The Vig

The last two minutes of tonight’s Blazer radio broadcast were an embarrassment to the organization.  McMillan subbed in Batum, Oden, Frye, Bayless, and Rodriguez with 2:39 left in the fourth.  As soon as the ball came in, Wheeler started complaining that Houston still had most of their regulars in the game.  As play continued, Wheeler kept harping on Adelman, at one point calling him “classless”.  Really?  A coach leaves his starters in an extra whistle or two and suddenly he’s classless?  Save it.

Speaking of classless, a minute or so later, Ron Artest apparently ran into the stands after a ball or something and rather than return to the floor, he took a seat.  I didn’t see it, I only heard it described by the now-hyperventilating Wheeler and Harvey.  Harvey went so far as to say if he were still playing, he’d fight Artest everytime they met on the floor for the rest of his life.  This was after Wheeler’s classless comment, yet Wheeler did nothing to wheel in his partner.

The homerism of the Blazer announcers this season has been a topic on at least one radio station in town and has been a conversation I’ve had with a few folks.  This town used to have some greats on both radio and TV.  I would say we deserve better, but after listening to the yahoos on Dawson’s Morning Sports Page, I’m not so sure.  What I wouldn’t give though for Dave Twardzik back on the radio.

Another thought.  I wonder what it would take to get Kevin Calabro to come down and take over radio duties.  I wonder what he’d say if Allen were to back the Brinks truck up and offer him the gig with the understanding he’s free to go the second Seattle gets an NBA franchise back.  Alternatively, give him the TV gig with the understanding he does all home games and say 15 road games a year.  That would leave him plenty of time in Seattle.  Then we slide Barrett over to radio.  That would work too.

Either way, Wheeler, Harvey, and the awful Mike Rice have all got to go.  Like now.

The People’s Champion Gavin Dawson will be sitting in with Rick Emerson on Thursday between 2 and 3 pm.  I’m sure they’ll be talking all things local radio and Rick will no doubt encourage Dawson to free himself and get a “real job”.  I’m sure if you call in though, you can get his take on the Blazers, the Timbers, and even the Champions League.  Oh Dawson can talk soccer if you let him.

You can listen live at 970 on your AM dial or you can check out the podcast, available at 970.am.

Entercom, in their infinite wisdom, whacked two good ones earlier this week while I was down in Salt Lake City.  First, longtime KGON jock Mike Turner was let go.  I’m not 100% on it, but I think he’d become a Jack of All Trades for Entercom.  At least I seem to recall hearing him pop-up on more than one station over the last few years.  Lynn at OMI said it best when she said he’d been spinning records since the Beatles were still around.  The single best thing KGON has going for it is their personalities.  From Iris to Marty to Glynn to Gloria, they’re like listening to old friends.  That station is comfort food for me.

Also let go this week was Gavin Dawson.  The People’s Champion!  He was hands down the smartest guy at KFXX.  He’d been there for seven years, working his way up from coffee boy all the way to hosting Blazer post-game shows and a weekend morning show.  He was/is the one of the best NBA minds around.  If pressed, he could probably name 80% of every NBA roster off the top of his head.  There was a time I could have done that, but I completely lost interest in the league about a decade ago.  Dawson, along with ESPN’s Bill Simmons, brought me back in.

I’ve only met Dawson once.  I was invited to a radio guys poker game.  Dawson was the best player there, but ended up finishing out of the money.  As I recall, I did alright.  We’ve also exchanged emails a few times but not for a while.  I’ve heard second-hand that he took umbrage with a post I wrote on my OregonLive blog taking Canzano and The Fan to task for not acknowledging they were wrong about the 2006 draft.  Canzano was specifically beside himself when the Blazers took Tyrus Thomas (later traded to the Bulls for Aldridge) over Morrison.

The Blazers went on to fire Steve Patterson the day Adam Morrison’s Charlotte Bobcats came to Portland, so no mea culpa was given.  Nor has one ever been given.  Except by Dawson.  I should have pointed that out.  I didn’t and that was my fault.

Dawson’s a tireless worker who crated a helluva situation for himself at The Fan.  Entercom let a good one go.  Here’s hoping he can find a new gig quickly.  Are you listening Rick Emerson?

It seems Screamin’ Stephen A Smith’s days on Portland radio are numbered.  At least that’s what I’m taking from the The Fan’s “big voice” guy’s cryptic announcements this week that the new line-up is coming soon.  It will be interesting to see what the new line-up looks like.

I’ve no inside information, but it would seem they’re gonna have to work something out with ESPN since the Worldwide Leader holds much sway with their radio affiliates.  Without ESPN’s overnight programming, for example, The Fan would either have to go off the air, air a ton of infomercials, or go find Scott Ferrall.  The folks in Bristol have compromised with their West Coast affiliates by airing a West Coast-only hour of the Colin Cowherd Show so we can get a full three hours of his arrogant charm prior to Los Angeles’ Jim Rome.  Those days could be coming to an end.

I don’t see ESPN letting 1080 off the Stephen A. hook without some sort of compromise.  Personally I’d like to see them go live during the noon-hour with a show hosted by Gavin Dawson which would focus on the Blazers, the NBA, and college hoops.  If you’ve spent any time listening to Dawson, I think you’ll agree he’s got a ton of basketball knowledge and that sort of show would go over well.  At least that’s what I think.  Follow the Dawson show with two-hours of ESPN’s SportsBash, then slide straight into the afternoon drive show.

The only problem with this scenario is it would eliminate the Tirico show and I don’t think ESPN will go for that.  Tirico will stay on the air here.  So what happens if ESPN big foots 1080 and forces them to play Tirico live?  Would they perhaps run four hours of Cowherd, followed by Tirico from 10-noon, followed by Rome on tape-delay?  I can’t see thatgoing over very well.  Personally I would be disappointed if that was the direction they went.  Dumping a popular West Coast show in favor of six hours of East Coast programming just isn’t cool.  I like my Dawson plan.

Worst case scenario…if Rome does end up the odd man out, would he seek a deal somewhere else?  KXL is starting to put together quite a little stable of sports guys.  Maybe move Lars to a noon-to-3 deal and slide Rome in live from 9-noon.  Crazier things have happened.

The Fan’s website says the new line-up starts on Monday.  I guess we’ll have to see what happens.