McAFEE, STEPHEN A. PRIME EXAMPLES OF WHAT TV SPORTS TALK HAS BECOME ... AND IT'S NOT GOOD

 Thoughts While Thinking …

Tell the truth … the airwaves have become polluted with 

pregame and talk shows that (a) dare to be different; 

and/or (b) continue the same old, same old to the point of 

being predictable and, therefore, snooze-inducing BOR 

… ING!

Being different, unfortunately, doesn’t mean being good 

yet some networks have gambled (wasted?) big bucks on 

such attention-grabbing yappers as STEPHEN A. 

SMITH and former all-pro kicker PAT McAFEE.

Tuned in to College Game Day Saturday (Nov. 1), and 

there was loudmouth McAfee, as usual, making a racket 

… but shirt off, showing nothing but skin waist up.

What was that all about? 

Click!

 

Checked back later, and the West Virginia U., alumnus 

was looking respectable (sort of) wearing dark shirt and 

sport coat … but still talking 13 words to the dozen and 

acting like he was in charge. You could only imagine 

what other panelists like DESMOND HOWARD and

 NICK SABAN were really thinking while they smiled 

(as expected) at McAfee’s non-stop nonsense.

Then there was CBS rowdy studio crew that, following 

Army’s last-snap FG victory over Air Force Saturday, 

was having so much fun the network didn’t bother to 

identify them. Former coach (Colorado, Washington, 

UCLA) RICK NEUHEISEL, who reportedly would like 

to get back in the game, was one. The rest I didn’t know.

Because we have drifted inexorably from radio to TV, any 

evaluation of media-without-visuals must be taken (cliché 

alert) at face value. And, frankly, this is one listener who 

no longer has a functioning AM-FM box at home, so the 

only time he hears radio is in the car … where SiriusXM 

dominates.

Not that we don’t make a point (now and, mostly, then) to 

check local talk shows “MP on the Mic” (10-12 a.m., 

weekdays on WRNL-910) and BOB BLACK’s afternoon 

drive-time program on ESPN Radio 106.1).

(Brief timeout to ask the burning question … How/why 

does ‘RNL call itself “Your Home of the Washington 

Commanders” when the games are carried on 106.1?

Details, always details.)

Former Times-Dispatch sports editor MICHAEL 

PHILLIPS, founder and publisher of The Richmonder, 

a free, on-line news service designed to keep the bias out 

of journalism while reporting anything and everything 

that’s going on in the Capital City, is – surprise! surprise! 

– MP. 

While Black, whose regular job is with the University of 

Richmond as associate AD in charge of communications 

… and also serves as Voice of the Spiders for basketball 

and football ... encourages callers, Phillips pretty much 

prefers the sound of his own voice.

Of course, there is something to be said about each 

approach. We’ve always felt a call-in is only as good as 

its callers and, has been noted over the years, Richmond 

has had some good ones, just not enough of them – which

 “BIG AL” COLEMAN, who had the longest running 

all-time sports call-in here before retiring in February 

after 33 years, would disagree.

*********************************************

Found, at last … sideline eye-candy who can conduct a 

decent interview. Prior to Saturday’s No. 2 Indiana at 18-

point underdog Maryland game, CBS’ JENNY DELL

 began by asking Hoosiers’ coach CURT CIGNETTI

 whether his quarterback FERNANDO MENDOZA

 might be distracted now that he’s unexpectedly become 

the (latest) frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy.

And, while Cignetti gave a predictable response, Dell was 

right on when Mendoza threw an interception on the 

game’s first series, leading to a Terp FG, then was sacked 

on the second, forcing a punt.

She also asked Cignetti about a regular linebacker who 

was injured but in uniform. If he didn’t play, who would 

replace him … then refused to accept the standard game-

time-decision routine, pressing the coach who finally 

succumbed with an answer … without seeming to mind at 

all.

Dell concluded with noting how windy it was on the field, 

how might that affect the Hoosiers? By then the acerbic 

Cignetti obviously was impressed, responding in a semi-

serious if accurate way.

By halftime, unbeaten Indiana, loaded with players who 

came with Cignetti from James Madison U., a year ago, 

led 20-3. Mendoza ran untouched for the first touchdown 

then hit wide, WIDE open junior OMAR COOPER for 

another. Final was 55-10.

Believe it or not, neither Mendoza or Cooper, both 

redshirt juniors, played for Cignetti in Harrisonburg. 

Mendoza left California, the university of, after two 

seasons and was the No.4 ranked QB in the transfer 

portal. Cooper is an IU original which makes him even 

more unique.

******************************************

So, ESPN begins charging more for ESPN+ and now 

we’re having more difficulty getting product than ever 

before.

The American Hockey League used to be an easy get … 

until it decided to let Flo Hockey arrange its coverage this 

year.

It was inevitable, not if but when. LSU dumped SCOTT 

WOODWARD Thursday after Louisiana Gov. JEFF 

LANDRYsaid he would rather have President Trump hire 

the football coach to replace BRIAN KELLY (fired) than 

the school’s athletic director.

****** A national scribe is promoting JAMES 

FRANKLIN, fired by Penn State, as the perfect choice at 

Virginia Tech, looking for someone to be the successor to

 BRENT PRY (likewise ousted since season’s start).

“For the right head coach, it’s one of the best jobs 

available,” wrote CHRIS PETERSON, as seen in the 

on-line “Yardbarker.” His reasoning had to do with “the 

Hokies being a perennial power in the ACC, even 

reaching the BCS national championship game when

 MICHAEL VICK was the quarterback. [However], 

since FRANK BEAMER retired, the program has been 

stuck in the abyss … Franklin has won 68 percent of his 

games in 14 years as a head coach, making him one of 

only three active coaches to do that … Maybe he didn’t 

beat enough ranked teams in Happy Valley, but if he 

could replicate that success in Blacksburg, he’d be a 

legend.”

Maybe there is some interest in Franklin in Hokieville. It 

says here Tech might be better served to wait a bit longer 

for DABO SWINNEY, who could be on his way out at 

Clemson.

****** Stop the Presses! BILL BELICHICK’s

 embattled North Carolina Tar Heels (3-5) actually won 

an ACC game, beating Syracuse 27-10 Friday night in 

upstate New York.

JOE FILARDI. Remember the name. He will be answer 

to the trivia question: Who was the lacrosse player 

Syracuse used at quarterback, a walk-on freshman, in the 

injured absence of the Orangemen regular … enabling 

rookie college coach Belichick, 73, to claim his first 

victory over a major-division opponent. “Feels good,” he 

said.

****** Responding to a column in the New York Post 

that, among other things, decried sportscasters talk too 

much these days, a reader responded with: “I am so 

grateful to have grown up in the days of MEL ALLEN,

 RED BARBER, BOB MURPHY, LINDSAY 

NELSON, PHIL RIZZUTO and RALPH KINER.” 

Guess he forgot they were panned unmercifully, too … 

especially Allen and Rizzuto who were cheerleaders for 

the New York Yankees. Kiner was considered a lovable 

clown who mangled the English language,

Until next time ...