New York has a group that sports radio listeners that like to argue over who sucks the most. In any given month if the question is asked, "Who is the worst NY sports radio host?" the list may change slightly in regards to order but one thing is certain - there is a clear division between the two major sports stations.
The month is March. We asked the question. Here is the list based on your emails with your comments followed by our short worded ratings.
1. WEPN's Michael Kay: He is the worst game broadcaster, you don't give him keys to a show. When Michelle Beadle said, "Michael Kay's ego takes up most of the air in the room," she wasn't kidding. He had no idea what to do with Bonnie Bernstein because he has no idea how to run a radio show. NY Yankee fans will listen to him if they also like his game broadcasting style. His formula is written in stone: Complain that Mike Francesa is stale, get into a pissing match with him and the boys from Boomer & Carton, threaten to punch the Post's Phil Mushnick. Buzz for a day and then, bam, forgotten. Unlistenable.
2. WEPN's Colin Cowherd: When he's not ripping off the Michigan bloggers over at M Zone he's holding divorce court for AJ Burnett. His interminable, pointless ramblings are pathetic. CC once said, “The Herd has a different sound and vibe, and we hope fans enjoy it. My goal has always been to produce the best show possible, and ESPN’s commitment and resources make this a perfect fit." Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina summed CC up last year: "Nobody in the NYC area cares about Colin Cowherd." Unlistenable.
3. WEPN's Stephen A. Smith: The mad black guy act only goes so far. At least on radio you don't see the scowl. Tolerable for short bursts because he can get you charged up from time-to-time with opinion pieces, however, his authoritative voice takes a hit when he puts things like 'Allen Iverson is going to drink himself away' out there. Will give him 15 minutes listen every few weeks.
4. WEPN's Mike & Mike: ESPN's morning 'analysts' Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg were included in Traina's Cowherd description - Nobody cares about Mike & Mike in New York. Vanilla pairing that is the prototypical ESPN shill show. They stand out the least of all NY radio shows. Sanitized radio. Tolerable if all other morning show hosts are on vacation.
5. WFAN's Mike Francesa: He makes up sources. He lies about how quickly his traveling shows sell out. He berates staff on-air. He interviews experts by repeating questions 3 times and then telling them the answers. He steals guests from co-workers and he bullies callers. He has a way with words. He secretly changed his NFL picks, has got greasy hair and a greasy smile, burps, picks his nose and rubs his mouth non-stop. But his baiting of people works and he gets great guests. His show is like S&M - you do come back for more even if you don't like him. His great memory for sports is, unfortunately selective. Matthew Funtime summed up (and also did the pic above) Francesa following Mike's announcement that Yankee manager Joe Girardi was going to call in every day during the upcoming season: "As is his wont, Mike proudly cackled about the unprecedented access his listeners will now have to the Yankee club. I assume he’s referring to the select group of senile sycophants who listen but also do not read the newspaper or online periodicals, follow twitter, or watch the games/post-games themselves." You guys have him at #5. He could easily be #1 for many. Either way - we have him on here for hours a day or for only minutes. Daily or not for weeks. No question, no question.
6. WFAN's Joe and Evan: Let's be honest, the NY Post should legally be allowed to say sponsored by 660 WFAN, bro. That's the entirety of Joe Benigno's sources. Which is fine - except he doesn't say so. Evan Roberts (who we were just complimenting a few months back) seems to be trying out schtick. Trying to be a younger Craig Carton. Trying to be a mini Mike Francesa. Yelling and ranting that all feels contrived and forced. As one member of the MSM said to us when we passed this list to them, "Evan Roberts peaked at 16." Ouch. A bit vanilla but at least they're NY sports fans. Listen daily but not for longer than 20-25 minutes.
7. WFAN's Boomer & Carton - Most complaints here were aimed at Al Dukes for some reason. Just kidding, you either loved or hated the morning crew of Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. The humor was either too crude or you loved it all out. Like Francesa - they get the best guests. They are not 100% sports focused like the others on the list - you either liked that or didn't care for it. Also like Francesa, you were divided based on what pro sports teams you rooted for. The most polarizing of the shows. We have them on here every morning.
Honorable Mention: WFAN's Marc Malusis: You all picked many other hosts that you didn't care for - but most were too small or unimportant to be worthy of consideration (i.e., Richard Neer, Adam "The Bull" Gerstenhaber, Anita Marks, Brian Kenny).
Discuss amongst yourselves why WFAN trounces WEPN in the ratings, year after year and, if you flip flop Francesa with Joe and Evan, you pretty much have the ratings in reverse order. Go figure, we're going to watch Mike'd Up while you, the NY Sports Fan, is apparently going to do hallucinogens.
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