Every weekday show on EEI and "The Sports Hub" has their own thread, so why not these two?
Mutnansky and Merloni start tomorrow, and I'm curious to see what kind of "vibe" the show has. They will obviously be a lot "quieter" than GRESH! and Zolak, but will that also mean that the show's just plain out boring?
I don't think it's a secret that Lou Merloni has been given this full-time gig because with "The Big Show" changing its' format, he needs to work regularly in order to justify the increased salary he now receives from EEI (remember, they signed him to a new deal in 2009 to keep him away from 98.5).
Merloni has continued to improve over the past couple of years, and has seemed to graduate a little from the "ex-jock" label. His analysis of sports outside of baseball still needs some work, but that can sort itself out over time. Plus, Merloni talking hoops and hockey can't be any worse than Zolak trying to do the same thing across the dial, right?
It's still kind of a mystery as to why EEI felt the need to dump Dale and bring in Mutnansky. Many, including myself, would like to think it was purely a financial decision, but Dale is signed through 2012. The only way that theory makes sense is if Dale will now only earn a "base salary" with less incentives/bonuses for airtime and stuff like that. Or maybe with Dale becoming the permanent fill-in host, a whole stable of guys like Buckley, DeOssie, Smerlas, Stearns, Tom Curran, and other former "Big Show" regulars have been shown the door for the most part and will no longer collect any salary from Entercom.
At the very least, this show should be very strong on baseball. But how entertaining will it be? Will more holes in Merloni's game show, since he'll no longer be working with a veteran like Ordway who can cover stuff like that up? Will we ever be able to distinguish Mike Mutnansky as a "unique voice" in Boston sports talk, or will he forever be considered an "inoffensive fill-in guy?" Questions, questions, questions...
Mutnansky and Merloni start tomorrow, and I'm curious to see what kind of "vibe" the show has. They will obviously be a lot "quieter" than GRESH! and Zolak, but will that also mean that the show's just plain out boring?
I don't think it's a secret that Lou Merloni has been given this full-time gig because with "The Big Show" changing its' format, he needs to work regularly in order to justify the increased salary he now receives from EEI (remember, they signed him to a new deal in 2009 to keep him away from 98.5).
Merloni has continued to improve over the past couple of years, and has seemed to graduate a little from the "ex-jock" label. His analysis of sports outside of baseball still needs some work, but that can sort itself out over time. Plus, Merloni talking hoops and hockey can't be any worse than Zolak trying to do the same thing across the dial, right?
It's still kind of a mystery as to why EEI felt the need to dump Dale and bring in Mutnansky. Many, including myself, would like to think it was purely a financial decision, but Dale is signed through 2012. The only way that theory makes sense is if Dale will now only earn a "base salary" with less incentives/bonuses for airtime and stuff like that. Or maybe with Dale becoming the permanent fill-in host, a whole stable of guys like Buckley, DeOssie, Smerlas, Stearns, Tom Curran, and other former "Big Show" regulars have been shown the door for the most part and will no longer collect any salary from Entercom.
At the very least, this show should be very strong on baseball. But how entertaining will it be? Will more holes in Merloni's game show, since he'll no longer be working with a veteran like Ordway who can cover stuff like that up? Will we ever be able to distinguish Mike Mutnansky as a "unique voice" in Boston sports talk, or will he forever be considered an "inoffensive fill-in guy?" Questions, questions, questions...