February 18, 2022 • 46 mins
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Andy Furman stops by the podcast studio for a special chat on the “Fifth Hour, with Ben Maller,” and Danny G Radio. A beloved teammate on Fox Sports Radio. The fellas talk about how Bengals fans are handling the loss in Super Bowl 56, whether or not Cincinnati ownership will spend what it takes to fix the offensive line and keep Joe Burrow around. Andy shares classic stories from his days as a zany promoter at the horse track, and behind the microphones on afternoon drive in Cincinnati. Furman explains how he has become pen-pals with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and much more. You can hear Andy Furman each Sunday morning on FSR from 6am-9am ET, say hi to Andy on Twitter @AndyFurmanFSR. Follow Danny G Radio on Twitter @DannyGradio, Follow Big Ben on Twitter @BenMaller, and listen to the original "Ben Maller Show," Monday-Friday on 400+ terrestrial Fox Sports Radio affiliates, iHeart stream, and SiriusXM Radio channel 83, 2a-6a ET, 11p-3a PT!
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Mama, what does the chicken say? Uh? Draft draft really? Giraffe, giraffe,
You're not gonna get it all right. Just make sure
you know the big stuff, like making sure your kids
are buckled correctly in the right seat for their agent's eyes.
Get it right. Visits n h S A dot gov
(00:24):
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(00:46):
We've all felt left out, and for people who moved
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We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.
Dot org brought to you by the AD Council. Boom.
If you thought four hours a day, minutes a week
was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of
(01:09):
the old Republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the rich
pill poppers in the penthouse, the clearing house of hot takes,
break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller starts right now in the air everywhere, another weekend
(01:35):
kicking off. You know it's the weekend if you hear
me bloviating into the microphones of the Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller. Very exciting Ben Maller, k Danny g and
Flying Solo. Though on this edition of the Fifth Hour
we have survived the first week following Super Bowl fifty six,
(01:58):
we have yet to get into the full throttle of
the silly season of the NFL with all the rumors
in the air everywhere, and we look forward to the
NFL Draft, which is a gossip palooza. Not that we're
big fans of the actual NFL draft, but we like
all the trimmings that come with the NFL Draft, if
(02:21):
you understand what I'm saying. But this podcast, I thought
it was appropriate. We had Jackie Slater on from the
Rams last week leading into the Super Bowl, and that
inspired the Rams to win Super Bowl fifty six, and
I thought fairness in broadcasting, if you are going to
have a ram on, you've got to have some balances.
(02:44):
And so who do I know? In Cincinnati? I went
through my role of decks after the Bengals took it
on the chin and uh yeah, well in the Super Bowl.
But there's one name that popped up, and that is
the great Andy Irman, and so we contacted Andy's standing
by right now here on the fifth hour. So, Andy,
(03:09):
who has been in radio for a long time. If
you don't know Andy's work, shame on you. He does
a Sunday, very popular Sunday show here on Fox Sports Radio.
He was our morning guy. It was Andy Furman and
Mike North did the morning show at Fox Sports Radio
for a while. Legendary public relations director at a horse track,
and it's done all kinds of zany wild things. We
(03:29):
can get into as much of that as we can
get into, but we must start with the Cincinnati Bengals
as we welcome in the great Andy Furman. So, uh, Andy,
are the good people of Cincinnati still sitting shiva for
the Bengal players. It's it's been about a week since
the Super Bowl, So how are people reacting to the loss?
(03:52):
You know, it's funny you mentioned that, then it really
is because once they after about five o'clock, they had
a big rally and I'm still trying to figure out
Lois the rally focus. They didn't win anything, but they
were just so happy with the results of this team
and where they ended up that there's no one expected
anything to happen with this team. I mean, Vegas picked
the Bengals to win five or six games. So about
five in the afternoon, believing that Governor Dwine showed up,
(04:14):
the governor of Ohio, the mayor of Cincinnati was there.
Mike Brown, who never makes public appearances, that was there.
Zach Taylor. No, no, players, of course, players have din't disappeared.
They just gone after the game was over. But about
a thousand or fifteen hundred people showed up at Washington
Park downtown Cincinnati with the band, music, drinks and just
a grand old time people making speeches and just so
(04:37):
happy and appreciative of what this Bengals team did. I
was shocked. Really, that's insane to me. They lost Andy,
they lost the game. They but they got all these
politicians together and just for where they where they lighting candles?
Did they have the candles light as well? And they well,
you don't those I do. Anytime there's a microphone, there's
gonna be a politician. That's number one, So they were they.
(04:58):
I mean why the governor's I have no idea. I mean,
if the Cleveland Browns one, he would have been up
in Cleveland. So there's no doubt there. But the point is,
you're right. I mean, they didn't win anything, but I
think they were just so pleased they have the thirty
three years of not winning a thing and all of
a sudden no coming back to life. You know, you
talk about expectations, and you know as well as anybody
else then the expectations of what sports is all about.
People expect things to happen, and no one expected just
(05:20):
to happen in Cincinnati. The problem is right now they
did catch lightning on the bottle. But now the pressure
is on next year. What if they don't make the playoffs.
This is one of the tougher divisions in football. They
got Baltimore, Cleveland's gonna be back, Pittsburgh's gonna be back.
On the new quarterback for sure, We'll see what happens
next year. Could be a major disappointment next year if
they don't even make the playoffs. So you see, and
(05:41):
you agree. You are my Cincinnati guy, Andy, and you
agree with me that you know I've been talking to
some Bannggo fans. You think, no, no, this is Joe Burrow,
that he's the real thing. I think Burrow is good.
But this season was a fluke, right, This was as
you said, Vegas did not expect the bang Goes to
have a particular of the good team here, that this
(06:02):
is an interloper situation. Everything kind of lined up for
them this season. Is it sustainable? Andy? Are you you
mentioned the owner that doesn't really show his face very often.
Are they willing to actually spend some money, not a
ton of money, just enough money to improve the offensive
line and make this team sustainable for the next couple
(06:24):
of years. Well, you know, you hit the nail on
the head because there are people early on going into
the playoffs comparing Joe Burrow to Tom Brady and I
almost stuck my finger in my mouth. And it's just
one of a puke because you know, you just can't mean,
you can't. It's too soon. He had a great year.
You know, you can't not what the Bengals did. I
think they certainly deserved to get to the playoffs. But
(06:45):
everything lined up, the stars were in linement. They were.
But again, you've got free agency. You know who Zama
Osama is a free agent right now because several other
free agents. And you saw what happened to Joe Borrow
in the playoff game. You know, everybody was gassing and
he went down on that knee. They said it won't
be an operational situation, but he's gonna have to work
that knee out, which was the so called good knee.
(07:08):
So they gotta get protection there under the salary caps.
They need to protect this guy. And I read what
Carson Palmer had to say, the former quarterback of the Bengals.
He said he doesn't think Joe Burrow is gonna be
it down the stretch because he doesn't think this he's
gonna make the commitment of winning. And to protect him.
We'll see what happens when his contracts up. Well, yeah,
we're gonna get to that. But it's it's great how
(07:28):
the media works. We're in the media, but we're radio guys. Andy,
you know, we're radio radio guys, so we're kind of
in the media. But the story, as you mentioned, was
Joe Burrows the next Tom Brady before the Super Bowl,
and now after the Super Bowl, he's now being compared
to Andrew luck. So who is the real Joe Burrow?
Andy Furman? Did this guy Joe Burrow? Really and truly
(07:50):
this was truly his rookie season. He played five games
a year ago. Uh, he played well, got this team
into the playoffs. Despite despite that offensive line, he was
fifty one times this the a band still hiders and
in the in the National Football League. Plus he was
sack something like nine times in that game against Tennessee.
You know how much abuse can of quarterback and he's
(08:11):
a young kid. He can't take that much longer. Maybe
his first year he could do that. So what happened
last year against that Washington team. They carried him out
on the stretcher. So he can't continue to get that punishment.
They got to protect him. You know, I'm not gonna
compare him to anybody because I don't think it's fair.
It's not fair to him, and it's not fair to
those who have been to the wars and have completed
great seasons and great careers. Picture, it's not fair. I
(08:32):
think there's so much ludicrous. I think it's ridiculous. To
be honest, I think it's stupid. Well that's what we do.
We're stupid. But but he does that. Burrows got the
rasmatask though. There's something about him, and you know, you
see different quarterbacks and then this Burros got something. I
don't if you saw the video of him during the
Super Bowl. I talked about it the other night on
my show where he was going around and he was
(08:54):
introducing himself. Hey, I'm Joe do some of the Ram
defensive players, which was which was kind of cool and
need I mean, so if he can and it's obviously
the you know, ifs and butts game, but he's got
these guys, I said, the Rasmu task. So if he
can play at a high level, he's gonna make a
ton of money. I had heard Andy, I don't know
if you heard the same thing that the people on
(09:14):
Madison Avenue, the people in the advertising world, we're licking
their chops. If the Bengals had beaten the Rams, that
it would have been Joe Burrow all over television and
he would have taken endorsements away from like Baker Mayfield
and guys like that or you on every other commercial.
So he's he's got a pile of money waiting for
him if he can, if he can just figure this
(09:36):
thing out, in the next couple of years. Yeah, you may.
You may see Joe Burrow doing those insurance commercials down
the stretch. And I will say this, I mean these
quote tests. I don't think there's don loads of a
difference in the talent level between quartterback game and quarteback
b in the national football Like what I mean by that,
they all could pass the hill, could throw, they all
know how to read defenses. What separates the good from
(09:57):
the great is the leadership qualities. I think that Joe
Burrow has that he has the command of the respect
in the huddle. These guys believe in him, and he's
a true leader. And I think he's not confident in
the sense that cockiness shows, but he's confident in knowing
what he has to do and he's shown that. I
think he's won this team over and I think that's
what makes him head and shoulders above other quarterbacks that
(10:21):
have started out in this league. I think he's a
great leader. And in other leaders that I've seen on
this ball club have been boomers. Sizzin had that same
It's fact that that people respect him, followed him and
trust him, and that's what they did with Joe Burrow.
How many guys have left Dandy in the Cincinnati media
that we're covering the team When Boomer was there, I mean,
you you've you've seen some dreadful football for like how
(10:44):
many years? My god, that's back in the late late eighties,
right early nineties. Boomers sizzin, Mike, that's a that's a
lifetime ago. That's insane. It was Kenny Anderson and Boomer Sizin.
And after that it was David Klingler, Jeff Blake. You
go down the list, I mean, was unbelievable. But then
Mallett was understent. I played. That was in the preseason.
(11:06):
I thought I did pretty well Andy, but they cut
me for some reason. Not right that they released me.
I don't know why. I don't think they liked your attitude,
but it was I don't know, I'm just saying, you
know more around here. Well, it was apparently I ate
too much in the locker room there, and they said
they had they had to get rid of me because
I was I was eating too much. But who had
food in the locker room exactly exactly, So so who's
(11:26):
getting I always loved when the team loses, because, as
you know, the better story is in the losing locker room.
Even though I like the Rams and I'm happy the Rams.
One from a conversation standpoint, it's the finger pointing right
when you lose a game, who gets the blame seems
pretty obvious. A lot of this is on the offensive line,
but Uh, is there anyone else? I know? Eli Apple?
(11:47):
Uh did not have a particularly great Super Bowl. He
fell apart at the end of the game. Who are
the fall guys? Andy, Who's getting I'm gonna I'm gonna
give you two particulars that really irked me in this game.
Number one, let's go back to the first quarter. Benglos
had the ball, they had a fifty yard line. It
was fourth and one. Zack Taylor decides to go for it.
(12:07):
Was ridiculous at that time, the point in time in
the game to go for a fourth and one. It
was early. It was too early. He didn't make it.
They didn't make the Rams go back to Mace Cores.
That's number one. Let's move down to the fourth quarter,
thirty eight seconds left in the game, fourth and one,
fourth and one, they get a first down. Now they're
trailing by three. There's a good chance that they get
a first down, and there Evan mc pherson who is
(12:29):
basically deadly from fifty yards out. Basically because tied this game,
they go fourth and one, they give the ball to
p Ryan. Why I give this guy the ball? I
have no idea. He failed to get the first downd.
This guy gained something like four yards in the entire
playoff series. Now, I will say this, they may not
have gotten to the playoffs without this guy, p Ryan
at sold back. But why given the ball? You gotta
(12:50):
give the best player behind center the ball. You gotta
give you a money guy the ball. Joe Mixon should
have got the call. He didn't get the call, and
I think that costs in the game. Well, you mentioned
Zach Taylor. I remember you're talking about the gambling gods Andy.
Before the season, Zach Taylor, people said Oscott he might
not be the Bengals coaches could be it, you know,
his last year, two years and out or whatever. And
Cincinnati now they just gave him a contract extension this week.
(13:15):
Is he a good coach or is he just the
beneficiary of having a young quarterback that kind of figured
things out this year in borow Well in the National
Football League, you're nothing without a quarterback. So certainly we've
got the so called franchise quarterback under wraps right now.
But you know, he lo was surrounding some some pretty
good coaches around him. Uh. As far as calling offensive place,
(13:37):
I never liked the fact that he called the offense
and he was the head coach. I think you have
to separate that number one. Number two, he did it
from the field level. I think you gotta call it
from the booth. A lot of guys call it from
the booth. He didn't do that. I think he's still learning,
I really do. I mean the fact that he was
a protege of the Rams staff and the so called
genius Sean McVeigh. I think that he got the job
by osmosis. You know, people think that Sean they was
(13:59):
the so called genius. Let's take this guy stealing from
the staff. I think. I think the jury is still out,
I really do. However, you have to put in now
in a category of guys that have won the Super
Bowl and maybe won only one super Bowl. Let's think
about this. Andy Read has won one, John Harbaugh has
won one. These the guys that have won just one
super Bowl, Sean McVeigh one, and he's won it now
(14:20):
in his third years, So that's a star in his corner,
really is. Yeah. And I actually had I interviewed McVeigh
a couple of years ago, and I got a chance
to have my name in the coaching circuit. I think
I was up for a couple of years ago the
Tennessee Titans job before they made the change there. So
just by being in the room with Sean McVeigh, they
want to hire you. How come the Bengals have never
(14:41):
hired you? Speaking of hiring people in radio, and you know,
it's funny, you know, been my background has always been
a PR guy. I was a sports information that I
had several colleges. I was a PR guy in the
pros with the full loader deal strike as Round by
the Robbie family. So I did some work with the
Miami Dolphins at that time, and you know, Mike, Mike
kind of knew me, and I'm I'm pretty close with
(15:03):
Mike Brown. And every time it was a PR opening,
uh in the National Football League. This is really funny,
he'd write a letter in my behalf curly because he
wanted to get me off the local radio. I think
that's why he did. I really knew. I mean, he
wrote a beautiful letter to UH, to the forty Niners
for me that there was an opening years ago to
San Francisco forty Niners and he earn a letter to
the Green Bay Packers in my behalf and UH, and
(15:26):
I was. I was excited because I would have loved
to have gone and done that work. But I think
that he didn't do it so much because of his
love for me. I think it was from my hate
on the radio, because I attacked him. I mean I
was pretty brutal when they were kind of death in
the nineties, you know, And he was the general manage
still is made a lot of the calls. He had
the smallest scouting staff. And I said, the only reason
(15:47):
he got that job. And this really was a quote
for for the ages. I said he was sperm lucky
because of his daddy. I think, and you know he
was infuriated that quote. That quote on has haunted me.
I mean you think that haunted him and haunted be.
I mean I was colder to the manager's office at
the time we did the games. How can you say, well,
(16:07):
it's true. I mean the guy basically firm, but he
was well, yeah, I mean that's how Like so much
of the sports world, that's what it's all about. Like
Jim Ersey right in Indianapolis. He just happened to be
in the right spot. These these NFL teams. But the Raiders,
the spawn of Al Davis, Mark Davis, Who's is running
the Raiders. That's unbelievable. Yeah, I look at him on TV.
(16:29):
I mean it looks like a clown for Wringling Brothers.
He really does. Yeah, and that haircut in you'd think
somewhere along the way he'd say, hey, maybe let's try
something a little different here. That's change it up a
little bit. He loves that cut. He keeps going back
to that haircut. That's his go to haircut. And uh yeah,
I saw him on HBO Real Sports. He's wearing like
a Raiders jack being interview with the Raiders silk jacket
(16:51):
on I mean, come on, really, really, how much football
can he possibly know? Though people will say, you know,
you have to have a business center. You really don't
have to know the game of football. Just hire good
football people around you. Maybe, but I don't know. We'll see. Yeah,
see if if our dads owned NFL teams. We would
have inherited the team then and we would have been
running in NFL teams. Again, that goes back to your
sperm lottery as you as you said, we just we
(17:16):
we got in the wrong line, apparently, Andy, we just
got in the wrong line. I'll give you a story
way back when when I lived back East. You know
the late Dave Saberstein obviously, oh the Holland glowtrot is,
but his son was a lunatic and his son always
had these off the wall ideas and he owned the
team called the New York Sits and World Team Tennants.
(17:36):
Oh my goodness. I mean he brought that team into
the ground. I remember I went to a couple of
the matches and my good friend Dave hablished him. We
went to college together. You know, he was doing some
of the games and helping the team out. But this guy,
his son just I think whatever fortunately he inherited from
the late aid he just blew. I mean, they there
was nothing left. He just invested in stuff, trying to
promote things and just just couldn't get it done. Adoption
(17:59):
of teams from stercare is a topic not enough people
know about, and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinuity,
host of the new podcast Navigating Adoption presented by adopt
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or subscribed to Navigating Adoption presented by adopt Us Kids,
(18:22):
brought to you by the U S Department of Health,
of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the
ACT Council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home,
just waiting for the and there they go, almost on time.
This morning. Mom is coming out the front door, strong
with a double armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has
the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh but
(18:44):
the diaper bag wasn't closed. Tapers and toys are everywhere.
Oh but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat
buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who
looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself
in the booster seat. Dad's hips the bad clothes and
they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her
(19:05):
coffee cup is still on the roof of the car
and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame that mug
was a fan favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff, just
nail the big stuff, like making sure your kids are
buckled correctly in the right seat for their agent's eyes.
Learn more at n h t s A dot gov
slash the Right Seat visits n s A dot gov
slash the Right Seat, brought to you by NITZA and
(19:27):
the AD Council. Look to your children's eyes to see
the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world
for them. You look and see a tree. They see
the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to
the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a
windy path that could lead to adventure, and they see you.
(19:48):
They're fearless. Guide. Is this fascinating world? Find a forest
near you and start exploring a Discover the Forest dot org,
brought to you by the United States Forest Service and
the AD Council. Well, you're one of the great pr guys.
I love the fact every time I see the story
about the horse when Chris Collin's worth you had him
a race of horse. What could you get away with
(20:09):
that stuff? Today? Would it be bigger today or would
it not be the same? Ay? With social media, it's
a whole different social media. If I had a horse
racer an athlete, I think Peter would probably lock me up.
I mean, you can't do it. They don't even have
There's no more elephants at the circus anymore, I know,
and I even think there's a circus. I think the
circus is gone. I don't think there's any more. I
(20:30):
think they have they have human circuses now, right, isn't
that the thing where they have people flying like trapeze
artists and things like that, But they don't actually have
Actually actually it's called Fox what's radioed? Yes, the biggest
circus under the big top and he come one come
exactly fun fun for all ages, fun for all ages. Right, Yeah,
(20:50):
you're right, absolutely, you know it's funny. I'm lucky I was.
I was there at the right time. Uh, And a
lot of things that I did to day it would
be canceled culture. There's no doubt about that. I remember
I worked at one race track and the general Manjerson,
I don't care what you do as owns. You don't
get arrested. I don't want to get a phone call
in the middle of the night. I have to and
(21:11):
I sent that. I released one time that there were
hookers around the race track, you know, and the we've
made papers. I made his unbelievable ladies of the night,
you know, circling the race track, and I thought that
were the track more guys to come to the race track.
I really did, you know. I'll give you another one.
This one definitely would have got me. Can There's no doubt.
I had a promotion called beat your Wife Night Beat
(21:32):
your Wife, where you come into the race track, you
purchased a program. The husband would have more winners in
the program than the wife. He beat his wife. You
put that out today, you go to jail beat your wife.
I can't do it, can't do it. Well, I'll tell you,
I'll tell you sorry. I on the Overnight Show. This
is a couple of years ago. Uh. For some reason,
(21:52):
I did one of like like who am I game questions?
And the answer, UH was like Joe Niekro. Right. And
then we had a caller that called up and and
I was just like telling a joke and it was
Joe and Phil Nekro and uh, and then I I
said it was like a throw in, Like I can't
even repeat it on the podcast, Andy, because became a
(22:14):
drop on the show and I said, you know they
all look the same, the and you know, the Joe
and Phil and and and I said that. And I
didn't say what people thought I said. But it didn't matter, Andy, right,
because people heard the clip. And you know how people
consume radio, They listened with half in a year, and
so every time that drop got played, Andy, we got
(22:34):
people calling up sending the emails, well, I can't believe
you would say this on the national airwaves of Fox
Sports Radio and I We're gonna be fired. And I
was like, I didn't say anything. Their knuckleball pictures from
the you know, back in the seventies and the eighties.
What am I doing it? Nothing? Nothing, but people people
look for that kind of stuff these days. It's prett
you know. It's when you're shaving and you cut yourself
(22:56):
and say, God, I got you. I think people listen
to the radio and they want to get Yeah, I
really do. They did it to my good buddy Tommy
Brennaman and he wasn't even on the air, you know,
doing the game. It was like an open mic prior
to the to the but you know, and it's it's
a shame, but like, I don't think he's ever gonna
get back in. But it's funny you say that because
I said something way back when talking about women's sports,
and I said something it was just tongue in cheek.
(23:18):
I said, the only place for women will be in
the bedroom in the kitchen. Oh my goodness, that I
get heat. I said, there's two places for women and
they are the bedroom in the kitchen. And oh the
heat that I got on that you couldn't believe. Well, now, yeah,
as you forget about it, it's it's all over. Turnout
the lights, the party's over on that. Yeah, the have
you talked to Tom Brennaman since saw that went down?
(23:41):
To Tom? I talked to him last week, last Thursday week,
a week ago, and uh, you know, he seems to
be doing all right, but I'm sure I'm sure his
heart's broken. You know. I can imagine going to bed
at night, looking at the ceiling and say, what happened
to me? What happened to my life? He was great
and he's a good guy. I think I think he
was done wrong and the definitely one day he gets
back in. I mean, I think everybody deserves a second chance.
(24:03):
I don't think he's an evil person. I really don't. Yeah,
and I don't know the rules because I haven't been
able to keep track, Like when you cancel somebody, and
and obviously Tom Brennan was canceled, Like what's the statue
of limitations on that? When does that run out? But
the problem is now, you know, as you mentioned, there's
so many people in society today, Andy that are like
(24:25):
I want to I got you, you know, got you
and all this stuff. So if Tom Brendon, let's say
he was up for a play by play job somewhere,
even if the Reds wanted to hire him back, there
would be groups out protesting, right, there be you know, backlash.
I don't even know if it's real or not because
it's social media, right, I don't know how much of
it's really how much of it's fake. But you'd have
to deal with that, and you know better than anybody,
(24:45):
and because you worked around professional sports, you've been around
longer than I have that the one thing these teams
don't want is negative publicity, right, So any kind of
negative stories to get out if you were to hire
a guy like that, there's just like it's not worth
our trouble, which sucks, right. And sponsorship that's the key also,
because you hire a bell like that, every sponsor is
gonna say, you know, when we're not gonna buy a
(25:05):
time when your station, we're not going to sponsor the team,
whatever it may be. But you would just love, in
this day and age to see an owner of one
team with a pair of onions to get out there
and say, you know what, I'm here, I'm bringing them back.
You may not like it, but everybody in life deserves
a second chance, and look at yourself in the mirror
because I'm sure you screwed up once in a while
and you got a second chance. We're bringing them back boom.
(25:27):
But I don't think you're gonna to do that. Yeah,
I don't think that owner exists today. Like I'm you're
you're describing like Al Davis or build be built that
billboard bill veck uh, but like Steinburn or somebody along that.
The owners today now this, some of the guys kind
of get it, but they don't. There if everyone's afraid
(25:48):
of the same the same boogeyman is is what I'm
trying to say, And yeah, the one person in sports
that I think would be willing to do that would
be Dana White at the UFC. Like Dana White, c
was like the kind of guy that just doesn't give
a damn and he would he doesn't care about that stuff.
He would be willing to to cross over the cancel
culture and all that and and hire a guy like
(26:09):
Tom Brendon. Don't Brennavan wants to do UFC stuff, But
that's that would be a path where I could see
something like that working out. You know, I've just been
the top of my head off any old or any
major sport that would do something that I can't. You
know what about the owner of the Clippers, he seems
to be a bit of a maverick Steve, Yeah, you
know he is. But he's also you know, he's kind
(26:30):
of in the NBA world. You gotta be in lockstep there.
So he's not, uh, he's not crossing the line. He
is building this great arena. Though. Next time you're in town,
and the next time you're in l A. The Intuit Dome,
which is right right near a near Sofi stadium where
they piled they played the Super Bowl. You gotta see
the Sofi Stadium. Oh my god, Andy, this is a
(26:52):
put You don't what if I had a choice to
see Sofi Stadium but go to Langers Delhi. I'm going
to Landers Delhi. All right? Well, I agree with you?
Is that listen? Look at you're a true You're true
mench Langers Deli people a lot of people visiting up
draw me on ride with a Sala pickle, and I
thought that Brown's cream soda. There's nothing better. It's great. Now,
you gotta go early in the day because they're not
(27:14):
They're only open till four o'clock. Lingers Deli in l A.
Because you don't want to be there after four o'clock, Andy,
you don't, and you don't want to make a wrong turn.
You don't want to go across the street there to
MacArthur Park because that is that is like hell on Earth,
Sodom and Gomorrah. I think they are right there across
the street. Well, I'm glad you chose Langers and not
that Cancer's Deli is bad. But Langers is. You're a
(27:37):
New York guy. It's better than most of if not all.
I like cats As Deli in New York. That's my
go to Delhi when I go to her, but it's
very expensive and uh and all that. But I do
enjoy cats Is Deli, but Langers in l A is
insane and I don't know. I'm gonna take it to
one if you come to the Midwest. Okay, I thought
one if you close your eyes, is very very close
(27:59):
to Langers and is Shapiros Delhi in Indianapolis. Okay, So
if I mean that's that's the same type of that
pastramis the die for it language. So it's a similar
type of stray. Shapiro's is unreal, it really is? Is that? Now?
What are your top? What's your one in New York?
How can you go back to New York? Do you
have a Catches Catches New York line, Shapiros and Cincinnati?
(28:22):
We got is He's is the one? Okay. So it's
a very important information because I need soul food when
I need when I'm serious and pastrami salmon matzo ball soup. Yeah,
that's he has the potato pancakes too. That's not a
bad That's not a bad move either. Not a bad
move either. Oh, I got a time. I'm excited to
pass on it for the first time. I've been sports
(28:42):
radio a long time. For the first time ever, they
allowed me to go to Radio Row last week for
the Super I've never been to Radio ro. I assume
you've been there many times over the years, right doing
your only only twice? Really? Okay? Yeah, all right? What
was your experience like? Did you did you enjoy I
enjoyed it. But it comes out as a as a
(29:05):
place where people just hawk their wares and you know,
you see it. Another thiguring that did Vermeil showed up
and he just got in done into the Hall of Fame,
which is great. And he showed up and I'm saying
to myself, why is he here? He has something to
do with the game, he's not coaching, but he was
selling wine. He has a venue and he was selling one.
But it was great, you know, but he comes down there,
talks about his wine and his video. But then we
(29:26):
talked football a little bit. But it was just crazy.
It's one after another. And don't let I think that
Cam Newton showed up and I think it was in
New Orleans when I was there, and we talked about
social media and at the time, I'm sure it's not
true now. At the time he said he didn't believe
in social media and he didn't have any social media
accounts whatsoever. So some of the stories were great and
(29:46):
they stuck with you. You know, you never a loss
for a guest because they're coming in and draws. Really,
it's like a herd. They're coming one after another. But
it's great, and you gotta be on your toes a
little bit because you don't know what you're gonna talk
about when you see these guys. But you know, it's
kind of fun. It's a it's a unique screw if
you've never been there. Yeah, I know, I've never been there.
I didn't really know what to expect. It's not I
(30:07):
was told by the people that are there every year.
It was not the same because of the California COVID
rules and all that. There were not as many media
people as there are normally, but it was It reminded
me like a boardwalk situation. Yeah, and then they were
you know, people screaming, hey, they're selling weight loss products
or you name it as you said, whine all kinds
(30:30):
of nonsense. And the amount of people that are around
these former athletes that always blows me away. Andy. They
these guys have like posses of people that are leading
them through and the the whole entourage. Uh, the only Yeah,
that's why athletes are broke five years after they retire.
It goes to the posse's. Yeah. But the only radio
(30:52):
guy I saw that had a posse was Pat McAfee.
But he's got a hundred million dollars eighties, so I
think he's he's doing okay. I think he can afford. Mean,
what about the mala militias? They should have been there.
Oh no, where the malam Let me tell you how
the malamusa works outside of When I was walking to
Radio Row, uh, and I parked far away because you know,
(31:14):
I'm very frugal, like the people that run the Bengals there.
I like to hold on my money. So they were
they were price gounging everyone around Radio Row at the
l A Convention Center. So I parked a couple of
miles away from the convention center, and I'm walking through
the mean streets of l A, which they cleaned up
by the way, Andy, because the super Bowl obviously was there,
(31:36):
so they took a lot of the homeless and they
just stooped them. I don't know where they put them,
but they moved them. I'm sure they're back now because
the super Bowl is over. But but anyway, so the
point of the story. So I'm walking through and I
run into one of my callers, Helmet Man, the guy
known as helmet Man. He's out selling shirts and helmet
(31:57):
you know, he buys stuff from like Goodwill and then
he tried us to turn it around and sell it
and make money on the street. I ran into him.
I had not seen him in like two years. I
thought he had died, Andy, and there he was. And
that's my guy. That's the Mallar Militia. Andy. They're not inside.
And I like the guy, the one I do listen
because it's on a little late at night for me.
He on the East Coast, but I do listen once
(32:19):
in the while. You have the guy you put them
on and you hear him snoring. Oh, yes, yes, you're
you're talking about hollering, James. Yes, he is the most
prolific snorer in is in my career. Maybe you had
something because you do you did prime time shows, Andy,
I I do live late night, so I got more
of the people's But this guy, holler And James. He's
(32:42):
your great overnight sports talk radio caller because he really
has nothing to say. He just wants to be on
the air, and he falls asleep literally two out of
every three times he calls the show. And you will
appreciate this, Andy, as a fellow radio professional. One of
the greatest bits I ever did with Hollering James. We
(33:03):
were playing a game show it was too much or
not enough, and this is a couple of years ago,
and he fell asleep and he was supposed to play
the game. So we had him play the game anyway
based on if he snored, the answer was too much.
If he didn't store, it was not enough. He won
the game, Andy, he won the game show fast asleep
(33:27):
and it was the most amazing, surreal experience. It was
crazy and I should have won the Marconi for that,
but somehow I did not get a single vote. Can
you believe that, Andy, It's insane? Hey, pet parents, have
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(34:12):
Sure know what else girls in the forest. Our imagination,
our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too,
because when we disconnect from this and connect with this,
we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than
you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring.
(34:33):
I Discover the Forest dot org. Brought to you by
the United States Forest Service and the ad Council. What
grows in the forest trees? Sure know what else grows
in the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and
our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from
this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.
(34:58):
The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest
near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot
org Brought to you by the United States Fourth Service
and the ad Council. You know, you've been doing the overnight,
you know, for a while. Are you amazed how many
people are up at that hour and call you? Because
(35:19):
I'm on now at six d a m. Sunday Eastern time,
and we opened the phones and still we're getting calls.
I mean most of the calls probably from the West coast,
which is like three am. What are they doing up?
Are they coming back from the bars? Is that what
it is? Yeah? No, I I completely am shot. I'm flabbergasted.
I've been doing a while now. I even did Super
(35:41):
Bowl shows for years. I would do shows with Looney
or Eddie on Super Bowl Sunday during the gaming during
the Super Bowl, and we'd open up the phone calls
at halftime to open up the lines for phone calls,
and we'd have full banks of calls during the Super
Bowl on a sports talk radio station when plausibly everyone
(36:02):
should be consuming the Super Bowl and not listening to
Fox Sports Radio for those three and a half hours.
And yet there were people that love Fox Sports Radio
would turned down the TV and listen to the radio.
So and it's uh, it's great, how's the show going.
By the way, on the weekends, everything going all right
on that you're going, it's going and maybe going and
maybe gone. It's going going. God, now it's going. I
(36:24):
think he's doing all right. I mean, you know, you know,
as those odds this business, no news is good news.
So we're going. Yeah, there's only I'm on the list
every week on the on the you know list that
the shows are on, and my name is there, so
I figured it's good. You know, my name is not there.
I gotta worry. But you know, things things are good.
You know, you got from warmed about you know why
people called talk shows and h there's most of the
(36:46):
people that called up either they're entertaining, but they don't
really add a lot. You know, it's kind of fun
you play with them. I think they're auditioning. I think
that's the key. They think that they could do it,
and they probably could. I guess, no good, but I
think that's why they called. They were auditioning to be
on the radio. Yeah. Like I've noticed, there's like four
or five types of people that call the show. There's
a lot of people that just think they're entertaining, which
(37:08):
is fine, right. They want to they want to be heard.
There's there's I like the insider guy, the guy that
calls up and he probably got this a lot when
you're doing the afternoon show back in Cincinnati back in
the day. That the guy that calls up that overheard
something at the barber shop. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
The guy who knows I've heard from the sword well
who I know a friend of mine call me whatever. Yeah,
(37:29):
my my friends barber's gardener happens to know the owner
of the Bengals and told me that X, Y and
Z is guy at the gas stage. And I saw,
I saw Mike Brown or the guy that calls up
stick you know what I saw. I saw Joe Burrow's
house and there's a sales sign in front of him.
I think he's being traded. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah exactly.
I like that guy, like the insider guy. Then there's
(37:50):
the guy that calls up to try to correct you
because they think you're wrong, so they want to touch
up your work, right. They was like, well you didn't
get that right they And as you said, the people
are listening, there's a certain percentage of people that listened
to these radio shows just waiting. I had I had
a programmed Brector tell me this, they said, Ben. If
you know, if if you're doing the show and you're
taking calls and nobody's calling and make a mistake, there's
(38:11):
nothing the radio listener loves more then calling up and
correcting the person on the air. Am I not? Am
I not right? Andy? Is that not? And people? Yeah,
that's what That's why a lot of times and five
ball on the radio. I know it was Wednesdays. Welcome,
what a great Tuesday this is? And then everybody calls up, No,
it's true. I I you know, you know Ricky's right,
(38:32):
the radio guy in l A. Years ago maybe, but
rick was a legend in l A radio. Ricky's he
did a Top forty countdown show and he had a
TV show. And and Rick when I started in the business,
I was doing a midday show. I started in l A.
And Rick was still doing mornings at this Kiss FM,
this big top forty station which is still huge in
l A. And Ricky's nicest guy in the world, I mean,
(38:54):
the Hall of Fame radio guy. And he would record
because he did a morning show, Andy, so he would
cord like the first hour because he didn't want to
get up for the five am hour. So he would
record that hour when he got done, and he pulled
me aside, and this guy Dave I was working with
the time, and he gave us a great piece of advice.
And I don't I don't record stuff because you know,
(39:16):
do it live. Right, Obviously, this is a podcast, so
it's recorded. But uh, he said, listen, he said, when
you're doing a tape like a show for radio, make mistakes.
He said, because the listener doesn't he they won't realize
it's tape because they'll think if it was taped, you
wouldn't make a mistake, right, I mean because you edited
(39:39):
out in post production. But he said, no, you leave
some mistakes in there because the people will assume that
it's real. It's live. And so I thought it was.
That was wonderful like a radio I have no problem
with that then. But you never make a mistake with
the United States Postal Service. You are legendary. I can't. I.
I we had John before, and I got a story. Good, good,
(40:03):
good god. I need a story. Give me a story.
I need a story. Give me a story. Okay. I
got to the post office offen my mail. Okay. And
I know it's over the years, they've had a lot
of stamps named after sports figures. I think Muhammad Ali
has a stamp. The most recent one, Yogi Barra has
won Jackie Robinson as a stamp. I wrote a letter
to the Postmaster General just about two three months ago
(40:23):
that they should have a stand for the late Joe
Knox to all who broadcast Cincinnati Reds games with Marty
Brennaman also was the youngest player to play in the
major leagues in fifteen years of age. Sure, so I
got a letter back two weeks ago. I got this
letter and he wrote back to me and one of
the assistance to the Postmaster General that taking it up
for vote. They did a vote on it really have
(40:43):
to be you have to be deceased five years to
have a stamp named after you. And it was one
that if I sent the letter to Joe Knoxall's son,
Kid knoxall right here in Cincinnati, I may held out
to the local media and everybody is getting a little
bit of a buzz on it. The Reds wrote me
back the other day they got the letters in it
to them. So I'm excited because I'd love to see
Joe Notes get a stamp with his name and he
(41:05):
deserves it. I mean, the youngest player ever to play baseball.
That's great. Well plus, I mean, let's be honest, Andy,
just between me, you and a lamp post, you've got
some pull at the United States Postal Service. You are
no but nobody writes letters anymore. You know, my wife
things it says it's a bad thing because it shows
people my age and I'm old and I'm snail mail guy.
I said, not at all. I said, people appreciate the
(41:28):
fact that you're taking the time to send the note
because more often than not, the mail that you get
at home's garbage. It's either bills or junk mail. So
when you get something like this, you could basically get
on someone's desk. And even example, when I started in radio,
is on the but I also did sales, and you know,
there was really not much of internet action then. But
now in in the sales everything is non personal. It's
(41:50):
all basically done a computer. You send out that there
will be a proposal, you're sitting out the races and
boom boom boom. You know. Bet then it was a
personal face to face and relays and ships and it's
all about mail. And I think that really that's helped
me over the years and helped me make relationships because
I Bill Belichick and Bobby Night over the years through
letters and sending them stuff. And that's why it was in.
(42:11):
Belichick's a big letter writer. I get letters with mom
all the time. That's great, that's great. See and and
so you you've maintained that over the years with Belchi.
What do you guys talk about? You know, I get
too personal, but what kind of stuff is sports or
is it is something when the Bengals, the Bengals cut
running back recently about a year or so ago, and
I wrote him back. I said, you know, it just
(42:32):
caught him. He said, yeah, he likes somebody's not gonna
sign him stuff like not not football. But I did
asked him one time, I said, could I use you
as a reference, Not that I'm even looking for a job,
but it just he's just you know what, he just
used me as the references you but have the people
call me. So I'm not writing any letters and stuff
like that. So you know, if anybody wants I but
it is someone up And I opened if I wrote
(42:53):
in a resume that do belichicks the reference of mine?
You know, that's great. Yeah, you know I will see
those I don't. I had heard like and and you
you know better than me. But when I was in
New York years ago and Joe Maningo, who's just retired,
he was the Overnight guy, and he he had told
me a story that Belichick, when he was a coach
with the Jets, would listen to the Overnight Show. He'd
(43:14):
go to the facilities so early that he was still
on and he I guess he befriended Joe and they
became became pals way before he became Bill Belichick, the
great Patriots coach. But so he does he listens to
sports or at least backt Thenny listened to sports talk radio.
And I know he's a big war buff and all
that I've I've heard stories that he'll buy stuff off eBay,
(43:36):
like old war memorabilia and things like that. And so
I don't know. It's an interesting guy because you know,
the public persona Belichick is, he's purmudgeon and he's just Yeah,
when when these athletes and sports figures say they don't
listen or read, I don't believe it because the sports guys,
and if you're a sports guy that's what you do.
It really is. I mean, you can't tell me you
don't pick up the paper, look at the internet, social media,
(43:57):
or listen to talk radio. You have to. I mean,
I'm sure football coaches in the NFL when they're in
that car turned the radio into sports talk radio. They're
not listening to rap music. I promise Andy Reids not
listening to rap music. Well, and you've had people confront
you and I I've had the same way. I was
doing local stuff back in the day and I gotten
the Dodgers that screamed at me and yelled at me
(44:18):
in the clubhouse, and the whole the rant was, I,
you know, I don't listen to sports radio. Is like, well,
why are you upset with me? And then and then
he said my family does. He said that was the
Uh that was what he was. Just complaint was, so
I don't listen, but the family does and and all that.
So anyway, Uh, Andy, you're the man, You're the myth,
(44:39):
the legend. I've taken away too much of your time,
so how can people hear you? On the weekends, we
promote the heck out of the show. Social media, You've
got more followers than I do on Twitter. You're a
machine over there. How can people the family? That's why
there you go? How can how could people get in
touch with a great Andy Firman. I'll listen to you.
I'll give you my phone up if you want. No.
I'm on day Fox Sports Radio Sunday, six am Eastern.
(45:03):
That will be three am Pacific, Fox Sports Radio Serious
XM eighty three and could do that. And during the week,
are you say on Tuesday nights, I'm on seven ww
Radio Cincinnati at nine pm Eastern. So that's basically it
for me, you know. It's also you can get you
the I write for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle twice a week.
I write sports for them Mondays and Fridays in the
(45:25):
Brooklyn Daily Eagles. So you could google that if you'd
like us some good stories there. Let's cool. Look at
that you're juggling. You're juggling a lot of gigs, and
you said, let us out, and you're going to the
post office two or three times a day. It seems
like to send those very good Thank you Eddie, appreciate it, buddy,
Ny be good. Thanks. Look for your children's eyes and
(45:45):
you will discover the two magic of a forest. Find
a forest near you and start exploring it. Discover the
Forest dot org brought to you by the United States
Forest Service and the AD Council. What girls in the
forest all imagine a ship and our family bonds. The
forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near
(46:06):
you and Discover the Forest dot org brought to you
by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council.
We've all felt left out, and for people who moved
to this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment.
We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.
Dot org. Brought to you by the AD Council.
Mama, what does the chicken say? Uh? Draft draft really? Giraffe, giraffe,
You're not gonna get it all right. Just make sure
you know the big stuff, like making sure your kids
are buckled correctly in the right seat for their agent's eyes.
Get it right. Visits n h S A dot gov
(00:24):
slash the right Seat brought to you by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the AD Council. Look for
your children's eyes and you will discover the true magic
of a forest. Find a forest near you and start
exploring it. Discover the forest dot org brought to you
by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council.
(00:46):
We've all felt left out, and for people who moved
to this country, that feeling lasts more than a moment.
We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.
Dot org brought to you by the AD Council. Boom.
If you thought four hours a day, minutes a week
was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of
(01:09):
the old Republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the rich
pill poppers in the penthouse, the clearing house of hot takes,
break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben
Maller starts right now in the air everywhere, another weekend
(01:35):
kicking off. You know it's the weekend if you hear
me bloviating into the microphones of the Fifth Hour with
Ben Maller. Very exciting Ben Maller, k Danny g and
Flying Solo. Though on this edition of the Fifth Hour
we have survived the first week following Super Bowl fifty six,
(01:58):
we have yet to get into the full throttle of
the silly season of the NFL with all the rumors
in the air everywhere, and we look forward to the
NFL Draft, which is a gossip palooza. Not that we're
big fans of the actual NFL draft, but we like
all the trimmings that come with the NFL Draft, if
(02:21):
you understand what I'm saying. But this podcast, I thought
it was appropriate. We had Jackie Slater on from the
Rams last week leading into the Super Bowl, and that
inspired the Rams to win Super Bowl fifty six, and
I thought fairness in broadcasting, if you are going to
have a ram on, you've got to have some balances.
(02:44):
And so who do I know? In Cincinnati? I went
through my role of decks after the Bengals took it
on the chin and uh yeah, well in the Super Bowl.
But there's one name that popped up, and that is
the great Andy Irman, and so we contacted Andy's standing
by right now here on the fifth hour. So, Andy,
(03:09):
who has been in radio for a long time. If
you don't know Andy's work, shame on you. He does
a Sunday, very popular Sunday show here on Fox Sports Radio.
He was our morning guy. It was Andy Furman and
Mike North did the morning show at Fox Sports Radio
for a while. Legendary public relations director at a horse track,
and it's done all kinds of zany wild things. We
(03:29):
can get into as much of that as we can
get into, but we must start with the Cincinnati Bengals
as we welcome in the great Andy Furman. So, uh, Andy,
are the good people of Cincinnati still sitting shiva for
the Bengal players. It's it's been about a week since
the Super Bowl, So how are people reacting to the loss?
(03:52):
You know, it's funny you mentioned that, then it really
is because once they after about five o'clock, they had
a big rally and I'm still trying to figure out
Lois the rally focus. They didn't win anything, but they
were just so happy with the results of this team
and where they ended up that there's no one expected
anything to happen with this team. I mean, Vegas picked
the Bengals to win five or six games. So about
five in the afternoon, believing that Governor Dwine showed up,
(04:14):
the governor of Ohio, the mayor of Cincinnati was there.
Mike Brown, who never makes public appearances, that was there.
Zach Taylor. No, no, players, of course, players have din't disappeared.
They just gone after the game was over. But about
a thousand or fifteen hundred people showed up at Washington
Park downtown Cincinnati with the band, music, drinks and just
a grand old time people making speeches and just so
(04:37):
happy and appreciative of what this Bengals team did. I
was shocked. Really, that's insane to me. They lost Andy,
they lost the game. They but they got all these
politicians together and just for where they where they lighting candles?
Did they have the candles light as well? And they well,
you don't those I do. Anytime there's a microphone, there's
gonna be a politician. That's number one, So they were they.
(04:58):
I mean why the governor's I have no idea. I mean,
if the Cleveland Browns one, he would have been up
in Cleveland. So there's no doubt there. But the point is,
you're right. I mean, they didn't win anything, but I
think they were just so pleased they have the thirty
three years of not winning a thing and all of
a sudden no coming back to life. You know, you
talk about expectations, and you know as well as anybody
else then the expectations of what sports is all about.
People expect things to happen, and no one expected just
(05:20):
to happen in Cincinnati. The problem is right now they
did catch lightning on the bottle. But now the pressure
is on next year. What if they don't make the playoffs.
This is one of the tougher divisions in football. They
got Baltimore, Cleveland's gonna be back, Pittsburgh's gonna be back.
On the new quarterback for sure, We'll see what happens
next year. Could be a major disappointment next year if
they don't even make the playoffs. So you see, and
(05:41):
you agree. You are my Cincinnati guy, Andy, and you
agree with me that you know I've been talking to
some Bannggo fans. You think, no, no, this is Joe Burrow,
that he's the real thing. I think Burrow is good.
But this season was a fluke, right, This was as
you said, Vegas did not expect the bang Goes to
have a particular of the good team here, that this
(06:02):
is an interloper situation. Everything kind of lined up for
them this season. Is it sustainable? Andy? Are you you
mentioned the owner that doesn't really show his face very often.
Are they willing to actually spend some money, not a
ton of money, just enough money to improve the offensive
line and make this team sustainable for the next couple
(06:24):
of years. Well, you know, you hit the nail on
the head because there are people early on going into
the playoffs comparing Joe Burrow to Tom Brady and I
almost stuck my finger in my mouth. And it's just
one of a puke because you know, you just can't mean,
you can't. It's too soon. He had a great year.
You know, you can't not what the Bengals did. I
think they certainly deserved to get to the playoffs. But
(06:45):
everything lined up, the stars were in linement. They were.
But again, you've got free agency. You know who Zama
Osama is a free agent right now because several other
free agents. And you saw what happened to Joe Borrow
in the playoff game. You know, everybody was gassing and
he went down on that knee. They said it won't
be an operational situation, but he's gonna have to work
that knee out, which was the so called good knee.
(07:08):
So they gotta get protection there under the salary caps.
They need to protect this guy. And I read what
Carson Palmer had to say, the former quarterback of the Bengals.
He said he doesn't think Joe Burrow is gonna be
it down the stretch because he doesn't think this he's
gonna make the commitment of winning. And to protect him.
We'll see what happens when his contracts up. Well, yeah,
we're gonna get to that. But it's it's great how
(07:28):
the media works. We're in the media, but we're radio guys. Andy,
you know, we're radio radio guys, so we're kind of
in the media. But the story, as you mentioned, was
Joe Burrows the next Tom Brady before the Super Bowl,
and now after the Super Bowl, he's now being compared
to Andrew luck. So who is the real Joe Burrow?
Andy Furman? Did this guy Joe Burrow? Really and truly
(07:50):
this was truly his rookie season. He played five games
a year ago. Uh, he played well, got this team
into the playoffs. Despite despite that offensive line, he was
fifty one times this the a band still hiders and
in the in the National Football League. Plus he was
sack something like nine times in that game against Tennessee.
You know how much abuse can of quarterback and he's
(08:11):
a young kid. He can't take that much longer. Maybe
his first year he could do that. So what happened
last year against that Washington team. They carried him out
on the stretcher. So he can't continue to get that punishment.
They got to protect him. You know, I'm not gonna
compare him to anybody because I don't think it's fair.
It's not fair to him, and it's not fair to
those who have been to the wars and have completed
great seasons and great careers. Picture, it's not fair. I
(08:32):
think there's so much ludicrous. I think it's ridiculous. To
be honest, I think it's stupid. Well that's what we do.
We're stupid. But but he does that. Burrows got the
rasmatask though. There's something about him, and you know, you
see different quarterbacks and then this Burros got something. I
don't if you saw the video of him during the
Super Bowl. I talked about it the other night on
my show where he was going around and he was
(08:54):
introducing himself. Hey, I'm Joe do some of the Ram
defensive players, which was which was kind of cool and
need I mean, so if he can and it's obviously
the you know, ifs and butts game, but he's got
these guys, I said, the Rasmu task. So if he
can play at a high level, he's gonna make a
ton of money. I had heard Andy, I don't know
if you heard the same thing that the people on
(09:14):
Madison Avenue, the people in the advertising world, we're licking
their chops. If the Bengals had beaten the Rams, that
it would have been Joe Burrow all over television and
he would have taken endorsements away from like Baker Mayfield
and guys like that or you on every other commercial.
So he's he's got a pile of money waiting for
him if he can, if he can just figure this
(09:36):
thing out, in the next couple of years. Yeah, you may.
You may see Joe Burrow doing those insurance commercials down
the stretch. And I will say this, I mean these
quote tests. I don't think there's don loads of a
difference in the talent level between quartterback game and quarteback
b in the national football Like what I mean by that,
they all could pass the hill, could throw, they all
know how to read defenses. What separates the good from
(09:57):
the great is the leadership qualities. I think that Joe
Burrow has that he has the command of the respect
in the huddle. These guys believe in him, and he's
a true leader. And I think he's not confident in
the sense that cockiness shows, but he's confident in knowing
what he has to do and he's shown that. I
think he's won this team over and I think that's
what makes him head and shoulders above other quarterbacks that
(10:21):
have started out in this league. I think he's a
great leader. And in other leaders that I've seen on
this ball club have been boomers. Sizzin had that same
It's fact that that people respect him, followed him and
trust him, and that's what they did with Joe Burrow.
How many guys have left Dandy in the Cincinnati media
that we're covering the team When Boomer was there, I mean,
you you've you've seen some dreadful football for like how
(10:44):
many years? My god, that's back in the late late eighties,
right early nineties. Boomers sizzin, Mike, that's a that's a
lifetime ago. That's insane. It was Kenny Anderson and Boomer Sizin.
And after that it was David Klingler, Jeff Blake. You
go down the list, I mean, was unbelievable. But then
Mallett was understent. I played. That was in the preseason.
(11:06):
I thought I did pretty well Andy, but they cut
me for some reason. Not right that they released me.
I don't know why. I don't think they liked your attitude,
but it was I don't know, I'm just saying, you
know more around here. Well, it was apparently I ate
too much in the locker room there, and they said
they had they had to get rid of me because
I was I was eating too much. But who had
food in the locker room exactly exactly, So so who's
(11:26):
getting I always loved when the team loses, because, as
you know, the better story is in the losing locker room.
Even though I like the Rams and I'm happy the Rams.
One from a conversation standpoint, it's the finger pointing right
when you lose a game, who gets the blame seems
pretty obvious. A lot of this is on the offensive line,
but Uh, is there anyone else? I know? Eli Apple?
(11:47):
Uh did not have a particularly great Super Bowl. He
fell apart at the end of the game. Who are
the fall guys? Andy, Who's getting I'm gonna I'm gonna
give you two particulars that really irked me in this game.
Number one, let's go back to the first quarter. Benglos
had the ball, they had a fifty yard line. It
was fourth and one. Zack Taylor decides to go for it.
(12:07):
Was ridiculous at that time, the point in time in
the game to go for a fourth and one. It
was early. It was too early. He didn't make it.
They didn't make the Rams go back to Mace Cores.
That's number one. Let's move down to the fourth quarter,
thirty eight seconds left in the game, fourth and one,
fourth and one, they get a first down. Now they're
trailing by three. There's a good chance that they get
a first down, and there Evan mc pherson who is
(12:29):
basically deadly from fifty yards out. Basically because tied this game,
they go fourth and one, they give the ball to
p Ryan. Why I give this guy the ball? I
have no idea. He failed to get the first downd.
This guy gained something like four yards in the entire
playoff series. Now, I will say this, they may not
have gotten to the playoffs without this guy, p Ryan
at sold back. But why given the ball? You gotta
(12:50):
give the best player behind center the ball. You gotta
give you a money guy the ball. Joe Mixon should
have got the call. He didn't get the call, and
I think that costs in the game. Well, you mentioned
Zach Taylor. I remember you're talking about the gambling gods Andy.
Before the season, Zach Taylor, people said Oscott he might
not be the Bengals coaches could be it, you know,
his last year, two years and out or whatever. And
Cincinnati now they just gave him a contract extension this week.
(13:15):
Is he a good coach or is he just the
beneficiary of having a young quarterback that kind of figured
things out this year in borow Well in the National
Football League, you're nothing without a quarterback. So certainly we've
got the so called franchise quarterback under wraps right now.
But you know, he lo was surrounding some some pretty
good coaches around him. Uh. As far as calling offensive place,
(13:37):
I never liked the fact that he called the offense
and he was the head coach. I think you have
to separate that number one. Number two, he did it
from the field level. I think you gotta call it
from the booth. A lot of guys call it from
the booth. He didn't do that. I think he's still learning,
I really do. I mean the fact that he was
a protege of the Rams staff and the so called
genius Sean McVeigh. I think that he got the job
by osmosis. You know, people think that Sean they was
(13:59):
the so called genius. Let's take this guy stealing from
the staff. I think. I think the jury is still out,
I really do. However, you have to put in now
in a category of guys that have won the Super
Bowl and maybe won only one super Bowl. Let's think
about this. Andy Read has won one, John Harbaugh has
won one. These the guys that have won just one
super Bowl, Sean McVeigh one, and he's won it now
(14:20):
in his third years, So that's a star in his corner,
really is. Yeah. And I actually had I interviewed McVeigh
a couple of years ago, and I got a chance
to have my name in the coaching circuit. I think
I was up for a couple of years ago the
Tennessee Titans job before they made the change there. So
just by being in the room with Sean McVeigh, they
want to hire you. How come the Bengals have never
(14:41):
hired you? Speaking of hiring people in radio, and you know,
it's funny, you know, been my background has always been
a PR guy. I was a sports information that I
had several colleges. I was a PR guy in the
pros with the full loader deal strike as Round by
the Robbie family. So I did some work with the
Miami Dolphins at that time, and you know, Mike, Mike
kind of knew me, and I'm I'm pretty close with
(15:03):
Mike Brown. And every time it was a PR opening,
uh in the National Football League. This is really funny,
he'd write a letter in my behalf curly because he
wanted to get me off the local radio. I think
that's why he did. I really knew. I mean, he
wrote a beautiful letter to UH, to the forty Niners
for me that there was an opening years ago to
San Francisco forty Niners and he earn a letter to
the Green Bay Packers in my behalf and UH, and
(15:26):
I was. I was excited because I would have loved
to have gone and done that work. But I think
that he didn't do it so much because of his
love for me. I think it was from my hate
on the radio, because I attacked him. I mean I
was pretty brutal when they were kind of death in
the nineties, you know, And he was the general manage
still is made a lot of the calls. He had
the smallest scouting staff. And I said, the only reason
(15:47):
he got that job. And this really was a quote
for for the ages. I said he was sperm lucky
because of his daddy. I think, and you know he
was infuriated that quote. That quote on has haunted me.
I mean you think that haunted him and haunted be.
I mean I was colder to the manager's office at
the time we did the games. How can you say, well,
(16:07):
it's true. I mean the guy basically firm, but he
was well, yeah, I mean that's how Like so much
of the sports world, that's what it's all about. Like
Jim Ersey right in Indianapolis. He just happened to be
in the right spot. These these NFL teams. But the Raiders,
the spawn of Al Davis, Mark Davis, Who's is running
the Raiders. That's unbelievable. Yeah, I look at him on TV.
(16:29):
I mean it looks like a clown for Wringling Brothers.
He really does. Yeah, and that haircut in you'd think
somewhere along the way he'd say, hey, maybe let's try
something a little different here. That's change it up a
little bit. He loves that cut. He keeps going back
to that haircut. That's his go to haircut. And uh yeah,
I saw him on HBO Real Sports. He's wearing like
a Raiders jack being interview with the Raiders silk jacket
(16:51):
on I mean, come on, really, really, how much football
can he possibly know? Though people will say, you know,
you have to have a business center. You really don't
have to know the game of football. Just hire good
football people around you. Maybe, but I don't know. We'll see. Yeah,
see if if our dads owned NFL teams. We would
have inherited the team then and we would have been
running in NFL teams. Again, that goes back to your
sperm lottery as you as you said, we just we
(17:16):
we got in the wrong line, apparently, Andy, we just
got in the wrong line. I'll give you a story
way back when when I lived back East. You know
the late Dave Saberstein obviously, oh the Holland glowtrot is,
but his son was a lunatic and his son always
had these off the wall ideas and he owned the
team called the New York Sits and World Team Tennants.
(17:36):
Oh my goodness. I mean he brought that team into
the ground. I remember I went to a couple of
the matches and my good friend Dave hablished him. We
went to college together. You know, he was doing some
of the games and helping the team out. But this guy,
his son just I think whatever fortunately he inherited from
the late aid he just blew. I mean, they there
was nothing left. He just invested in stuff, trying to
promote things and just just couldn't get it done. Adoption
(17:59):
of teams from stercare is a topic not enough people
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or subscribed to Navigating Adoption presented by adopt Us Kids,
(18:22):
brought to you by the U S Department of Health,
of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the
ACT Council. And we're live here outside the Perez family home,
just waiting for the and there they go, almost on time.
This morning. Mom is coming out the front door, strong
with a double armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has
the bags. Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh but
(18:44):
the diaper bag wasn't closed. Tapers and toys are everywhere.
Oh but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat
buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who
looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself
in the booster seat. Dad's hips the bad clothes and
they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her
(19:05):
coffee cup is still on the roof of the car
and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame that mug
was a fan favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff, just
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(19:27):
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(19:48):
They're fearless. Guide. Is this fascinating world? Find a forest
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brought to you by the United States Forest Service and
the AD Council. Well, you're one of the great pr guys.
I love the fact every time I see the story
about the horse when Chris Collin's worth you had him
a race of horse. What could you get away with
(20:09):
that stuff? Today? Would it be bigger today or would
it not be the same? Ay? With social media, it's
a whole different social media. If I had a horse
racer an athlete, I think Peter would probably lock me up.
I mean, you can't do it. They don't even have
There's no more elephants at the circus anymore, I know,
and I even think there's a circus. I think the
circus is gone. I don't think there's any more. I
(20:30):
think they have they have human circuses now, right, isn't
that the thing where they have people flying like trapeze
artists and things like that, But they don't actually have
Actually actually it's called Fox what's radioed? Yes, the biggest
circus under the big top and he come one come
exactly fun fun for all ages, fun for all ages. Right, Yeah,
(20:50):
you're right, absolutely, you know it's funny. I'm lucky I was.
I was there at the right time. Uh, And a
lot of things that I did to day it would
be canceled culture. There's no doubt about that. I remember
I worked at one race track and the general Manjerson,
I don't care what you do as owns. You don't
get arrested. I don't want to get a phone call
in the middle of the night. I have to and
(21:11):
I sent that. I released one time that there were
hookers around the race track, you know, and the we've
made papers. I made his unbelievable ladies of the night,
you know, circling the race track, and I thought that
were the track more guys to come to the race track.
I really did, you know. I'll give you another one.
This one definitely would have got me. Can There's no doubt.
I had a promotion called beat your Wife Night Beat
(21:32):
your Wife, where you come into the race track, you
purchased a program. The husband would have more winners in
the program than the wife. He beat his wife. You
put that out today, you go to jail beat your wife.
I can't do it, can't do it. Well, I'll tell you,
I'll tell you sorry. I on the Overnight Show. This
is a couple of years ago. Uh. For some reason,
(21:52):
I did one of like like who am I game questions?
And the answer, UH was like Joe Niekro. Right. And
then we had a caller that called up and and
I was just like telling a joke and it was
Joe and Phil Nekro and uh, and then I I
said it was like a throw in, Like I can't
even repeat it on the podcast, Andy, because became a
(22:14):
drop on the show and I said, you know they
all look the same, the and you know, the Joe
and Phil and and and I said that. And I
didn't say what people thought I said. But it didn't matter, Andy, right,
because people heard the clip. And you know how people
consume radio, They listened with half in a year, and
so every time that drop got played, Andy, we got
(22:34):
people calling up sending the emails, well, I can't believe
you would say this on the national airwaves of Fox
Sports Radio and I We're gonna be fired. And I
was like, I didn't say anything. Their knuckleball pictures from
the you know, back in the seventies and the eighties.
What am I doing it? Nothing? Nothing, but people people
look for that kind of stuff these days. It's prett
you know. It's when you're shaving and you cut yourself
(22:56):
and say, God, I got you. I think people listen
to the radio and they want to get Yeah, I
really do. They did it to my good buddy Tommy
Brennaman and he wasn't even on the air, you know,
doing the game. It was like an open mic prior
to the to the but you know, and it's it's
a shame, but like, I don't think he's ever gonna
get back in. But it's funny you say that because
I said something way back when talking about women's sports,
and I said something it was just tongue in cheek.
(23:18):
I said, the only place for women will be in
the bedroom in the kitchen. Oh my goodness, that I
get heat. I said, there's two places for women and
they are the bedroom in the kitchen. And oh the
heat that I got on that you couldn't believe. Well, now, yeah,
as you forget about it, it's it's all over. Turnout
the lights, the party's over on that. Yeah, the have
you talked to Tom Brennaman since saw that went down?
(23:41):
To Tom? I talked to him last week, last Thursday week,
a week ago, and uh, you know, he seems to
be doing all right, but I'm sure I'm sure his
heart's broken. You know. I can imagine going to bed
at night, looking at the ceiling and say, what happened
to me? What happened to my life? He was great
and he's a good guy. I think I think he
was done wrong and the definitely one day he gets
back in. I mean, I think everybody deserves a second chance.
(24:03):
I don't think he's an evil person. I really don't. Yeah,
and I don't know the rules because I haven't been
able to keep track, Like when you cancel somebody, and
and obviously Tom Brennan was canceled, Like what's the statue
of limitations on that? When does that run out? But
the problem is now, you know, as you mentioned, there's
so many people in society today, Andy that are like
(24:25):
I want to I got you, you know, got you
and all this stuff. So if Tom Brendon, let's say
he was up for a play by play job somewhere,
even if the Reds wanted to hire him back, there
would be groups out protesting, right, there be you know, backlash.
I don't even know if it's real or not because
it's social media, right, I don't know how much of
it's really how much of it's fake. But you'd have
to deal with that, and you know better than anybody,
(24:45):
and because you worked around professional sports, you've been around
longer than I have that the one thing these teams
don't want is negative publicity, right, So any kind of
negative stories to get out if you were to hire
a guy like that, there's just like it's not worth
our trouble, which sucks, right. And sponsorship that's the key also,
because you hire a bell like that, every sponsor is
gonna say, you know, when we're not gonna buy a
(25:05):
time when your station, we're not going to sponsor the team,
whatever it may be. But you would just love, in
this day and age to see an owner of one
team with a pair of onions to get out there
and say, you know what, I'm here, I'm bringing them back.
You may not like it, but everybody in life deserves
a second chance, and look at yourself in the mirror
because I'm sure you screwed up once in a while
and you got a second chance. We're bringing them back boom.
(25:27):
But I don't think you're gonna to do that. Yeah,
I don't think that owner exists today. Like I'm you're
you're describing like Al Davis or build be built that
billboard bill veck uh, but like Steinburn or somebody along that.
The owners today now this, some of the guys kind
of get it, but they don't. There if everyone's afraid
(25:48):
of the same the same boogeyman is is what I'm
trying to say, And yeah, the one person in sports
that I think would be willing to do that would
be Dana White at the UFC. Like Dana White, c
was like the kind of guy that just doesn't give
a damn and he would he doesn't care about that stuff.
He would be willing to to cross over the cancel
culture and all that and and hire a guy like
(26:09):
Tom Brendon. Don't Brennavan wants to do UFC stuff, But
that's that would be a path where I could see
something like that working out. You know, I've just been
the top of my head off any old or any
major sport that would do something that I can't. You
know what about the owner of the Clippers, he seems
to be a bit of a maverick Steve, Yeah, you
know he is. But he's also you know, he's kind
(26:30):
of in the NBA world. You gotta be in lockstep there.
So he's not, uh, he's not crossing the line. He
is building this great arena. Though. Next time you're in town,
and the next time you're in l A. The Intuit Dome,
which is right right near a near Sofi stadium where
they piled they played the Super Bowl. You gotta see
the Sofi Stadium. Oh my god, Andy, this is a
(26:52):
put You don't what if I had a choice to
see Sofi Stadium but go to Langers Delhi. I'm going
to Landers Delhi. All right? Well, I agree with you?
Is that listen? Look at you're a true You're true
mench Langers Deli people a lot of people visiting up
draw me on ride with a Sala pickle, and I
thought that Brown's cream soda. There's nothing better. It's great. Now,
you gotta go early in the day because they're not
(27:14):
They're only open till four o'clock. Lingers Deli in l A.
Because you don't want to be there after four o'clock, Andy,
you don't, and you don't want to make a wrong turn.
You don't want to go across the street there to
MacArthur Park because that is that is like hell on Earth,
Sodom and Gomorrah. I think they are right there across
the street. Well, I'm glad you chose Langers and not
that Cancer's Deli is bad. But Langers is. You're a
(27:37):
New York guy. It's better than most of if not all.
I like cats As Deli in New York. That's my
go to Delhi when I go to her, but it's
very expensive and uh and all that. But I do
enjoy cats Is Deli, but Langers in l A is
insane and I don't know. I'm gonna take it to
one if you come to the Midwest. Okay, I thought
one if you close your eyes, is very very close
(27:59):
to Langers and is Shapiros Delhi in Indianapolis. Okay, So
if I mean that's that's the same type of that
pastramis the die for it language. So it's a similar
type of stray. Shapiro's is unreal, it really is? Is that? Now?
What are your top? What's your one in New York?
How can you go back to New York? Do you
have a Catches Catches New York line, Shapiros and Cincinnati?
(28:22):
We got is He's is the one? Okay. So it's
a very important information because I need soul food when
I need when I'm serious and pastrami salmon matzo ball soup. Yeah,
that's he has the potato pancakes too. That's not a
bad That's not a bad move either. Not a bad
move either. Oh, I got a time. I'm excited to
pass on it for the first time. I've been sports
(28:42):
radio a long time. For the first time ever, they
allowed me to go to Radio Row last week for
the Super I've never been to Radio ro. I assume
you've been there many times over the years, right doing
your only only twice? Really? Okay? Yeah, all right? What
was your experience like? Did you did you enjoy I
enjoyed it. But it comes out as a as a
(29:05):
place where people just hawk their wares and you know,
you see it. Another thiguring that did Vermeil showed up
and he just got in done into the Hall of Fame,
which is great. And he showed up and I'm saying
to myself, why is he here? He has something to
do with the game, he's not coaching, but he was
selling wine. He has a venue and he was selling one.
But it was great, you know, but he comes down there,
talks about his wine and his video. But then we
(29:26):
talked football a little bit. But it was just crazy.
It's one after another. And don't let I think that
Cam Newton showed up and I think it was in
New Orleans when I was there, and we talked about
social media and at the time, I'm sure it's not
true now. At the time he said he didn't believe
in social media and he didn't have any social media
accounts whatsoever. So some of the stories were great and
(29:46):
they stuck with you. You know, you never a loss
for a guest because they're coming in and draws. Really,
it's like a herd. They're coming one after another. But
it's great, and you gotta be on your toes a
little bit because you don't know what you're gonna talk
about when you see these guys. But you know, it's
kind of fun. It's a it's a unique screw if
you've never been there. Yeah, I know, I've never been there.
I didn't really know what to expect. It's not I
(30:07):
was told by the people that are there every year.
It was not the same because of the California COVID
rules and all that. There were not as many media
people as there are normally, but it was It reminded
me like a boardwalk situation. Yeah, and then they were
you know, people screaming, hey, they're selling weight loss products
or you name it as you said, whine all kinds
(30:30):
of nonsense. And the amount of people that are around
these former athletes that always blows me away. Andy. They
these guys have like posses of people that are leading
them through and the the whole entourage. Uh, the only Yeah,
that's why athletes are broke five years after they retire.
It goes to the posse's. Yeah. But the only radio
(30:52):
guy I saw that had a posse was Pat McAfee.
But he's got a hundred million dollars eighties, so I
think he's he's doing okay. I think he can afford. Mean,
what about the mala militias? They should have been there.
Oh no, where the malam Let me tell you how
the malamusa works outside of When I was walking to
Radio Row, uh, and I parked far away because you know,
(31:14):
I'm very frugal, like the people that run the Bengals there.
I like to hold on my money. So they were
they were price gounging everyone around Radio Row at the
l A Convention Center. So I parked a couple of
miles away from the convention center, and I'm walking through
the mean streets of l A, which they cleaned up
by the way, Andy, because the super Bowl obviously was there,
(31:36):
so they took a lot of the homeless and they
just stooped them. I don't know where they put them,
but they moved them. I'm sure they're back now because
the super Bowl is over. But but anyway, so the
point of the story. So I'm walking through and I
run into one of my callers, Helmet Man, the guy
known as helmet Man. He's out selling shirts and helmet
(31:57):
you know, he buys stuff from like Goodwill and then
he tried us to turn it around and sell it
and make money on the street. I ran into him.
I had not seen him in like two years. I
thought he had died, Andy, and there he was. And
that's my guy. That's the Mallar Militia. Andy. They're not inside.
And I like the guy, the one I do listen
because it's on a little late at night for me.
He on the East Coast, but I do listen once
(32:19):
in the while. You have the guy you put them
on and you hear him snoring. Oh, yes, yes, you're
you're talking about hollering, James. Yes, he is the most
prolific snorer in is in my career. Maybe you had
something because you do you did prime time shows, Andy,
I I do live late night, so I got more
of the people's But this guy, holler And James. He's
(32:42):
your great overnight sports talk radio caller because he really
has nothing to say. He just wants to be on
the air, and he falls asleep literally two out of
every three times he calls the show. And you will
appreciate this, Andy, as a fellow radio professional. One of
the greatest bits I ever did with Hollering James. We
(33:03):
were playing a game show it was too much or
not enough, and this is a couple of years ago,
and he fell asleep and he was supposed to play
the game. So we had him play the game anyway
based on if he snored, the answer was too much.
If he didn't store, it was not enough. He won
the game, Andy, he won the game show fast asleep
(33:27):
and it was the most amazing, surreal experience. It was
crazy and I should have won the Marconi for that,
but somehow I did not get a single vote. Can
you believe that, Andy, It's insane? Hey, pet parents, have
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(34:12):
Sure know what else girls in the forest. Our imagination,
our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too,
because when we disconnect from this and connect with this,
we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than
you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring.
(34:33):
I Discover the Forest dot org. Brought to you by
the United States Forest Service and the ad Council. What
grows in the forest trees? Sure know what else grows
in the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and
our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from
this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.
(34:58):
The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest
near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot
org Brought to you by the United States Fourth Service
and the ad Council. You know, you've been doing the overnight,
you know, for a while. Are you amazed how many
people are up at that hour and call you? Because
(35:19):
I'm on now at six d a m. Sunday Eastern time,
and we opened the phones and still we're getting calls.
I mean most of the calls probably from the West coast,
which is like three am. What are they doing up?
Are they coming back from the bars? Is that what
it is? Yeah? No, I I completely am shot. I'm flabbergasted.
I've been doing a while now. I even did Super
(35:41):
Bowl shows for years. I would do shows with Looney
or Eddie on Super Bowl Sunday during the gaming during
the Super Bowl, and we'd open up the phone calls
at halftime to open up the lines for phone calls,
and we'd have full banks of calls during the Super
Bowl on a sports talk radio station when plausibly everyone
(36:02):
should be consuming the Super Bowl and not listening to
Fox Sports Radio for those three and a half hours.
And yet there were people that love Fox Sports Radio
would turned down the TV and listen to the radio.
So and it's uh, it's great, how's the show going.
By the way, on the weekends, everything going all right
on that you're going, it's going and maybe going and
maybe gone. It's going going. God, now it's going. I
(36:24):
think he's doing all right. I mean, you know, you know,
as those odds this business, no news is good news.
So we're going. Yeah, there's only I'm on the list
every week on the on the you know list that
the shows are on, and my name is there, so
I figured it's good. You know, my name is not there.
I gotta worry. But you know, things things are good.
You know, you got from warmed about you know why
people called talk shows and h there's most of the
(36:46):
people that called up either they're entertaining, but they don't
really add a lot. You know, it's kind of fun
you play with them. I think they're auditioning. I think
that's the key. They think that they could do it,
and they probably could. I guess, no good, but I
think that's why they called. They were auditioning to be
on the radio. Yeah. Like I've noticed, there's like four
or five types of people that call the show. There's
a lot of people that just think they're entertaining, which
(37:08):
is fine, right. They want to they want to be heard.
There's there's I like the insider guy, the guy that
calls up and he probably got this a lot when
you're doing the afternoon show back in Cincinnati back in
the day. That the guy that calls up that overheard
something at the barber shop. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
The guy who knows I've heard from the sword well
who I know a friend of mine call me whatever. Yeah,
(37:29):
my my friends barber's gardener happens to know the owner
of the Bengals and told me that X, Y and
Z is guy at the gas stage. And I saw,
I saw Mike Brown or the guy that calls up
stick you know what I saw. I saw Joe Burrow's
house and there's a sales sign in front of him.
I think he's being traded. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah exactly.
I like that guy, like the insider guy. Then there's
(37:50):
the guy that calls up to try to correct you
because they think you're wrong, so they want to touch
up your work, right. They was like, well you didn't
get that right they And as you said, the people
are listening, there's a certain percentage of people that listened
to these radio shows just waiting. I had I had
a programmed Brector tell me this, they said, Ben. If
you know, if if you're doing the show and you're
taking calls and nobody's calling and make a mistake, there's
(38:11):
nothing the radio listener loves more then calling up and
correcting the person on the air. Am I not? Am
I not right? Andy? Is that not? And people? Yeah,
that's what That's why a lot of times and five
ball on the radio. I know it was Wednesdays. Welcome,
what a great Tuesday this is? And then everybody calls up, No,
it's true. I I you know, you know Ricky's right,
(38:32):
the radio guy in l A. Years ago maybe, but
rick was a legend in l A radio. Ricky's he
did a Top forty countdown show and he had a
TV show. And and Rick when I started in the business,
I was doing a midday show. I started in l A.
And Rick was still doing mornings at this Kiss FM,
this big top forty station which is still huge in
l A. And Ricky's nicest guy in the world, I mean,
(38:54):
the Hall of Fame radio guy. And he would record
because he did a morning show, Andy, so he would
cord like the first hour because he didn't want to
get up for the five am hour. So he would
record that hour when he got done, and he pulled
me aside, and this guy Dave I was working with
the time, and he gave us a great piece of advice.
And I don't I don't record stuff because you know,
(39:16):
do it live. Right, Obviously, this is a podcast, so
it's recorded. But uh, he said, listen, he said, when
you're doing a tape like a show for radio, make mistakes.
He said, because the listener doesn't he they won't realize
it's tape because they'll think if it was taped, you
wouldn't make a mistake, right, I mean because you edited
(39:39):
out in post production. But he said, no, you leave
some mistakes in there because the people will assume that
it's real. It's live. And so I thought it was.
That was wonderful like a radio I have no problem
with that then. But you never make a mistake with
the United States Postal Service. You are legendary. I can't. I.
I we had John before, and I got a story. Good, good,
(40:03):
good god. I need a story. Give me a story.
I need a story. Give me a story. Okay. I
got to the post office offen my mail. Okay. And
I know it's over the years, they've had a lot
of stamps named after sports figures. I think Muhammad Ali
has a stamp. The most recent one, Yogi Barra has
won Jackie Robinson as a stamp. I wrote a letter
to the Postmaster General just about two three months ago
(40:23):
that they should have a stand for the late Joe
Knox to all who broadcast Cincinnati Reds games with Marty
Brennaman also was the youngest player to play in the
major leagues in fifteen years of age. Sure, so I
got a letter back two weeks ago. I got this
letter and he wrote back to me and one of
the assistance to the Postmaster General that taking it up
for vote. They did a vote on it really have
(40:43):
to be you have to be deceased five years to
have a stamp named after you. And it was one
that if I sent the letter to Joe Knoxall's son,
Kid knoxall right here in Cincinnati, I may held out
to the local media and everybody is getting a little
bit of a buzz on it. The Reds wrote me
back the other day they got the letters in it
to them. So I'm excited because I'd love to see
Joe Notes get a stamp with his name and he
(41:05):
deserves it. I mean, the youngest player ever to play baseball.
That's great. Well plus, I mean, let's be honest, Andy,
just between me, you and a lamp post, you've got
some pull at the United States Postal Service. You are
no but nobody writes letters anymore. You know, my wife
things it says it's a bad thing because it shows
people my age and I'm old and I'm snail mail guy.
I said, not at all. I said, people appreciate the
(41:28):
fact that you're taking the time to send the note
because more often than not, the mail that you get
at home's garbage. It's either bills or junk mail. So
when you get something like this, you could basically get
on someone's desk. And even example, when I started in radio,
is on the but I also did sales, and you know,
there was really not much of internet action then. But
now in in the sales everything is non personal. It's
(41:50):
all basically done a computer. You send out that there
will be a proposal, you're sitting out the races and
boom boom boom. You know. Bet then it was a
personal face to face and relays and ships and it's
all about mail. And I think that really that's helped
me over the years and helped me make relationships because
I Bill Belichick and Bobby Night over the years through
letters and sending them stuff. And that's why it was in.
(42:11):
Belichick's a big letter writer. I get letters with mom
all the time. That's great, that's great. See and and
so you you've maintained that over the years with Belchi.
What do you guys talk about? You know, I get
too personal, but what kind of stuff is sports or
is it is something when the Bengals, the Bengals cut
running back recently about a year or so ago, and
I wrote him back. I said, you know, it just
(42:32):
caught him. He said, yeah, he likes somebody's not gonna
sign him stuff like not not football. But I did
asked him one time, I said, could I use you
as a reference, Not that I'm even looking for a job,
but it just he's just you know what, he just
used me as the references you but have the people
call me. So I'm not writing any letters and stuff
like that. So you know, if anybody wants I but
it is someone up And I opened if I wrote
(42:53):
in a resume that do belichicks the reference of mine?
You know, that's great. Yeah, you know I will see
those I don't. I had heard like and and you
you know better than me. But when I was in
New York years ago and Joe Maningo, who's just retired,
he was the Overnight guy, and he he had told
me a story that Belichick, when he was a coach
with the Jets, would listen to the Overnight Show. He'd
(43:14):
go to the facilities so early that he was still
on and he I guess he befriended Joe and they
became became pals way before he became Bill Belichick, the
great Patriots coach. But so he does he listens to
sports or at least backt Thenny listened to sports talk radio.
And I know he's a big war buff and all
that I've I've heard stories that he'll buy stuff off eBay,
(43:36):
like old war memorabilia and things like that. And so
I don't know. It's an interesting guy because you know,
the public persona Belichick is, he's purmudgeon and he's just Yeah,
when when these athletes and sports figures say they don't
listen or read, I don't believe it because the sports guys,
and if you're a sports guy that's what you do.
It really is. I mean, you can't tell me you
don't pick up the paper, look at the internet, social media,
(43:57):
or listen to talk radio. You have to. I mean,
I'm sure football coaches in the NFL when they're in
that car turned the radio into sports talk radio. They're
not listening to rap music. I promise Andy Reids not
listening to rap music. Well, and you've had people confront
you and I I've had the same way. I was
doing local stuff back in the day and I gotten
the Dodgers that screamed at me and yelled at me
(44:18):
in the clubhouse, and the whole the rant was, I,
you know, I don't listen to sports radio. Is like, well,
why are you upset with me? And then and then
he said my family does. He said that was the
Uh that was what he was. Just complaint was, so
I don't listen, but the family does and and all that.
So anyway, Uh, Andy, you're the man, You're the myth,
(44:39):
the legend. I've taken away too much of your time,
so how can people hear you? On the weekends, we
promote the heck out of the show. Social media, You've
got more followers than I do on Twitter. You're a
machine over there. How can people the family? That's why
there you go? How can how could people get in
touch with a great Andy Firman. I'll listen to you.
I'll give you my phone up if you want. No.
I'm on day Fox Sports Radio Sunday, six am Eastern.
(45:03):
That will be three am Pacific, Fox Sports Radio Serious
XM eighty three and could do that. And during the week,
are you say on Tuesday nights, I'm on seven ww
Radio Cincinnati at nine pm Eastern. So that's basically it
for me, you know. It's also you can get you
the I write for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle twice a week.
I write sports for them Mondays and Fridays in the
(45:25):
Brooklyn Daily Eagles. So you could google that if you'd
like us some good stories there. Let's cool. Look at
that you're juggling. You're juggling a lot of gigs, and
you said, let us out, and you're going to the
post office two or three times a day. It seems
like to send those very good Thank you Eddie, appreciate it, buddy,
Ny be good. Thanks. Look for your children's eyes and
(45:45):
you will discover the two magic of a forest. Find
a forest near you and start exploring it. Discover the
Forest dot org brought to you by the United States
Forest Service and the AD Council. What girls in the
forest all imagine a ship and our family bonds. The
forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near
(46:06):
you and Discover the Forest dot org brought to you
by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council.
We've all felt left out, and for people who moved
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We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.
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Jonas Knox
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