Customer Reviews

Sports Talk: A Journey Inside the World of Sports Talk Radio

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Alan spent an entire day with me in studio and got a behind the scenes look at my show and listeners. I loved reading about the other hosts around the country who have exciting stories and follow their passion. This is a must read for the diehard sports talk radio fan or the average fan who wants to learn about the specific stories of sports talk radio. I look forward to his new book and enjoyed reading Sports Talk multiple times.

It's reasons like this book that I listen to sportstalk radio... the little dramas that play out on the air, the unique personalities of the callers, the great dialogue... Eisenstock has a terrifc ear for all of this... i'd love to know the whole story why Romie refused to be intereviewed for this book, and still don't understand why Mike and the Made Dog are considered the gold standard... to me they're just irrititating... the stories in here are terrific, particularly Eddie Endleman... what an enjoyable read!!!!!!!!!!!

As someone who works in the business and has actually crossed paths with some of the personalities profiled in this book, I enjoyed it a great deal. I especially appreciate the author presenting the hosts as the intelligent, rational people they have to be to do this job as opposed to opting for the mouth-breathing idiot caricature bitter print guys love to trot out to bash us. Nice work and a very good read.

I enjoyed SPORTS TALK. The narrative pulls you in; the author makes you feel as though you are behind the scenes, really seeing the inner process of the top echelon of sports radio guys. I found the book to be very insightful, and not at all superficial; a wonderful, in-depth read.

Whether you're a Sports Talk addict or not you'll love this book. "Sports Talk" gives a behind the scenes look at the unexpected characters who populate this intriguing world. It's a coast to coast tour of control booths and studios from the erudite "Mike and the Mad Dog" to the basement bound John "The Freak" Renshaw.

This book breezes along with Eisenstock's witty and often poignant observations of the guys sitting behind the microphone and callers sitting in front of their radios (the chapter on Joe The Waiter is a gem).

Buy it. Read it. You'll love it.

If you are a sports fan or like me a sports talk radio fan then you have to get this book. I am a big fan of Arnie Spanier, having listened to him on One on One Sports and now in Los Angeles on FOX SPORTS AM 1150. The Stinkin Genius is truely the best and funniest sports radio host out there. As a fan of his, it was great to read about the behind-the-scenes things that go on in his show. Having worked in New York, I used to listen to Mike and the Mad Dog, so I also liked reading about their "rocky" friendship. Sports Talk lets us sports fans in on how radio works and actually tells us what type of guys these radio "mystery men" are like. If you liked "Ball Four" or books that let us fans in on the behind the scenes sports world, then this is the book for you!!!

While I won't admit it to my wife, like the author, I've become addicted to sports talk radio. I was therefore pleased to finally see someone step up to the plate and write an eminently readable book about the subject. Eisenstock's journey through the world of 24-hour babble is entertaining and insightful. As a listener and occassionally caller, you can only imagine who the hosts are, what drives them, and what's going on behind the scenes. He captures the energy and motivation of a number of hosts and listeners in what seems less like a business than a giant non-stop fraternity party or sports bar.

Not a compelling read, but interesting, nonetheless. Only,
on page 150 or so, you wonder: "Didn't I read this before?"
Zeroing-in on various big-name SportsTalk hosts reveals a
certain sameness one after the other, page after page.
Some interesting insight into the technique of "talk radio"
is magnetic. A good, quick read.

It was the 1970s, and Alan Eisenstock was a young writer on the West Coast when he first discovered himself drawn to a mysterious voice on the radio who mocked Dodger Dogs and bad Coliseum seats and called himself "Superfan" before getting himself thrown off the air.

More than 20 years later, Eisenstock is still listening to sports radio, only now he's meeting with various sports jocks, both the success stories and the strugglers. He wants to know just what makes them tick, why they are able to create worlds so involving that people like him can sit and listen for hours while others go further and become "callers."

I couldn't put this one down. It's not that Eisenstock plunges into a lot of juicy sports controversies. There's mention of whether Gil Hodges should get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, an atypical outburst by Rick Pitino, and why black athletes excel in certain fields of endeavor more than whites. But all that is secondary to the main focus of this book, which is the people, those that listen, those that call, and those that host.

Papa Joe Chevalier in Chicago gets a call from an attractive-sounding woman who wants to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day. Will he take her number? Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton in San Diego hides behind hideous orange sunglasses, opening up after much prompting only to shut down again abruptly. JT The Brick in San Fran is able to do eight straight hours of live radio with the help of just some creamy pastries, but can he find his car for the ride home?

New York's Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo enjoy their status as sports talk radio's gold standard, enough to almost enjoy being with each other. I had the chance to interview Mike and the Mad Dog a couple of years ago, before reading "Sports Talk," and all I can say is I wish I had done half the job Eisenstock does here.

With all of these visits, what you get is a you-are-there second-by-second account of conversational back-and-forth, a sense of how these guys talk when the light isn't on. The results are bluntly hilarious, sometimes rude, and always real. Like this account of his first conversation with Boston's Eddie Andelman:

"Why the hell do you want to talk to me?"

Boston accent thick as chowder.

"Because I think you're the guy who started sports talk radio as we know it today."

"Well," Eddie Andelman says, "that's probably true."

I only wish there was more context offered, a sense of the history of sports talk beyond Eisenstock's memories of Superfan from way back when. I know there were sports talk shows before then, not of the hours-long variety Eisenstock profiles, but significant enough to be worth mentioning, people like Art Rust Jr. and others. Yet Eisenstock takes his own very individualistic tack on the story, and it works very well.

"They are not uneducated thugs who wander into radio stations to disgorge incoherent sports opinions off the tops of their thick heads for four hours at a crack," he writes. "They are intelligent, funny, knowledgeable, prepared, opinionated, passionate, full of energy and warmth, and maybe just a tad wacky. In other words, guys you'd want to hang out with."

Thanks to Eisenstock, you do.

As a fan of sports radio, and someone with intimate knowledge of the key players, the business and the politics I was disappointed to find little or no mention of those elements in this book. The author clearly identifies himself as a listener turned interviewer and barely shares anything provactive or interesting. Chapters are dedicated to major personalities, but Mr. Eisenstock spends too little time either with the individuals or with the subject matter. Further, I found his discourse slightly pessimistic and disrespectful of those he interviewed in basic humane terms. The language and tone was spoiled.

The book and subject have depth potential, not tapped by Mr. Eisenstock.