He's funny, smart, highly informed, knows his sports and is, occasionally, a pain in the ass too, which automatically makes him a legend in NY, which he is.
I bring this up because every now and then some alien from another planet says the morning Radnich program on
KNBR "
is the best sports-talk show in the country." Not even close. No comparison. Granted, Radnich's enterprise is vastly different than Francesa and the Bay Area, obviously, is a far cry from New York City--still, Francesa, if you're a sports fan, is meat and potatoes while
Radnich is more scrambled eggs.
For starters, Francesa doesn't need to pull the Don Rickles act every day like Radnich does--irritating as all get go and flush with repetitious bullshit; how many times can you stomach this: You have to have kids to be something; For the 99th time; Got the Bentley out to get the brakes checked, and on and on...Do we see a pattern here? Same old shit. Does Gary think you're a moron? No, but he insults and dumbs down his audience like they're a pack of Fremont idiots. Of course, the bulk of KNBR's beer and boobs demo is men, I get it, but the constant Raddy cackling with the two side-by-side Neanderthals is mostly empty.
On the other hand, Francesa is brick and mortar. Interviews galore, the best guests and engaging commentary and opinion spiced up with his own kvetching and yes, while he kvetches, he's still funnier than hell, all the while engaging also and best yet, doesn't lecture you on the
importance of having kids and being responsible in life. Sometimes when I'm listening to Radnich it's as if
Dr. Phil hijacked the program. Funny, I thought it was a sports program.
Give me conversational girth, mix it up a notch, don't do the same thing over and over, most of all, cut all the Shecky Green shit--every now and then, sure, it's funny, real funny in fact, but not when you know it's coming and becomes all too predictable and Raddy's act has become a stale rye bread with loads of baloney and velveeta.
I'm a steak guy. And Francesa is a
42-ounce Porterhouse with plenty of broccoli and hollandaise sauce. Solo too. It's an acquired taste but if you like simple, basic, yeah--again, --meat and potato-style sports-talk radio then Francesa's daily presentation is the very best.
Radnich has
his advocates --including me at times when
he does an interview, say with a controversial guest with a controversial topic, he
shines, and for that is to be complimented. When he goes off the trail and meanders into the
having kids bullshit, he loses me.
Yes, Francesa is king. In my opinion.
KTVU veteran anchor, Claudine Wong, was robbed at the Concord Costco Friday.
Tadich Grill is my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. Part of why Tadich is so good is not just the food, it's superb; you know that; it's the consistency. You have a constant going in: the bread is fresh, always fresh; the coffee, the white napkins, the waiters--everything is always the same. I like sitting at the counter. I used to see Herb Caen and Willie Brown at the back table but Caen once told me his favorite seat was the counter. So there. Did I mention the food? My god, heaven on a plate. Greatest sand dabs in the city. Salmon to die for. 
Original Joe's is right at the top of the list. In its new reincarnation in North Beach, the place is always packed. The media crowd is thick. If you like Italian, this place is about at good as it gets. In my opinion, Joe's has the BEST burger in the city. It's old-school, patty on grilled sourdough cut in half, (no bun)--and hardly any crap like lettuce and pickles --it's huge and delicious. 
John's Grill: Been around for gazillion of years, John's Grill is much like Tadich: consistently good, great food, and old-school en fuego. It's a throwback to the old-fashioned San Francisco eateries--seafood, steaks, and the best iceberg lettuce salad on planet Earth. Another Caen hangout. 
You didn't think I'd miss this place did ya?
Bay Area TV/Radio News, Notes and gossip.
Today, Saturday, I'm filling in to host the Saturday Special from 10 AM to Noon, PT, Live HERE on KSCO Radio.
Fire up your Bay Area media questions and I will do my best to answer. News, sports, culture, whatever...TV/Radio/Internet/Newspaper, even restaurants too.
This has become a popular feature and I'm going to begin a regular Saturday schedule.
