Because he's good. Spiegel is knowledgable, articulate, funny, creative, possesses a commanding presence, is strong in areas I'm not, has a warm soul, can "drive" a show, is not afraid to challenge me (and do so intelligently) and has an enormously awesome singing voice for when the occasion calls for song parodies. For those of you who don't recall his days at the Score (he began as a McNeil-Boers intern, then producer, then weekend/fill-in guy) or at Sporting News, lend your ear to the artist formerly known as Meatpants and you'll know why he was my first choice to fly in the plane. Our discussions on partnering didn't begin this spring; we've stayed close for several years in anticipation of a day called June 15.

Thanks Mac, for the unsolicited love. I'll blow you later, or maybe I'll have Bernsy do it.

I'll be right here for you, boardies, to get to know and interact with.

I'm a baseball guy, hardcore, a lifer. More on that later, and you'll hear it front and center week 1...but there's a question in another thread about how our show will cover the NBA, something we all know Mac can live without, and often does.

I love the NBA. I know the NBA. I was at the Score for the entire 2nd 3-peat, and saw Jordan playoff games from the press level, put microphones in Scottie's face. I co-wrote and sang half of "The Boy from Hertzgovinia," (with Shakey) about Kukoc and his relationship with Phil.

I could have told you, and did tell some, that the advantages Orlando had against Cleveland would not be there against the Lakers. Rashard Lewis and Turkoglu will be defended by long, tall wings like Ariza, Odom, and Kobe...something Mike Brown had no match for. Mike Brown is over-matched by everybody, but we'll talk about that as LeBron gets ready to bail on him next year.

Speaking of over-matched, I'll have piles of Del Negro thoughts when we get there.

I love college buckets, and endlessly enjoy following guys I knew in college along their NBA career; like seeing Eric Piatkowski as a Bull, remembering his days at Nebraska. I've played NBA fantasy hoops for 2 seasons, and love it...maybe we'll do a league for the show. We'll try, perhaps unsuccessfully, to get Mac in it.

I can go 7 deep on Phi Slamma Jamma. Akeem, Drexler, Michael Young, Larry Michaux (Mr. Mean), Andra Franklin, Reid Gettys, and Benny Anders, instant offense off the bench. That was my squad.

My first college radio show, at Emerson in Boston, included a segment on how good Illinois hoops was going to be, with incoming freshman sensation Marcus Liberty.

Me and Mac are paired for a reason, peeps. I love a lot of what he doesn't.

I am Baseball boy, first and foremost, and hoops maven 2nd. The rest of me will unfold, like Bill Wennington's 5-foot legs when he hopped off the bench to relieve Joe Klein.

Sounds good, though hopefully I'll hear as little college basketball talk as possible unless DePaul revives the dynasty.

Looking forward to the show... hopefully this stops Mac from degrading other talent because they are well versed in some sport deemed to be uninteresting to the masses.

I, and about 97% of other listeners, think this is a HUGE upgrade for the Score.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

I don't think you'll have to worry about a DePaul dynasty ever again KD

I think that college basketball talk should be saved for late February and throughout March, and that's about it...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Hi,
It looks like a good team...BEST OF LUCK!!

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

Which guy on the show is going to make really bad jokes all the time? Does Matt know anything about horse racing? Does he know how to stay on a horse? These are all questions I need to know? Do you have an MMA expert finally on on the show to "show some love" to us freaks out here?

Looking forward to hearing the new show.

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I'm free,if needed.

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

please tell me that this post is a joke from your new side kick stating his qualifications

Mac or Meat: I know you joked around about it on Friday, but will there be a name change to facilitate the addition of Meatpants?

Let me revisit Spiegel's Hard Core Baseball comment. He is.
If you never heard him on Sporting News Network, he was all about the baseball and he knows his shit. Historically speaking and current players. To the point where when it goes baseball heavy Mac can take a back seat for a few commercail breaks. I just hope they find a forum for that type of indepth talk which might be more suited for overnights because it isnt a 2 second deal.

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""I am now done at the Score."
Mike North, June 24, 2008

I agree that Spiegel knows baseball. He was always impressive when he did the "Baseball City" segment on North's show and in his stint at Sporting News. One of the problems that I have with him as Mac's co-host, though, is that he doesn't strike me as having the presence, charisma, or personality necessary to stand up to Mac. This is another way of saying that for all the time I've heard Meatpants on the radio--and that's quite a bit, actually--I really can't remember anything he's ever said (even though I recall having a high opinion of his baseball acumen). His work simply hasn't been memorable to me in the way that Bernstein, Mac, Goff, Peter Brown, or even North (in his heyday) can be.

I've already heard Mac, Bernstein and others point out that Spiegel is a good pick because he possesses positive qualities--actual specific knowledge of sports, national perspective, etc--that Mac lacks. To me, though, such traits hardly justify Meatpants's selection because they don't indicate he's actually an entertaining host, just that he is capable of compensating for Mac's deficiencies. In my view, Mac should've chosen the best co-host available, not just someone who complements him. From what I've heard in the past, Spiegel doesn't have the game that a number of others in this town do, but maybe I'll be proven wrong. I hope so--because Chicago sports talk radio seems to be at one of its cyclical low points right now. Maybe Meatpants and the Meatball will be able to reinvigorate what right now appears to be a declining format.

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Tall Midget-Excellent review!
For all the Baseball acumen Matt brings to the table,a good producer can pop up the stats needed on a screen to make any host seem knowledgeable. What can't be popped up on a screen is a personality,a sense of humor,etc.

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

Midge, You sound like you want a show where the hosts disagree or go head to head in debates. It's totally your style but do you like Waddle and Silvy? They don't disagree often but I still think they put on a good show.

However, this love is a bit over the top. Some of you have quite a boner for McNeil, so much so, I'm waiting for his picture to show up in the Sports Babe section.

Silvy and Waddle disagree more than you think, usually Silvy says something stupid or over-the-top, and Waddle brings him back to earth.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

As you wish!!! Check out the BABES section for a provacitive Danny Mac Photo!

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

Yep, the new show will be called -"The Two Meatballs"

As I've stated before, I just hope you guys give Jason Goff the opportunity to pull up a mic and do "fly bys"...

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Welcome back Mac.
While I know nothing of/about Matt I will be listening and thank you for not going 3 man booth.

I'd love if you guys brought back the 'around the nfl' segment but turned it into an 'around mlb' segment. You can do it on fridays and interview the beat writers from the teams the Sox/cubs are playing that weekend. There are some pretty good ones out there and they can give us some helpful insights into that weekends opponent. I doubt you can come up with an intro as good as 'around the nfl' but I'm sure Jason can come up with something decent.

Yep

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I'll give the show a chance, but I'm not a Spiegel fan. Hopefully transition will only be Mac with B&B.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

When I read the first two posts, I say crank up the speakers, and listen to the wisdom from:

The Wolf!

I eagerly look forward to June 15th.

Mac is Ying to Spieg's Yang.

Let's get it on!

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Disclaimer: Most of my posts are not suitable for work or home viewing.

The name's Rockmore. Beef Rockmore

I love Keyser's idea about around the MLB. I hope we see something like this.

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

Tall Midget wrote: Maybe Meatpants and the Meatball will be able to reinvigorate what right now appears to be a declining format.

Or maybe you can go f___ yourself. It'd be the first time you've gotten any in weeks. Feeling reinivigorated yet?

Let me fill in the blank there Mac..F.U.C.K.

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

That made me laugh. Awesome!

Glad to see you embrace your inner meatball, Mac. I think Bernstein will be, too.

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Meathead and Meatpants. What a team.

Can hardly wait for the song parodies.

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I'm hoping that Jurko joins Mac & Meat. And please dont let Meat talk about the NBA every day. Who gives a shit about the NBA anyway?

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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