I read, in another thread, your thoughts on the defection of K.C. Johnson. It got me curious about how you boys (and Spaulding) feel about other regular contributors. So.... "lemme hear ya."

Bears/NFL: Dan Pompei, Brad Biggs, Mike Florio, Jim Miller, Boomer Esiason, Softy Mahler, Jim Brandstatter, Pete Bercich
Blackhawks: Ed Olczyk, Steve Konroyd, Chris Kuc, Mark Lazarus, Pat Foley
Bulls/NBA: Mark Schanowski, Neil Funk, Steve Ashburner, Aggrey Sam, Bill Wennington
Baseball: Mark Gonzales, Bruce Miles, Gordon Wittenmeyer, Jon Heyman, Paul Sullivan
Miscellany: Kevin Harlan, Richard Dietsch

Thoughts on any or all of 'em welcomed. Probably forgot a few. I'll share your reviews on the air soon.

Bears: Everyone but Pompei. He's kind of just there.
Hawks: Everyone but Kuc and Lazarus. Hawks beat writers don't really bring a lot.
Bulls: Schanowski and Ashburner. Maybe Funk on occasion when the gravelly voice quota hasn't been met for the month.
Baseball: Keep em all. They aren't on regularly enough to get sick of.
Miscellany: Like both of them. Would also like Brenly. How about a golf guy? Feherty would be awesome.

Laurence was a good bears guy.... but we're still waiting for those 4 stories he broke. ZZ is a notorious ass-kisser / bears-mouthpiece who once warranted a RED ALERT when people cared about b&b enough to have 3-4/+ page showthreads everyday (that in and of itself says something)

KC = he is what he is. nobody really cares...... steve stone's kind of pissed off the cubdom on the board who dont have those rosy colored glasses looking back at the steve-n-harry era (which was the status quo when i was a kid so stone has that currency/capital with me) and ummm.... yeah idk about hockey and whatnot, but the other one that sticks out was matt abbatacola was a laughable cubs expert, oh and none of us here take adam hog seriously. we find his big voice guy intro kind of laughable not to mention his umbrage at being bumped for that lowly anonymous martellus bennett (you know, "one of the good ones" like raymont b4 him. you know raymont plays chess! so much more than the average "street" "wangwhipper" you know =)

but yeah man, i know you cant say shit about abbatacola for awhile.... if ever. but that dude actually comes after people like me who are smarter than him, clutching his status 50kw bully pulpit as the unquestionable form of societal accreditation, that puts him > us. and if he hasnt realized it yet, thats why WGN never came calling (or offered him enough to jump ship, unless he has naive dreams to replace terry someday. does he? hahahahah) and yeah, when he takes his stupid schtick and it's branded "cubs expert" it's laughable, kind of like when the old station "bulls expert" jason goff said stuff like "sources tell me bosh/wade package in chicago imminent" --- we'll never let him live that down, as he literally boasts stuff like Jason Goff @Jason1Goff
@jimmydisdain This is now the 7th twitter identity you've made...it'll be the 7th one that I've blocked. Back to the message boards with ya.

see? goff had it too where he looks down at us.... cuz again anyone who has to clutch their position/status as a means to be >>> us = not gonna fly with us (aka the ol wingless airplane paradigm) so if you're gonna take an overglorified producer to be an "expert" just make sure they're cool about communicating with the lowly unwashed over here, oh and dont have them be a mouthpiece for the organization.

we want populist sports talk that has some critical thoughts, but doesnt go all FOTStein on us and brandish said thoughts (usually from some other REALLY. SMART. PEOPLE. ironically enough) as the means of superority. we know you guys have a better job than us, and we know that many of us would love to get paid what you do to do what you do.... duh. we thusly don't need it rubbed in, even if you really don't like us just pretend plz.

so basically, those are my thoughts on your "contributors" or "experts" that matter.... and well, yeah, you know about the zach zaidman thing cuz you shotgunned him and then that pre-taped bears minute stated showing up. good job of treading shark infested waters and ending up with a bunch of guppybite scars, mac! =D

btw, did i ever tell you about teh first time i met goff IRL was at bourbonnais 09 when he came up to me no less than 2-3 times and would tap me on the shoulder from behind and give me the "sup?" nod.... it was truly weird, and after the third time i gave him a freestyle CD cuz i thought he might have figured out who i was from the board was a fan. instead that just emboldened him to start shitting all over my comments in his fb/twitter feeds (cuz jason1goff has to be the #1 star) and suffice to say looking back at that weird day and jason's insistence of the multiple "hey i notice you" physical contact stuff and his later overtly public rejection of me for not worshipping him as a god, i think the guy's pretty much set down in the land of the DL brothers, hottlanta. </evergettinghiredatthescore> =D

_________________

oh shit you meant HOME RUN PIZZA HOTLINE non-score contributors? well.... fuck. i read that wrong glossing over your list to give my own thoughts.

ummmm, like i said i personally like steve stone cuz i grew up with him and he's always got that with me, tho i miss him doing those sporadic ESPN lunchtime/matinee games when he was fantastic with dave o'brien and/or the usual gary thorne. and ummmm yeah i think your show does a pretty good job, i like the around the NFL segmnt at the top of the hour every week.... florio's always a compelling listen. b&b are good with drew sharp and that other curmudgeony guy from minnesota.... forget his name.

ones i dont like? well KC is innocuous and really who cares.... eddie O is kind of rah rah but hey no matter what i think he's a get for you and hopefully WGWG goesnt block you too much on him (they will). getting don cherry would be a hoot....

so here:

Bears: Dan Pompei, (meh) Brad Biggs (good), Mike Florio (yes/covered-b4), Jim Miller (ok), Boomer Esiason (good), Softy Mahler (who?), Jim Brandstatter, Pete Bercich (who? who?)
Blackhawks: Ed Olczyk (covered), Steve Konroyd (milquetoast but ok), Chris Kuc (meh), Mark Lazarus (isnt that a biblical character?), Pat Foley (good get no matter what i say)
Bulls/NBA: Mark Schanowski (milquetoast), Neil Funk (solid), Steve Ashburner (meh), Aggrey Sam (best bulls guy in town and always a good listen), Bill Wennington (solid)
Baseball: Mark Gonzales (decent), Bruce Miles (same), Gordon Wittenmeyer (no difference), Jon Heyman (solid for national but no extreme thoughts either way), Paul Sullivan (best of the lot. he's ancient and doesnt give a shit. that's a good trait 4 radio)
Miscellany: Kevin Harlan (meh), Richard Dietsch (who?)

there ya go.

_________________

All of the contributors start at a disadvantage from your co-hosts intro songs.

Boomer and Jim Miller are the only 2 I could do without.

I like Florio but damn does that intro song start things out on a bad foot. It rivals only the flo progressive songs that fill all of the internet feed commercial breaks.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

The only name that sticks out to me there is Florio, who is kind of an unctuous creep about anything that concerns Roger Goodell, Robert Kraft, the Rooneys, and any other super-owners in the NFL. I don't know how much that comes across in the segments he does with your show, but that's basically his whole bit over at his blog. Kevin Harlan is pretty cool, as is Dave Mahler.

The outside contributors tend to be better than the inside ones. I don't understand why Adam Hoge has a 30-second produced intro, nor do I understand what he's always sighing so exasperatedly about, nor why he would do a mock draft before free agency.

_________________

Florio is terrible.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Main reason for the abridged show threads these days is that we no longer have pages on pages of certain former posters playing grab-ass and sack-tickle with each other:



I like Florio and his song. The show songs are cheesy fun. I can't hear the name Duncan Keith without appending an AC/DC Dirty Deeds "and he has no teeth".

re: Blackhawks, the guys behind the board are good when they get a chance to chime in.

Dan Pompei- Lived on reputation for awhile when he came back from Golf! He has since come back fine!
Brad Biggs- The best.
Mike Florio- The fact Hub hates him means he must be doing something good. Lotsa good League office insight.
Jim Miller- No problems, good insight as an NFl QB
Boomer Esiason- Sounds like a guy I would like to hang with, great golfing buddy, good guy, but doesnt bring anything to the table for me
Softy Mahler- Always good to hear angry guys every once in a while
Jim Brandstatter & Pete Bercich - Very good for Viking and Lion week.
Ed Olczyk, Steve Konroyd, Chris Kuc, Mark Lazarus, Pat Foley - Not Mr Hockey guy, but like them all bring something different to the table.
Mark Schanowski- Underrated real good at looking at the league
Neil Funk - Never cared for him "SHAZAM"
Steve Ashburner - Great League guy
Aggrey Sam - Jury still out, refers back to his days in Philly too much for a young guy.
Bill Wennington - Terrible. Typical Reinsdorf hire of an EX player who he thinks creates some buzz.
Mark Gonzales - Waiting to see if he defends the Cubs like he defending the Sox for years.
Bruce Miles- Typical Beat Writer, does a good job, doesnt break any news, but updates well
Gordon Wittenmeyer + Paul Sullivan - dont know when Gordon became Sully, but they sound both like Older cub fans I know that HATE this rebuilding and dont believe it is going to work, for a number of reasons. Finances, players, etc . Right now, I am happy these guys are reporting on the Cubs and come on the air with 'Da Fire' and really rip the Owenrship.
Jon Heyman -Good around the league guy
Kevin Harlan- Needs a better agent....but does a nice job of promoting big games he is a part of, we can keep him
Richard Dietsch - Who? OK, I remembered him after a quick sip of cafe. yeah, he is actually really good for those special events he covers.

You can lose Hub anytime you want and I am SHOCKED Mitch paid Steve Stone again! he is terrible! Tell Mitch for 20% of the Stone Deal I will call in and summarize ESPN highlights as if if they are my view as well.

RIP - Chuck Daly "Awfully Good"

_________________
"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.’”

Now they do it in private...except Hawg Ass jumps in between for some 'side action'

_________________
"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.’”

good point, hussra. i forgot about that aspect of it.... but i definitely remember during that era there was a rush and an honor to making the official showthread. and i honestly miss SHARK because the guy was indeed SPORTS. it said so in his signature. he was an indelible part of b&b threads.... and once again the fact that SHARK isn't here speaks something to not only the decline/evolution of the board's show threads, but also to the show because IIRC SHARK stopped doing the formal rundowns because people really started caring less and less about b&b and basically only listen now so they have ideological fuel to post here in the threads, and they wanna see just how far terry and dan can fall from their once-exalted-position as the changeup in the score's metaphorical pitching repetoire. now that they're the fastball they're getting ripped into the gaps pretty hard.... that is unless laurence shows up to throw us some 90mph cheddar, naturally. did he ever mention that he was once an expos prospect? true story..... </carson>

_________________

I love Hawg but he's a traitor, I feel dirty and sticky just thinking about him

I like Dan Pompei, Brad Biggs, Mike Florio, and Boomer Esiason. I used to like and should like Miller but I don't. He used to be a little homerish but now I find him ax grindy. I punch the button more often than not even if what he is saying is right. I'm not sure if it's his delivery or if he lost some humility but I don't enjoy him anymore. Don't care one way or another about the others.

I like Ed Olczyk, Chris Kuc, Mark Lazarus, Pat Foley. Steve Konroyd bores me to tears for some reason.

Every once and a while one of the basketball guys has a good story, but, for the most part, anything baseball and basketball related is boring, uninformative, and a complete waste of time.

No mention of Matt Bowen... let's keep it that way.

_________________
"This is Chicago, my friend. Anything can happen."

All the beat guys are good listens but I'm not a fan of Heyman or Ken Rosenthal. They're all rumors and my source said this and my source said that. It just turns into a bunch if mental masturbation. Dan Plesac is so much better. There's actual baseball content and he has strong, knowledgeable opinions about the game and players( we miss you Zim!). Plus he's a crazy SOB and that always makes for an entertaining listen.

Harold Reynolds and John Smoltz are a couple others who could be good national guys.

Sini with some really great thoughts last few days.

_________________
Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

holy smokes, no Matt Bowen or Steve Stone??

Miss a little.....

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

I think Mac is making a distinction between guys they have on often and the de jure Score Experts. Olczyk calls in here and there, but he's not on the same level as Matt Bowen. Olczyk's analysis makes things easier to understand, for one thing.

_________________

At first glance I didn't realize how many "contributors" there were to WSCR, and yet Matt Bowen's name is prominently omitted.

It isn't so much a case of who I like but what I like. I like my "contributors" to possess independent and reasonably formulated thought with a willingness to express it. They don't have to be former pros or coaches but I expect those who were to share a little insight or depth beyond those who weren't, and I expect them all to give me something more than what I would read in a high school newspaper. I like getting a national perspective or an outside-in perspective on our local teams but with a degree of context. Just because they're on with a Chicago station doesn't mean I get a sugar-coated take on how well Chicago could be.

What I don't like are when the hosts want to wedge the contributor to the point of getting couched responses. I don't like when the hosts engage with an agenda and expect their contributors to not just narrow their thoughts to that agenda but to also be in agreement with that agenda. Conversely, with some "contributors" I expect to hear the company li(n)e but with others I get the sense that they value their media credential more than their time on the radio. So the former are expected to speak glowingly about the team and the latter seem conflicted between opening their mouths with a thought or to be able to eat from the press box food spread.

Which gets me as to why I'm disinterested in how "The Score!" presents their people. What makes one an expert or attain "contributor" status? Some get the "big voice" introduction treatment while others do not, some call in regularly and others with no set schedule but on with a noted frequency. In some aspects less may be better either in the number of "contributors" or the level of group thought expressed. The intro songs featured on some shows (more than others) wouldn't annoy if they had a significance to the contributor as opposed to just being cute or campy.

Finally, Chuck Daly is/was the "gold standard" by which I've measured contributors. He was erudite and yet a very comfortable listen, he didn't bash people for the hell of it but could convey whatever negatives were readily apparent in a succinct manner. Other than when the hosts were being goofs for the sake of goofiness there was something to learned or understood whenever he came on.

_________________
DRINK BƎTTƎR. @theRIPH

Oh God, theme song from The Natural for Steve Stone, like there's something breathtakingly heroic about calling Jim Hendry a numbnuts.

_________________

Mike Florio is awful and you guys don't call him on his bullshit often enough. It's be great if you can scrap that segment and that terrible butchering of a great song for the intro.

Ashburner is the best. Especially when he doesn't have to answer 25 different questions about how great the Heat are like he does when Bernsie interviews him.

_________________
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

Oh, and Dietsch is usually interesting.

_________________
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

Though that did give us the great line about how LeBron is going to assert his MVPness all over the floor.

_________________

All the NFL guys except Miller

True. The MV Penis line was just great.

_________________
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

I can do without Boomer. It's been worse since those "Sport Minute" spots; I now associate idiocy and shallow thoughts with his voice.

_________________
Middle Aged Crazy, like Uncle Terry

Agreed

_________________

I read, in another thread, your thoughts on the defection of K.C. Johnson. It got me curious about how you boys (and Spaulding) feel about other regular contributors. So.... "lemme hear ya."

Dan Pompei - decent contributor. Nothing spectacular. He should stay.
Brad Biggs - gold standard. Informative, knowledgeable and doesn't just regurgitate Bears company line.
Mike Florio - pretty full of himself and a shit stirrer. But I like a spin around the league.
Jim Miller - Bears apologist but had decent insight being behind center.
Boomer Esiason - sports minutes have ruined him.
Softy Mahler - awesome. Always a good get.
Jim Brandstatter - like him. Fun guy.
Pete Bercich - keep him. Good for Viking weeks.
Need a Packers guy. I suggest Gary Ellerson on WSSP 1250. Former packer and badger. Son works for Bears.
Ed Olczyk - good analyst. Like his horse reports too. He's critical in a between the lines way.
Steve Konroyd - he's fine.
Chris Kuc - keep it.
Mark Lazarus - keep it.
Pat Foley - always a great guest.
Mark Schanowski - great bulls guy. Good info.
Neil Funk - whatever.
Steve Ashburner - great guest. Very smart and knows all NBA.
Aggrey Sam - whatever.
Bill Wennington - keep it.
Baseball: Mark Gonzales, Bruce Miles, Gordon Wittenmeyer, Jon Heyman, Paul Sullivan
No Heyman or Rosenthal. Heyman is an idiot and Rosenthal is a bad listen. Rosenthal is smarmy and provides no insight. Heyman has no insight at all.
Wittenmeyer - obviously ass hurt about the Cubs. Love hearing the bitterness.
Miscellany: Kevin Harlan - pretty good guest in a blue moon.
Richard Dietsch - awesome guest. Like hearing about sports media.

Verne - great guest. Need him March madness time.
Doc Emerick - fun guest. Need playoff and cup finals preview.
Michael Irvin - try and do once a year during NFL? Great funny interview

Steve Stone - terrible, awful, useless. Waste of money. Dump his ass.
Len Kasper - knowledgeable good guest.
KC Johnson - the worst. No information. Bulls mouthpiece.

How anyone can't like Boomer Esiason is beyond me. The guy is radio gold because he speaks his mind.

Jim Miller is pretty damn vanilla, but not bad.

And then my only other thoughts are on Zach Zaidman.....terrible! This guy should be removed from public radio and just be reserved for that godawful show Bears All Access, and the Bears website. He's a Bears corporate mouthpiece, and I find his commentary to be incredibly insulting.

Has Hub been mentioned? Love that you called him a wet blanket Mac. Keep giving him shit because he's the worst contributor to the station.

_________________
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