By Bill Campione
I spend much of my space at FCP bashing the YES Network and their giant headed mascot Michael Kay over everything from their commercials to their trivia questions. It’s only fair that I direct some of my ire at the cross town wannabes at SportsNet New York, or SNY as the kids are calling it. I know already that I am going to hear from Mets fans who don’t want a Yankee fan talking about their team, their network, or their players.
Deal with it! I am a legitimate journalist now and my objectivity is beyond reproach.
Wait, wait…let me get it out of my system first. Jose Reyes is arrogant and immature, Carlos Delgado should be ashamed that he tanked it while Willie was managing, signing Luis Castillo for four years was the worst move since Carl Pavano, if your starting outfielder came from Double-A or the Mexican League your Triple-A team should be disbanded, Carlos Beltran is streaky and overpaid so get over it and support him for what he is, and you’re second fiddle in New York and it will be that way for years to come.
Ok, spirit cleansed, objectivity begins. All teams, networks, and players are equal and we can all move on.
SNY has marketed itself as a network that all New York fans can turn to, not just those who root for the blue and orange. In an effort to further that agenda they have produced numerous shows intended to engage fans of all teams and sports. I decided to evaluate their success by watching Daily News Live! and Beer Money. I will return with another installment to cover Loud Mouths and the Wheelhouse another time.
Looks like I picked a good day to watch Daily News Live! (The exclamation point is not mine, it’s in the title. I am required by my newfound journalistic integrity to include the proper name of the program whenever I type it.) Guests today include Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who is hyping his LUDICROUS $15 million deal with Sirius XM, and Omar Minaya, who presumably will discuss the Billy Wagner injury.
The show opens with host Joe Benigno doing a little shtick where he pretends to have an arm injury that makes him unable to pick up a bundle of the Daily News. Get it? Like Billy Wagner! High comedy!
In the process of acting out the poorly scripted skit, Joe utters the word “bro” 3 times in 15 seconds! I once kept a “bro” count during Benigno’s 3 hour show on WFAN. Total: 7,231.
The show begins with the “Daily Three”, which is a brief discussion of the top 3 stories in the sports news today. Today those stories are Wagner’s injury, the New York Giants defense, and Russo’s contract.
During the Giants segment, Russo takes a shot at Michael Strahan for being at the Giants first home preseason game in order to get “cheap” applause. Russo attacking Strahan when he isn’t there…new platform, same cowardice.
Citi is plastered all over the screen and scenery and it makes one wonder how they are able to pad Fred Wilpon’s pockets yet lay off employees left and right.
Omar Minaya appears in segment #2, not only without a tie, but with a button undone and a white undershirt showing! Despite what many Mets fans thought when he was hired, there is no sign of a giant S.
Benigno resists calling Minaya bro. Instead he urinates on himself.
Omar calls Sirius Radio “Cyrus” and Russo has to correct him. There may not be two worse public speakers in sports than Minaya and Russo. They should be the next big a talk radio duo. Marble Mouth and Spittles in the Morning!
Russo says the biggest reason he signed with satellite radio was because, “I love challenges”. Is there any bigger challenge than keeping Mike Francesa away from a buffet?
The show closes with The Editor’s Picks where they cover three different stories. I don’t see how it is any different than the Daily Three except that it comes at the end of the show. The hosts all frown upon the Cincinnati Bengals for re-signing Chris Henry. Russo is down on the Cowboys because they signed Pacman Jones. Then, the man, who just signed a $15 million contract to discuss sports on his very own channel that goes all across the country, asks if the commissioner of football has ruled on the Pacman Jones case yet. Luckily football isn’t important enough to be discussed on satellite radio, so Russo doesn’t have to bone up on it too much.
Beer Money is a quiz show hosted by the ubiquitous Chris Carlin and a generic, moderately attractive, energetic, gal who loves sports and giving guys a hard time!
…Ugh…
You earn money by answering sports questions correctly while on the streets of New York. The questions get harder, but the money gets bigger as you answer the three Beer Money questions. Here is the best part: the prize money begins at $10, rises to $30, and tops out at $130!
…Crickets…
This is less money than Monty Hall gave away for a safety pin on Let’s Make a Deal 35 years ago. Can’t they take some of Citigroup’s money and give it to some poor schlep on the street?
On this particular episode Carlin is finding people at Columbus Circle and generic, moderately attractive, energetic, gal who loves sports and giving guys a hard time is at Madison Square Garden. The questions range from laughably easy to why in the world would anyone know that. Little of note happens, except:
- Chris Carlin is a bit overweight, but still insists on tucking his t-shirt into his shorts.
- A woman called her son in Long Island City so he could come to the Upper West Side to win $10.
- In her open, generic, moderately attractive, energetic, gal who loves sports and giving guys a hard time says that if people get questions wrong, “I’m going to make fun of them.” This girl is sassy. I’m going to rename her generic, moderately attractive, energetic, gal who loves sports and giving guys a hard time and acting sassy.
- One guy won $10 and quit. He was not homeless, as far I as could tell.
- Only one guy won $130. All others have to give back their money once they got a question wrong. Between the big winner and the guy who kept the 10 spot, this show cost $140 to produce. Admittedly, Chris Carlin’s daily food stipend would rival the GDP of most industrialized nations.
I am unimpressed with the program offerings of SNY. So far I just see WFAN personalities, a legit reporter here and there, an exclamation point too many, and a generic, moderately attractive, energetic, gal who loves sports and giving guys a hard time and acting sassy.
Unless they’re hiring bloggers to be a part of these shows.
FullCountPitch Live! Sponsored by Citi, of course.
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Gary Armida // Aug 21, 2008 at 1:30 am
Another tremendous job. The only thing that SNY has going for it is Guisseppe Franco.
2 Bill Campione Sr. // Aug 21, 2008 at 7:12 am
I could’nt get over the line about Russo keeping Francesca away from buffets. Inthe area of full disclosure you should have mentioned that you spent your childhood helping your Mom do that.By the way,I can’t wait to hear Russo mangle city names all over this great country of ours. I tried to come up with some samples but my brain hurts just trying . Anyway another great column . My supply of Depends is running out.
3 Pete // Aug 21, 2008 at 11:36 am
>> Luckily football isn’t important enough to be discussed on satellite radio, so Russo doesn’t have to bone up on it too much. >>
Well, Sirius *does* have all the NFL games FWIW. Russo’s 5-hour “more bluster, less facts” spitfest is going to wear thin for people who have about a BAJILLION other channels to listen to on satellite, myself included.
On the other hand, I tuned in Fatcessa yesterday and he was droning on about upcoming golf tournaments. I swear I almost blacked out and put my car into the guardrail on I-95.
BTW, Beningo is the biggest cornball on radio. He’s like that uncle who still plays “got yer nose” with all the kids in the family, most of whom are now in their 20’s.
4 MAC // Aug 21, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Great article kid. I am one of those Mets fans who hate Yankee fans talking about my team. I would like to make one comment, since I am at the game and on my phone, I hope the spelling isn’t that bad. I am a big Beltran supporter and I agree with you that he is streaky and overpaid. I do not think you can criticize the Mets for that because if we didn’t give him the money we would have been criticized for being cheap (by every Met basher, Yankee fan out there) and not trying to build a team with good players. The fact baseball has no salary cap is the only reason why players like Beltran, Abreu, Burnett, & Matsuzaka are grossly overpaid. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Mets also had Mike Cameron (another overpaid player by the brewers) as their center fielder at the time. If we don’t get Beltran when we were clearly in need of a CF then we are ridiculed again. either way, we were in a lose lose situation and stats can only tell so much. 4 erros in the OF this year, stellar defense don’t show up in the box score. When Beltran finishes with another gold glove, 275 BA, 23 HR and 95 RBI Met fans will say he sucks, he can’t win and neither can the team. That’s why I don’t like Yankee fans talking about the Mets. The Yankees are in need of starting pitching and a 1B. Lets see cry baby hank not throw boatloads of money to CC (horrible playoff stats) and Tex (has he ever made the playoffs?) and lets see if the Yankees sweep the comments of ‘the Yankees overpay for everyone because they can’ under the rug and get the pass on it that they always do, because, they are the Yankees. As for the rest of SNY, I don’t watch it, its all fluff and the only good thing about it, just like YES, is the postgame because you can hear from your players and get a good insight of your team. One last comment, Mets have the most honest announcers in the game, unlike the Yankee announcers (had to throw that out there because I hate Michael Kay and his sucking of every Yankee player). If you watch a game on SNY, the announcers actually know what they are talking about and criticize the players and managers when needed. Kudos to them ( the same goes for the radio guys). OK, I am getting off my soapbox now and going to my seats to watch my currently 1st place Mets take on the Braves with a 2B from the mexican league (kudos to the Mets for keeping Castillo in the minors) an overpaid 1B, an arrogant SS having an unbelievable season, some infielders filling in admirably as outfielders flanking the most overpaud CF in the game (or is that Damon?) a pitcher whose arm is about to fall off and a future MVP 3B. Now, if the roles were reversed Yankee fans would praise their scouting, farm system and management…great work Superman! (i mean marble mouth)
5 Camp // Aug 21, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I hate to ruin a very long comment (and to comment on my own article in general) but the point of the Beltran line wasn’t that he was a bad pick up or not a good player, but that the Mets fans do not support him no matter what he does. As a matter of fact, the only Met whose playing skills I criticized was Castillo and Delgado, and only because he tanked it under Willie.
So here is a Yankee fan praising the Met AA, management, and first place players.
And thanks for proving that Met fans can’t handle being second fiddle, so much so that it causes a diatribe over an innocuous and innocent comment in a satirical column.
6 Vinny // Aug 21, 2008 at 11:51 pm
When I hear, or in this case “see” disappointed Yankee fans vent out their frustrations of a wasted season on the 1st place Mets, I do what I always do, I chuckle to myself and say awwwww….poor poor Yankee fan, WAH! Just remember when you point your finger at us, there are 3 fingers pointing back at yourself. (I don’t even think that’s enough fingers to cover all the problems you guys have.)
But then, I read the name Chris Carlin and I was intrigued. Could it be? Does someone finally see what I have been saying all along? Please, please I beg, get this fat, self absorbed, pompous, arrogant, A-Hole out of my life. To quote my favorite movie Reservoir Dogs, “Mother F****er looks like The Thing” Thank you Billy for exposing this guy somewhat to the tune that I have been singing about him all along. Talk about a show stopper…
Yankees suck. Deal with it.
7 Pete // Aug 22, 2008 at 2:13 pm
>> Yankees suck. Deal with it. >>
They suck when they’re winning and they suck when they’re losing too? I’m a bit confused here. How are we supposed to know when they *truly* suck?
Oh yeah, when all the other fans of all the other teams stop obsessing over them — that’s when.
8 Delano // Aug 24, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Nice article and quite humorous as always Billy…
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