So, Mike's been out and the FAN's gone to the bullpen for help. Wait, help? That doesn't seem right. They brought in Joe and Evan, right? The worst two regular guys on the station, correct? At least, that's what I thought. Looks like I was sorely mistaken. It appears that these clowns get some positive feedback here. Let's hash this out and see what we can unearth...
I do think this is the worst show on the FAN. I realize that that's only really comparing them to B & C and Mike but still...I mean, I suppose you could make an argument that a potential combo of other hosts could be worse (Neer and The Bull; Eddie C. and Somers, etc.) but now, they're horrible. Kinda like a cleansing of the palette between the morning show and Mike. Look, neither one of these guys have any sports knowledge at all. Their arguments/opinions, to me, seem echoed and each one has in some way or another adopted components of other hosts (Mad Dog > Joe and Mike > Evan). For a young guy, Evan has an impressive repertoire of sports history. Clearly he's read. Good for him. However, someone mentioned this week, via comment, that Evan brings a youthful flair to the air. I strenuously object. He rolls out tired old stats and opinions that are taken from curmudgeonly baseball scouts/writers/Mike Francesa and stands behind them. The exact opposite of "youthful" or "fresh". Joe, well, Joe is still pinching himself. He got himself a dream gig and just like us, he's trying to figure out how that happened. I mean, he has no fundamental knowledge of anything useful at all. Ask him to explain why an NFL team made a move for cap purposes and his head's liable to explode. To put it delicately, he's limited.
The posters here seem mixed. Some seem to like these guys for some reason or other. Let's hear it. Why? Are they better than the Big Fella? Will I ever find true love? Will David Wright ever be clutch? These are the questions that need answering today.
Oh yeah, I have long disparaged Kay's show because it's terrible. In all ways, a horrible listen. When pitted against Evan and Joe, however, it comes a little closer to entering the possible set. Wow.
16 comments:
It's from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
"I heard that you were feeling ill. Headache, fever and the chills. I came to help restore your pluck, 'cause I'm the nurse who likes to..."
And the door gets closed in her face.
Oh, and I'll take Kay over the two subbing for Mikey any day.
You guys are crazy! Benigno is the most entertaining on the station! Evan stinks.
I like Joe and Evan!!!
They are just 2 regular guys talking sports and many other things that regular guys find interesting(beer,girls, etc.)
That is why I also enjoyed Dog! His talks about normal things that I could relate to: Springsteen concerts, summers down the shore, his family and interests like tennis.
Mike purposely hides his private life because it makes him feel better than us. It gives his ego a boost to pretend that he and his family are like the Kennedy's and their privacy is protected.
I don't care that his knowledge of sports is greater than others! I could'nt handle 6 hours of non stop sports talk every day. I need some entertainment with my sports.
Joe and Evan do an excellent job and although they are'nt the "sharpest knives in the kitchen" they have a lot of passion when talking sports and their teams. Most importantly Joe will "bash" the Mets and Jets with the best of them like I do even though they are our team when they deserve it(a lot of the time), whereas Mike rarely will say anything bad about his Yanks!
Joe was once a guy working in a grocery store-- I can relate to that. A caller called Mike the other day and mentioned the economy and Warren Buffett and Mike enjoyed the opportunity to let us know he has been an investor in Berkshire Hathaway for many years--- I can't relate to that!!!
YES should wake up and televise Joe and Evan when Mikey takes his sick days and summers off. I bet the ratings won't suffer one bit!
JD
jeez, this is nyc. who needs talking heads talking about salary cap restructuring or VORP and win shares? i get my fill from posnanski's blog.
im a huge fan of j&e. why? they get along, are more knowledgeable than mike on sports these days, and they are entertaining in the way they interact. thats all one can really ask for an afternoon show. most of us are trying to sludge through the work day.
oh yeah, and they respect their callers.
and who didnt love joe on the overnights and his umbertoooooooooooooooooooooooooooos clamhouse!
Loved Joe B in the overnight (I miss the Umberto's commercial, and the replacement with "Of cooooooooooourse" isn't as good, but reminds me of it) and I like their show as my fav on the FAN these days. JD illustrated exactly my feelings. I'm not listening to the FAN to learn things about sports - I already know these stats by reading things myself - unlike old guys who don't use the internet (like Mike) and here these things from Mike and think he is the end all be-all of sports knowledge. He's not. I listen to be entertained, and that's why Joe and Evan are. Besides talking about normal things we can relate to, they also get along, which makes it 10x more enjoyable than listening to an arrogant guy who is constantly trying to remind listeners he's a) smarter than us, b) more succesful than us, and c) eats more than us.
I listen to Joe and Evan at work and most days turn it off at 1 when Mike comes on b/c he immediately gets me in a bad mood. Occassionally I'll leave it on just so I can listen along and comment with this site if anything's going on here
This has been an excellent forum started by awesomesean. I think there is an interesting idea coming out of this - We don't listen to sports talk radio for information. We listen for opinion. Speaking for myself, I like Joe B but I wouldn't call him great. His opinions are fun.
But Evan says too many things that don't make sense. It's not that he has to be a sports expert, but come up with rational thought. Same with Kay. He's rational but I find him to be idiotic.
I think underneath all the attitude, arrogance, bias, cellulite, hair product, there is logic to a lot of what Mike says. I disagree with much of it, but most of it is rooted in reality. I feel like Evan just makes shit up.
So to sum up, I feel like I want someone who at least can work with grounded ideas. Obviously, Mike's vendetta against David Wright was not one of those ideas, but more often than not he's somewhat close to the mark.
Is Mike referring to someone specific when he says the same people who said A-rod was faking his injury then went on to criticize him about not taking care of it over the winter?
Can't believe all the support for J & E. I guess their job security is good. Good for them. I disagree with the sentiments here that it's OK for them to ignore real data and spew anecdotal nonsense. I mean, if we can take the time to understand advances in date gathering, why can't they? Plus, they do nothing to differentiate themselves to other hosts on the station. It's why I like Max...I don't agree with all he says but I like his flair for saying it. I guess I just don't like J & E "styles".
Anyway, who heard "Steve" earlier on Mike's show? Classic NYY fan. Trumpeting about the parties he and his friends were throwing about A-Rod and his injury. Want to win your fantasy baseball league? Invite Steve and his friends.
Check the work verification: "ingeness" Perfect!
See I think Evan does gives fact, and that makes him a good partner to Joe's oversized oersonality and emotional argumentative side... Wow, def can't put thoughts together in writing this late on a Friday but I like Joe and Evan and think they are actually different in that respect
When Joe goes nuts on a player for what he perceives as playing horribly for some stretch or in some periods of games, Evan will dispute that by offering up actual stats that support his argument. I can remember this in the case of Beltran specifically. This is not to say I like Evan better - Joe B's my man. But makes them a good pair at times
I think you lost me at the contention that Beningo doesn't know sports . He's probably the most knowledgeable guy on the station. Beningo on the overnight was the 2nd best fan show, to MMD. I can't however stand the "Bro" Joe. If he stopped saying Bro, he'd be by far and away the best host.
I can do without Evan.
I think the overall quality of sports talk radio is down at this point, maybe because there are so many other avenues to go in order to get your sports news and discussion, such as the message boards and blogs. So the average Joe who might be sitting in his cubicle listening to the transistor radio is now using that internet connection to slack off work. Not to mention satellite radio and now the ability to use your iPod in the car....As a result, you basically get the same technology illiterate people calling in and listening to the shows.
We're in an age now when hosts can't fake "insider" knowledge and act as though they know more than you. A good host nowadays, in my opinion, is one who can come up with an original thought, support it with decent evidence, and be willing to take on rational discussion and criticism about it. I think Max Kellerman is one of those guys. Benigno and Francesa are guys who clearly don't do that, and as such they come off looking like the fossils that they are. Dog does it too, but at least he can be entertaining for his firey personality...although now on Sirius I think he's trying to come off more as an antiquated "shock jock" from the 80's.
Awesome thread. Very entertaining. I miss Joe B on the overnights. Evan is ok. I like them better than Mike. Like a few guys said, I do not listen to WFAN to learn about sports. I want to hear their opinions. Since, I feel like I can sit down and have a beer with Joe B. I like to hear what he has to say.
AwesomeSean,
Is there anybody you like? Please give us some recommendations your majesty.
Maybe it's you and not the shows.
Joe is great. Love his passion. Evan is a spoiled, arrogant brat. Mike junior there.
Kay's show is pretty good. At least entertaining.
But we all know Russo has the best show. Only show I listen to on a regular basis.
Rock - I like 'em all enough to listen. I just think that there is little to no prep work as far as Joe goes. He has the doom and gloom Archie Bunkeresque persona and I guess people like that. He's been defended much more than I anticipated. That said, each guy that gets a daily forum should make an effort to differentiate themselves. I don't see it with either Joe or Evan. I always thought Joe was a poor man's Russo and Evan was a poor man's Francesa. Mike has his style that he's cultivated for years. It's not going to change. Evan and Joe have much less experience and had an opportunity to bring something different to the table. To me, they have not done it.
All this Joe and Evan talk is giving me a headache. Can you guys please stop? I'd never though I would say this, but I would rather talk about Fatso.
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