ONE REASON many people feel that it’s a good idea to limit politicians to two consecutive terms is that otherwise an almost natural malaise begins to permeate the administrations.
The elected official runs the risk of growing stale, uninspired, sloppy, arrogant and ineffective while his or her administration becomes lazy, detached and even corrupt.
To that end, WFAN, 14 years and three months later, could use more than a tuneup. Perhaps an overhaul is in order.
Suzyn Waldman, last Friday, packed it in. She was not only one of the station’s original voices, she was its first voice, heard welcoming listeners on July 1, 1987, after the station opened with a call of Joe Namath and the Jets winning Super Bowl III.
Until Friday, Waldman had been teamed on a mid-day show with Jody McDonald, a predictably poor audio marriage in that both seemed to spend more time trying to keep out of each other’s way while trying to advance their own styles and interests. Mostly, it was a tough listen.
Prior to Waldman/McDonald, that time slot was occupied by the team of Russ Salzberg and Steve Somers, another bad idea. Vulgar was substituted for clever, conversation with callers often and needlessly deteriorated into acrimonious holler sessions (during which neither side could be heard) and good sports radio – or radio of any kind – became more a matter of accident than design.
During those years, Waldman mostly served as the station’s Yankee and Knicks beat reporter, developing an unfortunate but deserved reputation as a hear/speak/see-no-evil spokesperson for both teams, but mostly for George Steinbrenner and his Yankees.
In fact, Waldman is fully expected to next land at Steinbrenner’s new YES Network, to continue her work as a Yankee game announcer, possibly adding some inside network duties.
Sid Rosenberg, who doesn’t seem to have much more than a superficial handle on sports but specializes in gratuitous insults, profanities and whatever else he can get away with on the air – yep, another, yawn, shock jock – will replace Waldman.
And while the Waldmans, Salzbergs, McDonalds, Rosenbergs and Somers represent the station’s B-teamers, they may as well be on the Z list.
Morale among WFAN on and off-air sports staff has for years been miserable, in large part because a caste system exists. Mike Francesa and Chris Russo represent the royalty. Whatever rules exist do not apply to them, while virtually every one else operates as a member of the peon class.
Meanwhile, 24-hour competition now exists in the forms of ESPN Radio (1050 AM) and Sporting News Radio (620 AM). And in radio, unlike politics, every day is election day.
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NYC fireman Mike Weinberg, 34, played center field for St. John’s, then minor-league ball for the Tigers. But he long ago caught the golf thing. Big time. He was playing the morning of 9/11, hitched a ride to the WTC on an emergency vehicle and soon after would be gone.
Matt McDermott worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. He and his wife, Susan, loved golf. Matt hit old-fashioned persimmon woods. He loved that soft feel, that sweet sound.
Andrew Alameno, 37 and a trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, loved to make clubs. He had just finished a sawed-off set for his five-year-old son. They would play golf together for – who knows? – the next 35, 40 years, maybe more.
The Golf Channel, 9 p.m. Wednesday night, Thanksgiving eve, presents “New York Stories . . . of Enduring Spirit.”
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HBO’s tape of Saturday’s Hasim Rahman–Lennox Lewis pay-per-view, runs this Saturday, 10 p.m . . . To look at the matching outfits worn daily by the U.S. team of Tiger Woods and David Duval during the EMC World Cup (USA Network, ABC), one would think that they’re proud citizens of the country of Nike.
Hardly a coincidence that Phil Simms, during yesterday’s Jets-Dolphins, would remind viewers that football “isn’t baseball;” football stats deceive. Mark Wolff, producer of NFL telecasts called by Greg Gumbel and Simms likely posts the fewest stat graphics among all NFL productions.
