This isn't a thought worth starting another thread, but what attracted me to B&B was that it was different from anything you could find anywhere else. Now they just feel like sports radio. Maybe the ubiquity of internet commentary shades my view, because you can find whatever flavor of analysis you prefer. Or maybe B&B really is different. Tough to say.

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Fire Phil Emery

lol

I should have phrased it as "it's an awful, awful, awful radio station, unless you're looking for unintentional comedy galore."

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The Bulls haven't done anything wrong, and they're not going to do anything wrong.

That's a great point. They were different than what was offered by other sports shows.

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Sounds to me like they turned down your guest appearance offer to discuss your new book.

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First show I listened to was the day after Crown Their Ass. I had sampled North, Murph, and M&H throughout the day, then caught the beginning of B&B, where they were complaining that Kornheiser referred to Chicago as a "blue-collar city," arguing that no, it's not at all; Buffalo is a blue-collar city. So that was a good first indication that it wasn't the average sports talk show. Then I got drawn in and have since logged way too many hours listening to this show. Changed the way I thought about sports, sports media, humor, you name it.

I don't feel like it's the same show, and I think the lineup change in '09 is as good a point as any to say that something changed. With all of Terry's office enemies vanquished and 1000 surrendering afternoons, how could they have not gotten complacent? No competition, no one to answer to, just do whatever Mitch Rosen says and don't rock the boat. What separates this show from all the truly great radio shows in Chicago and beyond is that they've been smart--too smart--about not breaking any eggs. North and Mac could be self-destructive for our entertainment, as could all the guys at the Loop, as could Stern and Imus in New York, John and Ken in L.A., so on, so forth. That doesn't happen here. Maybe it did before Janet Jackson, I dunno, but it pretty much hasn't in the last six years, and definitely not in the last three.

Sure, they can be inflammatory and bold, but that's not necessarily the same. Take the White Sox attendance rant from two weeks ago, in which it was concluded that here at a time and place where the economy is right in the fucking tank, a non-essential entertainment business relying on disposable income did poorly, why? Not because far too many people are unemployed, underemployed, gouged at the pump, or so deep in debt that they're hocking jewelry for grocery money, but because they fear blacks and hate Jews. It shouldn't even have to be about blaming anyone, it's just the sad economic reality, but here you have these nominal liberals happily carrying the water for a billionaire who didn't make enough money this year by saying "it's not us, it's you," and it's you for the most ignorant and insidious reasons. Sure, it was "dangerous" to make careless accusations of racism and antisemitism, but not dangerous in the way that nets you a Dan McNeil Vacation, just dangerous to themselves in the sense that people might think these guys are some real stupid assholes. That's not speaking truth to power. That's attributing lies to the powerless. And it's probably the worst thing I've ever heard them do.

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I have been a lurker for quite some time and have never registered because I don't know if I can commit any more time to a site I already sink so much time into, but this quote so perfectly sums up what B&B has been lately that I couldn't help but register and give Mr. Hair the recognition he deserves for this post.

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Thanks

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So you created an account to say this?

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN ME!

I, for one, liked what you said.

Sports in general need to get back to reality. The days where companies would buy a bunch of tickets are gone. Joe and Jane Regular are not going to spend corporate prices to go to a game with their 2-4 kids.

This still needs about 5 or 6 years to play out, but (murph bell) I predict that you'll see some major changes in the way tickets are sold. Losing teams just can't stay afloat the way the current model is.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Agreed. And the thing is, they never really did. Oh sure, the guy who went to two games maybe only goes to one now, or maybe none at all. And obviously that affects the numbers, but the real issue is that the big expense account days have been dialed way down and the corporations have cut back. Boers and bernstein (and their puppet, Sir Larry) never blame the corporations for buying less tickets. Those are their sponsors! So they aggressively fire on the fans for not going to watch mediocre baseball at grand whore prices.

As far as "getting back to reality" goes, that's going to be difficult to do. MLB has built a model that requires certain things to support it. As long as the TV money keeps pouring in, we don't need to hold any tag days for the rich owners. But even the Cubs' own management eventually figured out that Dawson's Creek was more lucrative than baseball games.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Sad but very true.

not a chance in the world Bernstein turns down an interview with a guy with sports thoughts who went to an elite school

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

Than IB needs a new press agent or PR firm

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Dan's hypocrisy on the White Sox attendance issue reaches new levels. He would normally cite the forces of supply and demand in saying "If you can't afford a ticket, don't go!" The same applies to the White Sox. If you have to beg people to consume your product, you need to either lower the price or improve the product. If you don't want to do either, then sell the team. It really is that simple.

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