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Evan Roberts: I Knew Wayne Randazzo Would Leave Mets After AppleTV+ Gig

“He’s a solid broadcaster. As soon as he filled in I said ‘It’s over. He’s gonna be a TV guy. Done.'”

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Reports surfaced yesterday that New York Mets radio announcer Wayne Randazzo would depart the team to join the Los Angeles Angels as a member of its television crew. Evan Roberts of WFAN’s Carton & Roberts was not surprised Randazzo was moving on.

Randazzo stepped into a fill-in role at AppleTV+ during the baseball season, and Roberts said he was aware that the radio voice would be exiting the team’s radio booth during that assignment.

“You know when it was over? I don’t know if you realize this,” Roberts said. “There was an AppleTV+ game, the Friday night package. The guy who was broadcasting got sick, probably a COVID thing. It was a Met game, so they called Wayne in at the last second to do the AppleTV+ game. He did a really good job. He’s a solid broadcaster. As soon as he filled in I said ‘It’s over. He’s gonna be a TV guy. Done.’

“He was good on TV and you just knew — whether it’s AppleTV+ or it’s another team — he’s getting a TV gig. As much as I love radio play-by-play — and to me it’s more important — I’ll be honest with you, I care a hell of a lot more about Howie Rose and John Sterling than I do Gary Cohen and Michael Kay. It’s not a knock on them. I’ll say this about Gary, Gary was one of the greatest radio play-by-play voices of all time. Radio announcer — to me — is a bigger deal, but the TV guys gets paid more. The TV gig is more prestigious for some reason, so you knew the first chance at a TV gig, Wayne was gone.”

Randazzo’s move to the Angels puts in question the future of Matt Vasgersian with the club. Vasgersian has served as the team’s primary television voice for the past two seasons, working the majority of the 2022 season from a remote studio. He has previously worked national broadcasts for ESPN, FOX, and MLB Network.

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Steak Shapiro About Pat McAfee: “Dude, Relax”

“That is the definition of cringe. You have to be authentic.”

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Graphic for The Steakhouse on 92.9 in Atlanta and a picture of Pat McAfee

Sports radio has spent a lot of time during this football offseason talking about Bill Belichick. From his ending in New England to the search for a new head coaching position to being a free agent in the sports media world, his name has come up often. Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden hit on the topic this week during The Steakhouse on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta.

A lengthy story from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler this week reported Belichick may not have landed the Atlanta Falcons head coaching position because of a conversation Falcons owner Arthur Blank had with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Another part of the story says the executives around Arthur Blank didn’t have Belichick in their top 3 of candidates which had interviewed for the position.

The same report also divulged that Belichick is expected to sign a deal with Omaha Productions to provide analysis and is interested in potentially coaching either the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Giants after taking this year off.

The same day, The Pat McAfee Show had Belichick on as a guest and announced the coach would join McAfee and team for their annual Draft Spectacular.

Shapiro and Golden talked about the article as it related to Atlanta, but also about Belichick’s appearance on McAfee’s show. “[Belichick] on McAfee trying to be this lighthearted guy that loves The Pat McAfee Show, it’s a stretch dude, that is a stretch.”

“That is the definition of cringe,” Golden replied. “You have to be authentic.”

Shapiro does an impersonation of McAfee talking excitedly about hanging out with Belichick and said, “Dude, relax, relax…the whole thing…I wish we hadn’t gotten started on this…”

Back in late January, McAfee had said on his show about Belichick, “I would like to let everybody know…I will make this promise that if Bill Belichick is going to do TV, ol’ Pat McAfee will be in the running to try to get Bill Belichick to join our progrum [sic],” McAfee said. “Belichick… knows everything about the NFL. Every game that’s ever been played…every player that’s ever been great — that’s why he was so great on [NFL 100 All-Time Team]. And after what we saw on College GameDay, he’s got moxie too. He’s great on TV, I think we’ll all be incredibly lucky if that’s the case.”

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Howard Simon to be Inducted into Buffalo Broadcasting Association Hall of Fame

“I was at a loss for words when I got the call.”

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Photo of Howard Simon
Courtesy: WBEN Radio Buffalo

The 2024 Hall of Fame class for the Buffalo Broadcasting Association Hall of Fame has been announced and it includes longtime WGR 550 Sports Radio morning host Howard Simon. Simon hosted radio in Buffalo for 33 years, with the last 18 being at WGR with partner Jeremy White.

“I was at a loss for words when I got the call,” Simon said.

Simon ended his run with WGR in March 2023, however, he remains a contributor and also appears on WBEN in addition to fill-in hosting duties for the Buffalo Sabres and numerous local colleges and universities.

During his career, Simon covered four straight Super Bowl appearances for the Bills, the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup Finals, several NCAA tournaments and more.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Thursday, Sept. 19. Actor, comedian and writer Nick Bakay, who has appeared many times on ESPN and used to write for NFL.com is also a part of the class.

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670 The Score Coverage of NFL Draft Includes ‘Parkins & Spiegel’ Live from Detroit

Utilizing its deep roster of hosts and various distribution platforms, the outlet will provide live coverage of the three-day event emanating from Detroit, Mich. that is expected to help shape the future of the Bears organization and NFL football in Chicago.

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670 The Score Logo
(Illustration) 670 The Score Logo – Courtesy: Audacy

The Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is set to commence next week on Thursday, April 25 at 9 p.m. CST. Leading up to the proceedings – in which the team is expected to choose 22-year-old USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the selection – Audacy-owned 670 The Score will provide fans with wall-to-wall coverage surrounding the team. Utilizing its deep roster of hosts and various distribution platforms, the outlet will provide live coverage of the three-day event emanating from Detroit, Mich. that is expected to help shape the future of the Bears organization and NFL football in Chicago.

On Monday, April 22, 670 The Score will air a live draft preview show from 6 to 9 p.m. CST hosted by Mark Grote and Anthony Herron. Grote and several guests to be announced will return on Thursday, April 25 for a live video stream that the station will present during its broadcast of the Chicago Cubs afternoon game against the Houston Astros from Wrigley Field. The draft-centered broadcast, which will take place from 2 to 3 p.m. CST, will be exclusively on Twitch and YouTube as the Cubs game airs on 670 The Score.

Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel will host a live draft special following the conclusion of the Cubs game at approximately 5 p.m. CST. Both hosts will be on-site in Detroit, Mich. to host a special edition of Parkins & Spiegel that will run until the start of the event at 9 p.m. CST. Chicago-based studio hosts during the four-hour window will include Dave Wannstedt and Patrick Mannelly. Moreover, Mark Grote will be live at Halas Hall, the headquarters for the Bears, and available to give reports.

A video stream of the show will be available to watch on Twitch, YouTube and X. Additional coverage of Round 1 will air from 9 to 11 p.m. CST hosted by Gabe Ramirez, Ramie Makhlouf and Hub Arkush, which coincides with when the Bears are expected to make the first-overall selection. Parkins & Spiegel will also be live in Detroit on Friday, April 26 for the second day of the NFL Draft.

Draft coverage on Friday will be on the air at approximately 9:30 p.m. CST following the conclusion of the Chicago Cubs live game broadcast. Mark Grote and Hub Arkush will host the show live in studio.

Coverage of the NFL Draft on 670 The Score concludes on Saturday, April 27 for the fourth through seventh rounds of the event. Mike Mulligan, David Haugh and Patrick Mannelly will take the air at 9 a.m. CST for a live show that will last until 12 p.m. CST. Gabe Ramirez, Anthony Herron and Hub Arkush will complete the coverage from 12 to 2:30 p.m. CST coinciding with the end of the 2024 NFL Draft.

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