Mannelly was different for me because I sensed he was a pretty good guy who realized maybe this radio thing wasn't going to work out, he seemed self-aware about it.

This thread has reminded me of a number of terrible shows I had forgotten about, was not able to listen to, or just did not listen to.

You guys have mentioned most of the best of the worst.

Personally, I really despised Salisbury and this board actually contributed in running Uncle Rico out of town. He was a loathsome individual and a bad sports talk host.

North and Maxwell was painful not just for what it was but for what it exemplified. I have heard first hand from plenty of North's friends and family over the years about how he turned into such a shitheel. This show was the radio reflection of that. I was a guy who loved all things North back in the Monsters days. Somehow management let him get to big. He was key in both creating and destroying the golden age of the station. It was like what the Bulls would look like if the GM followed all of MJs personnel wishes.

Shaer was a douche. The ego on someone so mildly talented is astounding. Mornings with him always tanked even as the rest of the station flourished. If you remember the early Score administration said sports talk could never thrive in the mornings because of tastes and demographics. It turns out it was shitty programming that held it back. Shaer, Bear and the Bull, etc. was unlistenable. I know many here hate Murph but as soon as they installed him and Fred in mornings, the Score suddenly had morning ratings.

Above all else, these were shows that I hated. There were others that were plain mediocre: The Fabulous Sports Babe, that night show with the three swishes on 670 back when it was a news station and a few others come to mind.

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

Remember when Annie Maxfield revealed that she was still breastfeeding her kid at something like age 6-7? Fuck did I hate that show

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

How could we forget the "Me and Z" show?

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i know its been talked about over and over on here, but the evolution from caller-based shows to host-based shows is what has turned me off the most. i KNOW callers are stupid and some of the opinions are dumb but when the hosts turned on the callers and started talking down to them and eventually stopped talking to them at all the whole feel changed from a fun frat house where anything goes no matter how outlandish it sounded to a "sports talk 101" lesson where the professor writes on a blackboard all day what the right opinions are. These guys don't WANT to back-and-forth with wacky callers for laughs, they want to monologue and sound really really smart. Smart sports radio sucks.

That was The Sports Huddle with Tom Greene, Steve Olken, and Chris Cross. IIRC it was the only option after WSCR went off the air in the evening.

The Coach and The Kid

If I want to listen to an experts recorded and edited take on sports I can go to sport specific podcasts. Live sports talk radio should be just that live and organic with several different voices giving opinions, some will be goofy, but some bring unique takes, something nobody has considered.

You misspelled best.

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Joe Cain had the most unpleasant voice I've ever heard on radio.

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At least the old shows made people care enough to post about them. The current crop just invokes apathy.

The Bear and the Bull had its moments.

It was far from my favorite period of time in Chicago sports talk radio history, but I didn't really despise it either. It had a definite sports nexus, it was an absolutely insane story, and it wasn't like we were getting hit over the head with it locally.

For my money, Hamp and Holmes takes the crown for worst ever.

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Score Overnight with Les is the worst sports talk I've ever heard. Les refuses to give any current game analysis,
or player critiques. But, he's quick to attack white retired players from yesteryear. The show is mostly scores, schedules, weather, praising great guys, stadium history, or nostalgia. But it's a gold mine for pranks, screwball callers, Les' many comical misspeak blunders, and humorous technical errors from Les clicking on something wrong.

https://www.mlive.com/sports/2021/08/po ... utType=amp

Huge show still around.

+

Joe Cain on the air begging for people to call him may be a top Score moment ever.

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North was awful.....but B&B Penn State was the beginning of the end for most score people I know and myself. Weeks and months.

Goff and Bernstein tried to do the Howard Stern Schtick of don't listen in the 80s and 90s. Worked for Stern, but Goff and Bernstein were horrible radio.

WMVP was on then too during their first attempt at sports talk from '93-'96 but they'd either have the Hawks, the Sox or even worse talk shows than the Sports Huddle on at night. Lance Mcallister from Cincinnati or Brian Davis' fake ass radio voice paired with Psycho Lyons.

Les used to be really good in the 90s, now he's so bad it's fun.

Brian Davis was pretty bad.

Bill Simonson (sp?) had an awful show. Never mind the brain dead opinions. The man had a punchable voice.

I'm not sure Les was ever a highly regarded sports guy. Low paying freelance gigs, and sports updates mostly. Steve & Garry used to mock him brutally when he did their sports updates. Says he stood up to them on-air. Never happened.

Punchable face as it turns out as well. He was rolled by some of the local gentry in Bridgeport shooting his mouth off about the Cubs after a Sox game.

How could I have forgotten The Huge Show in my list of the worst. That was another one where you didn't just hate the show, you hated the host behind it. It didn't help him that he was paired with narcissist Lou Canellis.

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

I remember when Huge was going on about being able to beat any woman who challenged him to one-on-one basketball and having a big event around it, and I believe he pulled it off (or maybe someone finally beat him, I can't fully remember). I think he beat some college-level players easily and talked shit the whole time. I remember Peggy challenged him and he beat her ass too, and she was pissed. How well would that bit play today? Could you imagine Julie's head exploding if someone did that now?

Coppock and Boom Boom Mansini. Chet was already a dinosaur by the time he was on air, and Boom Boom had no functioning brain left.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Some of my favorite Score memories were of Les reporting from Wrigley and being on with the Heavy Fuel Crew, who would mock him....it seemed more funny than mean, like they were all in on the jokes.

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Agree with mofo. Mannelly would probably be good on a weekly or biweekly football segment, and/or as an analyst on a pre/post game show. The everyday thing just didn't work for him, and to his credit, he left the gig.

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