Buried

Lately, checking my email has been like shoveling snow in Buffalo.

Your job, is never done.

But for this, I am deeply grateful. Since you guys are just burying me in kind words for the show you once loved, I will try not to let it get to my head.

In they come, 10, 20, or more per hour. Even during odd hours of this past Christmas week. Well written, passionate, personal emails about the show, and what it meant for you as a listener.

Wow.

Here's a little snapshot of what my collected emails look like. I want to assure everyone, that when you say "I'm sure you'll never read this..." you are WRONG! I read them all.



And it was my plan, to respond to every one. Well, I don't think that's going to happen. Doing the simple math (and let's face it, ANY math for me is NOT simple) if I knocked out 60 emails an hour, that's 10 hours right there. And even though my vacation has been relaxing, I would rather spend that time writing for the blog, improving the site, and producing actual content you guys can still enjoy.

But let me summarize some interesting points that keep coming across in many of your emails.

1. "Thanks." I am humbled that so many of you would "thank" me for just doing my job. The thanks was all mine, folks.

2. "I happened to find you (X years ago) while flipping around..." This reinforces another sad reality of my tenure with the network. Zero promotion. You would think that Fox, might carve out 30 seconds on their football pre-game - that's all I would want, a 30 second on-screen graphic! - which lists their M-F radio show lineup. Nope. Given the insane amount of "company push" those other guys get, no wonder it often felt like a losing battle.

3. "I laughed so hard, I had to pull over..." Humor is a tricky thing. Those who THINK they are funny, most often are not. I always felt the show had it's funny MOMENTS, but I had high standards. Maybe the show was funnier than I realized. I know this, Scotty, Solly and Galdi could all knock it out of the park with their own twisted takes, and that's why they were with me.

4. "You are the only reason I have XM, I am now cancelling XM..." Look, again. I know these are tough economic times. Do what you want. But like I said before, the concept of XM/Sirius is a radio lover's dream, and one that we could only fantasize about 10 years ago. Have faith in the concept, and support the cause, if you can.

5. "Like my dog died..." Okay, not everybody used the dog dying reference, but alot of you said the feeling was like losing a friend - or friends. I get this. You let us join you on your morning rides. We let you in on what most called a "conversation among buddies" you know at the local watering hole. Still, the depth of connection many of you expressed to the show, remains something I treat with the utmost of respect.

6. "Let me know where you end up next, you won't be gone long..." As always, this website is a great place to check in periodically, and I will be updating via the Czabe Fans facebook page. That said, nobody knows what will happen next. So let's just expect things to take a while, and if we're wrong, we'll all be pleasantly surprised.

This will be the last post about, well, what once was. Too much has happened while I was gone, that needs to be teed off on! My preliminary list...

Urban Meyer and his waffling
Mike Leach's idiocy
Gilbert Arenas & his gunplay
Mrs. Bowden sucking face with Bobby
Brandon Marshall (again!)

and on and on!

Gonna be a busy year folks! We're back at it on Monday!

A.L.E. Theory

Well folks, by now, I bet you figured it out.

I’ve been nothing but tail-lights leaving the FSR parking lot since about the end of the 3rd quarter.

Sorry. A.L.E. theory. To the bitter end.

Actually, I was willing and prepared to run out the string here with Scotty and Solly. But the skipper came over to my locker, asked for the playbook, shook my hand, and said “go ahead and start enjoying the holidays.”

Fine.

I’m sorry it had to end, but then again, I prefer not to look at it that way. I see a new beginning. I see fun things available to me that I always wanted to do. This might be, as they say, the start of something big. Somewhere. Sometime. Maybe soon. But maybe not. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I have been floored by the volume, and passion of your emails the last few weeks. And I am sure to be getting a lot more, since I’m guessing that only about 30% of you know what’s going on just yet.

I have also been amazed at the number of calls from industry people – people I have never met in my life – who said they were listeners and fans of the show. It seems like every day I’ve been telling Scott and Solly: “Dude, guess who called me today…”

While I am dealing with this change in stride, I know that you guys are not. For this, I feel bad, and wish something could be done. You had invited me into your cars, your homes, your bedrooms every morning. This is now gone. There’s a void. Five years (or more) is a long time.

For everyone who said: “I’m cancelling my XM subscription now” I say this: don’t. Don’t because it’s still the greatest thing ever invented for a radio fan. And well, if you cancel, and then have to un-cancel later, that would be a hassle, right? Just sayin….

Me and the fellas are taking the next week off, and then we’re back to our local schedule in the new year. We will start a daily podcast/czabecast that will hopefully deliver on the 3-5 big stories of the day. It ain’t much, but it’s something.

In the meantime, I would love to do one final “Behind the Music” Czabecast on some of the show’s highlights, lowlights, and car-crash stupid-funny-awful moments over the years. But I need your help.

I’ve forgotten most of them!

You people, never forget. I love that about you.

(Except remembering the A.C. Green interview and the headphone smashing. That, you can forget. Thanks.)

So go ahead, shoot me an email at czabe@yahoo.com or just post a show moment here, and we’ll scoop up the best ones, and riff on them when we get back together.

Finally, a very kind blurb from SI.com’s Richard Deitsch about the show, by way of Michael Grant in Louisville. Again, two people I’ve never met before! Nice.

Then, I pulled a small sample of emails from the in-box.

Sorry I had to “ALE” it on you guys, but then again, if you didn’t figure that out and follow me shortly afterward to the exits, then I obviously taught you guys nothing.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Czabe

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THE LAST WORD (Richard Deitsch, SI.com)

In what qualifies as a head-scratching move, Fox Sports Radio announced it was replacing Steve Czaban with Stephen A. Smith as the host of one of its national radio shows. Czaban, whose contract was not renewed by FSR after seven years, will continue to be heard during afternoon drive on DC's ESPN 980, WTEM after his last national show airs on Dec. 23. I heard Smith nearly every day when he hosted his talk show in New York City on 1050 ESPN Radio and a simple Google search will tell you how that experiment ended, and how this ultimately will in a couple of years. As for Czaban, I asked Louisville Courier-Journal sportswriter Michael Grant, a longtime listener of Czaban and Fox Sports Radio, to offer his postscript on the move.

Steve Czaban always reminded me of the high school friend you didn't agree with but couldn't stop listening to, either. He's a mixture of odd, crass, and intense, but also engaging, informative and funny. If you're anything like me, you value such voices.

I was tremendously disappointed upon hearing that Czaban will no longer be doing his national show for Fox Sports Radio because the airwaves will be an emptier place without him. His was one of the few sports-talk shows I listened to daily, and if I couldn't listen live, I recorded it on my portable satellite radio.

Czaban was a terrific entertainer but he also challenged listeners to consider different viewpoints, mostly about sports but also subjects away from it. (Who wants homogenized radio?). He was passionate about the NFL as he was about The Simpsons.

He also was strangely averse to text-messaging, MySpace and Facebook like some octogenarian technophobe, but I enjoyed such old-school quirkiness.

I've been an avid listener to sports radio since the embryonic days of the format in the 1980s and today's sports-talk show landscape is littered with too many wannabes, snoozers and flat-out losers. With Czaban, you never felt cheated. You never felt like he mailed in a show. He always sounded like someone who prepared and cared. Now Czaban is gone, replaced by (groan) Stephen A Smith.

Ironically, Czaban was an advocate of the "A.L.E." theory, which suggests "always leave early" from sporting events to avoid traffic. For me, "The Czabe" is leaving the national airwaves much too early.


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You were the only reason I kept my magic radio and the last show on FSR worth my time listening to. I listened to the show, end of the live show and full replay, everyday at work for the past 4 years. I loved the show for everything. I loved the nuances of jerseys and uniform combos and how you'd crush the guys who complained about you not talking about sports.

I didn't need the sports, I wanted the funny stories of running over doors, hitting deer, drilling noises in the background from your lovely station construction and on the phone while ordering McDonalds at the drive in. My days are filled with sound bites from the show. One of my favorite shows was the all request line for sound bites. The Michigan State rant is probably my favorite although Ben Knop booing kills me every time.

I also loved "Bug Talk". I don't know what I will do without the show. I will be canceling my XM subscription and turning off FSR for good. I will not stop drinking the Leinie's though. I probably wouldn't have found that delicious nectar without your sponsorship and visits with Dick and Jake. It is a fantastic beer and I have made several other huge fans as well.

I can't listen to Same and Samer so I guess the freaks on Coast to Coast AM will have to take your place on morning radio! I really can't believe the Czabe is out. I will really miss your show.

Adam Ramthun

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Czabe,

Today is the day that I found out that your show was cancelled, and today sucks. Your show was one of the only things that I could count on to make me laugh out loud each and every day. Every morning I listened to 1 hour while I commuted to work, the 2nd hour on my lunch break during the replay, and the third hour I downloaded via the KLAC website while I was working. I am at a loss for words. The show was insightful, edgy, and hilarious. Better than any other sports radio show in my opinion. You guys spoke your mind and really talked on a level that I related to. Now that the initial shock has worn off, it's really just anger that I feel. This really just pisses me off. I wish you, Scott, and Solly the best, and I hope to hear you guys on a national radio show again in the near future.

Regards
A loyal Listener
Aaron Enstrom
Green Bay, WI

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While my politics often fall to the left of yours (about the only thing I disagree with you on), I've always enjoyed your show and will miss having you guys on in the morning. My alarm is set for 6:00am where your show has always woken me up, allowing me to gradually get up while listening to the show...yes, the Daily Czabe was my "2 minute" warning letting me know that I had no choice to get up or else. My wife, Margie, has also enjoyed your show. She often gets up before me and is spending time getting ready while your show is on in the backgroun (while I still lay lazily in bed) always getting a good laugh from you and the boys. Like me, she was upset when I told her the news Tuesday morning after I had read your post on Czabe.com.

Ryan Johnson
Richmond, VA

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I could go on and on about the show but I won't. Instead, I'll mention one of my favorite pieces of the show. A year or two ago you, Scott and Galdi did 'espnews' on the radio. You all read over each other current sports news. It was incredibly funny.

Eric Becerra
San Antonio

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Anyways, it almost had to go down like this. You never would've left on your own and everytime you've left a job you've gone on to better things. Chances are half your life is over. You might live past 84, but I doubt your quality of life will be as it is now. So in this last half, time is precious. You've been working your ass off, compromising your health. Now it's time for the Winter of Czabe. Go down to Florida and work on your golf game. P90x has no doubt enhanced your long game. I'm sure you have plenty of fans out there only too happy to pay your greens fees. Enjoy!

Joe Roznowski

... And To All A Good Night!

Last night’s debacle aside, my Redskins cockles are warm and toasty this Christmas.

Ding dong. Vinny is gone.

Vinny, gone.

(Blink. Blink. Stare.)

I never thought I would see the day. I truly, honestly, never thought Dan Snyder would flush his very own Waylon Smithers. Yet, there he goes.

Wheee!

Vinny Cerrato was the very embodiment of subservient incompetence.

Plain incompetence at least has its own merits. The Michael Scott’s of the world have big plans, and conviction in what they do, and why they do it.

Vinny’s incompetence was born of pure ingratiation to the owner. And it is precisely why he’ll never work in this capacity again in the NFL for anyone else.

I never met Vinny, so I don’t know if he’s a bad person or just a dope. I know this much. He was a small person. He had no ability to see the magnitude of his job title, and to act up to it. His radio show was pathetic and delusional. How can a guy judge football talent, when he can’t even hear how awful he sounds on an interview?

It is bad enough to have to endure that kind of thing from your local elected dog-catcher. But for such incompetence to be foisted upon your beloved football team is another thing altogether.

We’ll never know how much actual say Vinny had on the bad personnel moves over his decade in Ashburn. I bet for many of them, he was nothing but an order taker. “Make it happen, Vinny” said either Danny or (more regrettably) Gibbs.

That’s beside the point. The concept of a guy like Vinny, is now over. Good riddance.

Enter Bruce Allen. Son of our legend. Forget Gibbs. It was Bruce’s daddy who made the Redskins relevant.

Let me say this: a folding chair would have still been an upgrade.

But to get a guy with such credentials as Allen is a genuine thrill. Not only did he excite us with a mere press conference, but I’ve yet to hear somebody make a substantive argument against his skills as an executive.

In his presser, Allen said nothing of substance. But the un-Vinny-ness of it was stark. There were sentences. Complete ones. He made good, simple points. He looked impressive. He looked like somebody worthy of giving operational control of a football team to.

So now, the “search” for a new head coach begins.

Er, I mean, we’ll have to evaluate Zorn… (snicker, chortle!) in these remaining weeks. And then, if… (chortle) we decide to go in another direction, we’ll make sure to follow the Rooney Rule to a comp…

WHAT?

Shanahan’s already done? Signed, sealed? Awaiting delivery?

Really?

When did this happen?

January?

LAST January?

Oh.

Whatever. I’m just tickled. Things are not going to be better any time soon. I don’t want to be told otherwise, either. But it looks like grownups are going to finally get a chance to run the company for a while.

Thank you Santa. It is all that I wanted for Christmas this year.

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Sooooo…. About that game last night.

Wheeew! Doozy, huh?

I wonder what happened to that “4th ranked” defense everybody was drooling over earlier this year? Uh huh. Like I’ve said all year, this defense is the most delusionally over-rated pile of “I’m Not Impressed” I’ve ever seen.
Yes. Sack totals are up. Super.

Still no DFT’s. Still can’t get anybody off the field when needed. Still not a disruptive, stifling defense.

And what’s the plan for Haynesworth and Hall now? You have two low character guys, making big guaranteed money for the next two years, and you will be entering a distinct “rebuilding phase.”

Should be fun with these two. Keep your eyes open.

Let it be noted, when the Giants ran roughshod over this defense, it was not in any way hampered by personnel losses. Aside from Griffin and Horton, they had most hands on deck and available. It’s more than many teams have at this time of year.

So looking ahead, in ADDITION to a new quarterback, starting tailback, 3 offensive lineman, we STILL need to address major parts of the defense. Because some of the parts that are currently working (i.e. Carter and Fletcher) are likely to “sunset” as effective players in 2 seasons.

Going for that fake field goal down 24-0 was pure idiocy. Clownish. Too bad the Giants didn’t return it all the way for a touchdown. Of course that play will work a THIRD time this season. Sheesh. If this wasn’t grounds to Fire Zorn(!) at halftime, they I don’t know what is.

Burgundy on burgundy. Great look. Greeaaaate. If you are a high school.