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Patrick’s career has flourished since leaving ESPN
Saturday, October 4, 2008
When Dan Patrick announced last summer that he was leaving ESPN, the one comment he made that stuck with me was, “I think I was starting to take it [ESPN] for granted.” My first thought was, how could you take such a great job for granted? Anyone who enjoys sports would do anything to work at ESPN. But in talking with Patrick this week, I have a better understanding why he needed to leave ESPN. Patrick returns to the Capital Region airwaves Monday with his radio program, the “Dan Patrick Show.” It will be on from 3-6 p.m. on WOFX-AM (980). Patrick’s ESPN Radio show was carried by WTMM-FM (104.5), and was on the air for nearly nine years. Patrick’s new show just celebrated its one-year anniversary Wednesday. It has 124 affiliates. He believes there is a difference between his new show and the old one. “It feels more like it did when I started ‘SportsCenter’ with [Keith] Olbermann back in the ’90s, where it was something new,” said Patrick, who started at ESPN in 1989. “It was freeing. We were able to have fun. That’s something I think I lost sight of when I was working the last couple of years at ESPN, and it was of my own making. But I had too many jobs, and I had to step back and eliminate a couple of jobs and, in the process, eliminated ESPN.” Patrick is just as busy as he was at ESPN. He writes a weekly column for Sports Illustrated and is a co-host on NBC’s “Football Night in America,” teaming with Olbermann to do highlights of Sunday’s NFL games. “I’m slowly doing some TV, but radio is my first love,” Patrick said. “I just wanted to go back to the days where I looked forward to doing it, having fun, good guests, good conversation and not afraid to have an opinion.” The show has been more enjoyable than Patrick could have ever imagined. “I have a great staff who come in with thought-provoking ideas, and not afraid to have fun at my expense or with me, and the guests have been the same as they were,” Patrick said. “I was concerned if I would still able to get these guests when I left ESPN. We’ve not only been able to get those guests that we’ve had before, but we’ve added to that.” The only downside for Patrick’s show on WOFX is that it will be tape-delayed. The show airs live from 9 a.m.-noon. WOFX has “Big Board Sportstalk” on at that time. Patrick’s show can be heard live on the Web at danpatrick.com. “It’s always a concern when there’s a delayed broadcast,” Patrick said. “Part of the reason why I’m doing it the way I’m doing it now is, unlike where I used to work [where] they don’t take phone calls, I do believe there should be a symbiotic relationship between those listening and myself. If I say something, you react, whether it’s e-mail, blogging or calling. That’s important because, that way, there’s checks and balances when you do your show.” Prime-time coverage The Schenectady High School football team will be on TV Friday. The Patriots will be on Time Warner Cable channel 3 when they host defending Section II Class AA champion LaSalle at 7 p.m. football schedules Here are the college football and NFL games that will be televised over the next week. Announcers, in order of play-by-play, analyst and sideline reporter, are in parentheses. NFL Sunday Fox (WXXA Ch. 23 and WXXA HD) — Seattle at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. (Kenny Albert/Daryl Johnston/Tony Siragusa). CBS (WRGB Ch. 6 and WRGB HD) — Indianapolis at Houston, 1 p.m. (Greg Gumbel/Dan Dierdorf); Buffalo at Arizona, 4:15 p.m. (Bill Macatee/Steve Beuerlein). NBC (WNYT Ch. 13 and WNYT HD) — Pittsburgh at Jacksonville, 8:15 p.m. (Al Michaels/John Madden/Andrea Kremer). Monday ESPN and ESPN HD — Minnesota at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m. (Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser). COLLEGE FOOTBALL Today Time Warner Cable (Ch. 3) — Rutgers at West Virginia, noon (Mike Gleason/John Congemi/Quint Kessenich). ESPN and ESPN HD — Penn State at Purdue, noon (Dave Pasch/Andre Ware/Erin Andrews); Auburn at Vanderbilt, 6 p.m. (Sean McDonough/Chris Spielman/Rob Stone); Missouri at Nebraska, 9 p.m. (Mike Patrick/Todd Blackledge/Holly Rowe). ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD — Iowa at Michigan State, noon (Clay Matvick/Ray Bentley); Florida State at Miami, 3:30 p.m. (Brad Nessler/Bob Griese and Paul Maguire/- Stacey Dales); Connecticut at North Carolina, 7 p.m. (Bob Wischusen/Brock Huard). ESPNU — Duke at Georgia Tech, noon (Dave Armstrong/Larry Coker); Maryland at Virginia, 7 p.m. (Doug Bell/Charles Arbuckle). MY4 (WNYA) — Florida at Arkansas, 12:30 p.m. (Dave Neal/Dave Archer/Dave Baker). MSG Plus — Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:30 p.m. (Bill Land/Gary Reasons/Jim Knox); Texas at Colorado, 7 p.m. (Joel Meyers/Dave Lapham). Versus — Kansas at Iowa State, 12:30 p.m. (Ron Thulin/Dale Hellestae); Navy at Air Force, 4 p.m. (Tim Neverett/Glenn Parker/Anne Marie Anderson); Washington at Arizona, 7:30 p.m. (Joe Beninati/Kelly Stouffer/Lewis Johnson). NBC — Stanford at Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. (Tom Hammond/Pat Haden/Alex Flanagan). ABC (WTEN Ch. 10 and WTEN HD) — Illinois at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. (Dave Lamont/David Norrie); Ohio State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. (Brent Musburger/Kirk Herbstreit/Lisa Salters). CBS — Kentucky at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. (Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson/Tracy Wolfson). CBS College Sports — Southern Methodist at Central Florida, 3:30 p.m. (Tom Hart/Trev Alberts); Rice at Tulsa, 8 p.m. (Carter Blackburn/Aaron Taylor). Tuesday ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD — Troy at Florida Atlantic, 8 p.m. (Rece Davis/Lou Holtz and Mark May). Thursday ESPN and ESPN HD — Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. (Chris Fowler/Craig James and Jesse Palmer/Erin Andrews). ESPNU — Winston-Salem State at Florida A&M , 7:30 p.m. (Charlie Neal/Jay Walker). CBS College Sports — Alabama-Birmingham at Houston, 8 p.m. (Tom Hart/Roland Williams). Friday ESPN and ESPN HD — Louisville at Memphis, 8 p.m. (Bob Wischusen/Brock Huard).
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December 2, 2008
8:59 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I am not a Dan Patrick fan. I always found him to be arrogant and an suck-up to athletes. His column for SI is terrible. Rick Reilly is missed. What is the root for his popularity, I do not know.
Why did WOFX get rid of Chris Myers? He was decent and not condascending to all who were listening.
I hope they keep Wyland live from 9 AM to Noon. Albany needs a local midday sports talk show, not another national one.