Sports radio hosts love to play audio from other sports radio hosts. Our industry is full of people fascinated by one another and their approach and success. That played out Wednesday morning on WFAN as Boomer and Gio enjoyed audio from Tony Rizzo’s takedown of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“He’s like the pain in the ass guy that Cleveland has,” Gregg Giannotti said before playing audio of Rizzo listed who all “sucked” in the Cavs’ most recent loss to the New York Knicks. “You know, everyone’s got a pain in the ass guy.”
Boomer Esiason wondered who the “pain in the ass guy” is in New York. The show’s cast members took turns naming who the toughest person to work with at WFAN is.
Gio explained that he meant that Rizzo is the kind of guy that is a pain in the ass to the local teams because he doesn’t feel obligated to be a cheerleader. Rizzo is going to be honest and angry when things are going badly.
That brought the answer right into focus for Esiason.
“Oh Joe B,” Esiason said referring to Joe Benigno. “Wouldn’t that be it? I mean, for the last 25 years!”
It is an astute observation. Benigno was a part of the WFAN weekday lineup for a long time. Listeners, whether they supported the Giants or the Jets, delighted in Benigno’s catchphrase “oh the pain” whenever the Jets would let him down.
Giannotti added that honesty is something every market needs. Rizzo caught some flack for his harsh assessment of the Cavaliers, coach JB Bickerstaff, and star guard Donovan Mitchell on social media. When he addressed it the next day on his show, Rizzo did not apologize, but instead told his listeners that they need to understand that his job is to say on the air the things they are all saying about the team when they are watching at home.
“Unless his radio station’s the Cavs’ flagship I don’t know why he would have to apologize,” Gio said in praise of the move.
