I'm sorry. I think that's a completely LAME excuse for a sports talk show to be not as entertaining these days. I'm listening to three other shows right now that have been a great listen for the last month or so. Doesn't matter to me if Sox or Cubs are good. That is a lame excuse. Others are doing fine. How do you explain the B&B surge of love on this board? Come on. Bullshit Doug.

I agree with you about the benefit of a 2 man show. The third person just isn't necessary on a full time basis. the third one is often distracting, trying too hard to be important. Go to a two man show, it just sounds better.

I completely agree Ryan.

I said the same thing about the feel I get from the show when Mac just started posting here. I believe the word I used was "scripted" which Mac got pretty defensive about. This is perhaps the biggest thing you may want to work on, Mac, because it's easy to introduce new and drop bad segments. People don't necessarily tune in daily for a specific segment or set of them. They tune in for the feel they get from the show. As far as that goes, the spontaneity and vitriol on B&B is much more natural and pleasant.

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"It's not exactly a rocket surgery." D.J.

The third person should be us, the listeners. Take some more calls. Interact with the listeners...I've heard too much "Let's go out to John in Oak Lawn. John?", "Yeah, how you guys doin today?", "Good Jim", "Yeah, uh, I'd like the Bears to pick up another running back becau..." , "John that might happen later but let me cut you off and talk about something else, players, dugout, clubhouse...". What's the point of calling in, waiting 45 minutes & then not really get a chance to express your opinion. Or even worse, they'll take the call with only 30 seconds left in the segment. Eg. "Hey, thanks for waiting so long on hold, we only have 30 seconds but we wanted to get you in.." ..."yeah, thanks for wasting my time....love the show".
The name of most of the callers should be as recognizable as the regular guests such as John Clayton or Stacey King. Everyone's heard the name Bongwater Chad, but I couldn't tell you anyone else that's a regular caller.
All three hosts of this show have the wit to make most phone calls entertaining radio...plus taking calls adds an element of the unknown to the show that gives a little extra edge. The past few days I've noticed this has been much better and I hope it will continue....I don't know if this has been a conscious effort...but either way I enjoy it. I'll hang up and listen for my answer.

I don't like hearing a bunch of phone calls. If I wanted to hear listener's views all the time Id go on a message board.

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May 1, 2007 - CSFMB Civil War
“Those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it.”

I think for the most part that the emails are better than the calls, with the exception of Bongwater Chad as he doesn't email. Or have a computer.

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SideshowBob311: "Sadly enough, I think we're the "intelligent" portion of the sports radio fanbase".
"I make fun of whoever sucks, including me"- Harry 11/30/07

I have to disagree, Mike. MJH do a better job with listeners than just about any local or national show (Mike Murphy excluded, but that's not a legitimate radio show).

I've found that MJH don't cut you off and do give you some space to converse if you've got something intersting to say.

Silvy and Carmen's various shows are notorious for letting you get 1 line in and hanging up. The only callers B&B keep on the line are those they're ripping or making fun of (I'm sure some of you will disagree).

Bottom line is that Mac goes out of his way to ensure his shows have plenty of caller interaction. Except for when he has a select few NFL and college football experts, I'm always happy to hear Mac say that today's show will be guest free . . . and that the callers are the guests or "third person".

boers & bernstein remind me of howard eskin in philadelphia. they know their stuff, but they rub it into your face by taking bad phone calls and ripping the bad callers.

i've listened to more b&b during the 2-3 hour because the ESPN show has been so bad, and the two of them are blowhards, they agree about everything, they're not good at quips, and they have yet to take a call that i've heard that wasn't from an idiot.

Like I said, it's been better very recently. But for the past 6 months or year maybe, they haven't followed through with your claim. It could just be the times that I listen to the show, I don't know.
But as far as national shows and B&B, you're 100% correct.

Yeah I would agree with NSJ and I also feel like Mac has been listening to this board, during yesterdays show he seemed much more riled up when talking to the callers. Not overtly rude, but definitely enthusiastic when talking to the callers and I think thats got to have something to do with the praise B&B has been getting lately for doing the same thing in an entertaining fashion.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

opinions/assholes/we all got 'em.
when sports sucks on a local level, which is what this show is...LOCAL...then Sports radio kinda blows too. I don't care if it's a bullshit lame excuse or not. that's how I see it. My Sox suck and I really don't care how the Cubs do. thank God the little league world series is on.
If you're listen to Cowherd or Rome or whatever then fine. how do I explain the B&B love? I don't know. I listen to MJH. you know this man.

my heroes are super model heroes and guitar god heroes.

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@audioidkid

I think Monday Night John either has to be decreased to every other week, or eliminated altogether. Caliendo is funny, but the schtick has grown old for a weekly segment. Everything in moderation....

I'm a BIG fan of the Friday remotes. The remote at Buffalo Wild Wings in Woodridge and Mt. Prospect were incredible - as were most of the other remotes. Having been to other show's remotes (B&B cough...) - nothing compares to the energy level and enthusiasm of MJH remotes. Even thought J-Craig wants to call them events - I refuse.

Who do you love? Eh. Ugh.

I was a big fan of the 'around the NFL' segment that the Heavy Fuel Crew used to do - where they check in with sportswriters in various NFL cities a couple of days after games in their town. It would give us the perspective from rival NFC North towns (Green Bay, Minnesota & Detroit) without having the ESPN brand (aka talking heads) jammed down our throats. Nothing worse than having a talking head jammed down your throat. And then late in the week, get somebody from that weekend's rival's town on the radio. For week one, get some sports San Diego sportswriter or sportscaster, or some passionate former Charger on the blower for awhile on Thursday or Friday.

Just my 0.02 cents.

If the Sox were leading the Central right now and gearing up for a pennent race, would you also say that "sports suck on a local level"??

I will agree with Doug here, because when your Bears made a mockery of my Saints, I couldn't listen to any local radio until after the Superbowl.

Plus on the Sox side, with the little talk they get even when they're good, they're not even an afterthought anymore. I mean, if you're a Sox fan, you're a Bears fan at this point. So in that respect, I think MJH and W&S are doing a good job of keeping that interest going. For me, I could care less--and I've been listening to less sports radio lately (unless it's about the Cub) and listening to more NPR.

Liberal!

blaspheeemer! you should be a bears fan at any and all points my friend.

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That's great Doug that "when the White Sox suck, you can't listen," but I don't think they are going to go in a meeting and say, "Well, let's just throw our hands up and not be creative to be a better show because the White Sox suck and Doug won't listen."

It's their job to find ways to rope their audience in still. Again, a lot of people on this board have gone to B&B lately for one reason or another even during their show. There has to be a reason for it. The White Sox aren't magically good on their station. I really haven't felt the "fire and passion" so to speak from the MJH show. Yesterday, I did hear it.

And I'm so sick of hearing the excuse of it's baseball season and they'll be back. Again, I go to other LOCAL shows that I have found interesting. I think Waddle and Silvy have been doing a pretty damn good job over the past 30 days bringing something to the table everyday...and sounding awake and enthusiastic. Same goes for B&B....and we all know I'm an MJH fan over their show, but that's the way its been. The Cubs haven't been a better baseball team over there. They just have been a more entertaining listen over the past couple of months. I am sick of hearing how, "well its summer." I guarantee Mac doesn't like the fact that this gets to be their pass for the past couple months. Basically you are saying they are mailing it in, but "what can you do? The Sox suck."

The Cubs suck almost every year, yet that doesn't mean their show is not entertaining in July and August. Hell, when teams are bad its that much easier to talk about the team. When they win everyday it gets a little tougher to find things to dissect and talk about. I COMPLETELY disagree with your thought that "Sports radio kinda blows too" when local teams suck. I think it's usually at its most entertaining time. There's nothing like listening during Bears season and hearing everyone bitch about the team. When people are pissed, I'd assume its actually easier to do sports talk radio.

The only month I may give you is February because the NBA is the only sports league in full swing that gets any legitimate talk on sports radio. It's slow across the board. Again, if you can be creative and entertaining then, more power to you.

I just think it’s a real mistake to have the attitude of throwing your hands up in the air and thinking the show can't be good because the White Sox suck. That's fine that you are interested because of that and it can be your opinion, but to me I would think Mac would take that comment and try to find where the disconnect is. There has to be a way to make an MJH fan like you interested in their show still. There are other white sox fans on this board who have gotten a kick out of sports talk radio still on another station (cough, cough, hawkeye…) so someone, somewhere in the world must be doing something right for another white sox fan.

well unless you're timothy treadwell...

Let me add I'm not listening to B&B really. I'm going off the judgement from a number of strong MJH supporters that have made a switch to the other station so I'm assuming their show has been better lately. Lots of people have told me this who I think have a pretty good loyalty to MJH. From what I've heard it has, but MJH is still on in the background at work over here.

Are you still at CareerBuilder, WR?

Agree on all points. Also with the around the NFL thing, Mully and Hanley do this in the preseason for each team and it's great radio even if it's for a team I don't give 2 craps about. Mac and Jurko should be able to do a much better job at that even.

Well, Ryan it seems like you have it all figured out.

and you are also misinterpreting some things too, but what the hell that isn't the first time it's happened to me here.
I don't have time to write a dissertation about why i feel this way.
maybe if i did a sports talk podcast i'd have more fire.


until that happens: Februrary to August = Boring.

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@audioidkid

I'm just curious, doug - Would that be true if the Sox were in the playoff hunt?

Some of the best sports radio in this town was during the Wanny era with the bad Bears teams, excuses, and incredibly entertaining moronic soundbites he would give us. Plus we had that goofball Bevington on the South Side to rip on.

uh...yeah.
2005 Baseball didn't get good until the playoffs started. Was it moderatley more exciting between April and the start of October? Yes...moderately.

and just as a qualifier: I played baseball from 4 years old through h.s. and was asked to walk-on at UIC. button 48 so I love PLAYING the game or watching my team win PLAYOFF games.

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@audioidkid

I don't understand your line of reasoning here.

You are saying you don't like watching the Sox unless they are in the playoffs?

So, you aren't really a fan of the game? Or at least watching the game?

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@audioidkid

Yes. I read that.

That would indicate a fan of the team only when it is good. You don't enjoy watching the game for the game's sake, the grind of the season, the ups and downs, the growth of young players, etc.?

That's cool. I know a ton of guys that don't jump on the bandwagon until their team is in the playoffs (many of them who will then find a way to go to the playoff games). I'm just different, I guess.