While I hate to admit it, I listen to a lot of the buzz surrounding New York sports. From several hours a day on WFAN and ESPN Radio, to catching a bunch of the shows on SNY. My wife thinks I am absolutely crazy because she says that all they do is talk about the same things, and she’s right.
But it’s sort of like after tuning in to a lot of these people so often, I want to see what they think on a certain issue. What’s their perspective. When the Mets or Jets blow a big game in a big way I know the next day I have to listen to the WFAN Mid-day show to listen to Joe Benigno go off on the team. I know that if the Mets ever do win a World Series, wherever I am that next day, you better believe I will be tuning into the Mike Francesa show just to hear how he tries to patronize the Mets with his arrogant tongue-in-cheek commentary. It’d be so fun to watch him squirm.
Here’s a list I came up with for my personal favorites. I was kinda surprised when I actually sat down and thought about it.
Craig Carton – “Boomer and Carton” WFAN. These guys can often have an advantage because they are the first ones I hear talking about the issues of the day. They benefit from the fact that the events of yesterday aren’t stale yet. Even so, I would probably listen to them no matter where they were broadcast on the schedule. I just like Carton and like how he seems like a real dude to me. Eddie had a good point mentioning that he’s pretty much in our age area and thus a lot of his references to pop culture and sports history are right in my wheelhouse. He’s brash, a little off-center, and at times he tries too hard, and I like that.
Brandon Tierney, ESPN Radio, Wheelhouse SNY. I love the way BT looks at sports. He doesn’t cut them much slack, but at the same time he will tell fans they are being retarded when they are. It’s also refreshing when a guy seems to really have fun doing his job, and why the hell not, you are covering sports for a living. He could have challenged for the #1 spot but he’s unfortunately a Yankees and Jets fan, and when the article is written by a Giants and Mets fan, that will cost you.
Joe Benigno, Joe and Evan WFAN, Daily News Live SNY. Joe is like that crazy uncle for me. I have been listening him for a long time now, hell since he did the overnights. I love his passion for the Mets and really feel his pain. The main problem is he is just too negative. I mean I understand, the guy has been a Jets and Mets fan for some 4o years, imagine the grief. Joe strikes me as the guy if you held a contest and picked some fan off the street and said “here you go, talk on the radio.” I feel like I am hanging out in my garage talking baseball when I listen to Joe.
Chris Carlin, Loud Mouths SNY, Mets Pre/Post Game SNY. I developed a liking for “the Continent” when he was the WFAN lackey. He would fill in and fill in and fill in and never get a show. When he left WFAN I was pretty sad cause I had grown to like him. But I was happy to see him land with the Mets pre and post game shows and then Loud Mouths. I think he does a great job on these shows, especially not being afraid to be critical of the team and organization. He’s a big character and a like Carton I think I tend to have a similar vibe in the sports world with him. Yeah he’s a complete Rutgers homer, but he definitely doesn’t act that way with the Mets. Much like Carton and Benigno, Carlin strikes me as a fan that landed his dream job. Can’t hate on that. I really prefer the fan over the journalist I am finding.
Alexi Panos, Beer Money SNY. It didn’t feel right not to have a lady on the list. And despite the fact that my man Chris Carlin is on the show too, I never watch for him. She’s the rare double threat of being ridiculously hot, and also knows a lot about sports. Lets run down the list, a) super hot b) above average sports IQ c) loves the Mets d) spends a lot of time in bars. Man oh man if she isn’t marriage material then I don’t know what is.
There is a quick list of my top New York Sports-talk personalities. There are certainly more but I figured I would limit it to just 5 or so. I have this real urge that I am forgetting someone so I am sure you will mention “what about ….” and I will feel like an idiot.
