Fatso & Fruit Loops

It appears that a very popular sports radio show, "Mike and the Mad Dog," is on its last legs. It is an intriguing talk show, to say the least. First, I can't believe how popular it is; NY City sports fans -- mostly males between the ages of 25 and 54 --can't wait to listen on WFAN, 660 AM, or TV (YES Network simulcasts the show most of the time, unless it goes up against a Yankee game) and hang on every word. Plus, nationally, it's got a ton of followers.
Here's a link to a news story on the end of the show:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spmike0622,0,842426.story

That it's so popular is a little scary in itself, because these guys, while knowledgeable, are simply sports fans. Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, the co-hosts for 18-plus years, are not journalists, and they are not nearly as in tune to what's going on in NY as they lead their fans to believe. They have opinions, some good, some bad. But, mostly, they are just opinions.
They're wrong almost as much as they are right, but if you listen to them regularly you'd think they never make a mistake. (Here's one: David Wright of the Mets is a bad defensive third baseman. Guys, he's not bad defensively. His arm is somewhat erratic, but he definitely is above average and a Gold Glove winner.)
And for the NY market, I find them overbearing and, at times, silly. So does someone else, because they've been dubbed "Fatso & Fruit Loops" by someone, a media columnist from one of the NY tabloids, I believe.
However, and here's the rub, I listen when I can ... Why?
Well, when I moved to the NY City area, I needed to catch up on the teams, the Yankees, Mets, etc. I was working on a sports staff, and I needed quick history lessons. WFAN's all-sports talk format was perfect for me.
So, I confess to listening to these guys. It's become a bit of a habit.
But they leave a lot to be desired. They often are rude, downright nasty, to many callers who disagree with them. They cut these calls short, of course, and always make sure to have the last word.
When they are wrong on a point, you rarely hear them retreat or to apologize or to tell listeners they were wrong. Also, they babble on and on about stuff that doesn't matter ... their kids, their weekends, a movie or a book on American history, their remodeling plans. This wasted talk leaves fans -- who call and call and call -- hanging on the line. It would be nice if they took more calls and left the personal stuff out of it.
And they let guests off the hook over and over. They peddle soft interviews, and yet fans just eat it up.
Why didn't I think of this radio talk stuff years ago?
Anyway, the best radio sports talk, in my humble opinion, is not in NY City with Fatso and Fruit Loops. The best sports radio talk is in Toronto, The Fan 590. It's got several very good hosts, including Mike Hogan, and a morning-drive team of Landry and Stellick. Plus, it's just chock-full of hockey talk.
Oh, yeah, Mike and the Mad Dog hate hockey.