Is it a war of words or just a back and forth between Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless? It depends on who you ask, but the origins of First Take have been much discussed this week.
On Friday morning, Toucher & Rich weighed in on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and clearly do not think the battle is worth taking seriously.
Rich Shirtenlieb revealed to the audience that he and Fred Toucher have met Smith before and think “he is a great guy.”
That didn’t mean the duo were holding anything back.
Fred Toucher said that Stephen A. Smith knew what he was doing by mentioning that the 2 Live Stews were regulars on First Take in its early days.
Toucher was in Atlanta when that show aired on 790 The Zone and said it benefitted from one positive article. In reality, it was hard to listen to.
“They were the biggest nerds and they just screamed in nerd slang,” he said, indicating that Smith did mean to imply that First Take was worse off before he joined.
The entire T&R cast mocked Skip Bayless’s retort. His exasperated sighs were mimicked and Bayless saying “Let me gather myself” became an instant drop.
Ultimately, the battle is meaningless according to Toucher & Rich. Fred Toucher said that both men’s opinions rest on overstating the importance of First Take to ESPN.
“Okay so, they really had that intense pressure,” he said before impersonating an ESPN executive. “‘It’s ten in the morning. What are we gonna put on the air? The whole network is riding on this!’”
According to Toucher & Rich, when ESPN was deciding what to do with First Take’s time slot, their other options were likely Greco-Roman Wrestling or a Flex Seal commercial.
