where did this guy come from? Wasn't he just doing sports updates on WBBM, then BOOM he's the voice of the Bears?

I seem to recall him doing his pre-meditated growly voice thing before, but right around the time he started with the "Devin Hester. You. Are. Ridiculous!!!" thing he really started to go fishing for the next big phrase (that would embarassingly be played over a big return/sack/interception etc) highlight.

Would love to know Thayer's true feelings as Joniak is crapping out his next "thing".

I honestly feel like I am taking crazy pills, as I have to listen to Hawk escalate his level of stupid phraseology each year....then Joniak growl out his next saying....then a below-average former NBA player yell at me about this city's next great thing (or white guy or bench or whatever he happens to scream about at any given moment). Seems like Hawk is universally panned, and Joniak doesn't seem to have a lot of fans (other than those paying him), my only issue continues to be the folks that LOVE Stacey King and his contrived nonsense. I think the biggest problem is that Bernstein is leading the way for people to have him as a "guilty pleasure".

Here's to hoping that the Bears can stumble on to a solid crew like the Cubs did with Len and Bob......who woulda guessed how well those guys would work out? And I'm not even a Cubs fan!

Joniak will have the job as long as he wants it. Unfortunately.

http://www.desipio.com/?p=1240

Wow, thanks for that. Amazing that's dated 2007, and not today. Guess the guy really has NO ONE giving him truthful advice along the way. His schtick sort of reminds me of Larry, in a way. Seems impossible that someone, somewhere, in his life doesn't tell hiim to pump the brakes a bit.

I would LITERALLY bet the next mortgage payment that he has a little book of sayings/nicknames/situational voice types that he brings with him into the booth. Actually, I bet he has a QB wrist band with them on it.

What a douchey announcer. I certainly hope no one tries the "but I met him at Wildfire one night, what a GREAT guy".

Joniak is good compared to many of the play by play guys in other cities.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

it doesn't help that his "you are ridiculous" drop has appeared on nfl films commercials.

Jeff Joniak was actually hosting Bears' pre, halftime and postgame, in addition to his duties as afternoon drive sports anchor at WBBM 780 AM and since August 1st on WCFS 105.9 FM. This was before he got the gig as the PBP voice of the Chicago Bears Radio Network. Joniak got the job in large part because WBBM bosses were less than thrilled that Jeff's predecessor, Gary Bender, wasn't as close to the team as they felt he should have.

Bender, best known as a PBP voice on CBS Sports & TNT Sports on the NFL, NCAA Basketball & NBA on those networks, commuted once a week from his Colorado home to work the Bear game on radio and then go back home shortly thereafter. Bender was the Bears' radio voice on their final season on the defunct WMAQ 670 and the first season on WBBM before Joniak took over, I believe over a decade ago.

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joniak is a cheese dick, that said..he is better than hawk/darren jackson/farmer and len kasper

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Gouda or cheddar?

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Look on the bright side...You don't want Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic doing NFL play-by-play...

Does he print that on his business card?

Really, Kirk? That's your defense? He's "good compared to other guys in other cities"??? What a ringing endorsement. HE SUCKS. His catchphrase machine is, itself, RIDICULOUS. His growly voice is LCD, and it's dumb. He's calling games for a storied NFL franchise in the country's 3rd biggest metro area. But he's "good" when you compare him to whatever hack is calling Titans or Jaguar games?

I swear that your sole existence is to attempt to defend the undefendable on this board. Bad news, for them and you, is that you suck just as bad at defending them as they do at whatever it is they "do" for a living.

Yah, yah, we're all primed to read some post about how your name isn't really John Kirk and that you have, in fact, criticized people on this board. Stimulating stuff.

Joniak has a weird affectation to his voice that I can't quite place. It's not really an accent, I don't think, but his vowel sounds get shifted around or something. Can't really render it in type.

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god i hate this guy

I loved Larivee but we didnt deserve him

the same people that like Joniak are the ones that love Swersky and Wennington and what's their face on Bulls TV

the fanbase just keeps getting dumber and dumber and they eat these guys up

i love a homer with catchphrases (my love for Harry and Hawk proves that), but these guys are just fuckin idiots...its like theyre trying too hard and end up having no personalities

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After Hester's punt return TD, Joniak screams: "Hey Deion, Deion Sanders. Look out. You better run. Cause Devin is gonna catch ya, and he's gonna pass ya." Keep in mind this was done in some sort of "voice", though I can't say it sounded anything like a "black guy" voice (that I'm guessing he was going for). This was right after Tom Thayer had to egg Jeff into his stupid "you are absolutely incredibly RIDICULOUS!!!!" Gah, just the worst.

I used to have no opinion on Thayer, but his pairing with Joniak has made me really dislike him as well (I'd rather hear the dead silent disdain that he SHOULD have for his partner than what we get, the egging on and mealy mouthed homerisms he gives us).

Thayer's pre-game analysis yesterday: "Wherever you are on the field, the wind is what it is. You hate to see it result in some dropped balls."

Joniak - I used to like him. I want to like him. He keeps going out of his way to make sure I don't like him.

The highlights from the Bears audio just reinforce how bad he is. SCREAMY!!!!!!

FADE TO BLACK!!!!!!

His play by play of Devins TD Sunday was terrible. Unless it took Devin 40 seconds to run the ball back, I think Joniak was lost!

This is another fine example why McDonough was the best at his job. When someone sucked at the play by play or color job, he knew it and knew the negative ramifications it could have for his team ad his changed it. He didnt just keep a guy because he didnt say bad things about the team!

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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.’”

Did I hear this guy slide a ba-doosh in as well? I generally dont listen to the radio broadcast. I swear I heard it though.

Who?

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I completely forgot about that other bullet in the Joniak audio revolver.

He should be doing U of I games.