THURSDAY QUICK START
*Ray Ratto has been paired with Tom Tolbert on all-sports Knibber. It's a winning combination. Here's hoping Knibber makes this a permanent move. Outside of both Ratto's and Tolbert's obvious keen sports inside info, the duo offer welcome bits of humor and anecdotal minutiae. It's easily the best and most intelligent show on KNBR. Combined with Ray Woodson's new gig replacing the insufferable Red Bull Eric Byrnes as "Sportsphone 680" host, civility has been restored to the evening.
*NBC Bay Area's (KNTV) lead anchor, Raj Mathai, will guest on my radio show after the 49ers Sunday Night Football game, (app. 9-9: 30 PM).
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I agree Rich! I don't have control over my thumb that changes channels on my stearing wheel. It has a mind of it's own and when it is bored it just changes channels. When Tom is by himself my thumb inevitability drifts to something else. When Tom and Ray are together my thumb seems very content....go figure?
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better myself. Ratto and Tolbert might be better than the Razor and Mr. T. With Krug and Gary and Ratto and Tolbert, the only thing that needs to be fixed is the afternoon show.
ReplyDeleteSo, will you be asking Raj why Tom Sinkovitz hates him so much he quit rather than work with Mathai as News Director?
ReplyDeleteAgree that Ratto & Tolbert are a good pairing. Byrnes was dumbing Tommy down to his level whereas Ray brings a good balance - sort of like Gary and Larry. I think in time, Tolbert's easy-going nature will also cure Ratto of some of his negativity like he did with Ralph's ego.
ReplyDeleteSo Byrnes has been sacked, he was just awful, I have switched mostly to the Game. Ratto talks so damn slow, it becomes way to irritating to listen too. Although his sports knowledge is way higher then Tolbert, who think like a genius compared to Ralph, who sounded like a intern.
ReplyDeleteI also agree.....Ratto and Tolbert are perfect together and YES...let's hope it's permanent. Also...what happened to "red bull"...is he gone from KNBR. No announcement has been made on either him or Ratto.
ReplyDeleteGreat move. Tolbert is one of the few guys, maybe the only one, where Ray sounds like he's having a good time with him. Don't get me wrong. Ray Ratto is one of the most knowledgable people on not only sports, but injecting common sense into sports stories. Very few people do that; it's just that with Tolbert, he's not as curmudgeonly.
ReplyDeleteSo its Official Byrnes is gone from KNBR?
ReplyDeleteBecause Ray has nothing provocative to say -ever. He's a nice cartoon curmudgeon,but his substance is shallow. Ray upsets nobody on the Giants or Warriors or 49ers. He tows the line. Ray, bring social commentary into sports talk? Never heard it from him even once.
ReplyDeleteI like Byrnes for baseball - guess I'm in the minority. Ratto is fine but he has the Ralph problem of I'm smarter than you. Ratto - Lynch knows more about the Niners than you do. Shea knows more about baseball. Please get that.
ReplyDeleteRatto is great--as is the Ratto Chatto and Weekend Riff at http://www.csnbayarea.com/
ReplyDeleteRich.....so what's the answer? Is Byrnes officially gone from KNBR?
ReplyDeleteAm I alone in thinking "How the hell did Ray Ratto even get on the radio? His knowledge of sports is so limited! He says stuff just to say stuff. It's like, "I have to say something controversial or profound so..." He has this lame ass shtick of I'm going to negatively criticize every player and team I can. My M.O. will be to be Mr. Contrarian. Even though I've never played, I'll be that beer drinking, overweight guy who rips professional athletes because now I feel better about myself. Further, half the time when he's talking about an athlete I feel like he's making it up as he he's going along. It sounds to me like he has never even watched the specific player/game/sport he's talking about. Or, if he has, it wasn't very much or for very long. He's an embarrassment, and I can hardly bear to listen to him. But I do because Tolbert is so good. Because he has this rep as kind of a wild, crazy guy, he's underrated. He does his homework. He works hard. Unlike Ratto who pretends to know sports, Tolbert REALLY knows sports. Not just because he played (although I enjoy that perspective, too) but because you can tell he watches a lot of sports and, more importantly, STUDIES them. Ratto doesn't study sports. He doesn't earn his money. Get him off the air!
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