Quinn’s Quickies: Missanelli Returning, Too Much Talk about the Talkers, College Basketball Picks

 I had a few quick thoughts going into the weekend.

·         Last night I heard Jon Marks talk about Mike Missanelli reportedly going back to sports talk radio with 97.5 The Fanatic. I recently interviewed Missanelli, and I wonder if it puts a new light on some of what he said, especially about young guys not having “the chops” to do the job of sports talk. Missanelli is apparently going to do middays with Bob Cooney. I listen very little to sports talk radio these days due to not being in the car much – I hear plenty of it on YouTube – but this move seems like a reach. I like both guys, but it’s just reshuffling the deck.

·         I was already thinking about how much former and current sports media people talk . . . and talk, and talk . . . about the business of sports talk and sports media on their own podcasts. Just yesterday, I saw Marks, Harry Mayes (who I’ll have an interview with soon) and Jason Myrtetus with Tony Bruno, and Stephen A. Smith with Ryan Clark, talking about the business side of what they do. Especially with Missanelli potentially returning to traditional radio, I really wonder if it’s all BS. These guys have been discussed by sports fans for years as though they’re part of sports. In terms of fan interest, they’re maybe half a step below athletes at times. I have a post comparing what is now The Fanatic and WIP from 2008 that still gets hits – significant hits – to this day. The website Crossing Broad practically survives covering sports talk hosts coming and going. I started what I hope is an ongoing series called “A Shift in Sports Media?” partly because the individual hosts are so popular. But when they start talking about their own business, it feels like we’re getting played as they drum up interest in . . . themselves.

·         I love my commenters. They are what keeps me interested in doing this blog as much as anything. Yesterday, a commenter, Reid, said my pick on college basketball was not very “lucrative.” I actually lost the pick, so it wasn’t lucrative at all. But I don’t think that was the point. I’m assuming he was referring to my use of heavy favorites on the money line or the amount wagered ($20). I’m not sure, and I hope to hear back from him. I also recently heard from Angry Mike that my pick on Connecticut to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was boring. I love the feedback. Haters welcome! I would just say, I don’t make picks to be bold. I bet everything I post, and I bet to win. I’m never going to be a guy screaming at the top of my lungs about a 50-dime release going tonight that you just gotta have! Trust me, those guys are out there and they are full of crap. They’re always on a winning streak, even if they have to define it as seven straight MAC games . . . on Wednesday night . . . when the spread is less than 10 . . . and I woke up before noon and scratched my ass. I’ve heard those guys for years, and I still don’t know what a “dime” represents. I also have no clue why anyone would buy a pick. If you’re betting enough to make the purchase worthwhile, why the hell don’t you have your own opinion on the game? And if you don’t have your own opinion, why are you betting the game? I’ll keep saying it. I’m a guy having fun betting games and put my picks out there looking to bounce ideas around with readers. I also enjoy writing about my picks and gambling. If I suck, I’ll say so. I’m sure you’ll let me know, too!

·         Speaking of picks, I’m 4-4 for a whopping $2.10 in college basketball. Take it to the bank, baby! I’ll likely have picks for tonight, and possibly the weekend, in the comments of this post.

As always, get in the comments!