LeBatard out at ESPN

Unless it's Dorsia at 8:30.

 

Kornheiser’s podcast hasn’t been as good since COVID. He doesn’t have the co-hosts anymore. It seems like everyone hates his son (he seems fine). Tony just brags about getting a “big box of that.”

 

I don’t think I missed a Le Batard Show from 2014-2020. I’m glad to see the show staying strong on the iTunes Charts, but, admittedly, it’s not because of my listenership; I only listen to a few hours per month anymore.

 

The show has suffered from the move. The show worked best when it had something pushing against it, whether that was a hard network out or a made-up feud with management (a la Letterman).

To be fair to LeBatard, he’s warned for years the show won’t age well. The peak was always going to be that run from 2010 to 2016. The Decision kinda kicked off that run and overexposure at ESPN was always going to do this to it.

I still enjoy the show, but I find myself scrubbing forward minutes at a time when they get hung up on something and don’t move on. Radio kept them moving.

 

I quit Kornheiser about 6 or 7 years ago. Got tired of listening to an old man whine about stuff he can't be bothered to learn anything about. I used to be a fan but his act is beyond tired.

 

Agree. I only heard him on a Bill Simmons podcast probably 9 months ago, and he really is starting to sound like an old man. To his credit, he admits it, but a guy afraid of his own shadow isn't interesting to listen to.

 

@heyabbott is Kornheiser?

 

Both Kornheiser and Le Batard are hit and miss for me. I used to love the old local hour of Le Batard's show - the shipping container guys are why I listen. I generally plow through all of the Le Batard episodes each day, enjoying some parts way more than others, while with Kornheiser I'm much quicker to bail. Like this week with guests doing nothing but making their NCAA picks - unlistenable.

 

Is there worse radio than listening to a guy go over his bracket - I think not

 

That is exactly it. The podcast is so meandering and has no point except for them to talk amongst themselves. And nobody on the show is half as funny as they think they are.

 

Oh, I disagree on the last point. You still get those moments, they’re just spread out. The gang’s inanity was its charm. Now there’s just too much of it.

And I don’t know a way to fix it except to create artificial time constraints. A shot clock essentially.

The Shutdown Fullcast is the only show I listen to that can pull off that freewheeling chaos and have it work.

The show, and all shows fade. That’s okay. I enjoy it for what it is now.

I think most of us struggled the same way when we were given more column inches. I did, at least. My best stuff always seemed to come when I was given what I thought was too little space for what I had to write and less time than I thought I needed to do it. It’s why I marvel at people who can write great books. The discipline it takes to be given space and know how to use it.

A great podcast has the same discipline to it.

 

I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an inkling Kornheiser is a racist piece of shit.