BY ALL ACCOUNTS,
Jim Kozimor is a good guy.
"A real good pinch-hitter," says a local sports broadcast heavyweight.
Comcast (NBC Sports Bay Area) thinks otherwise.
Kozimor recently left the Bay Area and his gig at the local sports cable outlet --they cover the
Giants, Warriors, A's, Sharks pre and post-game,
49ers too--Kozimor was a reliable back-up studio host known as a nice guy; a capable #2 and 3 and effective, albeit somewhat generic and benign in personality.
But Kozimor wasn't making any headway at NBC Sports Bay Area, which is known for being cheap and hardly generous to its air talent, ask Greg Papa, who is (was) one of its top-tier anchors until cheaper options were discovered.
Kozimor basically told NBC Sports (Bay Area) to shove it. At least that's what I'm hearing. He (Kozimor) also may have included his ex-wife and the Bay Area and its cost-of-living in the process.
Kozimor is now away and back at his roots and for now, probably looking for a new gig in the Midwest.
*
UPDATE
Hello Nashville.
‘Kozy’ as his friends call him
ReplyDeleteis an energetic, creative guy. But NBC sports Bay Area never appreciated him because they care only about $ and cents. That’s why you see no-talent hacks such as Carlos Ramirez and neophytes such as Laura Britt and Bonta on the air. They drive out veteran such as Greg Papa, Dave Benz and Jaymee Sire because they could care less about quality.They’re worse than the 2 Bay Area sports radio stations because, unlike KNBR and ‘The Game,’. they have ZERO credibility. The other night when the brain-dead nincompoop Ramirez ran around the set screaming in jubilation like a little kid after the Giants won a game, it epitomized the kind of rank amateurs that run through that place like potato chips. I doubt if they get many viewers for ANY of their post game shows because who wants to watch them? Remember, this is the same outfit that hired that ditzy airhead-valley girl ‘Amy G.’ who was an absolute embarrassment to the Giants. She must have had some dirt on the sleazy Larry Baer, or some of the suits at NBC sports Bay Area to keep that ‘reporter’ job on the Giants’ broadcasts for so many years. I hear that Krukow, Kuioer, Miller and Flemming are thrilled she’s no longer around to waste time on the broadcasts with her valid interviews in the stands with people who are involved in Giants’ community projects. Larry Baer LOVES to promote those kind of things.
Huh, they could care less? Do they do so with all intensive purposes? I can't believe those guys hate valid interviews.
DeleteLarry Baer... the Tony Salvadore of the SF Giants. Both are scumbags. Also, can someone explain why the Warriors keep Bob Fitzgerald? Fitz's is the biggest egomanical blow hard around.
DeleteJaymee Sire willingly left CSNBA for ESPN, and did very well there until they cut over 100 employees in one of their reductions. Ramirez is horrible, but probably better than the Sunday baseball quartet NBC Sports Bay Area uses. If Amy G was an embarrassment to the Giants why did they hire her fulltime when NBCSBA let her go?
DeleteJaymee Sire left comcast for ESPN it was espn who let her go
DeleteDid NBC Sports Bay Area really drive away Dave Benz and Jaymee Sire? The channel was called Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area when they left. Dave Benz left to broadcast for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jaymee Sire got a job with ESPN.
DeleteYou get what you pay for and in this season we as viewers are paying from what NBC Sports Bay Area chooses to lurch up to us. Carlos Ramirez needs to be replaced yesterday.
DeleteWho will NBC Sports Bay Area
ReplyDeletehire next. Maybe Ryan Leong?
Oh dear God no! The king of the stringers! He can't even give ESPN radio a thirty second update on a 49ers game or Stanford Football game without tripping over his words. Bay Area Sports Wrap? https://twitter.com/RyanLeong?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://www.bayareasportswrap.com/ The guys who run this website "covered the San Jose Earthquakes and the Oakland A's". Two teams the Bay Area could care less about. I know for a fact the Giants, 49ers and Warriors do not issue anyone represeting this "so called" sports website credentials. Leong lies his way into games claiming he represents AP or is a stringer for ESPN or CBS Sports. Clown!
DeleteBruce McGowan
DeleteLet's hope not.
DeleteFor 5:35 PM https://search.audioburst.com/burst/Z13Ka20WoWW1/Pinch-runner-Yelich-scores-winner-in-10th-Brews-beat-Giants?listBy=related
DeleteI thought Big Bruce retired.
DeleteThe rank amateurism at the station is appalling, particularly on Giants pre- and post-game shows. It is unwatchable. I feel badly for Kontos snd Estes, who look downright embarrassed by the goofs that surround them. Laura seems to revel in playing up her vapid knowledge of the outside world. Shameful. I guess you get what you pay for, which ain’t much.
ReplyDelete"Koz" was also very,very conservative politically, once when he was filling in on knbr fm, a caller called him out on something and he said the guy was fake news like cnn,and I also recall he made some comments about liking trump..maybe he wanted to leave "ultra liberal" california too
ReplyDelete@unknown stuntman I don't doubt that to be true. I remember during the week of the George Floyd stuff, Eric Davis was on 95.7 as a guest on the morning show, which was at the time, Koz, Lo, and Dibs. I remember Eric Davis was kind of heated and pissed at Kozimor. I only caught part of the interview, but I'm guessing Kozimor must've had an opinion on the BLM stuff that must've rubbed Eric Davis the wrong way.
DeleteEric Davis tried to educate Kozimor on BLM, but it was the most heated I heard Eric Davis in an interview. Eric Davis is usually an even keeled guy and he rarely gets angry or heated, even if he's on to talk about the Niners. I don't think 95.7 has had Eric Davis as a guest much since then. I haven't really looked at Kozimor the same way since then. You would think someone of Kozimor's stature who has worked with, covered, and interviewed minority athletes, would be more sensitive to what BLM means for Black people and minorities, even if he possibly didn't believe in it at the time or question what it really meant.
But yes, regarding Kozimor, he does give off that quirky conservative Midwest vibe. He has Trump guy written all over him. At least we won't have to hear him talk about the split Giants-A's caps when the Giants and A's play each other going forward. He loved to piss off Giants and A's fans with that cap.
I thought his body of work was fine but got definitely put off, when he started to bash Hillary with bad jokes, this was 3 years after the election in 2016.. Never looked at him the same way.
DeleteThanks, this makes me a bigger fan of Koz.
DeleteAbe Felch
KCBS
Otis you are such a fool
Delete@1:00- How am I a fool? I hurt your feelings man? You want to talk about it?
Deletenever liked the guy. Would sneak in political digs and fake Covid stuff on 95.7 when filling in last year. A Sacramento type guy. Not men for cosmopolitan area. The South would be more his style.
ReplyDeleteKozy was definitely a Trumpster. But he’s not as right wing as Sharks’ radio announcer Dan Ruzanowski. He’s a conspiracy theorist who thinks QuAnon has a legitimate place and should have candidates on the ballot.
ReplyDelete@6:17- Oh really? Wow.... That's disappointing, especially since Dan Ruzanowski is looked upon with high regard here in the Bay Area
DeleteNot saying this isn't true, but can you say what makes you say this? That's a strong thing to say about someone and as a Sharks fan, I'd like to know more about this.
DeleteI don't buy that for a second. Would love to know your source or if you have something to corroborate this info.
DeleteI thought Kozimor was really good on KGMZ; funny and seemingly genuine. Sorry to see him go.
ReplyDeleteGood move NBC Sports showing pompous Papa the door; the less I see or hear him the better.
I liked Koz. As "The Scrubs," he and Whitey Gleason made a good team. They would make cultural references that baby boomers could understand.
ReplyDeleteKozy’s political opinions had NO place on a talk show. If he wants to praise Trump, fine, but do it privately. We don’t need to hear extreme opinions on the air. The late Ralph Barbieri used to do that a lot. Salvador, who is an enthusiastic right wing zealot didn’t care. “ It’s good for ratings!” he’d say. Salvador was like the kid who’d yell “fight! Fight!” when two kids would go at it on the playground.
ReplyDeleteApparently you never heard Murphy talk... talk show hosts spew thier politics all the time.. I just wasn't your view.
DeleteThank you, 12:59 AM. Damon Bruce does the same. Stick to sports.
DeleteKoz and Whitey. Are these guys from a 1950s TV sitcom?
ReplyDeleteWhitey should seriously go by his regular name, Kevin. He tells the story from time to time of how he got the nickname Whitey, but should he really be going by Whitey in 2022? As you alluded to, this isn't the 1950's anymore.
DeleteKevin Michael Gleason sounds better than Whitey Gleason.
Miss Koz, seemed like a good guy and genuine.
ReplyDeletePeter Felch
KCBS
Papa is an anus. I would love to see Jayme Sire or Kelli Johnson back at NBC Bay Area. Both knew sports.
ReplyDeleteHow do I know that Danny-boy, the voice of the Sharks is a right wing zealot and a QuAnon supporter you ask. Because I once made the mistake of getting into a political discussion with him. His views are absolutely mind blowing and appalling. But at least he doesn’t advertise them on the air like that right wing fool Monte Moore, ( former A’s announcer,) and Kozy used to sometimes do.
ReplyDeleteMonte Moore sucked as a broadcaster then and forever. Talk about a corny homer that few respected.
ReplyDelete@9:35- I think Jon Miller mentioned him in the past and it seemed like Jon Miller has fond memories of Monte Moore growing up in the Bay.
DeleteThat’s because Jon’s first job in the major leagues was working with Moore on the A’s broadcast. Knowing how Monte backstabbed practically all of his many of his cohorts over the year by talking trash about them to owner Charlie Finley, it’s no surprise that Miller was sent packing after one year. No one liked working with Monte who was an insecure horse’s rear end. He knew baseball, but was the classic Homer and he also who kept his job by doing Finley’s bidding; snitching on the players.
ReplyDeleteI like Ryan Leong. He’s fast, funny and knows his stuff. He’d be a major improvement over Carlos Ramirez. Ryan’s been covering Bay Area sports for years and is liked and respected by his peers. Love his website. Check it out
ReplyDelete