by TSM
Happy Monday!
Congratulations to my name sake, Jonas Siegel, who has taken a new job at the Canadian Press as a national hockey writer.
Congrats to @jonasTSN1050 on his new job at @CdnPress as national hockey writer. Well deserved. Good luck, Jonas.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 18, 2016
That leaves a vacancy over at TSN 1050.
So, let’s help the fine folks out and suggest a few names to be the new Maple Leafs reporter:
Here are a few names I’d throw out there:
David Alter
Howard Berger
Tony Ambrogio
Jeff Sammut
Steve Clark
Mark Hebscher
David Bastl
Zach Sommers
Kayla Grey
As long as he-she faithfully recites the MLSE talking points, it doesn’t really matter.
Id like to see Simmons have to walk around that room trying to get a quote from guys that he has ripped over the years.
I’d be fine with either a returning David Bastl to TSN 1050 as Leafs Reporter or Andi Petrillo as Leafs Reporter.
Also did anyone hear @torontomike podcast with @MikeRichardsTSN very interesting stuff. If Bastl returned you could bet Richards et all would be happy.
I’d go Berger.
I’m not going to lie — as much as Berger was getting on my nerves towards the end of his tenure at the Fan, there hasn’t been a single beat reporter in the city who has come close to being someone I could stomach listening to. I wouldn’t mind having him turn back up on the radio.
Bastl seems like a reasonable option, provided the bridges could be mended quickly with TSN. Don’t know why Sammut would leave his hosting gig for the role.
Congratulations to Jonas. I would like to see Tony Ambrosio get the job , I thinks he is a very good reporter as far back at the Score. But then again do they really need a dedicated reporter to cover the leafs on a daily bases will all the taking heads at TSN who already cover them.
Won’t it just be Mark Masters? Seemed to be a bit crowded having a TSN beat guy and TSN1050 beat guy for the leafs. Maybe I’m missing something?
Congrats to Jolly Jonas………I’m a bit surprised he would leave TSN…………..I wonder if the recent decision to keep him home during Leafs road trips had any impact on his decision to leave?
On another subject, McCown just said that he recently tried to get Alex Anthopoulos to be PTS co-host for a week to see if he liked doing it and to see if he was any good at it……….that was of course before AA took the job with the Dodgers
I always enjoyed Howard Berger. (I won’t miss J.Siegle )
Maybe that’s showing my age, but it just fits
Interesting post here, but isn’t it most likely that 1050 goes without a reporter on the road? The FAN ditched that idea a couple of years ago. Could save a ton of coin.
Zach Sommers or die trying
i vote for Zach Summers too
Alter can’t write.
Sammut is a talking head. This position requires different skills.
Bastl should be on radio but would be acceptable.
Berger, as annoying as he can be, is probably the best option. He wasn’t let go at the Fan because he’s annoying, he was let go because he made too much.
Massive cuts at the National Post today. Eric Koreen and David Alter are two of the affected.
Bastl would do a great job but Summers is definitely a front runner in my opinion. Had the pleasure of hearing him on the weekends and on the Cesco show back in the day. Opinionated, unfiltered and witty, definitely a top choice.
Pete – I was also reading that there is a plan to make one “national” sports desk type of thing instead of each city paper having their own sports people. I won’t be shocked if we hear about more being let go because of this.
On the topic at hand – I’d think Berger would be the best choice but I don’t know i bell/MLSe would want him around.
David Alter. He’s way too talented and he was a victim of the Postmedia cuts today. Always enjoy his stuff.
I’d also like to see it be David Alter. I always enjoyed his work as a Leafs reporter with Rogers.
I doubt TSN replaces Jonas. He most likely saw his job as redundant. TSN has Mark Masters and Matt Scianetti covering the team for TV. Jonas recently stopped traveling on the road with the team and likely saw the writing on the wall. He did a good job. I didn’t agree with his opinions, but he reporting was good. From what i interpret, this is kind of an entry level “cub repoter” job. It’s not a career job….Jonas is moving on after getting all he could out of it…
(Howard Berger has had his day. I doubt he’ll be back in the MSM… He really belongs in a smaller marke than TO)
How about Launy Schwartz?
No love for my man Dave “disco” McCarthy?
Howard Berger would be great
Seems to be Alter’s unlucky and lucky day. I am sure he will get this spot if he wants it.
Is Sammut still with the fan?
Without a doubt they should hire Turd Ferguson.
Howard Berger brings the historical history of the Leafs with him from the 60’s, and does not shy away from letting his feelings known on the state of the franchise, which fans appreciate and is so rare today.
It would be kind of nice to get some passion and personality back on the Leafs beat with Berger. The rest just come across as robots.
Agree with the Berger sentiments above. If not a Leafs reporter I wish that he was on one of the 39 segments per day ( 6 am – 7pm x 3 per hour ) on each station – that’s 78 per day or 546 per week. Hard to argue that of all the lame segments, one wouldn’t be better with Berger who I’m sure would be happy to do it. Likely wants too much money or he skews too old or there’s old acrimony with the stations.Would like to see someone call him tomorrow with a better Dave Keon backstory than we’ve been getting today.
It’s an honor seeing my name here, especially with that solid group of professionals who were part of the list.
My educated guess (no inside information) is that they do not fill the position specifically, but send guys down when needed (i.e. trade deadline day), etc and then re-evaluate the position at seasons end. Leafs are a long shot to be a post-season factor right now, so not sure there is the urgency.
I could be wrong- wouldn’t be the 1st time, and I do see value in a day to day multi-media beat guy myself- a guy who can write, talk etc like Jonas Siegel, Dave Alter and Howard Berger could. People forget but Howard Berger was an accomplished author, penning several books that were an enjoyable read as well as doing a fair bit of newspaper reporting.
I would redefine the position to blog/audio hits and also quick video blogging hits, should there be any road trips. As the Leafs get better, I think you see the position evolve.
I’d go with David Bastl. He was awesome covering the team for sportsnet on the TV side. This guy is too talented to keep him off the air. If returning him to the morning show is not an option (it should be) then this will do.
Another person commented about the Toronto Mike Podcast with Mike Richards. I caught that too. Come on TSN you got your morning show guy you built the station atound telling you what he needs to win. Give him TV and Bastl back and you have a shot.
TSN 1050 is doomed to repeat The Team 1050 unless they start inveating in their talent and prove why TSN is Canada’s Sports Leader.
Very glad to see Jonas fail upwards. His Leafs reporting was fine, though I could not stand his smarmy, know it all attitude on Leafs Lunch when he’d fill in.
Steve ‘Dangle’
I am quite sure I never learned anything from Jonas Siegel. He has a remarkable command of the obvious. And what a wimpy scrum guy – way too polite.
Now I’ll just have to ignore Canadian Press….
Love it when the Leafs Lunch guys rode his ass – especially when Jonas proudly stated he bunts in slo-pitch. Buh bye….
@Cirroc not sure if moving to the newspaper game is upward. I harbour no ill will to Jonas, just find his work to be tepid.
Reid was on PTS and mentioned that he gets blasted on social media. I guess this place is Twitter, then.
@mpdman – I agree as I found Jonas Siegel banal and vapid.