Well, for the next 10 days or so, anyway.

Once again in the “Bruce’s great timing” department, I’m heading out this afternoon for some family time. I’ll be gone the rest of this week and all of next week. I might chime in on Twitter from time to time @BruceAllen but for at least part of the time I’m away, I’ll be totally without internet access. That period happens to include Sunday and Monday, so reaction to the Patriots game, win or lose, will have to wait.

I’m looking forward to the rest of the week without sports radio and TV here. On Saturday, I’ll get to watch the games with the other side of the family, who happen to be HUGE 49ers fans. Well at least now they are. Those Bay Area folks are fickle. Maybe that’s what happens when you have local teams in both leagues to root for. The family has big A’s fans, except when the Giants are winning the World Series. Huge Raiders fans in the 70’s, (There’s still a Jim Plunkett autographed photo on the wall of my wife’s grandmother’s spare bedroom) and the 49ers fans in the 80’s and 90’s, and now again. They’re pretty consistent with the Warriors, I guess.

Anyway, should be interesting. If the unthinkable happens Saturday night, at least on Sunday morning I’ll be driving down the Pacific Coast Highway towards San Luis Obispo free from whatever is going on back home.  

While I’m gone, I do have content lined up almost every day. Here’s what it looks like:

Thursday, January 12 – From the PFW Archives, an interview I did with Fran Charles of the NFL Network last year.
 
Friday, January 13 –  Guest column – The State of Network TV Sports News, by Frank H Shorr, Director of the Sports Institute at Boston University

Monday, January 16 – Holiday. I may put up sort of a generic post so that people can chime in the comments section about what happened Saturday night.

Tuesday, January 17 – Guest Column – L.A. To Boston And Everything In Between: A Sports Reporter’s Tale, By Jackie Pepper, former CSNNE anchor and reporter.

Wednesday, January 18 – Guest Column – Why write? Why not? by Michael Gee

Thursday, January 19 – From the PFW archives, an interview I did with Jason La Canfora,  of the NFL Network in 2009.

Friday, January 20 – TBA.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

9 thoughts on “You’re On Your Own, Kids.”

  1. Enjoy your time off, Bruce. IF the unthinkable happens on Saturday night… I will be soooo jealous of you.

    Free Jackie Pepper!! Goddamn I miss that little chick.

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  2. How can Tony make that comment when he takes joy in what he perceives as the Patriots ineptitude … I sooooooo can’t listen to sports radio anymore.

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  4. For more stupidity at 98.5 (I have to laugh at Evil Tony's idea that *we* have problems when we take joy in our rival's failures because then what does he have?), I listened to Gresh & Zo at the top of the 10AM spot today. They were talking about Tebow being the most popular active professional athlete for the month of December and only the 11th person so anointed in the past 18 years on this ESPN poll. Then it gets dumb. Gresh then wonders what Tebow's ranking on this same poll was back when he was in college, winning national championships, etc., and why hadn't he won this poll before because Tebow was the best college football player he's ever seen, and so on.

    Um, Gresh? Newsflash: College players are NOT professional athletes, therefore he could not have possibly been on this poll. Sigh.

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  5. He actually said that’s what he used to believe until Lebron James came around and he took joy in watching him lose. I hate Mazz as much as anyone but you’re quoting him incorrectly.

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  6. So I just spent 3 days in las Vegas (at CES). There are TV's everywhere playing ESPN in the casinos..especially at all the bars. No matter when I glanced in they were running some feature on Tim Tebow and the Broncos. It was hysterical…and full of hysterics. The Patriots…at least nationally…. are an after thought in this game. When i ran into people at tables they would ask me if I seriously thought the Patriots could beat Denver. It was difficult not to laugh at these people. ESPN has made Tebow into the second coming of Brett Favre. I am guessing that Tom Brady, he of no public ego but with the burning competitive hatred for anyone who doubts or overlooks him…if thoroughly enjoying the coverage Tebow is getting. Bring on Saturday already.

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  7. Kickoff for the Patriots and Broncos starts in a few hours so I thought I would give my three biggest concerns for the game. They are ranked from the least important to the most important.

    3) Pass Defense – This one is pretty obvious. I am going to hope beyond all hope that when a football is in the air the defensive backs will actually turn around. It is mystifying how the D-backs can't seem to do what I would think is a basic skill for the position and look for the football. Devin McCourty has become so bad at this that he may be a safety for the rest of the season. It is a shame because you can tell he is loved by every one on the team and they want him to do well. How many times do you see Bill Belichick go onto the field when a player is injured? But McCourty just seems so lost while the others are not a whole lot better.

    2) Fast Start Needed – Against KC the offense got off to a slow start. Romeo Crennel may have had something to do with that. Against Washington The defense got off to a slow start. The last three games both sides of the ball have been miserable early. They have spotted their opponents 9, 17, and 21 points. The Patriots are playing with fire if they continue to do this.

    1) Tom Brady – Yup, I said it. Tom Brady needs to play a lot better then he has in his last two playoff games. Let's remember the 2009 game against the Ravens. Brady fumbled once and threw two interceptions in the first quarter alone. It led to a 24-0 Ravens lead and a game that was over before it really got started. In the game against the Jets, Brady threw an inexplicable interception to David Harris in the first quarter in what was looking like a sure scoring drive. From the second quarter on Brady looked confused and totally out of sync. In these two games Tom Brady has not been just average, he has been bad. If Tom Brady lays another egg then no matter what else happens the Patriots will lose.

    What do you think is going to be important?

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    1. I agree with you that Brady is by far the most important. I think the defense pretty much is what it is at this point. All I ask from them is good red-zone D and capitalizing on some of Tebow's mistakes. I would love to see a no huddle offense right at the start. If the offense is clicking in the first drive, the game is over. However, If they go three and out first drive, we may have a game on our hands.

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  8. I have made no secret at how much of a fan I am of the Dan Patrick Show. It is what all sports talk should be. It is intelligent, informative, while never needing to shout to make a point. The show will not insult callers. The show does all this and is entertaining on top of it. There are times when Dan will be off for a few days for a variety of reasons and guest hosts will fill-in. Some are really good like Tom E. Curran and Bonnie Bernstein(Bernstein was so good that if she ever had a show I would be faithful listener.). Some are not good at all like Mike Florio of Star Maga… err Profootballtalk.com, Glenn Ordway(I'm still trying to figure that one out) and Glenn Ordway's twin brother Howard Eskin.

    You maybe wondering why I am calling Eskin, Ordway's twin. Just like Ordway, Eskin had the number one rated afternoon drive time show, only Eskin is in Philadelphia. Just like Ordway, Eskin would insult listeners and callers, otherwise known as customers. When he was criticized for his rudeness, shouting and interrupting, Eskin thought it was just haters. Eventually, WIP in Philadelphia, started to get competition. This meant listeners had other alternatives. Eskin's ratings started to fall just like Glenn Ordway's. In September of 2011 Eskin would "retire" from WIP.

    This leads to a poll question I have been thinking about with regards to Ordway and all hosts on WEEI. There is no question going to an FM signal has helped WEEI but the station is not number one anymore and I do not foresee them there at anytime in the future. The question is if you are Entercom management what would you do when the contracts for talent are up?

    A) Keep the Status Quo – Yes WEEI is not number one but number three or four is not horrible. We do not think our shows will at least stay where they are and maybe get back to number one.

    B) Keep the Status Quo only if the Talent Will Take Pay Cuts – WEEI is not number one anymore and this means lower ad revenues. We still like the hosts we have but they are not worth what they are being paid. They will have to take less to keep their jobs. (and yes this means another cut for Glenn Ordway)

    C) Clean House – Get rid of everyone, including Julie Kahn and Jason Wolfe. We need to find some young and hungry talent that is willing to work for less than what the current hosts make. We may even change the format of how we do sports talk.(P.S. Kirk Minihane is not included in this change because he is awful.)

    D) Other – Explain

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