WEEI Whiner Line
Since I drive to work now instead of taking the T, I've been listening to a lot more radio than I used to. I'm an inveterate channel-flipper but find myself tuning in most often to the wildly popular afternoon "Big Show" on sports radio WEEI 850AM. Veteran Boston sports guy Glenn Ordway serves as host and ringleader of the cast of characters who participate in the show's daily shouting match. Overall, the topics are standard sports radio fare (Celtics' NBA lottery debacle, Red Sox pitching match-ups, debates about whether Randy Moss can fit into the Pats regime, etc.) and the show can be mildly entertaining. For those not familiar with the format, Ordway concludes each show by airing segments from the "whiner line" in which callers leave messages that are occasionally funny, sometimes dull, but most often are mind-numbingly inane. But I still listen. Part of the show's appeal may be that it's amazingly consistent. The same cast of callers check in each day and a large percentage of the whiner messages come from recurring characters. The most consistently entertaining character is the "Bob Kraft guy." With his sl0w, rambling speech and slurred Boston accent, the guy sounds exactly like Kraft and the bits are almost always funny. The guy is amazing! In contrast, one recurring character whose popularity continues to baffle me is the "Glenn Ordway guy." Unfailingly, whenever he calls, his bits are met with howling laughter by the Big Show participants. Am I missing something? First, he doesn't sound anything like Glenn Ordway. Since when has Glenn Ordway had a southern accent?? The guy sounds more like former Clinton staffer and Louisiana native James Carville than North Shore native Ordway. Secondly, the guy is impossibly difficult to understand. Third, I also miss the significance of the final line in every one of his bits "You're making my point!" Please...if this post ever becomes google-able and some 'EEI fan in the know happens to stumble upon this post, can you please enlighten me as to what this bit is all about! Clearly, I must be missing some inside joke. In the meantime, I'll continue to listen.
2 Comments:
Well written article.
5:58 PM
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
11:30 AM
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