Jumped this out of the Rick Sutcliffe thread as it doesn't apply to ol' Redbeard.



It might be real, but it's turning out to be a real good way to get people to tune into your competitor's product; which they are already doing and staying there. Look, I'd rather listen to you and Speigs over Tom and Silvy(because I think Silvy is on the path to turn into the 21st century version of Mike Murphy, and that's just really sad;) but right now your product needs to get strengthened and right quick. You two just took it on the nose; and you need to establish a good run. Some ideas are working, others are not.

Yes, you were off for a week in July; and the competition took advantage of that. You already alienated 1/2 of the listening audience WSCR once had in middays; because Cubs fans stay loyal to a product no matter how bad it sucks and they're not going to give you the time of day since you replaced their beloved champion of the Quality Bullpen Start....I mean stat. My suggestion is play clown soundbytes and yell "Vuuuuuuuuuuke" and they won't notice the difference. Maybe mention Brown's chicken or slaughter the crap out of a website name while clapping. They might come back as they'll think an idiot is back broadcasting from noon 'til two!

Honestly though; not a show goes by that Mike North, Jurko, Harry, or ESPN does not get mentioned by one or both of you. I'm not saying never speak their names; but for crying out loud the amount you talk about them (and Mike North sound drops? I'd lose them too if you haven't noticed that around this board, the man is rather hated and vilified.) I know you're friends with all of the above mentioned names; but really, unless you really are finally going to hit the Tiny One with a double barreled blast of how much he sucks as a radio personality and you can't stand his ever living 'love the sausage pattie' fat ass, get over talking about them.

I know both you and Spiegs are big into music. But guess what, not all sports fans are. I've been one of your defenders that you are not "Mike North like" but you two with music is like North with his political views.

I don't know if the "4 headed producer" is what is causing this; but your show is like a big ol' random crap fling to the wall and sees what sticks. But you're now coming in on three months on the air; you've got to get your show defined and build the audience.

You've got time to right the ship; but really, the talk about 'bad ratings' and 'bad shows' should go by the wayside, (because the ratings are agreeing with you) and along with all the stuff not related to sports until you can get a strong listening audience. You were the straw that stirred the MJH drink; but right now there's very little in the cocktail glass, Mac. Get some solid segments; get some solid sports talk, get a local correspondent or two to appear exclusively on your show, and get the show moving. With football season right around the corner; you can't get at least one Bear to talk shop with your show once a week the day after the game?

Love the show; but there are times I've got to turn it off. When Spiegs and Sayers fight like two girls over what to drink at a ballpark? Might be fun for the few in the room and the few producers there; but it makes for dial changing radio.

WSCR is supposed to be Chicago sports. Middays WSCR has a chance of actually being focused on the local sports teams, instead of the shape of Erin Andrews ass and "love me some/couch slapping/my wife or my radio partner" bits. And if its all about bits that's actually driving the radio? Come up with something better than "Crack Slippers."

Seeing as WSCR's midday ratings have dropped, maybe it's because Sox fans abandon ship at the first sign of adversity. Asswipe. Coztansa Lite.

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LOL. Funny, as I'm still listening to Mac's show. I want it to stay on the air; as I know what possibly could return; and that's just sad. You'd get a stuttering buffoon would can't put a sentence together; and before his show would come on the air you'd have Dan Hampton with LoHo.

Coke never mentions Pepsi in their ads. If you pay attention to Coke ads Coke might as well be the only soda in the world. Coke is it. Coke, the real thing. Always cocacola.
Pepsi on the other had has to have themselves compared to Coke. We're better than coke, take the Pepsi challenge... yadda yadda.
There's something about Coke not talking about other sodas. Its classy almost. Like, they just don't worry about the competition.
And something somewhat desperate about Pepsi. They trail behind, they have to do what it takes to outsell the top guy.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

So was the point of your thread to give Mac some tips, or was it just a delivery device for more weak-ass potshots at Murph and Cubs fans? SAAAAAAHHX

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The only shot I took at Cubs fans is how they follow a product, no matter how bad it is. And having a bit of fun at Murph's expense. No more than that.

The advice part is all things I think the show needs to do. Get focused, streamline it instead of being all over the place.

Great post Frontman. You summed it up well.

Cub fans are loyal die hards, right?

I guess it could be considered both a shot and a compliment, its all in the way you chose to take it. For me, its a shot that Cubs fans refuse to vote with their pocketbook and let the team know they're frustrated with the product. Because if there's an ass every 18 inches in a seat? The organization never has to make smart decisions when it comes to the product.

You're off base on Silvy, Frontman.

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I'm with Frontman on this one, spmack.

I've tried to listen to Waddle and Silvy but man, Silvy's voice is like Murph's except much more annoying. That is a tough listen. I've never understood the love for that show, but to each his own.

i can understand that silvy's voice can irritate some, but good god he makes far more salient points than murph ever did.

Great analogy. I also agree with Frontman in terms of mentioning ESPN/North etc. If you are going to take shots at them, pull out the shotgun, fire away and be done with it.

I have been listening since day 1 and you are crazy if you don't think the show has improved ten fold. Definitely needs some more tweaking to compete with W&S though.

how so?

These are not Cubs fans as much as it is Wrigley Field fans. Dumbass drunk 20 somethings looking for a party and then become asshats before , during and after games.

That's what is there. Speigel said yesterday he thinks it's 40% and Bernstein thinks it's lower. I say it's higher than 40%.

The Cubs have been in the playoff hunt 4 out of the last 6 years. Hasn't been that bad of a product.

I guess I don't understand the correlation between attendance at games and how that affects the decision making of the organization.

If Cub fans stop going to games, Hendry becomes smarter?

Pirates fans have voted with their checkbook for almost twenty years, has the Pirate organization made smarter decisions? How about the Royals?

Murphy forgot more about baseball that most of us will ever learn. That being said, he chose time and again to hyper focus on the moronic and the inane aspects of the game; plus his blind love of his favorite team. No matter what, he always brought every baseball story back to the Cubs. Over time, he then tried to bring every SPORTS story back to the Cubs. No matter what the show was talking about; he'll bring it back to them. And one other part (and this is an annoyance I get with all radio personalities; stop talking about where you sat during a ballgame already. Most of us working stiffs will never sit in a luxury box, stop talking about how great they are.) Murph, on the other hand; CONSTANTLY would talk about how "back in the day/I was out there with my bugle/me and 500 of my closest friends." Murph never understood why many within the Cubs brass got frustrated with him. The Cubs as an organization didn't want folks to be reminded there was a time that their attendance sucked.

Silvy understands a great deal about not just baseball, but sports in general; and specifically the psychology aspect of players. I'm always impressed when he does that. However, when he gets it into his head to get hyper-focused on something; he'll keep bringing it back to that topic. You can tell it annoys the crap out of Waddle, because it probably wasn't planned that way (Tommy is great on the radio; but his key weakness is that he needs the structure to keep the show going good. When it gets derailed, he can really get lost. Not as bad as Hampton; but Tommy can get just as stammering when the show has gotten off the planned course.) Now, I did say Silvy is on the path of becoming like Murph; but I sure hope not.

And Spaulding; I'd go so far as to say true "fans" of the Cubs (people who actually can name the rotation, a bit of stats; know the standings on any given day, etc) that attend Wrigley are in the minority. I would go so far as to say maybe one in five people in attendance are actual fans of the team, versus visitors from out of town/30 somethings who never realized they're no longer in college/celebrities who don't balk at paying for scalped tickets to attend Wrigley in the afternoon as its a part of "Americana."

Both the Pirates and the Royals are not in the 3rd largest market. Our teams in Chicago can be effected by attendance. The Cubs huge payroll is based on the fact they can afford to go after talent, as Chicago is a HUGE market, its a hub of tourism especially for Wrigley.

To this point, Hendry doesn't NEED to make smart decisions; because the Tribune company has always been there to bail their ass out. Now that is beginning to change (finally) the new ownership is going to hold Hendry and the Cubs brass accountable? Gone will be the days of throwing tons of money at the roster.

If anyone out there is a wrestling fan; you can draw a strong similarity to the Cubs and the Tribune relationship as WCW was to Ted Turner/Time Warner. As long as the parent company is willing to throw a ton of money at the smaller, things will be ok. But as soon as the parent company is no longer willing to bail out the smaller?

Things can get very tight for the Cubs in the not too distant future. But anyone with a brain knows that if they ever decided to move the Cubs out of Wrigley (AND IT WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN ONE DAY. The ballpark will not survive being used forever.) the Cubs drawing power and attendance will shrink vastly.

Wow, that's some real glowing praise there ....

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

The bleachers and playing field are three years old. Engineering minds brighter than I can figure out a way to renovate the grandstand piecemeal so that they don't have to tear the whole thing down. I don't think they plan on moving anywhere in the near future.


Ambiguity my ass. When it comes from a member of White Sox Interactive, it can only be a shot. The party line there is "by refusing to support our team when it sucks, we display our discriminating tastes and demand for a winner, therefore we are the better fans." I can't think of another team in the bigs where a +/-.500 team draws in the 20,000s and its fans celebrate their loyalty. This doesn't happen, because no other team has the inferiority/persecution complex that Sox fans have, which forces them to routinely spout shit that makes no sense.

Somehow, fans of the Angels and A's can co-exist with the other teams in town. It's the damnedest thing. Maybe it's because their teams' marketing departments don't force the issue?

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Murph was not there to make salient points. He was there to agitate people into calling. And he was directing himself more to casual fans. Anyway, different styles.

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Middle Aged Crazy, like Uncle Terry

So since I post at WSI; my opinion is immediately dismissed if I say a thing about the Cubs or the stupidity of what is considered a "fan" versus someone attending their games?

Never did I say Sox fans were "better;" nor would I. What I'm saying is that the Cubs have created a viable product that eventually damages the quality of said product. Just because someone continues to tune in/attend does not mean the product itself is good per se. But eventually, the true fans (the ones who have waited their lifetime to see a championship) are the ones who are disappointed. If the Cubs keep making money; they don't need to worry about the title.

Which many people do. Bernsie's over the top comments are meant to light up the phone lines.

I am having trouble understanding your point. What does it mean when the Cubs create a viable product that eventually damages the quality of said product?

And I am still trying to understand your earlier point about Cubs fans voting with their pocket book. That Cub fans shouldn't go to games? The product being put on the field has been pretty good by and large since 2003. Entertaining for the most part and competive 4 out of the last 6 years, 5 out of 7 including this year. Should cub fans not go to games because they haven't won a World Series. The Red Sox drew pretty well before they won the WS. Are you saying the Red Sox fans should not have gone to games before 2004? The Red Sox fans didn't need to vote with their pocket book to see their team win the WS.

And regarding the Cubs and making money, it has been well known that Reinsdorf makes money for his investors with the Sox and Bulls, or at the very least breaks even. Are you saying the Sox didn't worry about winning a title because they make money?

Let me qualify my statement about Murph. Murph has that sort of recall when it comes to baseball that very few of us have. He can remember pretty accurately player stats, win/loss records, etc. going back years.

Now, does he understand the mechanics of the game better than others? Probably not. One guy I really wish would get back into covering baseball is Keith Olberman; because not only does he recall stats with amazing accuracy; he also understands the game for a guy who never played it competitively.

But back to Mac (which is what the thread was originally about) I think Mac needs to play to his own strengths; and really focus on tightening up the show. He's got potential; but he also damages himself with just how much Meatpants drives the show (and drives it completely off topic, which Mac does well enough on his own.) One or the other has to be the one keeping the show on the tracks. When both go off in various directions; it just is a mess.

I belive the Cubs are the only/most profitable unit of TribCo. WCW was making money, but right on Turner was still writing checks instead of cashing them for that outfit. Turner was putting mugs of the wrestlers on the racecars every weekend too! That's SuperBowl ad kinda money.

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CSFMB: Home of the small minded

I'll say this. I appreciate Murph a lot more now that he is gone. The guy was entertaining.
Is he a Baseball expert? I dont know...but the guy followed the game & always had an interesting take...a different angle on things.
I miss Murph at noon.

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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

Aahhh....you're the one who does.

No Murph means I no longer listen to the Noon Business Hour on BBM.

I'm out of the loop business-news wise, but I no longer have to PTFB.

A straight SCR listen all day. Good times.

Yes, although you can pretend you are there to soak up the acumen on B&B.

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Middle Aged Crazy, like Uncle Terry