Fang's Bites

Interview with Andy Gresh of Sirius XM Radio

Here’s an e-mail interview with the night time host Andy Gresh of Sirius XM’s Mad Dog Radio. Andy hosts the 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. shift. Before he joined Sirius XM in January, Andy had been doing weekends at ESPN Radio, and before that, he was morning drive host at WSKO AM/FM in Providence, RI, first with John “Coach” Colleto, an afternoon drive co-host with Scott Cordischi, then back to morning drive with former Patriots/Dolphins/Jets backup quarterback Scott Zolak signing on when the station flipped to all-sports in October of 1997 and remaining with the station when it was killed by Citadel Broadcasting on March 2008.

Greshie also did work on television at Comcast SportsNet New England and works with Zolak on the WBCN Patriots Rock Radio Network on the pre and postgame shows during the NFL season. And he did some fill-in work at WFAN where he got noticed by Chris Russo.

During his tenure in Providence, I got to know Andy through one of my friends at sister station WPRO and back when I was still working at WHJJ.

Andy also was an offensive lineman for the University of Rhode Island where he was often called for holding. That’s a joke, I stole that from a WPRO news reporter. Sorry, Andy.

But Andy has worked at his craft and made his step to the national stage first at ESPN Radio and now at Sirius XM. We had to jump through hoops to get this interview, but I thank the people at Sirius XM for making this possible.

Over the last day and a half, Andy and I exchanged e-mails and the result of the interview is below.

Fang’s Bites: After 790/99.7 The Score went under, what was your strategy that eventually led you to Sirius? There was a stop at ESPN Radio, but did you feel there was another avenue for you to go?

Andy Gresh: There really was no strategy. I was working at ESPN Radio when I was at the Score, in fact the day they fired me, I was in one of the Senior Manager’s offices that afternoon discussing my future. I was on the Score’s air that night on ESPN radio…irony at its best. Two days after I got fired, I got a call from Steve Cohen, Vice President of Sports at Sirius. He and I saw each other at the Super Bowl that year and he told me he’d like me to do some work for him and I told him then that my contract with Citadel wouldn’t allow me. When he called me after the Score went under, he said “How’s that contract workin’ out for ya?” Funny as Hell. I went to New York and met with him and his team and the next thing I knew I was working for Sirius NFL Radio broadcasting from my office in my old house in Massachusetts. I used to get ridiculed by some in our building about building relationships with people in other markets, and I think some of them wish they did what I did.

FB: What led you to Sirius XM and Mad Dog Radio?

AG: Since I was working for NFL Radio, they knew I had Sports Talk chops and it was a natural fit. When I flirted with New York earlier in my career, Chris was complimentary of my work on WFAN and remembered me. We had lunch in Manhattan early September and he said, “We’re coming for ya, just hang tight.” And the deal got done but it all started with Steve Cohen bringing me in to NFL radio and 6 shifts from WFAN.

FB: How has Chris Russo been as a boss or is he a figurehead and is (Program Director) Steve Torre the real Man? LOL.

AG: Russo has total control and everyone knows it!! No, they work in concert and they’ve let me be me, which can be dangerous at times. I think when I told them about my plan for web presence, my vision for the show, and me being me, they were a little taken aback. All I heard was “just focus on doing a good show”. I went in with a plan and we’ve executed flawlessly and it’s a credit to Chris, Steve, and the people above them letting me run with it the way I wanted to.

FB: Let’s give a plug for the website. What’s the address and what do you have on the site?

AG: We take advantage of www.sirius.com/maddogradio with a poll question every night. You can also hear old interviews and pictures of people who’ve come in studio. I have a website for the show www.thegreshshow.com where you can find the Greshabulary page…… It’s a must see.

FB: You’re going into the third month as the nighttime host. Do you feel this is the type of show you’ve been wanting to do all along since you began as the Morning Drive co-host at the Score?

AG: Yes and no. In my opinion it’s the most unique radio show on the planet because we can listen to any game on the Sirius XM empire. And if we do have some hurdles, like we do with baseball, we have the ability to figure it out and get the info to people quickly and give them the ability to listen what happened then call and analyze. Our phones are open all the time while games are going on and we have the audio to go with that analysis. And I think we make people think every night in a way that they haven’t thought about a topic. We mix in some guy stuff and we sound young so there are elements of the show I did with Zolak, mixed in with a lot of me, and phones from across the country. We sound different from anything else on, not only Mad Dog radio, but I think radio in general. And we’re constantly evolving…..well be better in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months.

FB: One of the things you did was do cut-ins for the NCAA Tournament. How much fun was it for you to play Greg Gumbel during that period?

AG: It was pretty cool except we did a better job of switching to the games that mattered!!

FB: Have you remained in touch with any of the old Score staff?

AG: Zolak and I talk probably once or twice a week. He’s training for a triathlon and God, would I love to be working with him now to kill him on that. Our old producer, Jim Louth, we talk a couple times a month and Ron St. Pierre is a mentor and friend who’s relationship is very important to me. Other than that, not really. I found out who my friends are in the building I used to work in….. I found out that I had a lot of acquaintances not friends, which is fine. I do miss people like Duffy Egan from Citadel Engineering. I’ve done a bad job to keeping in touch with him and the women in the business department. I love them all. And my favorite news nerd, Bill Haberman and Dan Yorke. And of course, there are some people in that building I have zero respect for and I hope I never see them again. Most know who they are!! But I’ve also learned that there are frauds everywhere.

FB: Any good sports celebrity/music celebrity/Hollywood celebrity sightings in the Sirius XM hallways?

AG: I can’t even explain how cool the vibe is at Sirius XM. It’s a place where you feel the creative juices flowing when you walk through the door and it’s sooooooooooooooooo liberating….and free. It’s wonderful. I’ve met all kinds of people but let’s put it this way, when I walk out Friday nights, I see Dee Snider doing his (Fangoria Radio) show and he’s cool. Kurt Angle….Bridget from Hef’s (Hugh Hefner, who else?) stable….and I love it when my man Bryant from the Latin station at Sirius brings in singers and has them in studio cause the ladies come in to see them and there’s nothing better for a divorced guy than to be in a lobby full of hot chicks.

FB: Do you miss terrestrial radio at all?

AG: Radio is radio. No matter where you apply your trade the rules are different so to me, it’s all radio. It’s more about missing people you work with and for me that includes Citadel and ESPN Radio. I formed some very special relationships at ESPN Radio with Scott Masteller, Terry Foxx, and Freddie Coleman and I miss them and others. But….calling my own shots is fun and it’s all on me for my show to succeed and i love that. Chris, Steve and I don’t agree on everything I do, which is good. And we talk it out and it’s a great relationship. I’m probably Sports Talk for the 21st century and different philosophies breed new ideas and creativity. But it’s about making the channel work and it will be very successful and to be successful you can’t have everyone being the same and doing the same show and Chris realizes that. He knows the medium very well, very well.

FB: When do you start prepping for the show?

AG: I work very hard at making the show the best it can be. I want to have the best show on the channel and that’s not me being snide or cocky or taking a shot at anyone. If I don’t work every day to make my show the best on the channel, then I’m cheating Mad Dog and I’m not gonna do that. He and I bust each other up on air but I have great respect for him and now that he knows me and what I’m about, I think he respects me as well. My approach is for every hour I do on air, I spend an hour of prep. From music, to opens, to writing liners, to topics, guests…..what you have to remember is that it’s all me for 5 hours, and I plan the show as if I’m not gonna get one phone call that way I have plenty of material. I could mail it in and not work as hard because I know we have a ton of calls every night, but that’s not me. Here is my normal day……I’m up at 11am….(depending if I’m doing TV that day at SNY) I’m usually in around 2 p.m. and work till 3:30, mix in an hour at the gym, and come back and work till Showtime. It’s a long day with the train ride from my place in Jersey City but when you do what you love, it never feels like work. I realize I work in the toy department of life and am grateful for doing so. The only thing that would tweak my schedule is occasional TV work…….which is a ton of fun. Not every host can do my show with weaving in and out of games and guests on the fly….it’s tough but fun.

FB: What blogs do you read to prep for the show? You don’t have to mention mine to suck up.

AG: I really don’t read blogs before the show. And it’s no disrespect to them. It’s just not a habit. If I do, I go to SPORTSbyBROOKS or Deadspin to see if there’s some funny audio we can use. For me, it’s about reading about the news of the day……and that’s where the Fang’s Bites Friday blog comes in handy. Because by Friday after doing 20 hours of radio solo and needing to bring it home heading into the weekend, being able to go to one place and find stuff is great. In the words of Pete Gillen “At the end of the week, my eyeballs are bouncing off the floor.”

FB: You mentioned you’re on SNY now. Give yourself a plug and what you’re doing there.

AG: SNY has 3 local shows and I’ve done work on all of them. My role is pretty much the same as I had at Comcast SportsNet in Boston, sports analyst, loud guy, funny guy, do what I do and have fun. Curt Gowdy, Jr. who runs the show there knew of my work from Boston and it’s been a nice fit. And Brad Como from SNY and Kevin Miller from Comcast in Boston know each other as well and that made it easier to get in because Kevin put in the good word to Brad. What I didn’t know was that Curt was a big Patriots fan so he knew of me anyways. It’s always nice to have friends!! Their operation is first class and I hope, and want, to do more with them.

FB: Who has been the favorite Gresh guest on the show thus far?

AG: Scott Zolak!!! No. When Tommy Lasorda and I got into it on the air about the World Baseball Classic …. but I’ve found a gem in Michael Collins, an analyst for PGA Tour Radio, who was a caddie and he and I talking golf is serious but a hoot and fun. He’ll be on during Masters Week a lot and I love the guy. My producer Mike Babchik is a guest booking machine…. we’ve had John Calipari, Chipper Jones, Bob Kraft, Billy Gillespie, Pat Summitt after her 1,000th win, being a national radio show opens the door for a lot of guests and a ton of people. My crew gets it done from that end.

FB: A couple of sports questions: Who are your favorites for the World Series?

AG: I think those who have been picking the chalk are smart. I don’t see a Tampa situation this year. For me it’s come down to, if Smoltz is great once he comes back around June, I like the Red Sox. If A-Rod comes back and is A-Rod, I like the Yanks. I’m gonna lean Yankees and in the NL, I like the cubs to get over the hump. So I’ll go Yanks – Cubs.

FB: I know you’re a bit of an NFL Draftnik. Who’s your sleeper pick this year? With your Steelers coming off a Super Bowl championship, do you feel they have any particular needs?

AG: The Steelers need some o-line help. I can’t believe they won it with that line. A Center would be nice and so would a swing tackle who can develop into a starter and they gotta look at d-line as well. I always took pride in picking who would come in and make an impact right away and this year…some good players will go to bad teams but I like Mark Sanchez a lot and Michael Crabtree is great but way go to someone like Jacksonville and may get bogged down…..but I like Brian Arakpo from Texas. Good football player and a big guy.

FB: Last one. Have you found any Bickford’s restaurants in New York City?

AG: The Bickford’s line is an inside joke that made me laugh like hell so good job out of you, Fang (ECW! ECW!)…… New York and New Jersey, the food I can’t even explain how good it is here. But I’ve been going to the gym and controlling my eating during the week and I’m down to 340 pounds. And I’ll lose more over the next few months. I’ve got a chance to lift again because I’m nearby a best friend from college and I’m working on (my weight).

Things are good…..2008 was worse personally than professionally if you can believe that, so I’m in a good place. My career is growing by leaps and bounds and I may have some more news soon. And I’ll be back for another year for Patriots Radio so those looking to jump on my grave, it’s not empty!!

Great interview with Greshie. I hope to have another interview with him down the line. Always fun to talk with him.

Saturday Linkage

Time to give you some links today.

Yesterday, John Crowe over at his Crowe’s Nest blog hinted of a change in the Providence sports radio landscape. Today, he’s able to confirm that former WSKO host Scott Cordischi will be back on the airwaves, albeit on a weekly basis, on WPRO, every Saturday starting next week.

David Scott of Scott’s Shots was also able to get confirmation and was told the show will be called, “Scott Cordischi On Sports”. He was able to get this quote from Cordischi: “I am very much looking forward to talking sports with Rhode Islanders and Southern New Englanders once again here in Providence. I have missed talking about things like the Sox, Yankees, the Celts run to a championship, the PC coaching search, the NFL Draft, etc.” Thank you, David for getting the quote.

It’s a good move for Scott, giving him a chance to be back on local radio. It’s not a full-time gig, but it gives him an opportunity to give his opinions again.

Alan Pergament of the Buffalo News says Yankee Stadium will be on full display during the All-Star Game on Fox this Tuesday.

Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette says the Fox Sports announcers have to do a balancing act during the All-Star Game.

Chas Rich over at the AOL Fanhouse blog says it appears that Fox Sports will keep the Bowl Championship Series thanks to its marriage with IMG and add to the fact that IMG is the exclusive negotiator for …. the BCS.

Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that restructuring at KMOV-TV’s sports deparrment is leaving the staff in a precarious position.

The Sports Media Watch has some ratings news and notes.

The San Antonio Express-News’ Jerry Garcia talks with legendary local weatherman Jud Ashmore about his memories about the late Dan Cook.

In his Pressbox blog, Chris Pursell of TV Week previews the week ahead and also talks with CBS golf analyst Ian Baker-Finch who will be part of the TNT crew televising the Open Championship in Royal Birkdale next week.

The Biz of Baseball’s Maury Brown has a review of the new MLB.com At Bat widget for the new Apple iPhone 3G. And from Maury’s Biz of Sports site, he looks into the new Turner Sports/Yahoo! Sports partnership.

Joe Favorito has a story about the New Jersey Institute of Technology making a small splash in college basketball by joining …. the Great West Conference. I kid you not.

Cynthia Wolfe Boynton in a story that will be in tomorrow’s New York Times writes that even while ESPN has become a sports behemoth, it still remains loyal to its Bristol, CT home.

Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman says if the reports about a contract extension with ESPN are true, then the WAC has won some much needed TV exposure. Yesterday, Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser reported a 5 to 7 year contract extension between the two parties.

Alan Strachan of the Vancouver Sun writes about Steve Nash of Phoenix Suns directing a film for ESPN about Canadian legend Terry Fox.

Jeremy Evans of the Tahoe (NV) Daily Tribune says media coverage of the celebrity American Century Championship golf tournament has grown ever since NBC helped to create the event in 1990.

With this week’s announcement that Dan Patrick would be reunited with former ESPN co-hort Keith Olbermann on NBC, Craig Stoda of the Palm Beach Post decided to look at the top sports broadcasting partnerships.

Christopher Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media blog is in New York for the All-Star Game weekend.

That’s going to do it for now. I don’t think I’ll have any more updates today. I will have Videos of the Week, a look at NBC’s coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea tomorrow, so you can look for that. Enjoy your weekend.

BREAKING NEWS: Andy Gresh to do Shows at Sirius NFL Radio

In the last few weeks, I had been hearing that Andy Gresh, talk show host of the late WSKO-AM/FM in Providence, was talking with one of the satellite radio companies.

Today, I got confirmation straight from Gresh that indeed, he will be hosting a couple of shows a week for Sirius NFL Radio, channel 124. He tells me what’s going on in an e-mail and I quote from it verbatim:

heres the latest. in addition to my now expanded work for espn radio, I’ll also be working for sirius satellite radio. my role to start will be to do a couple of shows a week on the NFL channel 124. Once we get our issues of connectivity sorted out I will start right away. Basically we are setting things up so I can work for them from my house in Mass. So I would be able to sit in my office, plug in and earn money while talking football. Dream come true.

So with my ESPN work and Sirius, along with ComcastSportsnet, my dance card is already full. This doesnt mean I wont do some local radio, but in a situation where most are struggling to find work, Im pushing people aside and turning down work. WHICH IS NICE believe me. I have been talking to more than one Boston entity about my future, but for now Im a national guy. BUT never say never. Things heat up quickly. Im also close on adding some local TV work and maintaining a presence in Providence. Which is very important to me and hopefully that is done soon and I’ll be able to speak about the demise of the Score, more than I have on the Gresh and Zo myspace page.

If you’re a regular listener to ESPN Radio, you already know that Andy has had more shifts there since the demise of the Score last month. In addition, as I linked to last night, Neil Best of Newsday reports that Steven A. Smith will leave ESPN Radio as of next Thursday.

How this will benefit Gresh, I don’t know. It could lead to more permanent work for Gresh with ESPN Radio, perhaps at night, we’ll see. In addition, he has done work at WFAN in New York so combined with his work at Sirius, perhaps the ever expanding empire of Gresh will lead to shifts there as well. Who knows? I’m just speculating.

I’ll keep you updated.

It’s the Tuesday Link Thing

Time to give you the links today.

I’m still a bit melancholy about the demise of the Score. I think it’s due to the fact that I know a lot of the staff. When you hear about a radio station changing formats, you know that people have lost jobs. However, when the change comes at the expense of people you know, it hits deeper. Having seen friends at two different companies lose their jobs in the market, I just feel for them.

Art Martone of the Providence Journal who was a frequent guest on the Score says the news came unexpectedly to the staff. And John Crowe of the Crowe’s Nest blog gives thanks to everyone who’s contacted him since the news broke.

We’ll update you when we hear more about what happens to the Score staff.

Onto other things, Newsday’s Neil Best has a good feature on WNBC-TV’s Bruce Beck who will go to all means necessary to get local highlights, plus Neil has news on a name change for the lovely Deb Kaufman of MSG/MSG+. In his blog, Neil has more on Deb’s name change and drops a name in regards to last night’s Pete Sampras-Roger Federer exhibition match at Madison Square Garden.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News says ESPN/ABC’s Steve Lavin missed the big picture in Saturday’s Cal-UCLA game.

Lori Riley of the Hartford Courant says Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell stepped in at the last minute to have CPTV to pick up last night’s UConn women’s game in the Big East Tournament that was originally on ESPNU. Chris Elsberry of the Connecticut Post says the Governor did the right thing on behalf of UConn fans.

Bob Wolfley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel go through ESPN’s list of Top 25 players in college basketball history.

Chip Alexander of the Charlotte Observer notes that this is the 25th anniversary of the late Jim Valvano’s NC State NCAA championship team.

Toni Fitzgerald of Media Life magazine says ad spending for the NCAA Tournament is up 5% this year.

The Oakland Tribune’s Dave Del Grande laments the loss of Barry Bonds and Brett Favre from a viewer’s standpoint.

Rick Cleveland from the Clarion (MS) Ledger says Braves fans will be able to watch just about all of the team’s games.

John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that FSN Ohio will air about half of the Reds games in HD. But Phil Swann of the TV Predictions.com site says Time Warner Cable and Insight cable may not pick up the HD airings.

George M. Thomas from the Akron Beacon Journal agrees mostly with WKNR’s Greg Brinda who criticized the NBA for not canceling Saturday’s Cavs-Pacers game which was played in the midst of a heavy snowstorm.

Laura Nachman says Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia will go interactive for 76ers games.

The Sports Media Watch says it appears that the New Orleans Hornets will be bumped from ABC this weekend.

Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel says FSN’s Sports Science show is worth watching.

Oscar winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. has signed on to head and narrate a new documentary on the Negro Baseball League.

The Toronto Globe and Mail picks up a Canadian Press story about the CBC having to cancel some new shows because the Maple Leafs won’t be making the NHL playoffs.

Do you remember BattleBots? ESPN is going to pick up some episodes for June.

That’s all for now.

Monday Night Update

Let’s give you a few more links this evening. My real-time review of Real Sports will come tomorrow.

I will say the Lenny Dykstra story is just amazing. I’ll have the review on Tuesday.

My first link is from the former Executive Producer of the Score, WSKO-AM/FM in Providence, John Crowe. From his Crowe’s Nest blog, John talks about the unfortunate demise of the Score which came when parent company Citadel Broadcasting brought the hammer down on the sports radio station today. Now only WEEI-FM, a carpetbagging radio station from Boston will have the Providence market to itself. Fans of Providence College, the University of Rhode Island and Brown University will not have an outlet to talk sports as WEEI just focuses on the Patriots and Red Sox. It’s a sad day, but Citadel will tell you the station was not performing well in the ratings nor financially. But the station had a loyal listenership and may have not been performing as well as WEEI, but it had its fans. I do hope that the staff that was let go will be able to find work.

David Scott of Boston Sports Media Watch has his thoughts on the Score’s demise. Art Martone, sports editor of the Providence Journal had a story as it broke this afternoon.

One of the mainstays of the aforementioned WEEI, Glenn Ordway announced today that his baby daughter who experienced physical trauma during her birth is recovering and could have a normal life. That is definitely good news.

Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune says a deal between the Big Ten Network and Comcast could come anytime now. Jeff Richgels from the Capital (WI) Times reports that a framework for a deal is set.

The Eye on Sports Media blog has information on the NCAA D-II and D-III men’s and women’s basketball championships, which network will air them and when.

NCAAsports.com has now relaunched as NCAA.com.

SI.com picks up an Associated Press story which says Dish Network has picked up CST, the cable home of the New Orleans Hornets, and civic leaders are now appealing to DirecTV to do the same.

TV Week’s Chris Pursell writes in his Pressbox blog that NBA TV ratings are going through the roof.

R. Thomas Umstead of Multichannel News says ESPN Deportes will be added to Time Warner Cable’s lineup in Los Angeles. Mike Reynolds of Multichannel writes that CBS College Sports Network is expanding its reach for its video on demand March Madness highlights package. And Multichannel tells us that Versus has begun its NHL Stanley Cup ad campaign.

Alex Weprin of Broadcasting & Cable says NASCAR and Family Circle magazine are teaming up for a syndicated TV show focused on cooking.

Brad Stone of the New York Times reports that Hulu.com, the joint venture from NBC and Fox, is now out of Beta and will officially launch on Wednesday with not only programming from NBC, Fox and Warner, but also with NBA, NHL and NCAA basketball highlights.

The NFL Network has announced that former GM and current CBS NFL Insider Charley Casserly will be part of its NFL Draft coverage in April.

CHARLEY CASSERLY JOINS NFL NETWORK’S DRAFT COVERAGE

OFFERS GENERAL MANAGER’S PERSPECTIVE ON

“PATH TO THE DRAFT” & THROUGHOUT DRAFT WEEK

Charley Casserly, a 24-year executive for the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, joins NFL Network’s NFL Draft coverage, it was announced today.

Casserly will offer his analysis on Path to the Draft twice each week at 6:30 PM ET before spending all of Draft week in NFL Network’s Los Angeles studios, where he will contribute to Path to the Draft and NFL Total Access as well as NFL Network’s gavel-to-gavel NFL Draft coverage on April 26-27.

“We continue to deepen our roster with year round draft experts,” said NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger. “Charley knows talent.”

During the NFL season, Casserly serves as the “General Manager” for CBS’ The NFL Today pregame show.

Prior to joining CBS Sports in 2006, Casserly spent six years as senior vice president and general manager of the Houston Texans. In Casserly’s final draft with the team in 2006, the Texans selected defensive end Mario Williams with the first overall pick and linebacker DeMeco Ryans with the first pick in the second round. Williams tied for third in the NFL with 14 sacks last season (including 10 sacks in his last seven games), while Ryans earned a trip to the 2008 Pro Bowl.

Casserly earned three Super Bowl rings with the Washington Redskins prior to joining the Texans and twice served on the NFL Competition Committee (2003-06; 1996-1999).

That will do it.

More Monday Meaty Links – Big Ten Network Close to Deal with Comcast

Let’s give some more links this afternoon.

We’re beginning to hear that the Big Ten Network is close to a deal with Comcast. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal is reporting a deal is imminent. Mike Snyder of the Detroit Free Press tries to find out more. Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says in his Business of Sports blog that other major cable providers in the Midwest, Time Warner and Charter do not appear to be close to signing the Big Ten Network. Even if a deal comes about, it won’t be in time for the Big Ten Tournament this week, it will most likely ensure that BTN will be on Comcast systems in time for college football season in late August or early September. We’ll continue to monitor.

In a move that saddens me and other sports fans in Rhode Island, Citadel Broadcasting has pulled the plug on all-sports WSKO AM-FM today. It’s really too bad. I have a bunch of friends who work there and I hope to hear from them in the next day or two. Scott Cordischi, Andy Gresh and John Crowe are all good people and I hope they get jobs somewhere soon. Greshie has been doing work at ESPN Radio and I’m sure he’ll land on his feet, but as far as producers and the grunts who have lost their jobs, this is bad news.

D.K. Wilson of the Chicago Sports Review follows the evidence and finds a connection into Pennsylvannia Senator Arlen Specter’s “investigation” into Spygate. And Philadelphia Weekly also goes after Specter for this investigation.

The Sports Media Journal has started the SMJ Sports Radio Madness Best Host Tournament. You can see the 24 sports radio talk show hosts involved in the tournament here. It’s quite an interesting list. You can agree or disagree with the choices, but the tournament is certainly an interesting one.

CNBC’s Darren Rovell is in day one of his Minor League Baseball Logo contest. Darren also talks with NASCAR driver Carl Edwards.

Newsday’s Neil Best recaps Alex Rodriguez’ appearance on WFAN’s Mike & the Mad Dog this afternoon.

Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks about ESPN’s Pedro Gomez being happy now that he’s no longer on the Barry Bonds beat.

Dusty Saunders of the Rocky Mountain News has high praise for ESPN’s documentary, Black Magic.

ESPN360 will offer a whole host of conference tournament and championship games this week.

Thomas Bonk of the Los Angeles Times has a profile of NBC Sports golf anchor Dan Hicks.

Paul Sen over at the Sports Media Watch is amazed that the much-hyped Pittsburgh-Washington NHL game didn’t do better on NBC on Sunday. But on the other hand, the Suns-Spurs NBA game on ABC did very well.

That’s it for now. If anything breaks on the Big Ten Network front, I’ll certainly let you know. And I hope to have a real time review of the latest Real Sports tonight.