Just had an hour's worth of writing vanish, so I apolojai for not addressing your questions and comments on a more personal level. Here are random thoughts, some of which were unsolicited.

* I'm optimistic my next radio partner will be Matt Spiegel, aka "Meatpants." I've had conversations with potential partners and potential employers on partnerships and this is the "marriage" that makes the most sense to me. After my firing, I received e-mails and phone calls from at least 20 potential teammates and I'm confident I'll have an awesome staff.

* There is no way to forecast confidently when I will return to a full-time show. There's a chance the summer could be spent in a vacation-relief type of role.

* There have been no conversations anywhere about reuniting with Terry Boers. If I were to land at the Score, maybe we would resurrect the old "transition" segment should our shows be adjacent to each other, and maybe we could scratch an itch by doing an occasional show together, but there will be no HFC reunion.

* For the first time since '87, I have warmed up to the idea of considering a career not in media. We'll see.

* Segments/elements I will take with me will be the ones worth taking. Much of the "intellectual property" at the old show is mine and I will employ some of those elements. If I do afternoons, maybe I'll call the new show "Mac's Corner Tavern" to see what they do. An original thought is a rare commodity.

* I still have not asked for an explanation on my dismissal. Safe bet it was a combination of a large salary that was scheduled to get even larger on May 1, and my penchant for hitting heads with Justin L. Craig's ESPNization of ESPN 1000. The last few weeks were rough. When we "discussed" our not going to the Super Bowl, I kind of new the end was near. But... I'd rather be able to look at the dude in the mirror with respect than go quietly into the good night.

* It would be great if ESPN 1000 could settle up with INFEAT (Indiana Families for Effective Autism Treatment) before the one-year anniversary of said "charity event."

* I'm still in discussions with two AM stations and one independent distributor about a new show.

* I was "Plan B" to do mornings at the Loop if Brandmeier hadn't re-signed. Emmis, which owns the Loop, also discussed format changes at one of their FM outlets, but I may have lost my champion there when Tisa LaSorte was fired. Never aspired to do mornings, but it was an interesting challenge.

* My feud with Tony Kornheiser stemmed from the first few months on ESPN1000 in the spring of '01. He and GM Bob Snyder were good friends from their days in Washington D.C. and Bob was protective of Tony. "Critics" was scrapped as a result of too much criticism of Kornheiser. TK had his listener(s) e-mail bomb me because of the show's tough treatment of him. I never imagined a media guy could be so thin-skinned. Almost as much as Mariotti.

* Newspapers and local radio aren't going to go away altogther; they're just suffering the tortures of the crippled economy. Ultimately, the end result will be that only the strong survive. Technology gives people more content... more mobile content. The weak will be weeded out. I'm cool with that. I have good content to hustle.

* If I were Chris in Joliet, who is more angular than I am, I would go with a Hawks' home red and consider putting Duncan Keith's or Andrew Ladd's name and number on it. My favorite Hawk is the unflappable Russian netminder, but I suspect he's a short-termer here.

* Say what you will about Mike North and the concept of an internet-only radio operation, early returns on the project are somewhat favorable. Don't like the ads much... but... they are at least promoting the product. From what I've heard, David Hernandez is doing many things in a top-shelf manner and the culture there is good. So far. Yes, I have talked a few times with Mike about being a part of it. I don't dismiss it. I'm not committing to anything right now.

* "Raging Bull" is one of the most overrated movies of all time.

* Clint Eastwood's "Grand Torino" is one of the best movies I've seen at the theater in a long time.

* What I enjoy most about golf is being with buddies, giggling in the sun. What I like second best is hitting the driver. Mashing it, Keyser. Jawdropping drives. All en route to 95 or 99. Practicing, however, doesn't insterest me. Just wanna watch the Pro V1 get small in a hurry and laugh my ass off all day. Fuck putting. I'm gonna stay in the cart from now on.

* I take back every bad word I ever said about track and field. My youngest is the best 100-meter guy (I know you're happy for us) at his middle school and I've been having a blast attending his meets. He runs the 100 meters, the 400- and 1600-meter relays and is doing well.

* Friday, I heard former Blackhawk Bernie Nichols on ESPN's afternoon show. I then heard Carmen mention Jerry Bailey would be coming on to preview the Preakness. The Tiny One obviously wore down the staff with a barrage of ideas and they caved Friday. Teinowitz imposing his will ulitimately will lead to the demise or the demotion of CJH.

* Slapshot Ed and I will discuss our plans to leave our wives and elope this Tuesday in Detroit, STU-GOTZ. SSE is one of the funniest, most generous guys I've ever met and I can't imagine a life without him. If you would have observed us the other night at the Hawks clincher, you would have assumed our wives were the designated drivers. Other way around. No two guys ever split sides -- without a drink -- as much as Eddie and I do.

* Rosemary and garlic are my favorite fresh ingredients.

* Yardwork can be a positive bonding experience with teenage sons.

More soon, I hope. Thanks for your interest.

Sad to hear there will be no HFC reunion. But thanks for the update, hope to hear of your next opportunity soon!

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

Florist or Wedding Planner?

thanks, Mac.

fyi: before you click *submit* for a long ass post, select all the text (CTRL A), and copy (CTRL C).
if the web freezes up, the text will be "stored" and you can then paste (CTRL V) it back in. figured that out the hard way...

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@audioidkid

Or, type up the replies in Word first. If you are "idle" for a certain time on the board (i.e, writing a lengthy reply and not posting) I think you automatically get logged out. Thus, hitting submit you will lose your post.

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Wow! All this time,I thought we would be hearing you on the air soon.
I know you can afford some time off,but I do not see the radio landscape
changing anytime soon. Did you ever think of finding your own "David Hernandez"
and bankroll a small station somewhere (like the original SCORE) & "flipping" it
for a few million a few years down the line?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I hear Eaglo Jeff is looking for a third for his booth.

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i have worked wih eaglo jeff in the past and i have no doubt his booth would be a well scrubbed ship. consider me interested.

Mac -

1) What ads are you referring to?

2) What are the early returns for this that you've heard?

I think he means the billboards/taxi ads, etc. I think they're awful. What's the point of advertising if you can't even read the name of the website? Most of the ads are 80% faces of women, which is fine and always encouraged, but doesn't help the site any unless people know how to get there. Maybe I misread Mac though.

Always copy before posting, Mac. I've lost more than one 2000+ word post to the internet gremlins.

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Fire Phil Emery

Thanks IB - that's where I thought he was going with the ads, but I've only seen them once or twice.

Thanks for the replies Mac.

Mac I thought I was one of the more loved people here on the board. OUCH!!!

Good stuff and an interesting read!!

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i thought this thing was nearly a done deal, but apparently not. the SCORE sux.

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

I'm sure there's a snag in the money being offered. The Score is probably offering $349,999.99...and well we know the rest.....

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Whose the pitcher and whose the catcher in this relationship is what I want to know??

I assume one Queen size bed in Detroit should be enough for the both of you????

Personally, I think there is only one option, and it's the Score.

mac,

i enjoy listening to you on the radio most of the time and hope you find a job on the airwaves soon, however, why do you give north a pass? he will never admit when he makes a mistake, i.e. dontfademe.com, where he blatantly tried to rip off what was left of his dwindling listeners. if you honestly believe that this sportswebio will make money with the washed out lineup they have, i have some prime real estate to sell you in the everglades. north found david hernandez aka,sucker, to front the money for this abortion right? did north put any of his money into it? if i'm wrong and north put some of his own money into this deal, i would at least have a little respect for him, but i doubt he did. and when it fails, he will make sure he gets paid before anyone else.

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Frank Coztansa wrote:
Please die in a fire.

Mac, are you no longer getting paid by ESPN and now rolling out of bed for free?

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

phil simms cannot wait for you to return to the air. he is chomping at the bit to talk about the upcoming UFL...

So in other words, you have NO legitimite job offers, sorry to hear that.

I would love to hear what Mike North stated about the "Top Shelf" organization.

I don't doubt everything is top shelf. My Brother in law had a business that was totally top shelf. His family funded the operation, was actually written up in the wall street journal, tribune and sun times, everyone loved the place. In the end he sold it and took a million dollar loss.

Sportswebio is not a bad idea, but one that should have been grown, not just gone big right away.

Would love the Mac and Meat show! Good call! Good baseball man that Meatpants is!

and in case anyone didn't know , now you know http://www.tributosaurus.com/

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"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.’”

NOT SOLD on the Sportswebio idea yet either BF. I think they have some good talent with Hoody and some of the old school sports radio guys over there but being a guy who is out and about throughout the day the radio is a much easier outlet for me. I'm a person who hates change and it takes effort on my part to try and get use to something new and sampling the new talent on the webio sounds like too much of an effort for me to invest my time into.

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"You can't put a bounty on a man's head"!

Dolphin thinks it and it appears.

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

Traditions need a bartender?

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and if John Clayton is unable to join him during the NFL season....well, you know.

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-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"

Internet Radio will be the standard for radio broadcasting at some point, but it is a few years away. Once new cars are available with Wireless Internet, which all will be in a couple of years, at some point AM radio stations will begin simulcasting internet radio stations, similar to what the Score does with The Sporting News. North is on to something here that is cutting adge but it is a bit too early. It is impressive though that he was able to hire as many experienced & employed sports broadcasters as he has. Everyone North hired resigned a poosition to join CSW. And to read Mac's comments on this effort gives it credibility, in my opinion.

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

"As far as I'm concerned, it would be like makin' radio with Dionysus." -Robby Krieger to Morrison in The Doors movie (a few words switched around of course). I'd love to hear you do a show with Pantalones & The Grobber.

I think that a bunch of guys/gals on the board could do a hell of a better show than I could ever do... and it doesn't cost anything. A little known secret is that you can go to IIT's MTCC building at 33rd & State and do a show there, even if you're not a student or staff member. They just take presidence.

Here are some show ideas that I was thinking of:

"You suck, no you suck!!"- Frank Costanza & Elmhurst Steve
"The REAL fabulous sports babes"- Spaulding, RNM, & HH...although that would be quite a drive for Houston Homer
"The Bare Report & The Bear Report"- Beardown & Friends
"What The Puck?"- CL Pucky, Baby McNown & Stinkfinger The Crow
"We've Got Soccer Balls"- WZ & kissrules73

That's all I've got now. Any others?

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-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"

Why wouldn't at least show interest in sportswebio? If the score is the only likely destination then he has no power to negotiate a better contract. At least entertaining sportswebio will be a bargaining chip. I think sportswebio is mostly garbage and that he won't go there, but to not use them as leverage would be stupid.

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

Cool, more afternoon Sox games( This Thursday vs the Twins 1pm) and golf and Hawks road trips then.

I'm confident Mac will be on the air very soon and Speigs and Mac will be a riot together and if our fantasy draft of the last two years is any indication of how they feed off each other than this show will be awefully good. Grid and Scorehead 84 will attest that those two had us in stiches with parody songs and one liners. I would be hard pressed to find a guy who knows more about baseball than Speigs and he knows fantasy football as he'sa bigger version of Brian Sawa when it comes to knowing FF and the NFL in general. ... I just hope I can come on and be the shows Hawks expert and talk pucks during the hockey season.

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"You can't put a bounty on a man's head"!