BenMaller.com - Ben's Takes

Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes

By Ben Maller

Barry Bonds is going to spend at least the 2002 season in San Francisco. The Giants also signed Jason Schmidt to a free-agent deal. It looks again like the Giants will battle the D'backs in the NL West.

Mo Vaughn would be a nice addition to the New York Mets' lineup. The good thing for Steve Phillips the Mets GM is that he doesn't have to worry about giving up anything of value in return. Let's remember we are dealing with the Angels here.

The latest wild rumor has the Dodgers, Angels and Mets all involved in a deal that would send Mo Vaughn to the Mets, the Angels would get Mets pitcher Kevin Appier and Dodgers outfielder Marquis Grissom and pitcher Matt Herges. The Dodgers would end up with halo stopper Troy Percival and infielder Lenny Harris.

The Steal of the week in Baseball: The Red Sox picked up Pokey Reese from the Rockies for backup catcher Scott Hatteburgh. Reese is a gold glove hitter with great speed. If healthy, he'll be at least an average offensive player.

Tino Martinez is a nice guy but I have a feeling he's going to be a huge bust with the St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez hit a number of homeruns in that short porch in the Bronx.

Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week: Which NFL Team has lost the most players to the Injured Reserve list this season??

Someone should call Dodgers GM Dan "Do Nothing" Evans and tell him that this is the time to make the team better.

I wonder how many fans in Orange County bought season ticket packages after the Angels signed lefty Dennis Cook.

Chuck Knoblauch is one of my favorite guys in baseball. My friend Norm Peters introduced me to Chuck when he was playing on the Twins in the mid 90's. Norm had covered the Twins when they won the 1991 world series. I have a feeling Knoblauch will bounce back and have a big year with the Royals.

The Red Sox have a typically average rotation behind Pedro Martinez now. Boston has picked up Darren Oliver, Dustin Hermanson and John Burkett this winter.

Not to pat myself on the back too much, but what the hell, its my website. I had the ""Hideo Nomo going back to the Dodgers story last Wednesday. Suddenly this week the local writing slime picked up on the story.

Nomo lead the AL in Strikeouts last season and will do a good job behind Kevin Brown.

Former 20-Game Winner, Rick Helling, was let go by the Texas Rangers yesterday. The Dodgers could do worse than at least taking a look at the right-hander.

So much for David Wells going back to New York with the Mets or Yankees. The Big Lefty is going to pitch as a third starter for the World Champion Snakes.

How much is a 19-Game loser worth in baseball? How about $4 million dollars. That's what the Braves gave Albie Lopez who was 9-19 with the Devil Rays and D'Backs last season.

The Red Sox were sold to John Henry a man that couldn't help the Marlins turn things around. I wonder if Wally the Green Monster is long for Fenway.

Let's hold off on giving Kordell "Eight TD Passes" Stewart the MVP Award. Stewart is not even a Pro Bowl quarterback. I would select Rich Gannon & Tom Brady from the AFC.

Chris Carter is upset with the Vikings and will probably play with another team next season. I would say the Chargers would be perfect. San Diego is not allowed to sign Carter though, because he never played in Buffalo.

Peyton Manning says publicly that he wants Jim Mora to remain coach of the Indianapolis Colts. That's a good idea except Mora has bigger and better things to do like join the Fox Sports NFL Sunday team.

I think this country of sports fans has gotten too soft. What's the big deal if fans in Cleveland throw some bottles on the field. This should not make national headlines. The fact that the officials blew the call should make the headlines.

Here is another example of a classic gold-digging woman. May of 2000, woman in Las Vegas accuses four men, including Lions QB Charlie Batch, of raping her. No Charges are filed. December of 2001, the woman files a lawsuit accusing the men of raping her and seeks at least $20,000 dollars in damages from each player.

Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg has taken a lot of crap and some of it deserved. While Minnesota and Cincinnati have rolled over at times, Detroit has played hard every week.

How bad are the Bengals? Scott Covington the former Miami QB and Dana Hills high school signal caller who has been out of football for most of this season was signed by Cincinnati and could start Sunday against the Ravens

The Washington Wizards actually look like a team that deserves to be on TNT and NBC.

According to NBA rumors, Jeff Van Gundy will be coaching the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

The Knicks could be looking for another coach soon. New York lost at the Garden last night to Memphis.

The Sonics have beaten the Lakers, Spurs and Kings this season. Yet they still suck at under .500

The Miami Heat should trade point guard Anthony Carter to a good team.

It should be noted that this week no Clipper player got busted for smoking dope or beating up a woman. Hats off boys!

I saw Center Brendon Haywood play at North Carolina and thought he would be a good NBA Player. Why is there such shock that he has actually turned into a good player for the Wizards?

Could KFWB, the new radio home of the Dodgers in 2003, be flipping formats? I hear rumbling coming from Hollywood that LA could get a new talk station or possibly our fifth sports talker.

Jeff Biggs will be hosting a special show on Fox Sports Radio this Saturday Night. Biggsy will be on from 9pm till 1am Pacific time on the Fox Sports Radio Network. I'll try and sit in with Biggsy at least one hour.

Ben Maller & Jason Smith photos from Fox Sports Radio

The last couple of weeks readers have been great e-mailing me different bloopers they have heard on Sports Talk radio stations in town. If you hear anyone goof up or stumble on the air or see a mistake in the paper make sure to e-mail me here at BenMaller.com and If I can confirm it I'll mention it on the site!

Now a message from our sponsors...

A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me along with Bob Page at the Fox Sports Update desk from 5am till 8am(est) Saturday morning. Sunday morning from 4am till 7am I'll be back again. (Heard coast-to-coast)

I'll be filling in for "Mark Patrick on Sports" Christmas eve doing the east coast morning drive show with my former partner Patrick O'Neal. East coast time I'll be on from 5am till 8am, West coast 2am till 5am.

Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week Answer: The Cleveland Browns lead the NFL's banged up teams with a record 15 players out for the year. New England is second with 10 players on injured reserve this season. The league average is 4 1/2.

Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week

Detroit Lions (1-12) at Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2)

The Line: Steelers -10

Ben's Pick: Lions and the points

Did You Know? Last 3 meetings have been decided by 3 points each and in the last 3 minutes of OT

Did You Know 2? Detroit Rookie QB Mike McMahon has gone 87 passes without throwing an INT.

Last Meeting: Lions beat Steelers 19-16 in OT on Nov. 26, 1998, at Detroit.

Big Ben's Breakdown: Pittsburgh is coming off its biggest victory of the season. The Steelers went on the road and beat up the world champion Ravens to clinch the AFC Central. The Steelers can't possibly show up with the same emotional level that they had last week. Pittsburgh still has to win out to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

Kordell Stewart is playing with tons of confidence, still he's always capabable of a dog game and a loss all by himself. With Jerome Bettis not playing again this week the pressure goes back to Stewart.

The Lions are coming off their first win of the season and have played well just about every week. Just good enough to lose, but they have not quit and gotten blownout since a loss to the Rams early in the season. Look for the Lions to hang around with another strong defensive effort and rookie QB Mike McMahon to suprise late and the Lions to shock the AFC Central Champs! (At worst this is an easy cover.)

BenMaller.com Final Score: Lions 23, Steelers 21

Other NFL Picks: Patriots -3 vs. Dolphins, Eagles +2 1/2 at 49ers, Raiders -5 vs. Titans, Saints -2 1/2 at Tampa Bay, Carolina + 12 vs. Rams, Kansas City -3 vs. San Diego, Giants -3 1/2 vs. Seattle, Chicago -1 at Washington, Ravens -11 vs. Bengals, Green Bay -7 1/2 at Cleveland, Lions -10 vs. Detroit, Dallas -3 1/2 at Arizona, Jacksonville +3 1/2 at Minnesota, Colts -1 vs. Jets.

Jason Smith of Fox Sports Radio, NFL Pick of the Week

New York Jets (8-5) at Indianapolis Colts (5-8)

The Line: Colts -1

By BenMaller.com contributer Jason Smith

With most of the good NFL games this week on Saturday, Sunday offers some slim pickins as far as matchups. After careful consideration, the Lead Pipe Cinch Christmas and Kwanzaa Spectacular Lock of the Week Brought to You by the Prudential At the Half Embassy Suites Poulan Weed-Eater Tostitos Nokia Death Row Records Group.

We now sit at 2-3 in our Lead Pipe Cinch Locks of the Week (well, 3-2 if you DON'T count the spread...for entertainment purposes only, of course). At this time of year, when looking for a Lead Pipe Cinch Lock (or even just a lead pipe) you go for the team who needs the game the most. The Jets travel to Indianapolis looking for revenge from Week 1 of the regular season. It looks like the Colts' offense is getting back on track, but I think Bert Jones is in for a tough week, as Marcus Coleman will blanket Roger Carr and Joe Washington will find it difficult to get open out of the backfield as the Jets are on to their game. Wait...wrong decade.

The Colts historically give the Jets trouble, it's in Indianapolis, the Jets have already gotten blown out by them once this year, the Jets barely got by the Bengals, Dominic Rhodes is making everyone forget Edgerrin James, and the Colts looked revitalized against Atlanta.

So obviously, the pick is the Jets. They need it. The Colts need some defensive draft picks. Vinny Testaverde seems to be awakening from his season-long slumber (granted it was against the Bengals) and this could be the breakout week the New Yorkers need. A Jets' win springboards them into the playoffs, with a shot at the division title as well.

They need it. Shrek needs it. To quote Eddie Murphy "I believe I believe I believe I believe..."

Jason Smith's Final Score: Jets 34 Colts 24. Vinny finally over 200 yards in a game, so let's make it 300 in the win with Curtis Martin over 100 yards. Happy Holidays!
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Thursday, December 20, 2001

Chick Needs To Cut Back

By Ben Maller

He’s the rock, the one constant in a world of change. From Jerry West to Wilt to Magic then to Club Ced and on to Shaq, Kobe and Phil, Chick Hearn has seen it all, lived it all. He’s the greatest basketball announcer ever. What Vin Scully is to Dodger Baseball, Chick Hearn is to Lakers' Basketball.

Chick had open-heart surgery yesterday and they say he will be all better in six weeks. Yet, I think this is the time that the Lakers must step in and take a stand. Hearn is an amazing man at age 85 to be able to handle the demanding travel schedule of a six-month NBA season and always bring it to the mic everynight.

I had a chance to see Harry Carey his last few years with the Cubs and it wasn’t pretty. Harry only broadcast home games at Wrigley Field and that was a struggle. He was more of a cartoon character than a broadcaster at the end.

I don’t want to see Chick go out like that. I’m hoping the Lakers will do the right thing and cut back his travel schedule, roll out the red carpet and make things as easy as they can on their living legend.

The Dodgers have done it with Vin Scully. Vin does not go on every road trip and normally takes games off that are not on TV. I hear that the Lakers have tried this before and Chick has always said no, but after heart surgery it seems obvious that this is a must.

Hearn should be able to do all the home games and selected road games. It's time to cut back so we can get the most out of the greatest basketball voice in history.

Tonight marks a piece of history for Los Angeles sports fans. The Lakers will take the court in Houston at the Compac center to play the Rockets and Chick Hearn will not be behind the radio and television Mic. Paul Sunderland has the job of filling in for the golden throat, he’ll do a good job but he’s in a no-win position.

While Jerry West was great and Magic was the Best and Shaq is the greatest big man of his time and Kobe is the next Michael Jordan, Chick Hearn is the greatest Laker of all-time!!

What do you think? Write back
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Holiday Gift for SportsRadio Fans

What is a day in the life of Mike & The Mad Dog like? Is Arnie Spanier a dick off the air. Where did J.T. the brick come from? To get the answers to these questions and learn more about the wacky world of sports talk radio this is the book for you. I don't read many books and don't recall ever recommending any to read, however if your a sports talk radio fan Sports Talk : A Journey Inside the World of Sports Talk Radio is a must read.

Author Alan Eisenstock was a guest on my radio show at Fox Sports Radio and did a great job of going behind the scenes in this wacky business.

I get at least one e-mail a week from someone who wants to be a sportstalk radio host and asks for advice. This book goes behind the scenes to see how many of the best sports talkers in America got started. There are some truly amazing stories. For Example:

Mike North, the top-ranked highly paid afternoon host in Chicago at the Score is a high school drop-out who was a hot dog vendor in Chicago before getting his break.

There are other interesting stories such as:

Eddie Andelman, the 30 year grizzled veteran of the sports-talk radio wars in Boston was just taken off the air at his now former station WEEI. Read why Eddie was unhappy working at the station.

Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton who I worked for in my first radio job back in the early 90's has a chapter dedicated to his sportsticker-like mind. Wonder what makes the Saw tick? Find out in this book.

Eisenstock even goes behind the scenes to interview some sports talk radio callers.

You Can order the Book by clicking here: Sports-Talk Radio Books
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Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Is Ali a Racist?

By Ben Maller

The sports media works in strange ways. Coach Dan Issel is caught on Television yelling at a Hispanic fan and gets suspended by the Denver Nuggets for four games. Issel's story is the lead on ESPN and FOX as well as most sports talk radio networks.

Boxing and American legend Muhammad Ali appears at a gathering in Washington, DC and makes several racist jokes and the media acts like it doesn't happen. I tried to find the Ali story on ESPN.com, CNNSI.com, FoxSports,com and CBS.Sportsline.com. I watched Sports Center and the National Sports Report and didn't see or hear a word about it.

Among the "Jokes" that Ali dropped were the following. "What's the difference between a Jew and a canoe?" Answer "A canoe tips!"

Another of the Champs Jokes:

"A black, a Puerto Rican and a Mexican are in car. Who's driving?" According to Ali "The police!"

Now, I love a good joke as much as the next guy and don't have much of a problem with racial humor if its done in fun. My problem is with the way this story was covered. If your going to bash John Rocker and Dan Issel for their racial views then you should also at least mention Ali's comments.

READ THE ALI STORY HERE permalink

Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Body Solutions King

By Ben Maller

The King of "Body Solutions": Back in 1998 while working at XTRA SPORTS, I was approached by a sales lady named Jennifer Bennett to see If I would be interested in trying a new weight loss product named Body Shaper, I decided to go for it.

Within weeks this product took off. I was doing live 2 minute spots on any given day. Listeners could not get enough of this stuff. In the first three months that I was selling Body Shaper with XTRA, the Ben & Dave show time slot was 3rd best in the Nation! What makes me feel even better is the fact that I was the first Los Angeles radio personality to sell the product on the air. After the early success Body Shaper turned into Body Solutions and I was still setting records selling the product. I have to admit that I lost weight not as much as I could have had I followed the program more closely. Now I hear Tom Leykis, J.T. The Brick, Larry Elder and just about every station in LA running spots for the product.

Body Solutions' sales department put out a demo tape of some of the best commercials for their products around the country. I'm honored to say that the commercial that they still play from the Los Angeles Market is one that I did!

Fred Roggin Slams LA Sports Talk Radio Station permalink

Monday, December 17, 2001

Big Ben's Weekend Wrap

By Ben Maller

One game does not make a career, yet Kordell Stewart had a great night with 333 yards passing two touchdowns against the Ravens. Until Stewart gets it done in the postseason I'm not ready to give him a Pro Bowl ticket.

Jason Smith my partner on Fox Sports Radio compared Kordell Stewart to Brett Favre. Now that's an outrageous statement!

It seems so simple, under NFL rules, a challenge must be made before the next play takes place. That didn't stop referee Terry McAualy from making up his own rules in the final minutes of the Browns game with Jacksonville.

Craig, a listener to Fox Sports Radio in Cleveland on Fox Sports 1340am called the show and explained that he had paid $249.00 bucks for his ticket, $30.00 bucks for parking and on and on. A beer at a Cleveland Browns game costs $6.50. According to the reports about 1,000 beer bottles were on the field. That's 6500 bucks of beer! Not bad.

The Detroit Lions ruined what would have been the greatest story of the 2001 NFL season. With a 27-24 victory against the Vikings the Lions avoided a chance at 0-16.

Chicago is back in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1994. Da' Bears took apart the Bucs 27-3.

San Francisco's 21-0 victory over the Dolphins was the most impressive performance of the day.

Who would have thought that Steve McNair would outplay Brett Favre. McNair threw for two touchdowns and 283 yards.

How can the Jets feel good about having to rally at home to beat the Bengals by one point 15-14? What happens when NY plays a good team.

Roll over of the week goes to the Dallas Cowboys who got crushed in Seattle. The Seahawks outscored the Boys 17-0 in the final quarter.

The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to become the first team in NFL history to lose to a pair of teams who only have one win. The Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions are each 1-12, their only win was against the Vikings.

Skip Hicks was a star at UCLA in the mid 90's. He's still alive, in fact he had 142 yards for the Titans in their win against Green Bay.

When it's money time in the AFC playoffs, my bets are going to be in this order:

1.) Raiders 2.) Patriots 3.) Steelers 4.) Dolphins 5.) Ravens

As for the NFC, as long as the Rams have home-field advantage they should get back to the Super Bowl.

1.) Rams 2.) Packers 3.) Bears 4.) Niners

Big Ben's Three Game Balls

3.) Mike McMahon, Detroit Lions' QB, who accounted for 316 yards, a rushing touchdown and no turnovers in the win vs. Minnesota.

2.) Anthony Thomas, Chicago Bears' RB, 173-Yards rushing in win vs. Bucs.

1.) Kordell Stewart, Pittsburgh Steelers' QB, career-high 333 yards 20 of 31 passing and two touchdowns.

Big Ben's Three Bums:

3.) Ahman Green, Green Bay Packers, the NFL's leading rusher, was held to nine yards on nine carries.

2.) Keyshawn Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, caught a pass late in the first half against the Bears and then fumbled at the Chicago 10 yard line.

1.) Terry McAulay, referee, overturned a call after another play had been run, causing a near riot in Cleveland, and giving Jacksonville a victory.

It's good to see Mark Guthrie get a chance to play with Mike Piazza and the Mets. Guthrie was traded for David Justice on Friday. When I first started covering the Dodgers in the early 90's, I went out with Guthrie on the road. He's a great guy and I wish him all the best pitching at Shea.

When the story broke it was front page news. Now you have to look for details. LA Clippers' center Michael Olowokandi will not be charged in a skirmish with a former girlfriend, the district attorney's office said Friday. It's good to hear that the Candy Man is ok.

George O'Leary should not have been forced out as coach of Notre Dame. Many people have pumped up their resumes. O'Leary's job is to win football games. He was hired for what he did at Georgia Tech not because he had a masters degree.

Lou Holtz would be a wonderful hire by Notre Dame. If Jon Gruden and Steve Mariucci aren't available then Holtz is the man.

The only way that George O'Leary will work as a college coach again is if his friend Ralph Friedgen hires him as an assistant at Maryland.

Friday I pointed out that A.J. Morgan of ESPN Radio 1110 did a sports update that had him butcher all four names in the Dodgers trade with the Blue Jays. Friday night Ron in Culver City e-mailed in to say that he was listening to my old radio station at 5:20 Friday afternoon when the local sports update guy who goes by the initials TC failed to mention the fact that George O'Leary was forced to resign as coach at Notre Dame. Oops who goofed?

NFL WEEK 14 Pictures
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