Every week, we’ll take a look at the funniest and most poignant moments from Rogers Sportsnet’s simulcast of the FAN 590’s daily dinner time show, Prime Time Sports. When incorrigible host Bob McCown and his co-hosts talk to athletes, coaches, officials and media, you just know it’s going to be memorable. Watching a radio show live on television has never been this fun.
When the idea for this piece was first hatched, the plan was to cover a week’s worth of gems in each post. Well, so much for that. After the strength of yesterday’s show (and because a week had elapsed since the first post) , the April 11 program clearly deserved a spot of its own. In fact, there was enough gold in the 6-7 p.m. hour alone to fill the Royal Canadian Mint. Let’s get to it.
Hockey experts Eric Duhatschek and Al Morganti make their weekly appearance at the top of the hour. I don’t normally trust Wikipedia as a reliable source, but today it provides a tremendous tidbit on Morganti:
Al is also the founder of the annual Wing Bowl, in which thousands of people watch a competition as to who can eat the greatest amount of Buffalo wings within a certain time period.
As for the show, the two guests are in fine form. The league has given NBC the marquee playoff matchup (Pittsburgh/Ottawa) on Saturday afternoon, while sticking CBC with New Jersey/Tampa Bay in prime time. Here goes McCown. “Should NBC be given first choice based on A. The financial implications of the two contracts and B. After all, it’s America, and I’m not sure the ratings would go up one point because they have a better game than if they had a crappy game,” he says.
“Well, absolutely,” jokes Morganti. “Because when you’re paying nothing for something, you should get everything you want.”
McCown chuckles heartily as Morganti continues. “In fact, it’s insanity. I mean, what the hell is goin’ on?” McCown says CBC paid $500 million for their new deal, describing their fate as getting “scrawed”. Somebody get Webster’s on the line.
“It’s insane that NBC would get the choice,” says Morganti, driving the point home as he does so well. “What they need between periods is a picture of the [NBC] peacock chasing Gary Bettman around in booties. It’s nuts.” The thing about Morganti is, he is clearly a comic genius, but his comedic effectiveness is directly related to how angry he gets. He’s the sports world’s version of Jerry Stiller. Well, at least he would be if he didn’t remind me of Willem Dafoe.
Co-host Stephen Brunt gets Duhatschek involved.
“It’s just another example of the fact that this game is driven by this elusive dream of trying to spread the gospel of hockey to a population that is largely indifferent to it,” says Duhatschek. “If you hate the product, it implies that you’re watching it from time to time, but if you’re not even aware of it, that’s the worst possible thing.”
Now it’s two questions later and McCown still hasn’t ribbed Duhatschek. Wait for it. It’s coming. The former is looking at statistics comparing the all-time records for playoff seeding matchups. Duhatschek chastises McCown for “trotting out” the 4 vs. 5 history instead of focusing on the more interesting story of the success by seven seeds against twos. “I just looked at it literally like two minutes ago while you were babbling on and I got bored,” McCown fires back.
To wrap it up, we get the obligatory predictions, as the hosts and guests pick their Stanley Cup winners. Morganti takes Pittsburgh. Duhatschek chooses San Jose. Brunt goes with Buffalo. Bob, the envelope, please…
“It is with great chagrin that I announce that I agree with Duhatschek, which means that I’m probably dead meat.”
But Eric is quick. “I’m changing my pick right now,” he quips.
McCown explains that the Sharks would be the best team in the NHL under his 4-3-2-1 point system. “So you can go ahead and watch the Sopranos for the next eight weeks and not worry about the Cup Final. You’re welcome.”
After the extended break, Kansas City Star sports columnist Jason Whitlock responds to the Don Imus remarks and subsequent fallout. Whitlock has always been well spoken and today is no different. His latest column doesn’t condone Imus’ comments but points the finger at musicians and comedians in America who do much the same thing and receive acclaim for it. He also criticizes Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for exploiting it for their own benefit. The larger problem, he says, lies in youth culture.
“We have a problem here in American black youth culture. We have this hip-hop culture that has really introduced all of this negative, hostile and demeaning language into our culture,” explains Whitlock. “So we lose the moral high ground to object when people are really just mimicking what they see us do on a daily basis on music and national TV. Until we police our own, we don’t have the credibility to go after an Imus the way we are.”
He’s got a point. “It’s a real simple formula: respect yourself and then other people will respect you.”
“We have to get our house in order,” he says. “We have to develop thicker skin and come to the realization that what white Americans think of us does not determine our future. What we think of ourselves will determine our destiny.” This was one of the best interviews I have seen on Prime Time. Whitlock was on with every point.
Back to hockey. New CBC Sports executive director Scott Moore joins the guys for a brief but telling exchange. He’s asked what went on between himself and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after the decision was made to give NBC the better game. Scott? “I argued my point, he argued his. Unfortunately, he has the hammer.”
Clearly, Bettman shafted CBC here, but leave it to Bob to put it in perspective. “I pay more than NBC for the rights to NHL hockey,” says McCown. Can they fit a drum set in the studio? Now that would be great television.
The Moore interview concludes. McCown laments Moore’s fate by saying, “Scott Moore, out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Was this a case of Bettman taking advantage of the new guy? It begs the question. Speaking of begging the question, with Bettman not going anywhere and Bill Daly being groomed as his successor, will we ever see another Canadian commissioner of the National Hockey League?
We’re back from break and it’s the closing segment. The pair get a few comments in as the music fades in and the show begins to wrap. Suddenly, there’s McCown, silent, staring off into space.
“The producer looks like he wants to say something,” says McCown. Then, there’s a shot of producer Ryan Walsh in the booth. He’s talking to Brunt and McCown but we can’t hear what’s going on.
“Whoa,” says Brunt. Something big? Tell us, Bob, if you will.
Breaking news on Prime Time? I can’t remember the last time this happened. McCown tells us the MSNBC simulcast of Don Imus’ WFAN show has just been dropped. This thing is snowballing quickly. Here’s a novel idea. Maybe people should actually listen to Whitlock and figure out what the real problem is. We’ll all be better off in the end.
