Retirement is right around the corner for Angelo Cataldi. He has promised not to leave WIP before the end of the football season, but with the Eagles already one game into their 2022 campaign, the idea of a world without Cataldi on the radio in Philadelphia seems more real than ever.
One person that recognizes just how different that world will be is his top competitor and good friend, John Kincade. He interned for Cataldi when he was younger and then became a regular contributor to Cataldi’s show. Now, Kincade is the morning man across town at 97.5 The Fanatic.
“I’m sure him and his bride are going to have a wonderful life. He’s gonna be a grandfather,” Kincade said on this week’s Jason Barrett Podcast. “All I know is I wouldn’t want to be there the first Monday when he can’t turn on a microphone because the guy’s a legend. The guy’s a natural and I think he will miss it.”
Kincade admitted that he and Angelo Cataldi still love one another and have a lot of mutual respect between them, but the pair agreed to keep their distance when they began competing.
It was a natural agreement given how honest they have been with each other. Kincade revealed that he let Cataldi know exactly what was offered to him before he accepted the morning slot at The Fanatic and Cataldi encouraged him to take it.
Barrett asked John Kincade to describe a world where Cataldi is not on in morning drive in Philadelphia.
“Well, I’m gonna be selfish and say beautiful!” Kincade joked before acknowledging that the absence of Cataldi will leave a huge void, not just on 94WIP but across the city’s sports scene.
“When Angelo Cataldi leaves, there is a power vacuum in town of voices, of credibility, and look, Angelo isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but damn if everybody doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and bravo to him for doing that. That is what the challenge will be to every single one of us in the market.”
Kincade said that he cannot imagine Cataldi never being heard from again. He is confident his friend will be heard again somewhere. He just doesn’t want that to happen right away and has an idea for how Cataldi should start his retirement to avoid temptation.
“Maybe a world cruise where he couldn’t do a podcast that terrorizes all of the other hosts trying to make a living in Philadelphia. Maybe he could just go on a world cruise without the internet.”
