Glenn OrdwaySince the 1970’s Glenn Ordway has been stirring things up on the Boston Radio airwaves.

After a short stint as a General Hospital actor, Ordway turned his attention to radio as the Sports Director and talk show host of WMEX/WIS. In 1981 he moved on to WRKO, hosting the popular “SportsCall” radio show and serving as sports director. It was during this time that he also joined Johnny Most in the Celtics radio booth, where he remained for 13 years.

When the Celtics moved to WEEI (Then AM 590) in 1987, Ordway followed, and has been at the station since. The Big Show began in 1995, and has become a staple on the Boston airwaves.

Earlier this year, Ordway had a scare in his personal life during the birth of his daughter Mia. Both his daughter and wife suffered severe complications during delivery, which took Ordway off the air for a couple of weeks. Both mother and daughter are doing better, and Ordway is back in his familiar spot on the afternoon drive.

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{democracy:59}

 

 

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Published by Bruce Allen

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84 thoughts on “Approval Ratings – Glenn Ordway”

  4. Well, I know his show is very successful, but it ceased to be entertaining long ago. In no way is it informative. They’ve found the lowest common denominator, and it’s extremely low. For these reasons, a strong disapproval.

    Like

  5. A bit conflicted on this one. Big Gunt, man boobs, multiple chins, weeble-esque figure. Makes up contrived storylines, is a marketing consultant for a supposed charity tailgate. Fired a hard-working son of a sports radio giant who loves Chinese food. Is Gunt Size thicker than blood? no.

    Disapprove!!!

    Like

  6. I’m preparing for an onslaught of “Good at what he does…Moves the show along nicely…Engages the guest hosts…blah, friggin blah, bittedy, blah..”

    What does he do? Sits on the fence, waits for the outcome, then lies and tells you he was right along. Tries to get his inferior IQ guest host to fight amongst each other. Dismisses callers as idiots (in WEEI’s case, he’s right on that one.) Maybe the only guy Andelman has a grudge with that I’d have to side with Captain Ducksauce on.

    When he talks football, either on air, or on that crappy tailgate show with the two phony tough guy bikers, I feel like vomiting. He gave up watching the NBA once his radio gig ended, but still considers himself an expert on the game.

    Failed soap opera actor.

    DISAPPROVE 1000%

    Like

  8. Looks like an otter…undersized vertically, oversized horizontally…difficult to play with your head on a swivel with no neck…thinks he’s an NBA/business expert and is convinced everything can be dumbed down to “leverage”…brings Larry Johnson Butch Stearns and Steve Burton on the air through a his work with a foundation that helps mentally deficient adults get to perform real work, only these three weren’t qualified to make birdhouses…seems to bring out the worst in good guys TEC and Bradford.

    DISAPPROVE? CORRECT.

    Like

    1. Edited for horrible grammar:

      Looks like an otter…undersized vertically, oversized horizontally…difficult to play with your head on a swivel with no neck…thinks he’s an NBA/business expert and is convinced everything can be dumbed down to “leverage”…brings Larry Johnson Butch Stearns and Steve Burton on the air through his work with a foundation that helps mentally deficient adults perform real work, only these three weren’t qualified to make birdhouses…seems to bring out the worst in good guys TEC and Bradford.

      DISAPPROVE? CORRECT.

      Like

  10. I don’t doubt his knowledge and there is no doubting his ratings, but I can’t forgive the guy for making the current sports radio format dreadful. I guess there are tons of people out there that enjoy contrived storylines and excess drama, but if I wanted that I’d watch soap operas (or wrestling).

    Glenn was a major driving force behind turning local Sports Radio into crap. Unfortunately, people listen despite the cancerous effect on the intellect. I just turn the dial.

    Big thumbs down.

    Like

  11. Disapprove.

    Steve Burton, Steve DeOssie, Fred Smerlas, Butch Stearns, Bill Burt, Larry Johnson, Pete Sheppard, Steve Buckley, Tony Mazz.

    These are the people Ordway has forced on the listening public.

    Stole the whiner line from Howie Carr’s chump line.

    I’m willing to bet he’d run over an old lady for a free meal

    A master at taking both sides of the issue.

    An NBA “expert” (just ask him, wait you don’t have to he’ll tell you).

    Professional ticket scalper, i mean “broker”.

    Would make an outstanding middle manager at a large corporation. (Surround yourself with idiots and you’ll always look good).

    Like

  13. All the people are saying ‘I don’t think I approve Ordway’ thats what they’re saying out there in this town right now.

    They are absolutely saying they don’t approve, but I’m not so sure that that isn’t an incorrect thing to say. Am I saying that no one approves, absolutely not. Of course there are people who approve, how would they get those ratings with the numbers and the places in the books like they do?

    You do not get numbers in the ratings like that without some people approving. But thats not what they’re saying in this town ok? They’re saying they don’t approve.

    They’re all calling, they say to me all the time, I like when Pete hosts the show, why doesn’t Pete host all the time. That is not how it works ok. You need to know how things work within the system, because the system is based on parts that go together. You can’t just say oh let this guy do this and then we can do this. That is absolutely not how it doesn’t work. When the parts of the system aren’t working in the system then it doesn’t work. But they don’t know how the ratings with the and the ratings don’t lie, the ratings with their formulas and their neilsens and their focus groups, people don’t understand how those work but they call up saying how it is supposed to work and how the ratings are wrong.

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  14. Disapprove.

    When the only good part of the Big Show is the Whiner Line, then you need to take a look at what could possibly be turning off Boston sports fans. Here’s looking at you, O.

    Like

  15. Gives himself the credit for making EEI what it is today. I totally agree, which is why I want him to burn in hell.

    Thinks he is an absolute laugh riot, which could make for some awkward moments in studio were he not to have surrounded himself with sycophants ready to disintegrate into peels of laughter at each cleverly-phrased bon mot. Steve Burton doesn’t understand why Glenn isn’t appearing at the HaHa House this weekend.

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    1. Steve Burton is moved to gales of laughter by “creepy, creepy spider”.

      Oh wait! He makes more money than I do! They see right through me! Oh…OHHHHH!

      Like

  16. Approve, although begrudgingly. He has mastered the art of using nitwit callahs to a science. Keeps his cohosts at an intellectual level lower than himself in order to appear more knowledgeable. If Kahn ever leaves EEI and they get serious with their drivetime programming, he’s toast.

    Like

  17. Roly-poly pied piper of the louder is better school of discourse. My least favorite move of his is when he tells a caller or co-host “hold on, hold on” as he finishes a point with the gravitas of Moses delivering the commandments. Defense wins championships? Saints be praised, I never knew! You know what else? Pork chops clog arteries. Does Davios serve salad? Smart enough to surround himself with trglodytes so he seems sharp by comparison, I’ll give him that. Moves the show along, unlike the buffet line, which I imagine stops like a 6 car pileup when Glen hits the gravy station. As far as General Hospital alums go, I’d rather hear Luke and Laura talk about never having too much pitching than hearing Ordway bloviate on which way the wind is blowing out ther, right now, in this town.

    DISAPPROVE

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    1. “Moves the show along, unlike the buffet line, which I imagine stops like a 6 car pileup when Glen hits the gravy station.’

      BRILLIANT! Approve of this post!

      Would rather hear Mike and the Mad Dog talk about Syracuse lacrosse than just about anything on Ordway’s show.

      Like

  18. Two very large thumbs up here! Nobody with his gravitas can stir the pot the way he does yet get away with. You folks are missing the bus.

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    1. The “Genius of Glenn” defense. Well played.

      Extra points for “gravitas”. Most people would have simply said ‘fat’.

      Like

  19. He loves to stir the pot. Often allows his guests to yell over one another, sometimes for minutes at a time.

    Likes to belittle callers when it’s unnecessary.

    Four thumbs down.

    Like

  20. How can you not vote approve? Fried foods are also heartattack-inducingly bad but you wouldn’t disapprove them, would you? Ordway might be the Satan of Sportsradio, but like Lucifer himself this man is absolutely brilliant at what he does. Glenn can take the most inane of sports/media topics and fill four hours of radio airtime bludgeoning it beyond recognition, and he’s got the boffo ratings to back it up. When he takes his customary 3-6 weeks of summer vacation the lasting effect is felt when Big Pete tries to stumble and stutter his way through the afternoon drive time slot.

    Richard Simmons, Ryan Seacrest, Rachel Ray and the Big O…Satan created these creatures as the modern day apocolyptic four horsemen and we will continue to watch or listen to them no matter how bad we know they are.

    Like

    1. He is really good at what he does, but what he does is worthless.

      It’s like Budweiser, they do a really good job making it taste the same everywhere, unfortunately it tastes like crap.

      Like

  21. Thank God for Sirius where I can get real sports talk radio. You can actually feel yourself losing IQ points listing to Ordway and his minions.

    Disapprove.

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  22. During those rare moments when Glenn allows people with an informed, intellectual opinion to comment, the “Big Show” is a worthwhile program to listen to. The problem is that there are few moments that fall into that category and even fewer people. This has nothing to do with my feelings for the majority of flunkies he currently employs as co-hosts. But for all the complaining people do about Buckley’s “old time stories” and Mazzes’ “hold on Glenn” moments, Ordway far more often talks over everybody to provide us with his deeply rooted thoughts. Heaven forbid if you don’t agree.
    I’ve changed stations numerous times because everybody with a mic (and a phone) is talking at once and Glenn does nothing to control that (mostly because he’s the leader of the yack). The Big Show will be in deep and serious trouble if either 1510thezone or 890Espn decide to really go after that audience (trust me, Felger doesn’t count as being serious. the only opinion he cares about is his own).

    Like

  23. Has an excellent grasp of the obvious and a keen ability to read something on espn.com or this site and make it sound like he has inside info.

    Like

  25. Finally!! I’ve been waiting for this major league d-bag to be on the Approve/Disapprove list since it first began.

    Where does one begin? The (with few exceptions) idiotic co-hosts he forces on the public airwaves? The contrived “stoooory lines?” The back stabbing? The flip-flopping on almost every issue followed by the inevitable back-tracking and iconic “that’s not what I said” rejoinder? The incredibly annoying know-it-all personality? The self-proclaimed NBA “expert?”

    For a short, fat guy from Lynn with a Brillo pad mustache, lesbian-inspired haircut, and no discernable skills other than flaping his gums four hours a day, he sure has an incredibly high opinion of himself.

    Disapprove with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns in this town right now.

    Like

  26. I’m sorry, he’s still better than Golf Boy and the Giant Forehead. But I had to disapprove, if for no other reason than half the nitwits on the continuously horrific Whiner Line (which he stole from Howie Carr – who is even WORSE – if it were possible). And the Big Show now seems to consist entirely of Pete yelling at people and idiots like Smerlas talking over the other hosts. Way to go.
    But hey Glen, congrats on winning Toucher and Rich’s Worst Sportcaster bracket! Coupla beers, no beers. Chili.

    Like

  27. Disapprove with the intensity of 1,000 suns.

    How this bloated, unathletic, arrogant, wind-bag ever became the dearly departed Johnny Most’s color man is one of broadcastings great mysteries.

    He’s created a cottage industry by surrounded himself with moronic, ignorant, uninformative sicophants like Buckley, Sheppard, DeOssie, Smerlas, Burton, Johnson, Stearns, etc. and the same 20 cellar dwelling shut-ins who call his show each weekday to obsess about such critical issues like: “is Manny’s hamstring really hurting?”, “why isn’t KG working the low post?”, “why doesn’t the country like the Patriots?”.

    If WEEI went off the air – other than the aforementioned – who would really miss it?

    Like

  28. I can’t stand how he makes fun of callers when they have trade ideas before he even hears them out. Yes, many are stupid, but so are the opinions of the host and co-host many times. But, because they somehow ended up on the show, they must know more than everyone else, right?
    WEEI is only doing well because this is a good sports town with teams doing well and fans want to engage. They do well in spite of the on-air ‘talent’ I much prefer Dale and Holley over everyone at that radio station.

    Like

    1. I second that.

      Why does he have to mock callers who want to talk about proposed trades? Isn’t that part of the fun of being a sports fan?

      That’s one of Ordway’s more unattractive traits as a talk show host.

      Like

    2. While I agree on the surface, have you ever listened to some of the idiot trades people call in with? After hearing callers chime in with some real gems (I’ll never forget the chucklehead who called in with Lugo, Crisp and a prospect for Fausto Carmona), I’d be quickly skeptical when a caller says they have a trade idea.

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      1. Hah! That Carmona proposed trade is nothing compared to the one idiot who called Eddie Andelman back in the late 80s and suggested that the Celtics trade “Ainge and their first round pick” to Philadelphia for Charles Barkley.

        Yup…..Barkley, just entering his prime for merely an above-average shooting guard pushing 30 and a late first round draft pick….to a division rival no less!

        That one still stands as the all-time dumb trade proposal ever to hit the Boston airwaves IMO!

        Like

      2. does anybody have an smidgen of a doubt that if any one “caller” called up one year ago and proposed on-air the EXACT same trade for either Ray Allen or KG to K.D. Ordway, he would have brushed it aside & dismissed the caller for being an idiot??

        Like

  29. Disapprove, but not as heartily as most people do.

    I think he’s a blowhard and The Big Show is nothing more than a repository for immature hacks who can’t handle an ounce of criticism without getting stunningly aggressive in their response(s). However, I think he does a pretty good job on interviews…with the exception of the Belichick butt-kissing during football season, when it’s, well, nothing but butt-kissing.

    I liked him better as the C’s color commentator during the 80s.

    Like

  30. Approve.

    His knowledge of all things football is truly astounding.

    “8 in the box”

    “Press coverage”

    “Slide protection”

    Like

  31. Glenn has Larry Johnson, Steve DeOssie, Tony Mazz, and Steve Buckley on his show. Mike Felger has Peter Gammons, Bob Ryan, Ryen Russillo, and John Clayton. Gee, who am I gonna listen to?

    I rarely listen to the Big Blow any more.

    Like

  33. While I do not understand AT ALL his fascination with some of the bad co-hosts (Smerlas, LJ, Pete, Butch Stearns, Steve Burton, Deossie), I do recognize him as one of the best sports interviewers in the nation. He does really enjoy sports which is more than you can say then most of the guys who have been on the scene for the last 30 years. He is genuinely a very, very nice man as well. As much as he might annoy you on air, you can’t take that away from a guy. He does have some good co-hosts but he does have to take the blame for the aforementioned absymal ones.

    Overall though, APPROVE.

    Like

    1. “Best in the nation?” BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…He’s not even the best in Ted Nation. Which reminds me…he and his co-horts riduculed and mocked Ted “The Humorless Ghoul” into early retirement. Granted, Ted was a mean spirited creep with a short fuse, but I never thought I’d see the day I’d be begging for his return to replace the god-awful Mike Adams.

      Nice man? Shived both Johnny Most and Andelman’s kid in the back (for the second hatchet job…he get’s a pass.)

      He enjoys the sound of his own voice far more than any enjoyment of sports.

      Like

  34. I wish Ordway would have Craig Mustard as a co-host for just one day. Mustard never fails to rap Ordway, likely because he had never gotten over being fired by him. One other thing…am I the only one who thinks that the Big O impersonator on the winer line is awful and sounds nothing like Ordway? Yet Andy sticks him on at the end of the segment like it is the grand finale.

    Like

  35. Disapprove. You have to hand it to him, though. He’s made himself quite a handsome living catering to the lowest common denominator of sportsfans in the area.

    Like

  36. According to insiders, has over 5.2 $million in his savings account and at least that amount in real estate/stocks … A genius-level I.Q. with a blue-collar mindset … His 20-plus years in the NBA make him comfortable with african-americans … A Belichekian eye for undervalued talent (Shepard, Burt, etc.) … Apple shaped frame will soon result in a severe cardiac incident. However, Unlike Tim Russett, keeps a defribulater close by in the studio … Friendly but ruthless, too. He constantly back-stabbed his mentor, Johnny Most and then pushed him out of a job when Most was ill … Paradoxically, he can be loyal to a fault (Larry Johson, Pete Gustin) … Is far-and-away the most powerful man in Boston sports media.

    Like

  37. huge fan of the mock turtleneck. my hypothesis is the baby sausage fingers have trouble with buttons.

    Like

  38. Like the rest at that station and the media at large a prisoner of his own golems. Thinks reality exists in the space between the whiner line and Davios. Gun chewing louts on the one hand and people who matter on the other. Has done a tremendous job morphing into Andelman. Probably hasn’t seen himself urinate in 20 years.

    Like

  39. I think that his sports knowledge consists of reading the Herald and Globe and then changing a few words to make it sound like he has his own opinion. I think his angle of “I used to do basketball announcing” is irrelevant because he’s clueless about the current NBA. Relies on cliches to make points instead of facts, stats and salient points.

    However, obviously his show’s doing something right because I keep listening. He seems to be a decent host, in terms of moving the show along, keeping it on task, etc. But otherwise, he just takes up (a boatload of) space.

    And obviously Steve Burton, Larry Johnson and Bill Burt have naked pictures of him with a WEEI intern, because there’s no other possible reason that they should be on The Big Show.

    Like

  40. I’m sorry, did someone say Bill Burt was UNDERVALUED talent?

    That joke was hysterical – you should call the Whiner Line with that. Thanks for a great laugh.

    Like

  41. Doesn’t know all that much about sports and screams at the occasional caller who exposes this. Speaks in generalities and “storylines” to mask his lack of knowledge. One of the most annoying radio personalities in this or any market.

    Disapprove.

    Like

  42. I don’t understand it. Does anyone on this blog listen to radio in other markets? It is so dry that its unlistenable. I was in Detroit last week and they were still breaking down whether it was fair to fire Flip Saunders. The host said he was an OK coach though he trusts Dumars, even if Dumars is now hiring a nobody to lead his team and made the worst draft pick (Darko over Carmelo and D-Wade) since Bowie was picked over Jordan. They took calls from about 10 callers, all who gave a yea-or-nay vote and a weak three sentence explanation for their decision. YAWN! I was laughing at how lame it was. It’s the same in other markets too.

    I think WEEI could do the listeners a favor by putting better co-hosts than Bill Burt, Bitch Stearns or Larry Johnson with Ordway. That said, Ordway does an incredible job making totally lame co-hosts listenable, and bringing new angles to topics. You realize he is on the air for four hours a day, right?

    Not everyone who listens to WEEI is a nitwit. If you don’t like it, listen to Felger or a national radio feed.

    Like

  43. Approve.

    Glen’s a regular guy who like most regular guys enjoys his 10 weeks of vacations a year.

    The free food that Glen scrafs on repeatedly is not caviar – nope, it’s regular guy food from high end back bay restaraunts.

    Like most regular guys Glen drives to and from work in his free regular guy car.

    Glen used to cover the NBA and I used to write stories about how Whitey kept the drugs out of South Boston.

    Glen Ordway – he’s America’s regular guy.

    Like

  44. I can’t disapprove strongly enough.

    I completely agree with everything everyone’s said about the Big O. There are so many things I dislike about this guy…including his propensity to say ‘hold on hold on hold on’ when he’s getting ready to disagree with a caller…

    The Big Show has gotten progressively worse over the past few years…to the point now where it’s completely unlistenable because of the Big O’s own personality and because of all the other nitwit co-hosts he has on the show with him. I hardly even listen anymore.

    I hate all the fat jokes.
    I hate his ‘know it all’ personality in which he belittles and mocks callers.
    I hate his over inflated ego.
    I hate it when he flip flops on topics and then backtracks and denies he ever said what he said…

    I find it really annoying how he jokes and prides himself on how many vacation days he takes.

    It’s also annoying how he virtually never agrees with callers…a caller is never right or could never make a thoughtful, original point. The Big O always puts his callers down and takes the opposite view just to show that he is the ultimate authority…

    The Big Show has been stale for a long time. The same callers call in every day talking about the same tired stuff. Mike and the Maddog on WFAN is way better.

    Did he steal the Big Show name from SportsCenter?

    Unfortunately Ordway isn’t going anywhere because unfortunately he’s grown into one of the most powerful men in the Boston Sports Media and because the ratings are always strong despite the showing being terrible.

    Like

  46. I stopped listening when he started treating Belichick like his next of kin.

    Haven’t tuned in since…and don’t plan to, either.

    Like

    2. yeah really, what has Belichick done anyway?…Ordway should be grilling him and asking the TOUGH questions

      Like

  49. Man do I dislike this guy. Indulges the bad callers and dismisses the good ones by mis-reading or ignoring their point. Thinks he’s the reason the station has high ratings and preaches to people like being on the radio has qualified him as an expert. Funny how the show is so much better when Sheppard covers for him.

    Like

  50. I was going to vote approve until I read this…

    “What causes Stockholm Syndrome? Captives begin to identify with their captors initially as a defensive mechanism, out of fear of violence. Small acts of kindness by the captor are magnified, since finding perspective in a hostage situation is by definition impossible. Rescue attempts are also seen as a threat, since it’s likely the captive would be injured during such attempts.

    It’s important to note that these symptoms occur under tremendous emotional and often physical duress. The behavior is considered a common survival strategy for victims of interpersonal abuse, and has been observed in battered spouses, abused children, prisoners of war, concentration camp survivors, and WEEI listeners.”

    DISAPPROVE! Take one good goddamn look in the mirror people, you deserve better. (Well maybe not “former radio guy”, but the rest of you!)

    Like

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