Before Doug Pederson's introductory press conference today, WIP's Josh Innes inexplicably called Jason Kelce a "house negro" due to him appearing at the press conference. Apparently, Kelce is to much of a "Yes-Man" for Innes, and he made a horrible connection between that and slavery.
Innes would then apologize on-air, likely at the behest of people behind the scenes at WIP.
Today at Eagles practice, Josh Innes and Mike Missanelli confronted each other, or, better yet, had a nice friendly conversation with each other. The photo above, via Crossing Broad, is from a fan in attendance. Yup, they were pretty close to each other.
Jimmy Kempski then sent out this Tweet:
Josh Innes talking to Mike Missanelli here at Eagles camp. "Hey, how can we drum up some dumb bs feud?" pic.twitter.com/0pdSR5mWhE
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) August 19, 2015
Then, word hit that Innes was escorted out of the stadium. Innes went on the Mike and Ike Show on 94WIP to divulge exactly what happened. Given Innes' history of being transparent on the radio [in speaking with multiple sources, Innes hasn't lied on air when talking about this radio wars thing, and that's coming from both sides.]
But, you can formulate your own opinion. Innes will likely address this more on his show today and Missanelli... might. Good stuff today.
Beasley Reece was fired the other day by CBS3, along with Chris May and Kathy Orr. Today, Reece was on the WIP Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi, and became very emotional when talking about being fired and even moving onto the next step in his life, which is moving to Texas to take care of his parents.
Audio after the jump.
Continue reading "Beasley Reece Was Pretty Emotional on WIP This Morning" »
Saturday, the Phillies will be in Atlanta playing some beisbol. And since it's the celebration of America's independence from Great Britain, they'll be wearing some neato hats and jerseys.
I like it.
I hope Brett Brown never leaves Philadelphia. Jerry Crasnick wants to talk about how the new Phillies president, Andy MacPhail, brings a calming and controlling atmosphere to his new team, but the man who owns this city when it comes to a calming and controlling presence is your Sixers coach.
Talking to Michael Barkann and Ike Reese yesterday on WIP, Brown said that while he does want a point guard, he doesn't want it to happen at the expense of passing on a better player when available. Enter Jahlil Okafor. [CBS Philly]
“At the end of the day, if you want to play in June and you want to play deep in June, you’re gonna have to have a point guard,” Sixers head coach Brett Brown admitted to Michael Barkann and Ike Reese Monday on the 94WIP Mike & Ike Show. “I think it’s a point guard’s league. They’re the commander in chief, they’re ball dominant, they’re an extension of the coach. At some point you’re gonna need that. As it relates to us, well we want it, we want it now. Anything that expedites rushed decisions, cloudy decisions, we don’t—I said it to the press before—we don’t want to get pregnant with average players.”
That's our new #culture. No pregnancy with average players. And Brown already has a connection with Okafor.
“You learn that he comes from a family of doctorates, of masters degrees, of educators,” said Brown, who spoke with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and associate head coach Jeff Capel III at length about Okafor. “He’s been raised by a dad, who lost his mom. I’m reminded of my 12 years of Tim Duncan who also lost his father. I think there are similarities on the court and off the court with things I hope to share with Jahlil, and we’re getting a potential cornerstone culturally. For me, it’s always about people.”
Brown also talked more about the need for point guards, Embiid's health, and more. You can listen to the audio after the jump.
There are plenty of people locally who don't buy in to what Sam Hinkie is doing. Perhaps the most outspoken local media guys that have continuously thrashed Hinkie every which way are in radio and television, most notably Howard Eskin and Angelo Cataldi. While I admit, I love a good Eskin family fight, Howard's son, Spike, can only do so much to try and help his father see the light.
Well, a dimming light. D'Angelo Russell was the perfect fit for the Sixers, so we all think [especially me... I'm still reeling], but the Lakers snatched him up with the second overall pick in last week's draft, leaving the Sixers to draft the next best available player, Jahlil Okafor. For some reason, people think the Sixers should have drafted a need in that spot, despite Okafor being a lot better prospect than what was left after Russell was gone.
What nobody is talking about is that Hinkie did exactly what Brett Brown wanted him to do, and that's to go after the best player available. Brown, who has turned out to be a great coach for such a young and inexperienced team, said to the media after the Sixers season was over, "But if that is the way it shakes out [best available player] then I will coach it, and we will find a way to make it work. How can you walk away from the best player?"
So, Sunday night on his Sports Sunday show on FOX Philly, Eskin fought the good fight once again, but didn't do himself any favors. Here are some gems:
"Okafor does not have any range. Can't shoot free throws. Plays below the basket, and he plays a game that's not an up-tempo game which is what they play."
...
"All these MIT geeks, all these analytics, and that's what they are, they're a bunch of geeks with computers. And they're brilliant guys with numbers. Not with eye test. But when you look at that, that's not the way they want to build a team, so they can't change for one player, can they?"
[Editor's note: Wait, what? How does Eskin know how they want to build a team? Answer is he doesn't, which is why he hates Hinkie. Because he never gets the answers he wants from him.]
"I talked to a former Duke player, and he told me, and the Dukies usually defend all their guys, 'I don't like Okafor in the NBA.' He doesn't like him. And this is a guy, I'll just say he played that position. So, you have people from Duke telling me that, or one person. I'll say one person."
Eskin only needs one player [who might not even be in the NBA right now] to tell him he doesn't like Okafor in the NBA. Case closed. Eskin win.
Eskin also said with 100% certainty that Hinkie's plan has failed. Already. After he's only been general manager of the Sixers for two years. There's really no two-year plan when it comes to rebuilding. It's a lot longer. But don't tell the Hinkie haters that. It doesn't fit their narrative.
Full video, courtesy of FOX Philly, after the jump.
Photo credit: CBS Philly
Yesterday on the 94WIP Afternoon show with Tony Bruno and Jody Mac, Howard Eskin was on with the fellas to talk about the Sixers and Joel Embiid and the fact that Howard basically hates Sam Hinkie. Why, I still don't really know. Here are some things Howard said to show his disdain for the Sixers:
Spike's a big Sixers fan and has been one of the biggest Hinkie advocates in the city, so he wound up coming into the studio and started throwing fire and basically told his father he was afraid of Hinkie because he was running things differently than everyone is used to. It turned into a great back-and-forth segment.
Howard comes on around 3:00 mark, and Spike around the 7:23 mark. Audio includes full segment after the argument.
Photo credit: Rob Tornoe/Philly.com
Short answer: Yes. But let's delve.
For the past week or so, 97.5 The Fanatic afternoon host, Mike Missanelli, had sort of let his inhibitions flow and decided to remarkably go after his competition, WIP's Josh Innes and Tony Bruno - something he'd consistently said in the past he would not ever do. Sure, maybe Innes and Bruno talk about Mikey Miss a little too much during their show, but right now, they have all the clout necessary to do so. They're winning the ratings war at this point, so I can't say I blame them. The gloating might strain on people, but I don't think I listen enough to allow that to get to me. I can't sit in front of a radio for five straight hours and listen to sports talk. I used to be able to because of the job I had, but I simply just cannot do that now. So I can pick and choose when I listen. And it doesn't matter what time of day it is or what day it is, Missanelli is sounding more and more like Howard Eskin each day. And that's something nobody in Philadelphia enjoyed.
This time, the audio brought to you by Crossing Broad. Transcription also available here.
So, Innes - who always said on air that one of his main goals was to beat Missanelli in the ratings, even when he was on the 6pm-10pm shift - has clearly already gotten into Mikey Miss's head. He threw the shot at Innes and Bruno being the "clown show" when WIP announced the new show during Wing Bowl 23 [which I conveniently covered that day and got my video on ESPN, no big deal], but that was clearly a retaliation to hearing all about the "Bitchanelli" stuff from Innes.
Fast forward to May and June, where the radio ratings have certainly balanced to one side of the scale, and that's in favor of WIP. Anthony Gargano, who undertook a huge challenge into going head-to-head with Angelo Cataldi, was apparently hailed as the savior for the station, especially with the way he left WIP. Kyle Scott reported Gargano was offered a lowball contract, refused to sign it and ultimately faded into obscurity for three months before popping up April 1st on 97.5.
Gargano, while still with WIP, went to Innes one day after a show and confronted him - in what was much ado about nothing I've been told more than once - clearly told Missanelli what he wanted to hear, whether it was true or not. So Missanelli's running with his story, reporting it as fact that Innes "cowered in fear" when approached by Gargano, when he literally has no facts to back it up. I have no facts to back up that it didn't happen, except from what I've been told. The same goes for Mike Missanelli. So when he says he knows something as a fact, you absolutely, positively know he's bullshitting you 100%. He's probably telling you what he's been told. From one person. Who hates Josh Innes.
And here's another little nugget. Regarding Glen Macnow's disappearance from the afternoon show, do you really think it was just a coincidence he left the show but was kept on the WIP payroll? Certainly, he began working with KYW radio and started a podcast [Bar Talk with Joe Sixpack] because he had a little more time on his hands, but his weekend radio shows on WIP with Ray Didinger are probably the best overall show on the station. WIP would have been crazy to get rid of him at that point, so they kept him around. It was a smart move, all things considered.
Andy Bloom's mistake wasn't that he decided to replace Macnow on the afternoon show, it was who he picked to supplant him. Rob Ellis and Gargano were a terrible team together, and I really can't blame Ellis for that. His radio show from 6pm-10pm was really good and informative, and Ellis was engaging to his audience. He didn't talk down to them or have a condescending attitude towards them. Being put with Gargano almost ruined Ellis' radio career. And if he does join the 97.5 ship, I hope it's as a solo act. But I digress.
This all comes back to Missanelli and his insecurity with the ratings that have now been made public, courtesy of Josh Innes, Crossing Broad, and Bleed Philly. He's completely rattled and has taken to bringing up the "clown show" on his show without being prompted by Innes, Bruno or anybody else. He isn't able to throw his "Do you know who I am?" weight around anymore, and it's getting to him.
The war's just getting started.
Stemming from the radio ratings being made public yesterday morning, Josh Innes and Mike Missanelli decided to have a field day today hurling insults at one another today, culminating in a Missanelli charge that Innes "wet his pants" during a confrontation with Gargano in the WIP studios after one of Gargano and Ellis' afternoon shows. Missanelli teased telling the story of the confrontation on his radio show, in what appears to be the 5:00 hour, with some pot shots from his producer. Here's what Mikey Miss said:
A caller called into Innes and Bruno and gave cliff notes to Innes on what Missanelli said, and here was Innes' response:
So, to recap: Things happened. Stuff was said. No punches. Josh may or may not have wet underwear.
Photo credit: CBS Philly
For months now, Philadelphia sports talk radio in the afternoon has been an all-out war between WIP's Innes and Bruno combination vs. The Fanatic's Mike Missanelli. Kyle Scott over at Crossing Broad has done a tremendous job in documenting all of the Philly sports talk radio wars as far back as December, which included providing ratings of 94WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic before and after Josh Innes and Tony Bruno took over the WIP afternoon slot vacated by Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis. In a monumental turnaround, Gargano's exit from WIP and Innes' promotion to the afternoons proved instrumental in the station's ratings turnaround.
Late last night, I was given the ratings for the month of May. Already showing a huge turnaround in the ratings in previous months, WIP strengthened their listenership since Innes and Bruno have taken over the 1-6pm time slot. Measured by Arbitron's Portable People Meter, WIP is actually ranked first overall in the 25-54 male demo with a 10.0 [total % of radio listeners tuned into WIP in the Philly market], and although coming down from 10.3 in April, they're still in first by a wide margin. The next highest share is WMMR with an 8.0, with WPEN coming in 4th at 6.9.
With the Philly listening audience growing increasingly frustrated with the - for lack of a better phrase - same old shit, WIP decided to make a move for the future of their station. It's only been a few months, and the station has already shown it's made the right decision in pairing Innes and Bruno to take on Missanelli head-to-head. With Missanelli regularly killing Gargano in the ratings, the two are now on the same team - and both are getting hammered. Angelo Cataldi has built an empire in the morning on WIP, and not even Anthony Gargano can topple it. The only chance 97.5 has of even making a dent in that number in the morning is when Cataldi retires, and even when that happens - if WIP inserts Innes in that slot - they won't be losing any numbers at all.
So, one of the main reasons I think Innes and Bruno have dominated since taking over? Because they're different. People who listen to sports talk radio all day probably have the more mundane jobs in the world, and that's okay. I was in there before. Sometimes I would actually take Howard Eskin seriously. But with Innes comes controversy, and as we all know, controversy creates interest. Whether it's good or bad, controversy gets the numbers. It's a proven equation.
There's only so many minutes in a day to talk about the NFL and NBA drafts. The Phillies absolutely suck. The Flyers are... well, the Flyers. After listening to the sports talk radio hosts that have come and gone since the early 00s, I'll gladly listen to a show that bills itself as a variety show over a pure sports talk show. Not to mention it's fairly obvious that callers can disagree with those WIP hosts and still be given a platform to voice their opinion, whereas the guy who channels his inner Howard Eskin during 2-6pm on 97.5 doesn't want to hear your different opinion. The listening audience has caught up, and it's about time.
The midday numbers weren't made available to me, so I can't speak on the 10am-2pm numbers for each station. But afternoon sports talk in Philly? WIP owns it. Morning sports talk? No contest.
To the numbers...
Continue reading "Josh Innes and Tony Bruno Beat Mike Missanelli in the Ratings... Again" »
Last night, people came to the Electric Factory to see Mitch Williams and Lenny Dykstra pour the hate on each other because that's what we do. We're like sharks. We smell blood, we want more blood. It's not enough that Joe Conklin and Al Morganti had to dangle the thought of Williams and Dykstra being in the same room with each other - but they said, "Hey, we're going to make it a roast." A roast with VIP access for free beer and food for an hour. Then another hour to spend money on beer and food before the roast began.
Yeah, they knew what they were doing.
As was expected, the second annual Philly Sports Roast was a shitshow, and for all the right reasons. We had the likes of Joe Conklin, Joe Matarese and Stu Bykofsky absolutely steal the show with some of their jokes, and were the ones that pissed off Dykstra the most. So much so that he threw his microphone twice and looked legitimately pissed that a few stagehands along with Bolaris and Conklin had to settle him down. Or so it looked.
Then we had poor Leslie Gudel, who was only there for either local name power or for something nice to look at from the drunk guys in the audience. Gudel and Susie Celek didn't add much to the panel, and that's certainly by design. I'm not saying they couldn't have done more and been more funny, but from what I saw, I'm pretty sure Morganti and Conklin wanted to limit their involvement for whatever reason.
Conklin busted out the haymakers from the start, ragging on Dykstra for his legal troubles. He mentioned how cool it was that Mitch was able to come with his family while Lenny came with his cop crew from California. Nice touch. Morganti followed with a great line about Conklin. Then came Keith's favorite part, when Conklin roasted Bolaris saying he would incorrectly predict he was going home with Gudel last night. Ah, jokes.
Stu Bykofsky, Joe Matarese, and some of Conklin's bits absolutely stole the shitshow. Bolaris was actually pretty good, too, because he took some jabs at himself. Always love that in a person. But, he said he wasn't going to go after Lenny because they're good friends, and he stuck to his word, which was terrible. Does anybody know what a roast is anymore? Why is it acceptable for things to be off limits? The whole point of a roast is nothing is off limits and if someone is uncomfortable with that, they shouldn't be a part of the roast. But it is what it is.
He also bought Mitch some white Russians, if you know what he means.
Bykofsky began his roast with asking who would be the guest next year for the roast and threw out Aaron Hernandez's name. He then said if that wasn't possible, then maybe Howard Eskin. There absolutely needs to be a roast of Howard Eskin, even if he isn't as much a pain in the ass now as he was when he was on the radio daily from 3pm-7pm.
Matarese went at Rhea Hughes pretty hard, which is something of a nono in local media apparently. Any time I've heard someone take a shot at her, whether it be a roast or not, someone's always come to the defense of her or the person who said something about her quickly change their tune. What power does she hold? WHAT POWER, I SAY?
Yeah, you're gonna want to probably use headphones to watch these videos.
Here's Dan Baker introducing everyone. [Sorry for the vertical recording... I'm usually a pro at that. Just gotta shake my head and move on.]
Big surprise ending coming up. However, I have to say I feel like the entire thing was contrived. It didn't feel legitimate, although the hate over the years between Dykstra and Williams was certainly real, this entire roast was some type of set-up to just get them publicity, and it worked pretty well. I don't have an issue with it being set up if it truly was, but I dare anyone to watch the following videos, especially the last one, and tell me that this wasn't planned.
More videos after the jump. [Warning: Language is NSFW.] My Dykstra video wouldn't upload due to my phone freezing each time I tried to publish. I'll keep trying to get it up and update this post.
We told you last Monday that The Cuz, Anthony Gargano, would be joining the team over at The Fanatic, but the details were not yet ironed out.
Sources confirmed today, the new morning show will start on Monday.
Via Philly.com:
Starting Monday April 20, former WIP host Anthony Gargano will team up with Jon Marks to launch a new morning show for The Fanatic from 6:00-10:00 a.m., sources have confirmed.
The show, which will also feature Maureen Williams doing news updates and the return of Gargano’s producer at WIP Jamie Lynch (known to many listeners as “Silent Bro”), will replace the nationally-focused “Mike and Mike” show, which has aired since the station became an ESPN affiliate in 2008. Despite the move, I’m told that The Fanatic may not lose its ESPN affiliation, and negotiations with the Bristol-based sports network are ongoing.
Unless you really love hearing about what's going on nationally in sports, there's no reason to not be excited for a new morning voice in Philadelphia.
Whether you love or hate Angelo Cataldi, he was all we had to choose from.
It'll be great to have two guys, in Marks and Gargano, to give Angelo a little run for his money, which is most likely an absurd amount.
Unfortunately, the show may only last two weeks when the Eagles don't draft Marcus Mariota on April 30th and both stations collapse on themselves, leaving only a giant, steaming pile of source speculation.
Last year, Terrell Owens was roasted by local media personalities at the Crystal Tea Room in the first annual Philly Sports Roast. Created by Joe Conklin and Al Morganti, the reviews for the event were abundantly positive, so the roast returns.
This year, the second annual Philly Sports Roast emanates from the Electric Factory on April 23rd, when sworn enemies Mitch Williams and Lenny Dykstra reunite in the same building. Despite both being a part of that lovable 1993 Phillies team, there's no love between these men. But, they won't be roasting each other this time around. Instead, the likes of WIP Morning Show personalities Joe Conklin, Al Morganti and Rhea Hughes will be doing the honors. Along with them will be John Bolaris, Leslie Gudel, Big Daddy Graham and more. From the release:
“Think of this as a Double Roast," explains Conklin. "The Dude and Mitchie-Poo, each one a party all by themselves. Put them together and you've got the Royal Rumble!"
The always reserved Morganti put it more succinctly. "We've got no f***ing idea what's gonna happen but its going to be funny and good time for everyone."
You can get your tickets here through the Electric Factory's website starting at only $49.50. VIP reception and admission begins at 6:30 pm, and tickets for that are $150, and include the food and bar package. Corporate tables [limited to eight (8) seats each] are also available for $1,950.
General admission begins at 7:30 and the roast will begin shortly after. And who knows? Maybe you'll get roasted by Conklin himself due to whatever you're wearing. So don't wear that.
CrossingBroad.com is reporting that The Cuz will be back on the airwaves in Philadelphia soon, this time with 97.5 The Fanatic:
Anthony Gargano and Jon Marks will co-host a morning show on 97.5 The Fanatic, with little-known Maureen Williams (whom I’m told used to work under WIP Operations Manager Andy Bloom) doing updates, multiple sources tell me. The show is tentatively scheduled to begin next Monday, April 20, but that’s not confirmed. Jamie Lynch, Gargano’s Afternoon producer at WIP – better known as Silent Bro - will be going over to 97.5 as well.
We knew this was only a matter of time when we told you this happened on April Fool's Day.
As of now, ESPN's Mike and Mike is the current morning show on The Fanatic. There is currently no word on whether The Fanatic will lose their ESPN affiliation all together and drop the nationally syndicated show for the new Gargano and Marks morning show.
What seems to be a definite is that Angelo Cataldi and Co. will finally have some competition in the morning time slot.
Sad news to report as a legend in the Philadelphia sports community passed away yesterday after a recent battle with an illness. Stan Hochman, who has been with the Daily News since 1959, died at 86 years of age. These words said by Hochman to Rich Hofmann in 2009 tell the story of why Hochman was able to do what he did so well for so long.
"Why do I keep doing what I do? The answer is, because I still enjoy it," Hochman told colleague Rich Hofmann in 2009, on his 50th anniversary with the paper. " . . . I'm just a guy who truly enjoys what he's doing in a city that cares deeply about its teams, but wants to read stuff that's 'tough but fair.'"
Here are some links to excellent tributes to one of the greats:
Stan Hochman passes away at age 86
An appreciation of Stan Hochman
Mike DeNardo's interview with Rich Hofmann on the life of Stan Hochman
Hochman's daughter, Anndee, gave us the perfect soothing words we wanted to hear.
“Readers, radio listeners and fans know the public Stan Hochman,” Anndee said. “But I’ve been privileged, as his daughter, to know the private man – the one whose eyes always grew teary when he read one of my essays or watched his granddaughter perform on the silks at circus school.
“His most joyous moments were when the five of us – he and my mom, my partner Elissa and me, and our daughter, Sasha – sat down to a dinner, one that he, of course, had cooked, and raised our glasses in a toast to love and life. He would glance around the table and say, ‘I’m the luckiest man.’
“But we were the lucky ones, to live side by side with his integrity, sensitivity, talent, humor and heart.”
More after the jump.
Continue reading "Daily News Legend, Stan Hochman, Passed Away Yesterday" »
With WIP's wholesale changes likely over for the time being, I guess it was time for 97.5 The Fanatic to make some changes of their own. It started on April Fool's Day when Anthony Gargano sat in for Mike Missanelli's show opening before disappearing into the abyss never to be heard from again... yet. Then, yesterday, Kyle Scott of Crossing Broad confirmed the departure of Sean Brace and his producer, Steve Vassolotti from the station.
Today comes another big change for The Fanatic. According to Scott, Nick Kayal will be leaving the station to begin a 3p-6p time slot with Sirius Bleacher Report Radio. Kayal has always been a good host on the station, so my guess is the station freeing up some money for not only Anthony Gargano, but possibly someone else [Rob Ellis!?] to bring in, albeit not right away. Scott has been on the money with his RADIO WARS reporting over the last few months, so I doubt he's reporting anything untrue. No word yet on who will replace Kayal on a permanent basis.
...
Kayal is a huge pro wrestling proponent in local radio, so I'll especially miss him leaving. But, hopefully he and I will be in touch regarding a possible spot on his new show previewing upcoming WWE pay-per-views.
Yesterday, Roman Reigns joined Rhea Hughes on CSNPhilly.com's Lunch Break. The interview started off with Reigns' Snickers commercial where he shows a lot more personality and humor. Those writers need to teach the WWE creative team some things into making Reigns look good.
Reigns will challenge the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and newly signed Brock Lesnar, in the WrestleMania main event on Sunday night.
Watch the Lunch Break segment below.
Photo credit: WWE.com
Tonight on 94WIP, Brian Haddad graciously had me on as a guest to talk about WrestleMania this Sunday. I said uhm a lot and used the word buttload. Buttload. I don't know. Anyway, it was a good conversation and I think you'll like it.
Conspicuous by its absence, the Sting and Triple H match will be a huge part of my WrestleMania 31 preview, which will be posted on PhillyVoice.com tomorrow morning. Keep an eye out for it!
Listen to my interview with Brian Haddad below.
That is, if you want to believe John Bolaris. Moments ago, Bolaris tweeted out the following:
That's pretty comical. He also spared WIP Operations Manager, Andy Bloom, in his anti-WIP rant. Andy's a good guy, so that's good to see. We've seen before that Bolaris and Angelo Cataldi don't exactly get along. He tried calling into the morning show not too long ago and was given the cold shoulder. I asked Bolaris if he was telling the truth in one word. His response:
So, we have one side to the story. We need the other. See Bolaris go on and on here.
I reached out to WIP for comment, and the person told me that Bolaris is not banned from WIP, but they do have a policy on using weather people. I'm currently awaiting confirmation on what that policy is.
Photo: AP
Mike Mayock, who's from the Philly area, was on 94WIP's Mike and Ike Show on Monday, and talked about the possibility of the Eagles being able to land Marcus Mariota. [Get used to it, the discussion isn't going away any time soon.]
In what seems like every other analyst ever being sold on Marcus Mariota becoming an elite quarterback in the NFL, Mayock throws some water on the fire to extinguish your Mariota boner, should you have one.
Of course, Mayock says Mariota would be a project with any other team other than the Eagles. And that should make all of us feel warm and fluffy inside. But the Eagles' chances of landing Mariota are slim to none, and it feels like Mayock is trolling us with the whole "if he was with the Eagles, he'd be a stud" talk. I'm thinking he's talking out of both sides of his mouth and he just doesn't think Mariota will translate into a good NFL quarterback.
Audio of the entire interview below.
Photo via CSNPhilly.com
The thing that probably pisses Sixers fans off the most is when people like Howard Eskin and Angelo Cataldi continually annihilate the team on the radio [and television] is that they never have a plan of their own to combat the Sixers' plan. The most you ever hear out of them when they talk about how the Sixers front office is terrible is just that - talking about how the front office is terrible. How we'll never know if Joel Embiid will be healthy, despite his foot and back injury being the only time in four years he was hurt. And that's about it. They hate the tanking, despite the Sixers not being the worst team in the league right now [there are two teams worse than them!]. They continually throw Sam Hinkie and Scott O'Neil under the bus. Angelo at least has had a formal conversation with O'Neil on the air, then conveniently trashed him after the interview was over.
This morning on 94WIP, Eskin went off again on the Sixers thanks to their loss last night. A caller asked him if he had any confidence that the Sixers plan will pan out. His response:
That's when a caller should go after him and ask, "Well, based on what past history? What teams are you talking about? What would you do differently?" You never hear that, though. He'll never respond to a question like that, whether it's asked to him on his radio show, on Twitter, or in person. I mean, it's not like it worked for the Houston Rockets. Or the San Antonio Spurs. Or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Or the Boston Celtics. Or the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder... riiiight.
It's frustrating to hear the nonsense spewed from Eskin and Cataldi when they don't have a plan to back up their nonsense. I know Cataldi isn't exactly the brightest sports guys around, but one would think Eskin would try to back up his claims with ideas on what the Sixers should do. He hasn't. I don't know what else the Sixers could do to try to rebuild. Remaining a low playoff seed with literally no chance of winning an NBA championship is better than this? No. It's not. This movement at least has a future in its sights, whether it works or not.
In news that probably wasn't well known to the masses, Bernie Parent admitted that he went to rehab and has been sober for over 35 years while on the inaugural Innes and Bruno Show on 94WIP.
“I’m gonna share a little story because I’ve shared this many times,” Parent told Innes and Bruno on Wednesday. “It was on a Friday afternoon, and I have to share this it’s important, and I told my wife, I’m gonna go out Friday afternoon—at noon I should say—and get some cigars and I’ll be back in half an hour. And then I got back two days later, and I got back by cab because I couldn’t find my car. And I have to keep this ring to keep me sober. And I walked in the house looking at my kids crying, wondering where their dad was, and I fell asleep. I want to say I fell asleep, it was like the Angels took my downstairs. I made a phone call that said I need help and it’s been 35 years."
Parent gives off this image as a true ladies man and quite the partyer. While the former may be undoubtedly true, Parent hasn't fallen into the temptation of the lifestyle he used to lead after his career was shortened due to an eye injury. That's impressive while living in a city such as Philadelphia, which Parent describes as his home now. The interview was a fantastic one for Innes and Bruno.
Entire interview after the break.
Continue reading "Bernie Parent Admits He Went to Rehab and Has Been Sober for 35 Years" »
Photo credit: CBS Philly
Today was the first official show for Josh Innes and Tony Bruno together as the WIP Afternoon Show. The show will be called The Innes and Bruno Show and the two didn't wait very long before throwing some heat in the way of Mike Missanelli and 97.5 The Fanatic.
Bruno, if you remember, used to work for WIP before moving on to 97.5. He left the station late last year and began a podcast along with spots on WIP during the holidays with Innes. Innes has been in the 6-10pm shift the last year, and has already replaced Anthony Gargano and Rob Ellis. Innes began the conversation.
“Well, within a year of coming here, I've moved from doing the night show to the afternoon show, and they had a bunch of people, you know, we did shows over the last couple of months, and you were the first person to do a show with me. And after that last show I went in and said I think the combination of me and Tony Bruno would beat Bitchanelli and be the number one sports radio show in the city. And I still believe that. And I understand that we might be a couple of clowns on the radio right now, I gotta get my slide whistle and my kazoo, but I have no concerns whatsoever that the loyal people that listened to you for years, listened to my night show on the radio station as well, are going to listen to this show.”
It's good stuff. Listen to their first segment together below. It gets good around the 4:25 mark.
Whether he was joking or not, Chris Christie probably realized that sports fans, especially in Philadelphia, are more rabid than any political adversaries he may have. He intimated as much when he was on a trip to London to cheer on Manchester United [!] and "joked" to NJ Advanced Media's Matt Arco.
During a recent trip to London, and an interaction with soccer fans, the famous Dallas Cowboys fan was quoted as saying that he will not be taking on Eagles fans (or any Philadelphia sports fans) again.
"I'm never talking about Philly fans again," Christie joked to Matt Arco of NJ Advanced Media.
Christie was overheard during the Eagles-Cowboys game at the Linc in December as saying, "These Philadelphia fans, they are the worst in America." [Editor's note: Too many people locally who aren't sports fans of the local teams agree with this sentiment. It's simply because they live here and no other reason. They haven't been exposed to other terrible fanbases like Philly is routinely on a national platform. Shootings and stabbings in LA and San Fran. Deadly fights in Chicago and Jacksonville. Throwing shit and barfing on people in Boston and New York. Shit happens everywhere. Every fan base has their idiots. It's annoying when people around here blindly agree with that assessment. Do some research. End rant.]
If Christie is telling the truth, that might be a big win for Philly sports fans. However, I'm looking forward to Christie and Jones reaching second base in his luxury box during the Cowboys home opener next season.
Wait, no, I don't want to see that at all. What I do want to see one more time is this.
During Wing Bowl 23 on Friday, WIP ran a promo announcing the new afternoon show with Josh Innes and Tony Bruno, beginning tomorrow from 1-6pm. It was rumored by Kyle Scott of Crossing Broad for weeks, and, well, he was right.
But someone may have forgotten to notify Rob Ellis, who didn't know of his coming demotion back to the 6-10pm slot until he read this post on Crossing Broad. Ellis, who reportedly has heat with Innes [as do many other WIP employees], said he wasn't going to stoop to a level beneath him. From Crossing Broad:
Later in his show on Monday, Ellis responded to a caller who asked him about Innes by taking the high road. “I’m not gonna do this,” Ellis said. “I’m not gonna rip other people on the air. I’ve never been one to do that. You can take it up with [Innes], and you’ll get plenty of opportunities to do that starting Wednesday from 1-6. Or take it up with management. I’m not gonna stoop to the level of others who badmouth people on our own station.”
That was undoubtedly a shot at Josh Innes, who has taken a few shots the past couple months at Ellis and Gargano, along with 97.5's Mike Missanelli.
During Ellis' rant, Scott says he wasn't listening. I wasn't listening, either. I received a text and was kicking myself for not being ready in some fashion to record what could have undoubtedly been one of those holy shit moments.
Hats off to Kyle Scott for being on top of RADIO WARS for months.
UPDATE: Of course, Crossing Broad was able to find audio of Ellis' rant. Here it is.
Pete caroll texting the offensive coordinator pic.twitter.com/cc3rxRskXJ
— ADC (@adctennis) February 2, 2015
Pete Caroll trying to explain what the hell he was thinking.
"Really, what happened down there, We went to three receivers, they sent in their goal-line people. We had plenty of downs and timeouts. We really didn't want to run against their goal-line group right there. We would have subbed for third or fourth down. We would have used our timeout and would have taken those shots. That's it. We call the play.
"It's a miraculous play the kid made to get in front of the route. It's a play that really tries to keep him from making that play. I told those guys, that's my fault, totally. Why don't you just run it? That's a real good thought. But we had plenty of time to win the game. In our minds, we thought we would have on third or fourth down. That's how we were playing for third and fourth down, given the time left. But it didn't work out that way."
That Super Bowl had one of the greatest endings in history - from Jermaine Kearse's miraculous catch to Russell Wilson's boneheaded interception to the Seahawks starting a brawl because they can't lose with dignity - the end of that game was about as exciting as I've ever seen. The commercials probably brought down your mood, but they were all light and comical after the game was over. More on that later. I just know that if I'm Russell Wilson in that situation, knowing I am the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for the next ten years, and about to sign a new contract that's probably going to be the biggest in NFL history - I'm changing that play call at the goal line. A pass? With Marshawn Lynch behind you? There's nothing about that that makes sense, and I don't care what Pete Carroll, Russell Wilson, or Andy Reid says about it. Bad call. If you're going to be the franchise quarterback of your team, you need to become the leader. The leader that changes plays at the line of scrimmage. When you're that close to the end zone. With Marshawn Lynch behind you. I just don't get it. And it made this play all for naught.
Some other highlights from last night:
Katy Perry channeled her inner PSA.
She also channeled the late Bam Bam Bigelow.
this picture is fantastic pic.twitter.com/m3SFXrNXYt
— Eric Kay (@ekaycbs) February 2, 2015
Sherman, how much yall lose by? pic.twitter.com/aGuWbImjEH
— 6god dragon (@DinelAlic) February 2, 2015
Doug Baldwin pooped a football after he scored. NBC cut away from it.
Photo credit: Matt Slocum
Sherman's reaction after Wilson's interception.
Seahawks haven't learned how to lose with dignity.
Joel Embiid was rooting for the Packers.
GO PACKERS BRO pic.twitter.com/6CBYcb0lO9
— Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) February 2, 2015
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Sale ends Wednesday.
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Also, we'll be unveiling a new joint venture in the near future, and I think you'll be very interested in what we're going to offer. That's all I can say as of now.
Now, onto the rundown.
_
Wing Bowl 23 saw a new champion and a new record broken. Here's the comprehensive breakdown of what went down at Wing Bowl 23.
Mick Foley was disqualified from Wing Bowl for shoving wings into his fanny pack. ESPN used my video on Around the Horn and Olbermann, with permission. That was a pretty cool moment for me. It was also featured on The Big Lead and USA Today.
Covering Wing Bowl was quite the experience, but I enjoyed every moment of it. A lot of the negative attention it receives stems from individual experiences, so I can't fault people for that. But my experience was nothing short of fantastic, and I'm glad I was able to attend. Of course, it also gave us this gem of Chris Christie falling flat on his ass in the WIP studios back in the summer.
The Flyers have won four games in a row. The Phillies signed Chad Billingsley. Yawn.
Jeremy Maclin doesn't think there's a financial issue for the Eagles to keep both him and LeSean McCoy.
Speaking of Shady, ESPN surprised him with two fans of his live on the air during his SportsCenter segment on Friday afternoon.
Conan O'Brien and Marshawn Lynch happen to be the perfect match.
Suzy Kolber teared up talking about the late Stuart Scott on ESPN.
Darrelle Revis will probably re-sign with the Patriots, but two other AFC East teams are going to go hard after him. Maybe the Eagles will surprise us all and make a play for him.
The Falcons are being investigated for piping in crowd noise at the Georgia Dome.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo destroyed a basketball.
A college basketball game ended in an almost brawl. No, it was not in Philly.
Tony Bruno was on with Keith Olbermann on Friday. Here's this week's version of the Bruno Bash.
Speaking of Bruno, he and Josh Innes will be teaming up and taking over 94WIP's Afternoon show beginning this week.
The NFL's anti-domestic violence policy is still a joke.
Check out this weeks' Saturday Night Live cold open featuring Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, and Pete Carroll.
Nick Diaz didn't care much for Anderson Silva's much anticipated return to the octagon and UFC on Saturday night. Full fight highlights after the jump.
Continue reading "Your Weekend Rundown: Super Bowl and Wing Bowl Edition" »
Yes, that is my video being used on ESPN. No sweat. They asked.
In this edition of the Bruno Bash on Olbermann on ESPNews, Tony Bruno talks about Wing Bowl, the Super Bowl, and Walter White. Here's my video that ESPN has been using with my permission.
[They also used it for the last segment on Around the Horn last night.]
More after the jump.
Continue reading "Video: The Bruno Bash, Super [and Wing] Bowl Edition" »
Kyle Scott has been on top of this story since last month, when Anthony Gargano reportedly balked at a one-year contract offer from WIP and left the station. Scott said that the plan was for Innes to be moved to afternoons, but his partner wasn't known at the time.
After partnering with Tony Bruno during the week after Christmas, Innes has found his partner. WIP officiall announced today during the Wing Bowl [which I was at] that Innes and Bruno will be hosting the afternoon show from 1-6pm. Scott believes they'll be starting next Wednesday. And he also reports Rob Ellis will be moved back to his 6-10pm slot, which he absolutely can't be happy about. Could we see an Ellis/Gargano reunion at 97.5 for a morning show?
The announcement, brought to you by Crossing Broad.
We are here at the Wells Fargo Center, bringing you live coverage on here and on Twitter (@nickpiccone) from Wing Bowl 23. Keep it here for the latest updates, which will be added after the jump.
Last night was the first night in a long time I decided to listen to Josh Innes' night show from 6pm-10pm on SportsRadio 94WIP. You see, this was a big deal, because I kept the Flyers game on mute so I could listen to him. Innes entertains me. Most of the people who call into his show and get put on air seemingly don't get his schtick, despite Innes being on the air for over a year in this city. He still is looked at as an outsider and not a "Philly guy," which, for some reason, is held against him [I enjoy a perspective from someone not from here - it's refreshing]. People have called him a troll due to his failure to become a pro-Philly guy in the sports world. So much so that he's kind of taken the term "troll" to new heights.
Innes incorporated a "trolling segment" into his show in which he lets his audience know in advance that the following segment will be the trolling segment. He's not exactly trolling you - he's telling you he's going to troll you because I'm guessing a lot of the population of Philadelphia doesn't understand what trolling is. Last night, his trolling included hating on Brian Dawkins and loving Donovan McNabb. It's pretty easy to do this on radio, because people can just tune in to the radio whenever they want, and if they miss the segment prior in which Josh Innes explains the next segment will be nothing but a troll segment, then they don't really know what's going on. And a confused listener makes for the best caller. At least in this case.
But, I know it's trolling, and I think it's hilarious. I'm sure the people over at WIP do, too. That's not to say I'll listen every single night, but entertaining radio is entertaining radio, and I'll listen to whatever entertains me. Some people won't listen to Innes, and that's their right. But I don't think he's leaving any time soon.
I think my favorite last night was the first caller, who ended his call with, "eat my balls!" It was off to a great start. Listen to the entire segment after the jump, or click here.
Continue reading "After One Year, Philly Still Doesn't Get Josh Innes" »
This morning on 94WIP, Angelo Cataldi apparently went off on the local meteorologists for overestimating the strength of the snowstorm that never came. John Bolaris, who runs WeatherSavior.com, and just fired his friend for not updating a forecast in time a week ago, apparently tried to call in to defend his fellow brethren, and women...thren (?) and never got through. Apparently it was due to a tweet Bolaris sent a couple years ago, which Bolaris called "negative" towards Cataldi. Jim Adair of Crossing Broad conveniently aggregated the tweets.
I set out to try to find the tweet in question, and didn't really think I found it. But I gave it a shot.
Apparently, that was the tweet that broke Angelo's back.
I'm not entirely sure that's true. Cataldi wouldn't hold a grudge against Bolaris for that, would he? He's said much worse and gotten much worse criticism and still works with those people. I have a feeling there's another reason brewing here, and I'm sure I won't get to the bottom of it.
Photo credit: Muyi Li · The Daily Pennsylvanian
I asked Keith, who's been to three Wing Bowls in his life, to respond to Richard Rys' article in Philly Mag. Below is his reaction.
It seems like every year someone new feels inclined to take it upon themselves to be the white knight amidst the darkness that the city of Philadelphia apparently so desperately needs. Someone who can sit on their cloud of judgement and hand down life lessons to all the sinners. Trying to take down Wing Bowl for the 23rd time in a row by pointing out its underage drinking and rampant misogyny. This year it was Philly Mag's, Richard Rys.
Just to preface this, I've been to Wing Bowl three times now. When I was 20, 21, and 23 years old. Now at 25 and being the well-versed, wise, old sage that I am, I can look back at my time there with a little bit more of a level head. Yes, it was a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed myself while I was there. My buddies and I would meet up somewhere between midnight and 2am and start having some adult beverages and then we'd head over (with a DD, of course) right around the time the parking lot would open, which I think in those years was around 4am.
And I know you're saying, "But Keith, isn't the legal drinking age in the United States 21? You just said you were 20 when you went." Well, I looked it up and yes, that's correct. But, I don't know what to tell you. Because the truth of the matter is, the parking lot is swarming with underage drinkers. Two years ago I had the whole Malvern Prep football team drinking next to me in all their terrible, douchey, high school glory. Do I blame Wing Bowl for that? Hell no.
The parents of these kids should be the ones held responsible if you are so outraged by the underaged drinking going on. It's a Friday at 4am and its now Wing Bowl's 23rd year. If you don't know what your son is doing in that parking lot and what happens when he gets inside the Wells Fargo Center then you are either the most oblivious human on the planet or you simply don't care. To blame WIP and the Wing Bowl for having underage drinkers outside their stadium is like blaming the Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies, for doing the exact same thing. Except it happens way more often and in much greater numbers at these sporting events. Not a peep regarding them, though.
But drinking is not the basis of Richard Rys' article here. To him, the misogyny that occurs at this event is grounds for its termination. He condemns all 20,000 attendees as basically boozed up, inbred, animals who see a woman and can think of nothing else to do but club her over the head and drag her by her feet into their caves. On top of that, he drops this comparison:
The problem with Wing Bowl is the gross misogyny that’s overtaken the event — an event promoted by the same folks at WIP who were so (rightly) outraged at the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell over their handling of ex-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s domestic violence case. There is a connection between what Rice did in that casino elevator and what happens at Wing Bowl. And if the culture doesn’t change, this year’s Wing Bowl should be the last.
He then descirbes his time at the event:
Once you’re inside the arena now, there’s a sense that anything goes, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. You don’t just see videos of wing-eaters on the big screen — there’s a camera scanning the crowd, looking for one of the following: an attractive woman, whose image will send the audience into a “Show your tits” chant; two attractive women, which will inspire a cheer in hopes they’ll flash their breasts or start making out; or an obviously unattractive woman, who will get booed, especially if she pulls her shirt up. It’s like a Mötley Crüe concert circa 1987.
But mass classlessness isn’t where it ends. I’ve seen men grab two women by their heads and try to make them kiss, or claw at women’s shirts when the camera pans past, hoping to cop a feel or expose a breast. Guys pound on the hockey glass as the Wingettes pass by — sometimes they’re just making faces or acting like idiots; other times, they’re flipping the bird and spitting out words like “slut” and “whore.”
I can honestly tell you I've never felt this way while I was at the Wing Bowl. I didn't walk through the doors and immediatley look for the first ass I could smack. Didn't see any of the Wingettes and scream obscenities to them. And I certainly didn't grope or see a single person grope anyone in the three years I went. If we are being honest, all of the women shown on the jumbotron seemed to be more than willing to flash the crowd, laughing about it as they did it. Now, I certainly can't get into the minds of every woman there and truly know their intentions when they did this, but neither can Richard Rys [who only seems to point to Ronnie Polaneczky's article from last year], so to say its one way or the other is not only wrong, it's just a waste of time.
He goes on to talk about his female friend's experience:
Also in attendance at last year’s Wing Bowl was Ronnie Polaneczky, the columnist for the Daily News and a friend of mine. Ronnie — a wife and the mother of a college-age daughter — roamed the crowd for a firsthand look at the behavior on display. By the end of the morning, she’d gotten smacked on the ass to the tune of “Lookin’ good, babe!,” witnessed what may have been a public sex act, and watched a pair of young ladies get crowd-shamed into rubbing their bare chests against each other, then get groped by the men nearby.
Never in my time there have I seen anything like this. I mean this literally sounds like a brothel scene from Game of Thrones. Public sex act? Crowd shamed into rubbing their breasts together? Wow, that's an extremely persuasive crowd.
Two years ago, I brought my now fiancee, to the Wing Bowl. She wanted to see first hand what it was all about. I warned her exactly what it was. I told her every detail I could remember about its debauchery. She was fine with it. Not a single time did she have someone cat-call her, or slap her ass, or force her to do anything she didn't want to do. She had a great time. She told me she'd never go again, but that's because she values sleep way more than watching disgusting humans shove meat into their mouths without trying to puke.
Am I saying there is no harassment going on? No, I'm not. I'm sure there is from some guys. You know how I know? Because its a room full of 20,000 people! Most of which have drank beer and a lot of it. You think harassment doesn't happen at the Linc or at CBP with double or triple the amount of people there? I'm not saying its right or justified. It's not and it never will be.
Rys expands on his Ray Rice comparison:
Perhaps it’s unfair to draw a straight line between chanting “Show your tits” and punching a woman in the face and dragging her unconscious body out of an elevator. But does anyone imagine that the guy who felt free to butt-slap Ronnie — a stranger, in public — would, after Wing Bowl, be less inclined to smack his girlfriend or wife around?
With all due respect to the great people of Philadelphia, a city I love, I'm just going to lay it out right now. I always try to be honest with you and here is my genuine honesty. Some people who go to Wing Bowl are pieces of shit. I'm sorry, there is no other way to put it. But, if you go to Wing Bowl and sexually harass a woman, you are a piece of shit. If you get too drunk and can't control yourself so you yell at women and "grope" them, then you are a piece of shit. If you feel so inclined to go to Wing Bowl and see strippers as Wingettes, so you have the urge to go home and punch your wife or girlfriend, you are a piece of shit. You were a bad person before you got to Wing Bowl and you are a bad person after it. The actions that unfold over the few hours of the event is not going to change that.
The actions and views of a few lowlifes do not reflect the actions or views of the vast majority of the people there. It's not a family atmosphere, but that doesn't mean is a free-for-all of drunkards who are just looking for the closest woman to non-consensually mate with. If you want that, head to Atlantic City.
If you are for increasing a security and police presence and getting rid of the people who are doing this, then I'm all for it. Of course, if stuff like this happens it needs to be reported and that person needs to be thrown out or arrested.
What I'm trying to say is, why are we condemning the vast majority of Wing Bowl attendees who go to just have a good time with friends or with their own girlfriends or wives to watch some guys in capes eat chicken wings? Most go with the best intentions and just try to have fun instead of being stuck in work. If you see a few nipples in the process, then so be it.
Editor's note: I would argue that Richard Rys should maybe have interviewed past Wingettes for his piece, but he was only giving one side to the argument - his. Citing Ronnie Polaneczky's article was the only way he could supplement his argument, instead of new and refreshing interviews. That's going to be the main reason not many people are going to take him seriously.
Photo credit: Alejandro A. Alvarez/Philadelphia Daily News/AP
In recent years, proponents of ending 94 WIP's Wing Bowl have grown and grown, often using blog posts or newspaper articles to get their point across thoroughly. This year is no different.
You may remember last year, Ronnie Polaneczky skewered the Wing Bowl due to the debauchery inhibited by almost all of the men there, including one who smacked her on the ass. Of course, men and women came to the defense of the Wing Bowl, and in droves. There's two arguments here. Richard Rys, in his Philly Mag piece entitled Wing Bowl: Is It Time to End It?, uses the argument that the Wing Bowl should tone down its focus on Wingettes barely dressed in tight clothes and make the women more of ambassador-like figures, which could help the image of women who attend the Wing Bowl as being more than just attention whores. Get new sponsorships and get rid of the strip joint sponsorships that are now synonymous with Wing Bowl.
I tend to agree with him.
Once you’re inside the arena now, there’s a sense that anything goes, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. You don’t just see videos of wing-eaters on the big screen — there’s a camera scanning the crowd, looking for one of the following: an attractive woman, whose image will send the audience into a “Show your tits” chant; two attractive women, which will inspire a cheer in hopes they’ll flash their breasts or start making out; or an obviously unattractive woman, who will get booed, especially if she pulls her shirt up. It’s like a Mötley Crüe concert circa 1987.
But mass classlessness isn’t where it ends. I’ve seen men grab two women by their heads and try to make them kiss, or claw at women’s shirts when the camera pans past, hoping to cop a feel or expose a breast. Guys pound on the hockey glass as the Wingettes pass by — sometimes they’re just making faces or acting like idiots; other times, they’re flipping the bird and spitting out words like “slut” and “whore.”
I agree with Richard's main point due to the fact that the people who run the Wing Bowl, Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti, can one day be so outraged at Ray Rice for knocking out his future wife out cold, and then call the woman who wrote a scathing article on the Wing Bowl a "bitch who needs an enema." He admits whether that's a fair comparison or not, the people who run this event are talking out both sides of their mouths.
Yes, women do know "what they're getting into" when attending the Wing Bowl. But the very fact that that has to be said is kind of discouraging. It shouldn't be an event where you tell a lady, "well, you knew what you were getting into, so the fact that a guy grabbed your ass and breasts means you were asking for it."
Attending the Wing Bowl as a woman isn't a signed contract that men can do to them whatever they want. Not all the women who attend Wing Bowl should expect to be groped, touched, or even yelled at. Some of them enjoy that, and more power to them. But not all of them do, and I think it's time that some of the people who attend the event hold the women in a higher regard. All that being said, Wing Bowl is still a good time when people just go there to have fun and not worry about groping women.
You can still buy Wing Bowl tickets here.
To read Rich's entire article, click here.
We've pushed Jim Ross' one-man show the afternoon of the Royal Rumble on January 25th.
We've urged you to get your cheapest tickets available for the Royal Rumble right here.
Now, we're urging you to attend Wing Bowl, on January 30th, where you just might see the Hardcore Icon, Mick Foley, probably do his most dangerous stunt - wing-eating.
Today on the 94WIP Morning Show, Angelo Cataldi announced that Mick Foley would be competing in the 23rd annual Wing Bowl, before introducing him as a guest on his show. Wing Bowl takes place five days after the Royal Rumble at the Wells Fargo Center, so this couldn't have been a better marriage.
“Perhaps I will even wear black converse and my Rocky robe signed by [Sylvester] Stallone for this endeavor,” Foley said. “They’ve [Philadelphia fans have] always accepted me with open arms and win, lose, or draw, they know that I’m not going down without a fight.”
Foley will also be appearing at Sugar House Casino after the Wing Bowl and will also be signing autographs at the Sports Vault at the King Of Prussia Mall on Saturday, January 31st from 11am-12:30pm.
If you don't know who Mick Foley is, here you go:
Foley said he would officially change his last name to 'Wing Bowl' after winning the contest. Listen to the audio, via CBS Philly, after the jump. Buy your Wing Bowl tickets here.
Continue reading "Mick Foley Will Be Competing at Wing Bowl 23" »
Have you never been to a Wing Bowl?
Count yourself lucky.
But... if you're looking for some debauchery and shenanigans really, really [and I mean really] early in the morning, then the Wells Fargo Center on Friday, January 30th is the place to be for you.
Tickets are available here, but those will be gone soon. If they're gone by the time you read this, you can grab tickets right here. Didn't win any when you called into the Morning Show? Buy 'em here!
Wing Bowl officially begins at 6am when the Morning Show goes on the air on 94WIP, but for some, it'll start a lot earlier than that. It's one of the craziest days of the year in Philadelphia, and it's grown tremendously over the last couple of decades. So, buy your tickets!
...
Some bits:
-They're having a Battle of the Bands contest. Yours can be the official House Band of Wing Bowl 23!
-They want as many Jerry Jones look-a-likes as possible. So, if you know someone who looks like the Dallas Cowboys owner, click here.
-Keep checking back here and BleedPhilly.com for the latest news on Wing Bowl 23, and listen to Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team on 94 WIP every morning beginning at 5:30am for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Wing Bowl.
For a preview of what to expect at Wing Bowl, watch some of the qualifying stunts after the jump.
"Hey, I haven't progressed one bit!"
Earlier tonight on SportsRadio 94WIP, Brian Haddad (@BrianJHaddad) had former Oklahoma Sooners and Dallas Cowboys head coach, Barry Switzer, on for an interview. While talking about what kind of quarterbacks he likes, The Switz said he wants a black quarterback. He meant a running quarterback. No, well, actually, he meant a black quarterback.
Psst... someone notify him that Marcus Mariota isn't black.
Switzer hasn't hid from this type of narrative. He, in fact, has gone on record as saying he would never recruit a white quarterback unless both of his parents were black. Back in February, Switzer was asked if he would recruit Johnny Manziel in the upcoming NFL draft. Switzer responded:
"I love his ability; Johnny can play," Switzer said. "I've always said I'd never recruit a white quarterback. The only way I'd ever recruit a white quarterback to play for me was if his mom and daddy would have to both be black, and that's the only way I would do it."
"My offense is a quarterback-fullback offense," Switzer continued. "I'd have to have a Jamelle Holieway, J.C. Watts [or] Thomas Lott. Those guys are gonna be my quarterbacks, they're great runners, they're great ball carriers and ... able to pass, complete some, and those guys could. Those guys could throw and run."
So, there's that. It's clearly the old school mindset that black quarterbacks can't throw the ball from the pocket, so they have to use their legs and athletic prowess to succeed. This is what Donovan McNabb didn't want to be known for as an NFL quarterback while an Eagle. I was young and dumb then, but now I understand where he was coming from in regards to not wanting to be labeled a running quarterback. It's because of people like Barry Switzer.
Regardless of the reason, it's still weird to hear in 2015 that a coach/scout would make his decision on a quarterback based on his race.
You can listen to the entire interview here.
A few days ago, 94WIP re-signed morning show host Angelo Cataldi to a multi-year extension, one year after he almost died. Next on the docket was their decision regarding Anthony Gargano, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the year.
The verdict is in, and Gargano is officially done with WIP.
Kyle Scott of Crossing Broad reported a few days ago through sources that WIP wanted to replace Gargano and Rob Ellis' time slot with Josh Innes, who already has sort of a rivalry with 97.5 The Fanatic host, Mike Missanelli.
As I mentioned the other day, Gargano’s contract is up in… carry the 2… subtract 94.1… exactly 12 days, and as of yet no deal on an extension has been reached. The thought is that WIP Operations Manager Andy Bloom eventually plans to put his guy, Josh Innes, on in the afternoons. I’m told WIP offered Gargano a one-year extension, perhaps to give Innes more time to be groomed for that role and thus his battle with stated foe Mike Missanelli. Gargano, not surprisingly, didn’t appreciate the offer. Ensuing negotiations have been contentious. I’m also hearing that there have been discussions between Gargano and 97.5 The Fanatic Program Director Matt Nahigian about Cuz hosting a show that leads into Missanelli’s. It would cost Greater Media (97.5) some dough, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out.
Gargano and Missanelli could reunite at 97.5, but with Missanelli's success by his lonesome, and 97.5's refusal to pay Tony Bruno big money, a Gargano jump to 97.5, like Scott says above, seems unlikely. There is also the possibility Gargano could bring some well-needed recognition to Wildfire Radio, who is poised to add a few big names in Philadelphia sports talk radio at the turn of the new year. Gargano would be a great get if they could nab him. WF Radio already is the host to some well-recognized Philly sports talk names, such as Brian Startare, Darren DeGaetano, Big Daddy Graham, Anthony SanFilippo and Rob Maaddi, and Mitch Williams with a lot more coming.
Through the years, I've increasingly heard the Philly sports crowd turn on Gargano. In a 2011 listener advisory panel discussion [fancy words for focus group], WIP Operations Manager Andy Bloom made it clear that regardless of the panel's view of Gargano, which wasn't good, he was the face of WIP and would remain at the station in a high capacity. This was a few months before Eskin "retired." Then came Glen Macnow's departure a couple of years later. Gargano increasingly gave off the impression that because of his history in talking with players and executives, he knew a lot more than his callers and gave off that vibe of condescension. He also became very buddy-buddy with his interview guests and it became a conversation between them rather than one that includes the audience.
It remains to be seen if Gargano lands with another local radio station, winds up doing television, or goes elsewhere [unlikely because he now has a family].
The king (?) of morning sports talk in Philadelphia is staying put for now. Yesterday, 94WIP announced a new contract for morning show host, Angelo Cataldi. Cataldi has hosted WIP's morning show since 1990 and has become a ratings juggernaut for the station from its run on the AM dial to its new home on 94.1 FM. [CBS Philly]
“It’s a true thrill and honor to know that all my years on the radio will be working for WIP,” said Cataldi. “It’s a rarity for an on-air personality to have their entire broadcasting career, spanning nearly three decades, all at one station. I am grateful to have a great supporting cast and privileged to work for CBS RADIO who trusts me with the morning show on the best sports radio station, in the greatest sports town anywhere.”
After the announcement, Cataldi spoke to Philly.com's Molly Eichel, who noted Cataldi had three and five year options
"I figure that'll probably be it for me," Cataldi, who has been with the station since 1990, said. "I think someone else should get a chance after this one. I definitely wanted to hang around awhile longer because I just got to make it long enough for the Eagles to win a super bowl. Then I’ll see what I needed to see, I’ve always had this fear the year after I left they’d win a championship. That’s the ultimate goal. I would love to see them do it and I think with Chip Kelly they can."
According to his Wikipedia page, Cataldi announced on October 15th of this year that he was selling his house in Medford, alluding to his possible retirement after his contract expired. He isn't going anywhere now. WIP also re-signed Cataldi's co-hosts, Al Morganti and Keith Jones, to multi-year extensions as well. Rhea Hughes is on a different contract schedule, so her's wasn't coming up any time soon, according to Eichel.
I also think Cataldi wanted to throw a few more Wing Bowls himself since it's become a monster event that emanates from the Wells Fargo Center every year the Friday before the Super Bowl. And if it wasn't for Spike Eskin saving Cataldi's life almost one year ago, this would not be happening.
Below is the finished product of what could have eventually been the last time anyone saw Angelo Cataldi. We're extremely lucky that wasn't the case.
[...does it surprise anyone that Hollis Thomas has two?...]
Notwithstanding 94WIP's big news, Kyle Scott of Crossing Broad had some information regarding the status of Anthony Gargano, whose contract is set to expire soon.
No word of the contract status of Anthony Gargano, whose deal is up at the end of the year. The prevailing theory is that he’ll re-sign, but I’ve heard that WIP has been less than willing to offer him a multi-year renewal in his current time slot, with the thought being that Josh Innes, who is sort of (Operations Manager) “Andy Bloom’s guy,” could eventually take over in the 2-6 spot. My guess is that Gargano re-signs, but for how long and with what terms… that’s probably up for debate. He could also talk to 97.5. Multiple sources say there have been conversations between the two parties with unknown levels of formality. Gargano wouldn’t come cheap for 97.5, which lately seems to prefer shedding salary as opposed increasing it. At the very least, those conversations could give Gargano some leverage with WIP.
I'm Gargano'ed out, and Innes has climbed the mountain within the past year to become prominent in the 6pm-10pm time slot on weekdays. He might have to tone down some of his rhetoric in a different time slot because it's a slightly different audience, but I don't see how having Innes on the air in the afternoon would be bad for WIP. It'd probably be a stroke of genius.
On January 30th, 2015, the Wing Bowl returns to the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. Get your tickets here.
For past Wing Bowl reviews right here on Bleed Philly, click here.
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