Twin Cities Sports Talk Power Rankings

There have been big shake-ups in the local sports talk scene in recent months. Popular former-Viking and ratings draw Mike Morris was released from his contract at 100.3 The Fan, last week was part-time host Henry Lake's last show as he moves on to a full-time gig in Kansas City, and just last Monday WGVX 105.1 switched formats from light rock to all-sports adding the new CBS Sports Talk lineup.

Throw in ESPN 1500's switching around its lineup to put top show Reusse and Mackey head-to-head in drive time against ratings champ Dan Barreiro, Jeff Dubay back on the air, and the Twins moving to the revamped—and awesome—96.3 KTWIN.

This town has seen the sports talk wars evolve at an incredible pace.

Today I thought I'd take the time to see where everyone is at, and where the strengths lie. As someone who worked in the radio business for three years, has met nearly every local personality both formally and informally, and can appreciate how good some talents are, I think we can take a fair look at what is a very strong market for sports.

Waste of Space

24. Sid Hartman: Let's be honest, it is nearly impossible to take him seriously, he just keeps showing up and anyone who actually listens to his show on Sunday mornings has either at least 65 or has a radio that only gets 830 WCCO.

23. Meatsauce: He sounds like a drunk guy trying to do an impression of Jesse Ventura.

22. Chris Hawkey: Seems like a very nice man and a talented musician although his song parodies are usually pathetic. He's about as entertaining as a crutch.

Weekend Warriors

21. Jim Souhan: I'm fairly indifferent on 1500's Sunday Sports Talk's co-host, I agree with some things he says, but a lot of people just go crazy by the mention of his name, cannot be too high on the list.

20. Trent Tucker: Early Saturday's basketball maven on the Fan, Trent also will basically appear on anything. Who doesn't love double-T? He'd be higher on the list if he wasn't on the air for two hours a week.

19. Dave Sinykyn: Double-T's cohost, "The Head Cheese" knows his basketball, Packer football, and Bruce Springsteen. Has a great chemistry with Tucker and is pretty fair when it comes to NFC North commentary.

KFAN leftover

18. Judd Zulgad: I actually like him a lot with Dubay daily and Reusse on Saturday mornings, but the running joke on Saturday Sports Talk is not a week goes by where someone doesn't call or email the station wondering when Joe Soucheray is coming back from vacation. Zulgad has been on Saturday's for over two years...

Talks a lot of sports, but plays to a broader audience

17. Joe Soucheray: The conservative kingpin practically started sports talk 25+ years ago with Pat Reusse. His niche is carved out with his "Garage Logic" credo and any sports he talks is with Reusse. I wonder how much longer before he retires.

16. Bob Sansevere: KQRS Morning Show's sports voice since George Bush Sr., Bob has two sports segments per show, but he talks just as much about politics and pop culture. Great guy.

15. Chad Hartman: Longtime host at KFAN and play-by-play voice for the Wolves, Hartman talks more news now at WCCO, but he is a pro's pro. Knows what he's talking about and isn't afraid to take a pot shot at his father. A long-time personal favorite of mine.

TV on the Radio

14. Randy Shaver: Longtime ch. 11 sports and now lead anchor has been the butt of jokes on 93X's "Half-Assed" morning show for well over a decade. He's always seemed to be way above that show, but it works.

13. Mike Max: Does it all for WCCO TV/Radio and has hosted and produced Sunday night's "Sports Show" for over 15 years, which has guaranteed a spot in heaven for having to steer Reusse, the late-Dark Star, and Sid Hartman on that program for that long. But his "Sports Tonight" show on 830 is always good because Max is well informed.

12. Eric Perkins: Ch. 11's goofy anchor can be heard every morning on KTWIN. Remarkable how long he's lasted in this market and deserves his popularity. 

11. Mark Rosen: Along with Corey "Sludge" Cove, the Dean of Twin Cities' sports anchors has to carry the aforementioned Hawkey and 'Sauce several hours a day on the Fan.

Top Part-Timers

10. Darren Wolfson: Fantastic producer when paired with (Chad) Hartman at KFAN. Does TV work and supposedly has more sources in this town than anyone. His weekly column on 1500espn.com is a must read.

9. Paul Charchian: The "Friday Football Feast" with Paul Allen is always a must listen. So brilliant when it comes to football, grade-A entrepreneur, and passionate video game fan. The following three statements have never been uttered by a local listener to his friends: 

1. "Charch made a lot of sense with his basketball commentary today."

2. "Charch made a really great point about the hockey team today."

3. "Charch was well informed in that baseball segment." 

Bright Future (Here?)

8. Tom Pelissero: By far the most underrated talent in the market, he does maybe the best job covering the Vikings in town, isn't a homer, is young, and has a good sense of humor. If he's still in this market in five years something went wrong.

7. Phil Mackey: A great writer and works fantastically playing of Reusse. Good sense of humor too and you can tell there's more to him than sports. The only gripe me or anyone else would have is he does tend to get on his high horse and does not budge one iota on his opinions. 

When he gets "trolled" by followers on twitter, knows it, and still takes the bait it's amusing to see, but he can't let morons on the internet get to him. Like Pelissero, if he's not writing on a national sports website, or hosting a show on a national sports talk radio network in the future it'd almost be a shame. He's going to be bigger than this market in time.

6. Sludge: Young, funny, and knows what's going on in the world. The station veteran and host of the "Power Trip" now that Morris is gone does an impeccable job with Vikings Fan Line, is the premiere local voice of the Timberwolves, and again along with Rosen has to carry the aforementioned Hawkey and 'Sauce several hours a day.

The Polarizing Three

5. Dan Cole: "The Common Man" has been on the air in different slots for more than 15 years, is the best at talking golf in the market, and has a great chemistry with his very good producer Brandon Mileski. His "preposterous statement" tournament might be the yearly highlight of talk radio in the cities.

Those positives aside, I think the gimmick of acting stupid when he's really smart is the exact gimmick that hurts radio. People already think most radio people are stupid. Don't help that perception! He relies heavily on drops ("You have got to be kidding me!") to pass time, and Chuck Knoblach could be sandwhiched between Paul Allen and Dan Barreiro and get ratings.

4. Reusse: Nobody knows more about baseball and nobody has a sharper memory when it comes to dates and facts. He has a great gift to tell stories, which is the foundation of radio. He has excelled with the young Mackey in the last three years and has given the old-timer renewed vigor. 

I think he genuinely does get pleasure out of needling Gopher athletics, which drives the faithful crazy and he will never pull a punch. He's been at that "get off my lawn" level for about a decade, but he really doesn't give a shit what you think of him. Like Cole, you either love him or you don't.

3. Allen: Impeccable play-by-play voice for the Vikings, Allen has a passion for the Twin Cities favorite team. Allen lives with the Vikes, and dies with the Vikes. The thing I especially appreciate about Allen is when he has a guest on his show and can openly admit he doesn't know much about the topic. He wants to learn from his guests along with the listener. Most other hosts on all mediums fake it.

Allen's downfall is this time of year. I, and many others, cannot listen to this much Vikings talk from mid-February to the draft. Plenty of people do care that much so it works, but it is hard to devote multiple segments a day to football this time of year. Likewise two days after the draft up to training camp. But that's his niche. Many people can't stand his homerism and I understand. He spews the cliche's, tired catchphrases, and drops too but that's a minor gripe. Not that it's his fault, but his producer "Tiny" Joe Nelson...woof is he terrible.

The Best of the Best

2. Dubay: Allen's long-time cohost has gone through an incredible journey to be back on the air in this market with Zulgad daily from 9-1 on 1500. The former Twins bat boy is so passionate, he famously runs out of breath as he goes through the pain that it is to be a Minnesota sports fan.

1. Barreiro: The cream of the crop. The former cohost with Hartman has moved on to become the market's top host.

A pro in every sense of the word, Barreiro is at his best when he's chatting current events with powerful attorney Ron Rosenbaum and political reporter Pat Kessler. Throw in regulars like Lou Nanne and Lavelle E. Neal III and it is no wonder why the show is so successful. 

My only criticism with the program is after all these years on the air, his breaking news sounder—which is played about 67 times a program—makes me want to scream at this point. 

Barreiro benefits most in three ways: 

1. His producer Justin Gaard is fantastic.
2. His drive-time slot is perfect for him.
3. He is so different than the rest of the fan on-air staff. The station has professionals, but plenty of jokers and homers. Barreiro's old-school newspaper room reporting style allows him to be critical at times, but you won't hear his kind of commentary anywhere else. Conversely 1500 doesn't have one homer on the staff. Minnesotan's don't want to hear an entire day's worth of negativity. It's just a fact.

Overall 100.3 benefits most in the market in two ways; One, they are on FM so its signal is twice as powerful as its former AM signal. Two, Pavlov's Dog.

It's been many of the same cast of characters over the years and they don't change things around much. People don't like change and this market especially likes familiarity. Our media members locally who have the most success are folks like Don Shelby, Diana Pierce, Tom Barnard, and Frank & Amelia. Institutions.

It's hard for 1500 to gain traction when they have changed its daily rotation every year it has been a sports format and they cannot get momentum on the AM signal that young males do not listen to.

I listen to 1500 on my TuneIn smartphone app, but I'm in the minority. To be honest, I think it is fair to say the male sports talk listening crowd is the least digitally inclined. Not saying that it is a bad thing, but who is more likely to connect their smart phone to their car and listen: 30-year old construction worker/Fan listener or 30-year old barista/Current listener?

I'm excited to see these stations evolve and welcome The Ticket as an alternative while KTWIN has some intriguing and fun sports talent on the air with the likes of Perkins, Ron Coomer, Lindsay Guentzel, and Rod Simons. Each station from WCCO to 100.3 The Fan has definite strengths.

People love their sports up here, and we have wealth of talent that fills it.

Brief MLB Predictions

Hey all, happy Opening Day! Here is some brief predictions/thoughts.

AL East: Tampa Bay
AL Central: Detroit
AL West: Los Angeles
Wild Card 1: Toronto
Wild Card 2: Chicago

NL East: Washington
NL Central: Cincinnati
NL West: San Francisco
Wild Card 1: St. Louis
Wild Card 2: Pittsburgh

AL MVP: Evan Longoria
NL MVP: Joey Votto
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
AL Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers
NL Rookie of the Year: Tyler Skaggs

World Series: Washington over Tampa Bay, Twins win ~70 games, Josh Willingham traded at the deadline, Kansas City flops because of a very mediocre rotation, Boston finishes in 5th place again, rightfully batting second Joe Mauer has another MVP-calibur season, Houston begins a revolution in how teams are assembled and managed while losing 120 games, Giancarlo Stanton is traded, and Terry Steinbach is named the Twins manager by November.

Looking at Baseball's Fiscal Cliff

This week's edition of the Twin Cities most popular alternative newspaper, City Pages, features a front page story on "Baseball's Fiscal Cliff; As another season begins, MLB faces an unsustainable future—and you're picking up the tab."

I was interested by this seeing that I am a huge baseball fan, and an occasional reader of CP.

I went into this article curious to see the slant it takes, it is no secret that CP leans heavily to the left side of the aisle, and that is okay, this is a free country.

It should be noted that this article is informative, well written, and certainly not from a local writer. Going in I was expecting to see this from a local angle but that is not the case. There are, however, multiple parts that simply are misguided. Let me know dive into some excerpts and try to make sense of it all.

From writer Pete Kotz:

"An average of just 12 million people tune(d) into the 2012 Series—a collapse of nearly 80 percent from (1980's World Series.) In head-to-head competition, a regular season NFL game will lap the Series by 10 million viewers, the geek comedy Big Bang Theory will pummel it by five million."

Certainly Kotz's is spot on that baseball is no match right now for the NFL, but comparing it to BBT? BBT has been bringing in great ratings around 11 million viewers lately, but that's down from 1980's top comedy The Dukes of Hazard, which averaged 21.8 million viewers. The Cosby Show and Cheers both topped over 20 million viewers by the late-80's. Kotz conveniently fails to mention there only being four major networks 30 years ago compared to the roughly 200 available today.

Kotz continues:

"Last October's contest marked the seventh straight Series to produce record-low ratings."

This is an out and out lie as the articles cover on page nine features a graphic of ratings. Here's the viewership figures of the last seven years:

2006: 15.8 million

2007: 17.1 million

2008: 13.6 million

2009: 19.4 million

2010: 14.3 million

2011: 16.6 million

2012: 12.7 million

Yes the yo-yo effect is troubling, but clearly they haven't declined seven consecutive years.

Kotz with more on the viewership:

"Viewership for the NBA finals—though reduced from the days of Bird Magic, and Jordan—is once again climbing skyward."

Kotz conveniently uses the star power excuse here, but again, it's a quantity of choices battle, not a quality of game or brand battle. Regardless, this fact isn't necessarily true. Here's recent Finals figures:

2006: 13 million

2007: 9.2 million

2008: 14.9 million

2009: 14.3 million

2010: 18.1 million

2011: 16.1 million

2012: 16.9 million

Certainly the NBA has been steadier, and faces the challenge of having its finals in the heart of the summer, but to compare the NBA's rising ratings over two years, to MLB's declining ratings over seven isn't exactly linear or fair.

Kotz again compares MLB to the NFL and NBA:

"The NBA and NFL, those exemplars of socialism, share most of their revenue, realizing that for their sports to thrive nationwide, Green Bay and San Antonio must get the same cut of hope as Boston and Chicago. Yet baseball hews closer to raw capitalism, where the big crush the small with painful regularity."

Where do I begin here. First here's a list of where the last seven World Series champion's payroll's ranked:

2006: St. Louis Cardinals, 26th

2007: Boston Red Sox, 2nd

2008: Philadelphia Phillies, 13th

2009: New York Yankees, 1st

2010: San Francisco Giants, 9th

2011:  St. Louis Cardinals, 11th

2012: San Francisco Giants, 8th

This certainly shows that having a higher payroll helps, but there isn't a correlation. Big market teams like the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Red Sox have flopped in recent years with huge payrolls, while the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, and Atlanta Braves have thrived. Spending wads of money doesn't mean it's being spent smartly.

You also can't compare MLB's revenue model to football or basketball's. It is much easier to share the pot in the NFL where you only have a 16-game schedule—compared to MLB's 162—and careers are so much shorter. In the NFL if Green Bay, Cleveland or Buffalo is willing to give you a deal, you would be foolish not to take it. 

It's also hard to say the NBA is comparable, glancing at the league right now, elite players left and right have conspired to go to big, glitzy markets like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles while smaller markets like Minnesota, Milwaukee, and New Orleans just have to be smarter like the aforementioned Rays, A's, and Braves (not that the really have been.)

In reality Kotz's piece is a good study in how absurd cable and satellite prices are—that alone makes it well worth the read.

Yes, Bud Selig is out of touch. Yes, baseball games are too long and are in need of tweeking. 

But Kotz makes no mention of MLB's statistical revolution; the success of its own network; the cheap and readily available mlb.tv for at-home or mobile coast-to-coast viewing; its MLB at-bat app; interactive ventures like the MLB Fan Cave and roto/fantasy leagues; and its massive growth in Asia, Australia  and Latin/South America—how many viewers from those regions watched the 1980 World Series?

Kotz briefly cites that attendance is "back" to pre-recession figures, but the most telling stat of all is attendance figures comparisons.

• 1980 attendance: 1.65 million/team; 20,424/game
• 2012 attendance: 2.47 million/team; 30, 433/game

Factor in these averages as well: 

• Average stadium capacity in 1980: 51,282
•                                               2012: 43,252

• U.S. Population according to census in 1980: 226.5 million
•                                                               2012*: 312.8 million

So to do the math seating capacities are down 18 percent, the U.S. population is up ~38 percent, and attendance is up by a staggering 49 percent.

Kotz's article paints a grim picture of baseball's future and competitive imbalance, as any well-informed person can see, baseball's doing pretty damn good.

I wonder which league has a more tumultuous futre? The MLB or NFL?

*2012 US population an estimate from an estimate from the publication "The Economist."

Ten Must Read Twins Articles

With Spring Training coming to an end and the season upon us next week,  I thought today would be a good day to start a season preview.

Here's a list of ten articles written about the Twins that caught my eye this offseason/spring. Please take the time to read them!

• Phil Mackey makes a case on why the Twins having a lower payroll is not a bad thing.

• Grant Brisbee wonders if the Twins are up to something.

• The great Rob Neyer delves into the term "pitch to contact."

•  Richard Justice hopes that this isn't the swan song of the M&M boys.

• Pat Reusse is old and mean, but his take on pessimistic Twins fans is spot on.

• Former scout Keith Law loves the Twins farm system. ESPN Insider account needed.

• Critical of Joe Mauer because you wish you had his looks and salaryhe does not hit a ton of home runs? Aaron Gleeman has some news for you.

• Ken Rosenthal doesn't think the Twins issues are Ron Gardenhire's fault.

• With the Aaron Hicks era set to begin, Seth Stohs takes a look at the Twins' rich history of center fielders.

• Baseball's most handsome part-time blogger on the horrific Twins home schedule.

I'm not saying I agree with everything in these blogs, or that you should agree 100% with the opinions, but I think regardless these ten really help put where the Twins organization is at as we head into the 2013 season.

Enjoy!

Percy Harvin Traded to Seattle. Twitter Reacts.

Twitter. The world's most trusted news source.

@percy_harvin Let's do work bra bra
— MarshawnLynch (@MoneyLynch) March 11, 2013

Seahawks got Percy Harvin and 9ers got Boldin. Patriots are winning the Super Bowl though. Tom Brady doesn't miss the Bowl twice
— FOFL Cloud9 (@SIMPing4NoHeaux) March 11, 2013

Good thing the Vikings waited until after funding for the new stadium was secured…
— Ben Lerman (@blerms) March 11, 2013

Percy Harvin, you better stay healthy motherfucker
— KodyGranger✌ (@kokogrange) March 11, 2013

@percy_harvin if you want I can take care of your house once you are settled in Seattle #mn
— Ryan Lundeen (@lundeen12) March 11, 2013

The Vikings trading Percy Harvin to the Seahawks!! After they said they would keep him. See...CEOs areassholes #NFL
— Black Caesar (@FunkYoCouch) March 11, 2013

lol kill Percy Harvin of to the seahawks
— Ayama Olbap (@AsapDurk) March 11, 2013

Wow the Seahawks are about to get Percy harvin their gonna none too nice
— RIP LeeLee #3 (@NickyCannone) March 11, 2013

Congrats on your new cancer Seattle @percy_harvin #NotWorthTheMoney #IHaveAHeadaches #CryBaby
— Patrick (@iamlankypatrick) March 11, 2013

Percy Harvin is going to the Seahawks y'all!!
— Fuck Dem Crackas (@TheRealCliff3) March 11, 2013

I still remember when #percyharvin shit on us in the high school states football game.
— Summit RAWR (@SUMsation) March 11, 2013

Percy Harvin is an over priced Reggie Bush
— Caleb Autry (@Caleb49rzFan) March 11, 2013

@percy_harvin WAHHHHHHHH I HATE HIDING IN ADRIAN PETERSONS SHADOW WAHHHHHH go have more migraines you puss
— madera (@itsmadera) March 11, 2013

Percy Harvin you cock!
— Kevin O'Connell (@kjoconnell) March 11, 2013

Percy harvin bout to eat this year.
— jamichael smith™ (@jaymike_iyess) March 11, 2013

We always lose key receivers to the Seahawks. Nate Burleson, Sidney Rice & now Percy Harvin smfh
— Mac Dre(@JetLife_CL6) March 11, 2013

Just unfollowed Percy Harvin on instagram.. I now hate his soul
— Landon Mitteness (@LandonMitteness) March 11, 2013

The Vikings trading the Seahawks percy harvin is like committing football suicide for the entire NFC. Thanks Obama!
— Andrew Iooss (@AndrewIooss) March 11, 2013

Fucc the Vikings fucc football fucc percy harvin fucc Seattle for having our receiving core nd offensive coordinator
— mjs (@donkeykong651) March 11, 2013

Now that Percy Harvin has been traded who the hell is Ponder going to throw to next year? Rudolph? A blow up doll? Should be lots of LOLZ
— Alex Macken (@Alex_Macken) March 11, 2013

Percy harvin on the line but ion cheap talk, wanna trade out da purple for a couple of them Seahawks.. Classic
— T-MO (@TmoFla) March 11, 2013

Pete Carrolljust got a Percy Harvin to the Seahawks for a fraction of what he paid to get Reggie Bush to USC.Have fun in the Super Bowl
— William Wallace (@WillWallaceSEC) March 11, 2013

What the fuck Vikings!!!!!!! Really just traded the second part to our offense? Fuck Percy harvin hoe ass too
— BodySnatcher#1 (@Del_Geezy) March 11, 2013

For sale.. 3 Percy Harvin jerseys (one women's). Asking Price: one piece of pepperoni pizza.
— Nate Aamodt (@Naamodt21) March 11, 2013

Oh but back to the Seahawks bc I love them and they just traded for Percy Harvin and just too much fun team funnest team funfunfun.
— Donut Otter (@Shasta_Otter) March 11, 2013

Hello, Percy Harvin. Welcome to Seattle! Hit me up if you need a tour of Nintendo.#Seahawks
— Tim O'Leary (@GhostofTim) March 11, 2013

And yall can't even bring race into this cuz the Vikings got rid of Percy harvin and they have a black owner. Jus dumb decisions by dumb ppl
— Trey(@Vino_Brownn) March 11, 2013

I wana see percy harvin go to the redskins.. him & rg3 culd do sumn
— Marcus Smith (@_bangz) March 11, 2013

R.I.P to the NFL next year.... Seahawks just won the superbowl by trading for Percy Harvin...... #PerfectSeason
— Don Hulio (@Gold_Rollie) March 11, 2013

Percy Harvin to the Seahawks?... holy shitty titty
— Doctor Ew (@werdbackwards) March 11, 2013

Yall actin like percy harvin the next jerry rice
— mollyweedcoke boy (@mallyOFFmolly) March 11, 2013

The story of the Vikings. Trades Percy harvin, becomes the new Oakland raiders
— Ryan Daane (@rondayne28) March 11, 2013

So SEA gets Percy Harvin. I can only assume Sydney Rice needed some company on IR. Maybe all that medical bud will cure those migranes?
— Joshua Crusa (@JCrusa) March 11, 2013

WHY THE FUCK LET GO OF PERCY HARVIN YOU DICKHEADSS FUCK
— Joe (@TheWhiteLilB) March 11, 2013

Fuck YOU Percy Harvin. I loved you. We could have been something
— Björn T-J (@btjohnson41) March 11, 2013

My coworker keeps hastleing me about the #Canucks sucking lately, I just say "don't care, @seahawks got Percy Harvin". #Priorities
— Jordan Sargeant (@jsarge99) March 11, 2013

Hey let's trade Percy Harvin. That should help us next year.- Said no one EVER
— John Braam (@jwbraam) March 11, 2013

@percy_harvin you will be Mist
— Go Gucci (@MUTGucci) March 11, 2013

The Vikings are absolutely retarded for trading Percy harvin
— Ryan Miller (@FerrisMueler) March 11, 2013

Can Minnesota trade tubby smith as part of the Percy harvin deal with the Seahawks?Lets think creatively.
— The (@Lundstoppable) March 11, 2013

Looks like the Queens are starting another rebuilding year, along with the Twins.Smell ya @percy_harvin. #GoPackGo
— Chris Musser (@ChrisMusser) March 11, 2013

Percy harvin a Seahawks? Oh no
— David (@captd126) March 11, 2013

Damn! Anquan Boldin to the 49ers and Percy Harvin to the Seahawks. And yet again the Bills dont make any good moves!
— Richard Burgin (@RichardBurgin) March 11, 2013

Baseball Stars and Their Dogs

Great marketing from Milkbone 20 years ago featuring baseball players and their dogs. These trading cards use the term "limited edition" quite loosely in my opinion.

My favorite is Brady Anderson, whose hair is apparently too awesome to wear his MLB Player's Association hat.

P.S. all these dogs are dead.

Gas Prices May Be On the Rise

Well....ARE gas prices on the rise?!