NBA, NHL Creep Towards A Return, Baseball Not So Much & Check in With Joe Siddall The NHL and NBA are inching towards plans for the re-birth of the 2019-20 Season while MLB suffers in-fighting and we talk to Joe Siddall

By TSM

EDITED:

As if hockey fans needed another reason to get excited about the return of the #NHL on @Sportsnet …

Welcome to the team, Chris Cuthbert!! 🎙️🌟

➡️ https://t.co/vrMVv3ThuX

Stay tuned for more #NHLonSN broadcast team & coverage details in coming weeks! pic.twitter.com/OEMPmVy9B1

— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) June 5, 2020

When Christmas comes in June after a really, really, really shitty couple of months. With a ton of respect to TSN and the current talent at Rogers, Jordan Banks just dramatically improved his talent bench. With credit to Brian Burke for the quite, If Chris Cuthbert calls Leafs games the city may very well name schools and roads after Jordan Banks..

I am not sure if any other talent have moved from TSN to Sportsnet since the deal was announced, apologies if I am forgetting you but wow this is really big news for when the games re-start.

ok.. back to regular programming.

Once again, no specific topic du jour instead some quick hits and then this week’s interview with Joe Siddall.

Another casualty of the Corona is the radio ratings that usually go on right now. In normal times we’d be talking about the Spring Book that just hit. Well, I can tell you that the radio business has taken a massive hit. No one is commuting and no one is in their waiting rooms so the overall audience has been destroyed. Here is what I know in the absence of an actual report:

OverDrive continues to lead the way in the sports world. Even in the Corona their radio ratings are not nearly as bad as everyone else’s. They bested Tim and Sid in all demographics and continued to dominate the market even when it is down. One of the biggest ratings losers is the Blair Show. While they beat TSN the audience numbers are tiny and their lead in a few months vs. Cauz was a few points here and there. The morning drive audience was deeply affected by the lack of sports and drive, however, the Fan morning show was higher than TSN’s however from an industry sales executive, “neither station or show is willing to talk about the am drive as a result of this book.

One surprising number in the overall book is that AM 640 has really taken a hit. In some demos and some slots, they are below the sports stations!

All and all the ratings, in my opinion, are only an indication that these are unusual times.

Are you listening to the radio more or less these days?

The NBA has announced it’s plans to get back to playing. The NHL has done the same. Now we wait. Baseball is back in the mid 90’s where owners and players can’t agree on much.

Here is what I have been told by, multiple executives. The NHL would love for Toronto to be a HUB market. The NHL will only have one feed of each game and they really want to have one for Rogers and once for NBC. No broadcasters will be in the arena, instead, they will be in a studio calling from monitors. Bettman really would like Toronto to take advantage of the top Rogers hockey crews. It sounds like Toronto is too unstable to allow the accommodations needed to make that happen. Everyone who is in the arena is going to be tested likely daily so that is another thing that needs to be considered. With probably Toronto out, I am told that the next probable possibility is Edmonton. Multiple sources told me that current PM believes this will be viewed very favorably by those in Alberta which would help re-election (seriously) time. The bottom choice would be Vancouver. The early money is on Las Vegas to be the hub city in the USA.

In baseball, all we are missing is Donald Fehr and Bud Selig and the whole 1990’s MLB war would be right back! Personally, I think many in the media are being used to further one side over the other. I don’t think the public has the appetite to take sides right now. My general sentiment is figure it out or don’t just make up your mind.

Someone in the TV industry said to me this week that what we don’t realize during normal times is that the vast majority of tv shows we watch all follow 1-3 different general storylines. Right now, none of them are different or relatable so many of us are getting bored in the some old same old. I started watching the League last night on FX/HULU- it’s filthy disgusting but hilarious. If you are in fantasy sports and looking for some good sports relatable humor and haven’t seen it you will enjoy this. On the same network, Dave is pretty good too.

If you don’t follow Linda Cohn on Twitter you should be.

What do you mean “Nobody cares about hockey”. Very disappointed and surprised you would make a statement like this @maxkellerman. It’s insulting to this great game, those associated with it ,cover it, and to the passionate fan base here in the United States. #NHL https://t.co/mMWYgRj75v

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 4, 2020

and

For those @Twitter users, like me, losing followers because you care, post and share thoughts, videos, reports of what is going on in our country right now, instead of just sticking to sports, don’t worry about it. As my mother used to say “Their Loss”. Keep being you. ❤️

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 1, 2020

Finally…

One day, a college quarterback at Central Michigan University who was born, raised and living in Windsor Ontario (just outside of Detroit) got a call from a scout from the Montreal Expos to try out for their team. The rest is history.

You’ve heard him on the radio and you’ve seen him on TV. If you are at all like me you probably don’t know much about Joe Siddall. This is his story and it is a mix of every emotion you have in your arsenal.

After multiple years in the minor leagues, Joe made it to the bigs, playing for the Montreal Expos under Felipe Alou. A defensive catcher he enjoyed stops with the Marlins, Tigers and Red Sox before hanging them up and becoming a bullpen guru for the Tigers.

Joe and his wife, both from Windsor, living in the same neighborhood they grew up in lived what sounds like a typical life with 4 kids until tragically their youngest son Kevin lost a heroic battle to Cancer. Kevin was 14 at the time

In the fog of grieving, Jerry Howarth reached out and the next thing he knew he was the radio play by play voice of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Joe’s a thoughtful broadcaster who has endeared himself to Blue Jays fans of all ages. His mix of personal experience, dedication to honesty and integrity and his family have continued to guide him in his life. Admittedly, I knew very little about the man behind the voice that I’ve grown to like telling me stories while providing analysis. I know some now but look forward to learning more in the future.

Joe and his family are involved in many functions honoring Kevin’s memory. Please consider giving here.

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