ESPN is a huge company. I know they put their local radio divisions seperate and look at their bottom lines in each market.

But they sould have cut from the top. Sideline Reporters. We don't need them. We don't need all of the football experts they employ for all of their TV shows either. Keep Erin Andrews. Put her on a show where she changes into different outfits and bounces up and down. That could be a half hour show.

Cut Chris Carter. I hate him.

North's show on comcast should be history soon, then North can be the new direction for 1000 in the afternoon

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Local sports is coming up. Wonder if they'll mention that Mac got canned?

How bout they cut some of the extra networks they don't need. I'm talking ESPN News, 360, ESPN U and maybe ESPN The Ocho.

In this day and age, all they really need is the original, the deuce and maybe Classics. With the Internet, are all the extra stations necessary??

if mac were to end up at the score, and they were able to beef up the mid-days either by sticking mac in there, or moving mully and hanley there and having mac in the am, that is a great local sports station. that being said, i would not have a problem with having ESPN1000 be national. at least it is an alternative to 2 stations going on and on about the same local issues all day. sometimes national sports talk is fine for me, at least you can decide what angle you want to listen to.

im with you on that - espnnews is unneccesary i think - no need to wait 30 minutes for the crawl on a saturday afternoon when i can get the score in 10 seconds on the internet.

Hello, everyone. Long time lurker. First time poster.

I'm pretty sure Mac's comments towards the end of today's show played a role. Mac seemed surprised that The Show was going to air, given the station's announcement that no local programming, outside of Bulls broadcasts, would air at night. Upon hearing that Hooter's was sponsoring The Show, Mac made a comment about another sponsor paying for something else. I don't recall exactly what he said, but his tone said it all, and he sounded pretty exasperated at ESPN's policy.

The more things change at ESPN 1000, the more they stay the same in terms of management. They're clueless.

You guys talk as if Pastor cares about Mac. Mac was merely a cog in the ESPN machine. Corporate told Pastor to cut costs for 2009 - he did - although it doesn't really start saving money until after Mac's fourth year is up. That's what I don't understand, why didn't they let him ride things out until then. The ESPN 'zombie-bot' has acted as programmed by Bristol.

"We want to try different things...." is corporate speak for "I am the station manager, I'm in control - not some disposable employee that corporate instructed me to terminate."

Great players make managers/coaches look good. Jim Pastor will now find the same is true in the corporate world.

Kind of ironic that the mercurial (and the guy who brought his team to the top) Jon Gruden is let go the same day as Dan.

It's also creepy in hindsight that Mac said the last Super Bowl in Tampa was when he lobbied for and got his gig at ESPN1000 - and now the Super Bowl is down there again.

I heard that late this afternoon, Ed, and Mac seemed surprised that "The Show" was scheduled to air tonight, even though you are correct about national programming airing on nights the Bulls don't play...It sounded like something that Mac should not have mentioned.

You think they literally fired him today? I didn't hear the show today. Maybe these comments were the last straw. Maybe they were thinking about it but this put them over the top.

Simple - they didn't want a Mike North situation with the contract talks on the airwaves.

What do you mean? I need to hear what Chris Carter, Jamal Anderson, Kordell Stewart and a bunch of other bumbling athletes have to say. What fucking insight do these idiots give? NONE.

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Not sure, Beardown, but it might've been the proverbial last straw.

Also, sorry about not posting others' quotes. I have no freaking clue what I'm doing. I only tried posting my first message about 5 times before it took.

Since I just read this, it is a shocker, he was one of the main reasons I started listening to ESPN Radio 1000, started in 2001 and basically everyday for the 4 hours.

I will agree with everybody here that if this was a cost-cutting move, well they will have to make more because they just lost a lot of listeners.

On Carmen taking over, I like Carmen, but it is not the same, and now for people that didn't like Harry, they will really dislike him, because he will get anything he wants on the show like future headlines, or whatever game he wants, Mac always said no, now nobody will tell him no.

I think another poster said this jokingly, but yes now the recesiion hits home. Of major radio shows, first Mike and the Mad Dog and now MJH. Whenever they come on Monday after the Bulls game, that will be intresting, because that may be the last day for a lot of people.

I don't know it Mac has to go to lawyers before he can post like a suspension, but I hope you do well, you will be missed.

I had some trouble getting my post to go through too.

Ed, don't worry about it...I think Mac was surprised "The Show" was scheduled, and didn't quite agree with ESPN's plan to air national sports talk on nights the Bulls are off. I think "The Show" will soon be no more, even before tonight's stunning news about Mac's dismissal.

Weird thing is, I found myself tuning to the Score at 4:00 a lot lately. I really like their recap of their first two hours. And that's coming from someone who, for the most part, can't stand Boers and Bernstein. Guess I better start liking them more or it's iPod, here I come.

outside of what is said during a game, i listen to none of those tv analysts or watch any studio shows. i have eyes. i dont want to hear every aspect of any game talked to death like they do on sportscenter, telling me what i saw. i just want scores, and to talk about what i see on here or with friends. thats what i liked about MJH, usually just casual sports talk, take a few calls, have a few laughs. i can deifnitely do without J and H, but i do like listening to mac. i hope he ends up at the score.

I've had my issues with this show, the fans of this show, and Mac himself, but this doesn't benefit anyone.

Mac, The Committed Indian has openings if you're interested.

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a goddamn shame.

http://www.TheCommittedIndian.com/

Its been a hellava run hasn't it, Mac?

Tremendous.

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You got that right, Frank...

Nice work, Frank.

If I may, though it pains me to do this...

"HE GONE!!!"

Sorry, Mac. Frank inspired me.

He's not dead!

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If he was dead, I'd ask for a moment of silence, guys...

Damn it. I knew I would do something wrong. In my haste to join the group, I overstepped my bounds.

"Fucking Chrylser plant here he comes". I hear the crickets chirping already.Bob Babich still has a job??

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When you hear sirens , duck and cover and kiss your ass good-bye!

WOO-HOO!!! I've been boycotting everything ESPN for the last year+ and unfortunately that meant no Mac. Now I hope Mac goes to a station where I can listen to him again on a daily basis. I'm reminded of a line from a very under rated movie:

"and rule number one in this business is you go where the talent is... and all the fucking talent that was in this band has just left the room!"

God speed Macky.

The guys won't be going to the Super Bowl. I hope this didn't because of the national programming when it's supposed to be local programming, and making comments about the Miller Lite and Hooters.

I just wondered if somebody tried to call into Carm and JD, to say something about this, but they will probably need a new name by Monday, because I don't know if they still want to use his name, since everybody knows the story.

Man I was just checking on the CSFMB soccer get together and saw 6 pages of this. Holy shit, what a terrible move. Surely the beginning of the end for local programming on ESPN. Hey ESPN, I don't care about national coverage and now by proxy I don't care about WMVP.

I haven't heard Carmen & J.D. mention the surprising story during their live broadcast at Hooters in Crystal Lake, which is sponsored by Coors Light. I bet those two are under some sort of a gag order in regards to this story...I think Carm will have more to say come Monday after Steve Kashul wraps up the Bulls/Knicks' matinee...or not. The economic recession apparently will prevent the guys from going down to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, even though "Mike & Mike" & "Tirico & Van Pelt" are going there for ESPN Radio nationally.