Tag: ESPN Radio

USC athletic director aims to keep rivalry with Notre Dame going

Thank you, Jen!

Recently, USC coach Lincoln Riley indicated that if push came to shove, he would prefer to end his team’s longtime rivalry with Notre Dame. Fortunately for fans of both teams, he’s not the one who would make that decision. That move most likely would come at the hands of athletic director Jennifer Cohen, and that’s a good thing.

In an interview with ESPN Radio’s Los Angeles affiliate, Cohen indicated that she values the rivalry with the Irish enough that she will do whatever she can to preserve it:

Keep in mind that this is someone who has been in her position a year less than Riley has been in his position. So that should quell any real fears that the Irish and Trojans will stop playing each other anytime soon. It just goes to show that some things in college football simply are meant to stand the test of time, and this rivalry is one of them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Drew Brees says he doesn’t throw with his right arm anymore

A Hall of Fame career took a toll on Drew Brees, who says he can’t throw with his right arm anymore:

Legendary former New Orleans Saints quarterback Brees made a recent appearance on ESPN Radio with Mike Greenberg, who asked the future Hall of Famer if he had heard from any NFL teams hoping to bring him out of retirement.

There was some chatter in the year after he hung up his cleats, Brees confided, but dropping back to pass like he used to is out of the question. The long-term impact of injuries in his playing career have made that impossible.

“I don’t throw with my right arm anymore, my right arm does not work,” Brees said. “When I throw in the backyard I throw left handed. I can play pickleball just because it’s below the waist. But anything above my shoulders I’ve got a hard time with. It’s probably, it’s definitely a result of the injury that I suffered when I left San Diego. The dislocated right shoulder, and all that stuff, that I thought I may never play again. But that put me on the fast track to degenerative shoulder, all kinds of arthritic changes, stuff like that.”

Brees added, “I don’t throw with my right arm anymore. If I could, absolutely I’d still be playing.”

That explains a lot. The Saints offense was a shadow of its former self in the final years of Brees’ playing career, condensing everything down tight to the formation and relying on quick and accurate passes to wear down opposing defenses. He wasn’t able to air it out like he used to and attack teams vertically. The heart may have been willing, but the body wasn’t able to keep going.

Years ago, way back in 2005, Brees dislocated his throwing shoulder and tore the cartilage in the joint when trying to recover a fumbled ball. The injury ended his Chargers career and threatened his future in pro football. During surgery, doctors found that Brees had suffered a partial rotator cuff tear, and the procedure suddenly became even more complicated (you can read more about it here).

That Brees was able to not just regain function in his shoulder but use it to throw his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday is remarkable. It’s just a shame the wear and tear eventually took him out of the game before he could win another Super Bowl title.

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Here are the changes to the ESPN Radio schedule in 2023 after a revamp and layoffs

A look at the new ESPN Radio lineup in 2023.

There have been a lot of changes at ESPN in recent months, from layoffs to a new betting partnership to a tweaked weekday schedule on the TV side.

Now, there’s a new national ESPN Radio lineup, including a brand new morning show, although Mike Greenberg’s Greeny is still in the mix. We kind of knew that was coming given that the layoffs hit their previous morning show with Keyshawn Johnson, Max Kellerman and Jay Williams. It all kicks off in the first full week of September as the 2023 NFL season looms.

Let’s run through the entire lineup (all times Eastern):

6 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Chris Canty, Evan Cohen and Michelle Smallmon

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Greeny with Mike Greenberg

12 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Chris Carlin and Joe Fortenbaugh

3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Freddie & Harry with Freddie Coleman and Harry Douglas

7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Amber & Ian Amber Wilson and Ian Fitzsimmons

10 p.m. to 1 a.m.: GameNight with Q Myers

1 a.m. to 6 a.m.: SportsCenter AllNight with Jay Reynolds, Jim Basquil and others

Fighting Irish Wire mourns the loss of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson

We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great sports reporter and even better human being.

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While we at Fighting Irish Wire are here to cover Notre Dame athletics, every sports journalist feels like family to us. It doesn’t matter what team they cover or who they work for. In the end, we all are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

That’s why we were devastated to learn of the passing of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson from colon cancer at the age of 44. Publicly, Dickerson was best known for covering the Chicago Bears for the outlet. For those who worked with him or had a chance to know him, he was an all-around good guy who made everyone feel like they mattered to him. That alone makes this news tough to take, but even sadder is that Caitlin, his wife, lost her own battle with cancer two years ago, meaning Parker, his 11-year-old son, now has lost both parents to cancer.

While I never worked with Dickerson professionally, I did meet him on one memorable occasion. While pursuing my master’s at DePaul, he came to speak to my online sports reporting class, which was taught by Adam Rittenberg, his ESPN colleague. That course featured many prominent guest speakers, but Dickerson easily was the best because of his graciousness, enthusiasm and the obvious vibe that he was happy to be there. If he had talked long into the night, it’s doubtful many in that room would have complained.

Keep the Dickerson family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time. This was one individual who deserved a much better end to his story, but as we know all too well, cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. He will be missed terribly, and that hole never will be filled in this life.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Mike Golic Jr. to exit ESPN

A former Notre Dame player has left his job.

Not long ago, Mike Golic left ESPN after a long relationship with the network. Now, Mike Golic Jr. is following his father out the door. Golic Jr., who had been hosting during afternoons on ESPN Radio with Chris Canty, is confirmed to be leaving ESPN, which he had worked for since 2015. ESPN reportedly made an offer to Golic Jr., who made the choice to leave anyway.

Golic Jr. took to Twitter to share the news himself:

We obviously don’t know what’s coming next for the former Notre Dame offensive lineman, but there has to be a slew of offers coming his way. He’s only 32, so he’s just getting started as a high-profile media figure. Hopefully, whatever media outlet offers him is willing to keep him for a long time and allow him to further grow as a broadcaster. Best of luck to him in whatever professional endeavor comes his way.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Here are the changes to the ESPN Radio schedule after Max Kellerman left ‘First Take’

ESPN Radio has some tweaks to its shows and lineup.

ESPN Radio is once again getting some changes, nearly a year after The Dan Le Batard Show went off the airwaves.

With Max Kellerman exiting First Take, he’s joining the already-existing morning show with Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams, replacing Zubin Mehenti to make the 6 a.m. ET show Keyshawn, JWill & Max.

There are a few other tweaks coming to the lineup starting Tuesday, September 7. But shows like Greeny, Spain and Fitz and Freddie and Fitzsimmons will stay in their usual timeslots with the same hosts as before.

Here’s a breakdown of the entire lineup that will start on Tuesday, per ESPN (all times Eastern):

‘Dan Le Batard Show’ ends on ESPN by playing George Michael’s ‘Freedom’

It’s their final show on ESPN Radio.

On Monday, the sports radio world bid farewell to The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on ESPN Radio, with the popular show leaving the Worldwide Leader’s airwaves and a new schedule — which includes Mike Greenberg’s show moving into the 10 AM ET timeslot — starting.

The hilarious and irreverent show went out in its final minutes by playing George Michael’s Freedom! ’90, perhaps a not-so-subtle message to ESPN on the way out.

Then? No special goodbyes, just chatter as they hit the end of the hour, perhaps a fitting ending to the show that started on local radio and went national in 2013.

Tributes from people all over ESPN poured in:

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Jack Swarbrick Makes Appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show

We finally have some clarity on what Notre Dame’s 2020 season will be like, assuming there is one.

We finally have some clarity on what Notre Dame’s 2020 season will be like, assuming there is one. That meant it was time for the athletic department to talk about it. In athletic director Jack Swarbrick’s case, he called into The Paul Finebaum Show on ESPN Radio.

If you can’t find time to listen to the whole interview, don’t worry. Finebaum tweeted a couple of quotes from Swarbrick that touch on two of the hot topics of the moment: Notre Dame’s temporary (for the moment) ACC membership and how students on campus relate to the upcoming season:

Swarbrick is right in that this season could cause Notre Dame to reexamine its independence if all goes well for it. More likely, it will depend on what other conferences do with their schedules going forward.

And what if Notre Dame suddenly experiences a COVID-19 outbreak this fall? Do the Irish go the UConn route and shut down their season? You can’t play football if the rest of the student body is dropping like flies. It’s all the more reason for those living and working on campus to take any and all measures to contain this blasted virus.

 

Farewell to Golic & Wingo on ESPN Radio, Mike Golic’s morning show

After 22 years the voice of ESPN morning radio hangs it up to return to the collegiate game.

Former Notre Dame standout defensive tackle Mike Golic has had plenty of success on and off the field. Golic was a captain in his senior season with the Irish before being drafted in the 10th round by the Houston Oilers and playing in the NFL for 8 seasons. His post playing career has been even more impressive, as he began it prior to even finishing his NFL career.

During his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Golic would do a weekly segment on the Randall Cunningham Show which began a long, successful media career. I did take him a few years to blossom but once he did, along with Mike Greenberg, Golic became the face of ESPN radio. The show began just on ESPN radio affiliates then moves to a simulcast on ESPN2. When Greenberg left, Golic had about two weeks off before getting back on the mic with Trey Wingo as their show’s run of three years came to an end today. That’s over 22 years of morning radio for the former Notre Dame star.

What’s in store next for Golic isn’t retirement, he will be behind the mic for ESPN during the college football season. That means we will get plenty more of Golic in our ears for the foreseeable future and that doesn’t seem to bother us one bit.

Tributes are already pouring in for Mike Golic during his final week on ESPN Radio

Golic and Wingo has its final show on Friday.

The countdown to the final Golic and Wingo has begun, with the final ESPN Radio morning show set to air on Friday.

And that means it’ll be the last time we hear Mike Golic on the Worldwide Leader radio airwaves, ending a decades-long run (although you can still see Golic appearing on ESPN after that when he goes back to working as a college football analyst).

The Golic and Wingo account has started up a #ThankYouGolic hashtag that the show and so many fans are using to pay tribute and share some classic Golic moments all week. Here’s a roundup:

As Golic’s wife Christine noted on Monday, it’s going to be a very emotional week:

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