June 9, 2011
Say what you want about talk radio, the real lunatic fringe is on sports radio.
In NYC we have one of the biggest, if not the biggest, sports-talk radio stations in North America, WFAN. I almost never listen to it. First of all, the station is dominated by the pompous and sports-challenged Mike Francesa. A bigger sack of crap you’d be hard pressed to find outside of Congress. And secondly, WFAN is the home of the Mets, and as a Mets fan I can’t stand the Mets. You really need to be a Mets fan to understand, but lunatic alleged alien-contactee Riley Martin (google him, you’ll thank me later) once said “he is my good friend, though I cannot stand him” and that kind of comes close.
Sports is the great equalizer. A bricklayer can speak with equal authority to a billionaire on the subject, and because of that you get an amazing cross-section of humanity calling sports talk shows. And with that, I would like to introduce you to Jerome from Manhattan.
Steve Somers, BTW, is a legend in NY sports circles. I love the guy.
Jerome is an excitable sort. If the Yankees win ten in a row and then lose one, he’ll call up yelling and screaming for someone to be fired or traded. He is a total nut. To say he makes snap-judgments is an understatement. If Joe DiMaggio were playing today and his 56 game hitting streak ended tomorrow, Jerome would be on the phone right after game 57 demanding that the Yankees trade him.
From wikipedia, and if you wonder why I hate them bear in mind that I actually cleaned up some of the grammar in this poorly written post:
A die-hard Yankees and Knicks fan, Jerome is famous for his on-air take-no-prisoners blistering rants and raves, as well as his unique take on the English language. One of his favorite exclamatory phrases is “frickin’ frack!” He refers to the bullpen as the “ballpen”, and once shouted that the Yankees are “done! D-O-E-N DONE!” His relationship status is intriguing enough for Steve Somers to once give Jerome $60 to take a lady out on a date, only for Jerome to keep the money and not go out on the date. Former host Sid Rosenberg once asked Jerome if he was upset that he was not taking his eagerly anticipated trip to Colorado, and Jerome replied, “No, to Denver.” He does not like jets. They make him “seasick.” Jerome, when he still called WFAN regularly, was known for being the only caller to have an audio intro, much like those played at the top of each show. Occasionally when he calls in to Steve Somers’ program, a special introduction is played to the tune of The Twilight Zone. Mr. Mittelman’s health problems had kept him from the WFAN airwaves on a regular basis from late 2004 until mid-2008; he has recently started to call in more frequently.
He calls the station five or six times a day and usually calls other stations in between. Jerome has been banned from WFAN for racist language. After his ban I heard him on the air say of a black Yankee player “I hate that nig- … I hate that guy.” He also has very little knowledge of sports outside of his very limited knowledge of current Yankee players. Frankly, he has very limited knowledge of most things.
In the clip below, the picture will remain black because there is no video, only audio.
Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride 
Nicely done. I’m not sure if the theme was intentional, but sports radio is another one of those New York “things” – every city may have its own version, but NY’s is the one that’s legendary.
Also, did you upgrade your comments section? I’m liking the new capabilities.
LikeLike
It’s a WordPress thing. They never informed anyone and I just started noticing it myself yesterday.
WFAN is a shell of what it used to be, and I started listening on minute one. (Frankly, I thought it would never last.I was sure that sports was OK for a single show on a station, I never thought a whole sports station would survive. I blew that pick big time.) The hosts (other than Steve Somers and Joe and Evan) are either clowns or idiots. There are a couple of exceptions, a couple of smart and informed yet boring hosts. Mike Francesa got his butt kicked by Opie and Anthony when they were on terrestrial radio against him. I’m sure he only gets the ratings he does because of his time slot and lack of competition. He is an insufferable arrogant turd who treats callers like crap, talks like he is God Himself, and makes up facts to suit himself.
LikeLike
Does anyone have any idea what’s doing with Jerome these days?
LikeLike
I don’t listen much anymore but last I heard he was sick again.
LikeLike