A Moment of Clarity

I've felt strongly about a number of sports-related topics recently. The new usual form, item by item:
1. Ed Snider and WIP: I am a big Ed Snider fan. He has taken a lot of heat for getting on the fans to buy Sixers tickets. In today's media driven culture, virtually any issue involving a sports franchise or someone related to a franchise becomes instant news, and if that issue involves anything negative, well that's an easy way to kill a week or two worth of programming or news stories during a down time. The overreaction to Snider's attitude and comments was silly, in my opinion. I think that Snider may not be in touch with the Sixers fans and culture the way he has been with the Flyers, a franchise he helped create and has been with since 1966-67. Ed is a passionate owner, not cheap by any means. He wants to win, he wants the fans to be happy. The ticket prices are high, that is very true, and it is not the fans' fault that the Sixers aren't drawing more. I think several members of the 2003-04 and 2004-05 Phillies committed worse sins by blaming the fans for the team's poor performance. Snider is not involved with player personnel decisions, and people that judge him by the makeup of the Sixers can feel free, but I believe only the bottom line can be looked at when judging ownership. Have the Philadelphia 76ers made money? Have they made the playoffs, and if so, have they won in the playoffs? There is a lot of work to be done with the team, but jumping all over the owner will only serve to keep his mouth shut in the future, cutting communications ties to the fans and weakening the Sixers image on the whole. As the radio home of the Sixers, WIP hosts should continue to be very critical of the team, and even the General Manager, but it does not seem to make sense in the world of the athletic competition that is the NBA to attack a passionate owner.
My other point in this situation is that I can't really stand listening to Anthony Gargano, WIP's midday co-host with Mike Missanelli. The longer this second stint with Mike has gone on, the more the "Cuz" has sounded like his old partner, Steve Martorano, whom I am sure is a nice person but not the most knowledgeable sports talk show host. I enjoyed Gargano when he ripped the Phillies and Ed Wade and David Montgomery. I enjoy Gargano when he rips the Sixers for playing without heart. I just don't like the double talking and uninformed opinions Mr. Gargano seems so quick to dole out. Missanelli is not the best national sports talker in the country, but compared to Gargano's very limited scope (Philadelphia area 1970's - present; Jordan era Chicago Bulls, Cubs and Bears; 1990's New York Met baseball and Knick basketball), Missanelli seems like Chris Russo or Mike Francesa. It seems like almost everyone at WIP wants to be a character the size of Howard Eskin or Angelo Cataldi these days, I think they might do a little better with more actual sports information.
2. More on sports talk radio: Since I am a sports talk junkie, and this is a great area for competition, with 950 WPEN and ESPN 920 providing local options to perennial favorite 610 WIP, as well as a strong signal from 660 WFAN New York, I would like to give more likes and dislikes on the local airwaves.
The Good: Rhea Hughes on Saturday mornings on WIP- Rhea is, and has been, very in touch with journalism and entertainment and its role on WIP and in the sports world in these changing times. She mixes in research backed opinion and entertaining sidebar conversation. The Sports Fanatics on 950 in the evenings- Very entertaining with more national sports coverage, I like having three or four people on a show, and I like less callers. Missanelli on WIP- I have a biased view on Mike Miss, having grown up reading and listening to him throughout my younger days. I just think he is the right guy on that midday shift, not taking it too serious, playing a light character, keeping it mostly local but able to go national on a topic without sounding ignorant.
The Bad: I think Glen Macnow pounces on his callers and humiliates them at times, which works for some hosts but not Macnow since he is recognized as a "caller's favorite" kind of guy, with the movie club and burger contest and the like, but the way he dismisses callers makes me tune the dial away from him. Mike Kern- on WIP, he is the worst radio personality working today. Mike is a great newspaper journalist and very good on Comcast SportsNet's Daily News Live, but when he gets on the mike at 'IP, he sounds like Gargano and acts like Eskin. Kern pounces on callers, tearing them down and sounding actually angry most of the time. He repeats caller's names many times when lecturing them, yet with the exception of local college basketball, he can not back up much of what he says. Commercials on ESPNradio 920- go on for almost as long as commercials during the Mike and the Mad Dog show on 'FAN. I don't think that's a good strategy, and honestly, it is because of the constant commercials, as well as the biased programming, that have pushed 920 to the bottom of my list.