BD wrote:
Not just this show, but if I'm in my car and want to listen in, it's 20 minutes of commercials an hour.
In general, too many shows use their shows for social justice/liberalism and, even if they were interested in having more of that sort of thought, why not have some balance? Every host on the Score is way far left. Maybe having some who aren't afraid of having more conservative views would help regulate the ultra liberal stuff that has come up in the past. I also don't like the political talk because having a microphone doesn't make you an expert - these guys are not smart enough to hold a political conversation and get their talking points from MSNBC or AOC.
As far as topics, I don't care for much of the 'entertainment' options that Mac has. I love some of the same movies, etc., but don't need weekly reviews of Rounders. I've seen it, most people in his audience have probably also seen it. There just isn't much being talked about that is interesting for 'guy talk' if they are just doing 80's things to appease Mac.
Parkins should feel more comfortable talking Bulls. In the past, he seems apologetic if he wants to even mention something NBA related, much less spend actual time. I am hoping (but not expecting) more NBA talk. The league is fun an interesting. I'd love a few segments a week around Bulls/NBA, but we're not likely to get much of anything.
I'd enjoy mostly NFL talk. It doesn't (and shouldn't be) just Bears talk.
They are going to talk gambling, which I'm fine with, especially during NFL season, but hoping they are educated enough vs. just a team 'is due' or not liking certain players, etc.
In general, would like more national guests vs. local ones. I don't think the local ones offer a ton of value.
I agree with most of this.
The short hand version of what you just said, in my words, is That while Mac is a certified legend in this town, he no longer has interesting, insightful sports takes on the ready. And his version of guy banter does not mesh well with Parkins’ which isn’t Mac’s fault, but it does drag down the show as a whole.
I got into the car earlier this week when Jed Hoyer was on...and no exaggeration, Parkins asked 4 questions in a row, and I just assumed Parkins was flying solo....but then as Hoyer was leaving Mac chimed in with an attempt at humor. I went back later and listened to the full interview, mostly because I wanted to hear the whole thing, but also because I wanted to see if Mac really took that much of a backseat or if I missed a few of his questions. But my first impression was correct, Parkins drove the interview and nearly tripled Macs questions. I’ve noticed this fairly often in the past.
I really enjoyed Mac at ESPN 1000 and during the Spiegel years at the score but he’s so obviously coasting and the show is like C+ at best.
Shepkowski struggles to string sentences together but you can tell when he fills in for Mac, or Spiegel or Grote, that Parkins finds those pairings more engaging, which makes for a better listen