Much better.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3024711


Tirico, Stephen A. to take over Patrick's time slot

ESPN.com news services
Updated: September 18, 2007, 2:37 AM ET

NEW YORK -- Mike Tirico, one of the original hosts when ESPN Radio launched in 1992, will take over part of the daily sports-talk time slot previously held by Dan Patrick.

In Philadelphia for "Monday Night Football", a busy Mike Tirico discusses his new role as host of "The Mike Tirico Show" on ESPN Radio.

"The Mike Tirico Show" will debut Thursday from 1-3 p.m. ET. Tirico serves as the play-by-play commentator for "Monday Night Football" and the NBA Finals on ESPN.

"It is a thrill to return to my roots in two different ways," Tirico said in a statement, "as radio is the medium where I started my career during my college days at WAER in Syracuse, and I remember being part of the team the first weekend ESPN Radio hit the air in January of 1992. I am really looking forward to returning to the day-to-day sports conversation that is talk radio."


Weekday Lineup (ET)
6-10 a.m. Mike & Mike
in the Morning

10 a.m.-1 p.m. The Herd
with Colin Cowherd

1-3 p.m. The Mike Tirico Show

3-4 p.m. The Stephen A. Smith Show

4-6:30 p.m. SportsBash
with John Seibel

6:30-7 p.m. Best of PTI

7-9 p.m. The Pulse
with Doug Gottlieb

9 p.m.-2 a.m. Game Night

2-6 a.m. AllNight
with Jason Smith

Stephen A. Smith, who previously hosted 1050 ESPN Radio's "Stephen A. Smith Show" from noon-2 p.m. weekdays, will host New York's 2-4 p.m. slot, with the final hour going national on ESPN Radio. Both shows can be heard live, daily, on ESPNRadio.com.

Patrick announced in July that he was leaving ESPN after 18 years.

"With Monday Night Football, the NBA Finals and now a daily radio platform, Mike Tirico has arrived at the pinnacle of sports broadcasting with premier assignments in television and radio," said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president for studio and remote production.

Tirico has long been considered one of the most well-traveled commentators in the business. He once said he generally spends up to 200 days each year on the road.

"I do participate in the sports conversation every day by covering the NFL and the NBA and all the college sports that I've covered and my years doing 'SportsCenter' and golf as well," Tirico said, according to The Associated Press. "I really do have a broad experience and have met a lot of people."

Tirico will be joined on a regular basis by other ESPN commentators. An announcement will be made at a later date.

Mike Tirico is nothing more than a neutered sycophant.

Tirico is starting to become the Jim Nantz of ESPN...everybody can start taking him for granted now...what a sellout...he does MNF, NBA, Golf, now his own radio show...

overload

At least he and SAS will talk about the NBA.

Some of these guys avoid it like the plague.

Listening to Stephen A. talk about the NBA is like having the plague.

At least he and SAS will interview someone from the NBA other than Reggie Miller.
I agree with Glenn.

Also, Cowherd is dreck. That's right Zip.

At least he and SAS will talk about the NBA.

Some of these guys avoid it like the plague.


true...never thought of that...i don't ever recall DP talking about the NBA now that I think about it...

Tirico is on right now. Not bad.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/player?station=espn

Omaha has solved the problem: Our local hacks have taken their show, "Unsportsmanlike Conduct", and expanded it one hour. It is now on from 2-6 (Central Time).
It's a pretty good local show, as local shows go.
I'd rather have my intestines ripped out and burned in front of me and then be forced to eat them than listen to Mike Tirico.
I bet he is one black dude that can NOT get funky.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/watchdog/blog/2007/10/dan_patrick_joins_sports_illus.html


Dan Patrick joins Sports Illustrated

Dan Patrick will be joining Sports Illustrated in a variety of capacities, including writing a weekly column for the magazine beginning in January and having his syndicated radio show streamed on SI.com.

SI writers such as Peter King (formerly of Newsday), Tom Verducci (formerly of Newsday) and Rick Reilly (not formerly of Newsday) will make regular appearances on his radio show.

There's a bunch of other stuff involved in this deal, including a partnership involving Patrick's Web site, but I don't have time to go into them now. I have a conference call to participate in . . . with Dan Patrick.

And now Rick Reilly is leaving SI for ESPN.

Sports Illustrated acquires
Dan Patrick

ESPN acquires
Rick Reilly

TRADE ACCEPTED

:sas:


I Haven't Gone Anywhere, People!

What's up everybody? My apologies to any and everyone who's clicked onto my website looking for my latest blog, noticed that it's been weeks since I've written a one -- even after seeing my name in the news so often -- asked themselves what the hell am I doing, and still never received an answer. Until today. Needless to say I've been busy working, negotiating a new contract, regaining a personal life lost sometime ago and salivating over the upcoming NBA Playoffs, which I happen to believe may be the best seen in at least the past decade.

Still, it was necessary to write this blog, specifically, today. Just days after I surrendered my show on ESPN Radio, perhaps making myself happier than I've been in years -- only to witness one erroneous
report after another disseminating a familiar message: that somehow I've failed again and yet another opportunity was being snatched away from me.

This much is true: in the past 18 months my television show "Quite Frankly" was cancelled by ESPN. I was stripped of my column by the Philadelphia Inquirer. The notion of my career disintegrating before

our very eyes was quite conspicuous, and I'm not about to blame anyone for sighing heavily, intrigued over the latest change in my life, exasperated over thoughts as to why "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on ESPN Radio sounded off for the Final time last Thursday afternoon.

So let me set the record straight.

I had no problem with ESPN's cancellation of "Quite Frankly." I positively pray that one day I'll have the opportunity to express precisely how I feel about all the misinformation expressed involving the stripping of my column by the Philadelphia Inquirer (I have lawyers for a reason, folks!). And I can't begin to express how happy I am over the decision I've made regarding my present role with ESPN.

To all the haters out there (you people --Glenn), I regret to inform you that "The Stephen A. Smith Show" was NOT cancelled. I forfeited -- repeat, forfeited -- my show after three long years. Years more successful than I'd ever thought they would be, which ratings will show.

Anyone who knows me knows I never entered SportsTalk-Radio with the intent of doing it for years and years to come. My goal, simply, was to enter the profession and develop my skills to a point where I'd create the option to do television, radio or print once my contract expired.

And that's exactly what I have done.

ESPN, recognizing I've had entirely too much on my plate over the years, was kind enough to give me the choice of picking between television and radio. I picked TV, but that's not all.

I've agreed to be the new Columnist for ESPN The Magazine. I've also agreed to be the new Columnist for ESPN.Com, to go along with my television duties. My TV duties will primarily entail the Network's NBA coverage, but certainly not limited to that, at all.

Essentially, I'm back to being inside those arenas and locker rooms, talking to players and officials, basically doing exactly what I love to do, which is talk TO people I'm actually talking about much more frequently.

That's why I'm happy today.

I'll get into more specifics in the days and weeks to come. I'm still reading the guestbook and all those emails coming in, which are greatly appreciated.

Just do me a favor for the time being: Feel or think whatever you want. Just don't accept anything about me as gospel unless you've heard from me first.

I may procrastinate from time-to-time in addressing your questions.

But I never -- EVER -- hide.

Remember that!!!

I hate the guy, but I'm fine with this as long as he never gets another show again.

He forfeited his show? Strange way of putting it.

And he 'forfeited' his radio show while what may be the best playoffs ever are happening?

And even if the show did better than he thought it would, it still doesn't mean it didn't suck. Because it did. A talk show (among other things) has no place on ESPN.

I enjoyed what I saw from Quite Frankly, but apparently, I was the only one. The Iverson and Artest interviews stand out for me. I'll watch almost anything NBA related (preferably not hosted by Ahmad Rashad), so it was nice that there was a show that was almost purely devoted to the NBA.

I'd much rather watch interesting sports interviews than made-for-tv movies and dramas like The Bobby Knight movie with Brian Dennehey or Playmakers. You can only take SportsCenter repeats so many times.

But again, maybe that's just me.

Of course, I agree there.

I'd rather watch Quite Frankly instead of something like 3 or The Bronx is Burning.

I just think that since ESPN has no problem having like 5 different stations, they should create another and put shit like that on there.

Then take bull riding, darts, pool, bowling, and poker off ESPN Classic and move it there as well.