Drama at other stations in other markets always get hosts in our business talking. For Toucher & Rich, it is content.
On 98.5 The Sports Hub Tuesday morning, the duo dissected the on air argument between WFAN’s Tiki Barber and Joe Benigno that ended with Barber turning off his mic and yelling “that’s bullshit!” before walking out of the studio.
Toucher used multiple TV references to help the audience understand who Benigno is, comparing him first to Carl Brutananadilewski from the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force and then to a 2020 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where a friend of Larry David’s kills himself because he cannot take the Jets losing anymore.
Both Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb came to the same conclusion about the argument. Tiki Barber looks worse between the two. In fact, Shertenlieb said that it did not make sense for Barber to get defensive when Benigno accused the former Giants running back of rooting for the Jets to lose every game.
“Why can’t Tiki Barber just go ‘yeah, I root for them to lose. I was a Giant. What, are you crazy?’” he asked.
Toucher joked that you cannot tell the listeners that you root against their team. Toucher has had nothing but success in Boston, despite letting it be known regularly that he roots for the Jets.
Shertenlieb asked if it was possible that Barber was attempting to be funny. Perhaps storming out of the studio was meant to be a bit and the joke just fell flat.
“No, he’s a p***y,” Toucher said. “He was pissed, he got up and he left. Oh no. I just made Barrett Sports Media! ‘Fred says Tiki’s a p***y’.”
Fred Toucher knows this site well.
Shertenlieb added that the smart thing to do to make for better radio would have been to egg Benigno on.
“He looks feral,” he said describing Benigno in the video.
Toucher agreed, noting that the Toucher & Rich crew often take advantage of him when he I angry about something because it is funny to them.
