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Bobby Belt: All John Smoltz Knew is That ‘He Hated the Rangers’

“He couldn’t make up his mind.”

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John Smoltz
Courtesy: FOX Sports

The Texas Rangers hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy on Wednesday night as World Series champions for the first time in franchise history. This subliminal moment was 63 years in the making for Rangers fans, many of whom will celebrate with the team as they return to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a championship parade. As a result, a celebration of the team’s historic season took place on 105.3 The Fan Thursday morning, recapping Game 5 and how the team overcame early offensive struggles to put together a four-run ninth inning that ultimately secured the championship. Shortly thereafter, FOX Sports color commentator John Smoltz became the topic of discussion.

Throughout the World Series, the station has highlighted what it perceived to be apparent bias from Smoltz, surmising that he has a disdain for the Rangers organization. Morning show co-host Shan Shariff asked his colleagues what they observed from Smoltz on the final MLB on FOX live game broadcast in the 2023 season, which elicited the observation that he was quieter and more subdued overall.

“He couldn’t make up his mind,” co-host Bobby Belt said on Thursday morning. “All he knew is that he hated the Rangers, and now he’s somewhere in the fetal position just crying his little eyes out, and I don’t feel bad for the little darlin’.”

Shariff took notes during the game of moments that he felt Smoltz was demonstrating aversion towards the Rangers and expressed that it sounded like he was acting as the pitching coach for Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen. Amid the contest, his commentary was centered on how the Diamondbacks would be able to win the game rather than the Rangers, catalyzing the feeling of bias to be perpetuated among some fans.

“He talked about [Nathan] Eovaldi going out for the sixth [inning],” Shariff said, referring to the Rangers starting pitcher. “He’s like, ‘Oh, he’s got to be drained. This feels like the ninth inning to him. He’s just got to be absolutely drained and finished.’”

After additional examples of his color commentary, Belt mentioned his observation that John Smoltz and play-by-play announcer Joe Davis seem to have similar speaking patterns and voices. RJ Choppy concurred with this sentiment and commended the second-year voice of the World Series for thriving through a matchup that consistently attained low ratings through its first four games.

“A difficult spot for Joe Davis to be in because he’s got to be like, ‘How the hell do I drum up interest for people to stick around?,’” Choppy said.

“I thought he was great; the entire playoff run, I thought Joe Davis was fantastic,” Belt replied. “He was really strong the whole way.”

John Smoltz has not appeared on 105.3 The Fan during the World Series, but he was a guest during the World Baseball Classic wherefore Shariff has been implored by listeners to have him on the air again. Listeners would presumably want the hosts to question him about his bias, but it is something Shariff has decided to refrain from doing at the moment.

“People have said, ‘Y’all need to get him on,’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t like to invite people on to attack,’” Shariff said, “and I feel like we’d have to attack to appease the TOLOs.”

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Amanda Brown Named Program Director of Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan

Brown will begin her role with Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan next week.

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A photo of Amanda Brown and the Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan logo
(Photo: Amanda Brown)

Former ESPN LA 710 Program Director Amanda Brown has been named to the same position at Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.

She replaces Raj Sharan, who exited the station earlier this month after leading the brand since February 2019.

Amanda Brown was part of the downsizing at ESPN earlier this year. She had worked for the company since 2002. After beginning her career in Dallas at ESPN 103.3, she moved to Bristol to work as a national producer on ESPN Radio. Brown worked on shows hosted by Mike Tirico, Scott Van Pelt, and Erik Kuselias while producing on the national level.

She later moved to ESPN LA 710 in 2010, first as a producer before eventually ascending to the role of Program Director in December 2019.

Brown will begin her role with Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan next week.

The station recently shuffled its lineup after suffering its first head-to-head ratings defeat in the summer ratings period. Josh Dover departed Altitude Sports Radio to join Brandon Stokley for middays. Meanwhile, Zach Bye and former Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay were paired for afternoons. In the reshuffling, Darren “DMac” McKee departed the station before joining Altitude Sports Radio in the spot vacated by Dover.

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Anthony Gargano, Beasley Media Group Going to Settlement Conference

The settlement conference will take place on Jan. 17, 2024, one day after Gargano and ALLCITY Network are required to reply to the lawsuit from Beasley Media Group.

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Anthony Gargano
Courtesy: 97.5 The Fanatic

When Anthony Gargano was hired by ALLCITY Network to appear on its new PHLY Sports channel and national network, he was sued by Beasley Media Group for breach of contract. The former 97.5 The Fanatic host came to terms on a preliminary injunction that prohibits him from contributing to any sports media content that is specifically targeted to the Philadelphia marketplace, as the designated market area (DMA) is defined by Nielsen Media Research. Gargano’s original intent was to work at both outlets simultaneously, but he remained restricted for the last several months while continuing to work with FOX Sports Radio and starting a sports betting podcast with Parx Casino.

Gargano and Beasley Media Group will now be proceeding to a settlement conference, which will take place on Jan. 17, 2024 before Magistrate Judge Scott Reid.

Within the lawsuit, Beasley claims that Anthony Gargano is under contract with the company until Oct. 7, 2024, and that there are provisions within the deal and “the common law duty of loyalty” that preclude his ability to provide services to competing businesses. Inside Radio was the first to report the news of the disputation moving to this step in an effort to reach a resolution.

Should the settlement conference prove unsuccessful, a pretrial date has been set by the court for May 7, 2024, and a trial date is set for two years later. Beasley had previously agreed to a request by the defendants to extend the deadline to file a response to the complaint from Nov. 17, 2023 to Jan. 16, 2024.

Gargano and BSN Live (doing business as ALLCITY Network), his new employer, are legally required to respond to the lawsuit filed against them by Beasley by that time, according to an order filed on Nov. 16, 2023. For the settlement conference itself, lawyers have been directed to have their clients physically present for its duration and with “ultimate authority to settle.”

In a previous interview with Barrett Sports Media, ALLCITY Network Chief Executive Officer Brandon Spano explained how the goal of the company is to implement talent who are able to inform and entertain their audiences in various locales. The company also eliminated non-compete clauses from most of its contracts, with Spano stating that they were originally included because it was the industry-standard practice.

“I have a real problem with this idea that these major corporations are laying off dozens, if not hundreds of people, quarter-over-quarter, and then the people that they don’t lay off, they say they cannot look for jobs or work anywhere else,” he explained. “That’s just not good business, and it’s giving sports media a bad wrap. Sports radio right now, because of those actions, is giving sports media a bad look. It’s a very dangerous game.”

Gargano was originally included in the promotional video for PHLY Sports but has yet to appear on one of its programs. Concurrent with the launch of the company’s new national network, he was able to make his debut and has been contributing on the ALL NFL show with Brian Baldinger. Spano articulated that the company was about to reach profitability prior to the introduction of its Philadelphia and national networks and is preparing for another funding round later on. At the moment, the goal is to double the size of the company and launch in another local market as the outlet looks to expand and launch a free ad-supported television (FAST) channel in the future.

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Jerry Recco: Paul Allen is ‘Not Textbook and He’s Phenomenal’

Allen sounded dejected in his final call of the Vikings’ 12-10 loss on Monday night, according to WFAN anchor Jerry Recco.

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Paul Allen
Courtesy: The Athletic

The Minnesota Vikings lost their Monday Night Football matchup against the Chicago Bears on a walk-off field goal. Paul Allen, who has been calling Vikings games for the last 21 seasons, sounded dejected in the call as if he were a Vikings fan communicating to listeners en masse, according to WFAN anchor Jerry Recco.

Outside of his role on the Boomer & Gio morning program on WFAN and CBS Sports Network, Recco is a play-by-play announcer himself as the radio voice of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men’s basketball team. Because of his position in the industry, morning program co-host and CBS Sports analyst for The NFL Today, Boomer Esiason, asked Recco if he takes elements of style from other announcers to implement into the game broadcasts.

“No, because I don’t think there is a right way to do it,” Recco replied Tuesday morning on WFAN. “No, I do what I do, and if it’s good, great. As long as [athletic director] Pat Hobbs and [head coach] Steve Pikiell are happy, I’m happy.”

Recco has been calling Rutgers games since the 2016-17 season. The National Sports Media Association named him the recipient of the New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year in 2022.

As a play-by-play announcer, Recco is focused on documenting the action and has had the chance to call several memorable moments in program history, including its first NCAA Tournament win in 30 years when it defeated Clemson in March 2021.

“There’s no right way to do it because you’ve got textbook guys like [Mike] Breen, who’s the best; then you’ve got guys like Paul Allen,” Recco said. “He’s not textbook and he’s phenomenal – would you agree? And then there’s Gus Johnson, who’s crazy and he’s phenomenal in his own way.”

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