Toucher and Hardy: The new 98.5 morning show
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
Wow, Bird got fired for taking a picture out in public at the beginning of COVID and posting it on social media. Sounds like he wasn't long for the job anyways since he was watching movies for 2 hours during the show
Anyone have insight into why Fred was hammering Roche on his dad (now deceased) not taking him to the hall of fame? Unsure why in the world that is funny but wasn't sure if there was some backstory there beyond Fred doing whatever he can to make Roche uncomfortable.
Fred routinely tries to make Roche uncomfortable. It doesn't matter the topic. My dime-store psychology analysis behind it is that Roche is a glass half-full guy, and Fred is quite clearly the opposite. That was stupid.
Additionally, dirty old Fred was back this morning, tying together a scatalogically-themed segment with stalking K. Middleton. It's been a rough morning for him.
Additionally, dirty old Fred was back this morning, tying together a scatalogically-themed segment with stalking K. Middleton. It's been a rough morning for him.
I listen, but the dad thing seemed really odd to me (the sexual stuff he pulls with Roche, I guess, I get). I think I am wrapping up my listening. My conclusion is Fred’s unable to carry the show but seems to want to (to the point where is talks and walks all over Hardy) and isn’t remotely as funny/interesting as he thinks he is (his inability to form cogent thoughts quickly is also killing me as now he talks 75% of the show); I haven’t laughed at Fred in a long while and I was just thinking today about how miserable it was to listen to.
I think there's fair criticism of the show. It's not great! I find myself listening much less and going for music way more often.
I was mainly directing my point to @Granite Sox who just seems to hate listen (I get it, I have those shows too) and posts as if Fred ran over his dog or something.
I was mainly directing my point to @Granite Sox who just seems to hate listen (I get it, I have those shows too) and posts as if Fred ran over his dog or something.
Oh. Okay. The dad thing I didn’t know (I guess I need to listen more - or not . . .).
And it's never been funny. btw anyone catch the shot at rich by beetle during the crossover?
It’s really amazing how much apparently Fred hated Rich by the end. From the crossover comment the other day about how Zo hates Rich, the Nantucket stuff today and he won’t let it go. I take everything Fred says with a grain of salt but I have no idea how the show functioned.
It really seems like Rich was disliked across the board by everyone in the building
This was an interesting note (just some schmuck on Reddit but I guess the twitch transcript could be researched) where Lockhart said he wouldn't have stayed on the show if Rich was still there
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/6NFg7gke31
I personally think the show is improving, Hardy is starting to really flourish in the 2 chair, and their non-sports bits get funnier and funnier. Could always do with 1000000% less Albert Breer
This was an interesting note (just some schmuck on Reddit but I guess the twitch transcript could be researched) where Lockhart said he wouldn't have stayed on the show if Rich was still there
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/6NFg7gke31
I personally think the show is improving, Hardy is starting to really flourish in the 2 chair, and their non-sports bits get funnier and funnier. Could always do with 1000000% less Albert Breer
The shows definitely improving. It’s barely been a month but Hardy’s fitting in nicely, bringing content and pushing back on Fred.
Fred’s stopped doing poop/feet DA constantly which is a huge win. Rich was basically Jimmy Fallon laughing at his own jokes for 4 hours by the end.
Man, that's pretty shocking considering that Rich paid to keep Lockhart on the show after he was laid off.
I agree. If some dude saved my job by voluntarily paying me out of his own pocket I would at the very least not say mean things about him to internet randos no matter how much I hated him.
That's a good reddit thread by the way. I think a lot of us who liked the show the way Rich was doing it aren't going to switch over to Hillman, I personally don't know what to listen to. I can't listen to the audiobooks I always wanted to read because when I have to concentrate at work I lose the plot and I have to keep rewinding over and over. It's gotten so bad for me that I have done things like listen to 3 different versions of Mahler's 8th.
I continue to think it's pretty shitty for everyone involved to take public shots at a guy with no platform himself. Especially considering he was an equal contributor to their incredible success. Maybe he was a gigantic dick, I just don't see why that laundry needs to be continuously aired publicly. There's plenty of downtime to shoot the shit about that type of stuff during commercials or whatever.
I just find him boring and someone who takes himself way too seriously. It's the same with any of the other sports reporters they have on. At least Gorman leans into some of the jokes from the show throughout the morning
I'd much rather they have a weekly spot with a stand-up or something because it would be far more interesting. I know this thread hates her but I think the segments with Kendra are really good because she has a strong personality outside of sports and the personal anecdotes about Jacksonville and weird internet encounters make for really fun radio
Pretty good bit this morning with a Las Vegas local news item about someone calling the cops because they claimed to see aliens. Another good one last week about the "Diaper Spa" up in NH. I know they can't just flat out copy the Armpits of America bit, however the weird local news stories are right in this shows' wheelhouse.
I joined just to share this tidbit from Reddit…
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/VxUsQ2ZgEZ
“I’ve also heard that Beasley did offer him a contract, but Rich countered, and that’s where things seemed to fall through.”
Sooo, assuming this is legit… Beasley made an offer, then Rich countered asking for more money. Beasley said no and pulled the original offer??
Maybe thats why all that weird shit was happening with the show accounts. Rich knew no deal was getting done and he wanted to take all the followers and run.
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/VxUsQ2ZgEZ
“I’ve also heard that Beasley did offer him a contract, but Rich countered, and that’s where things seemed to fall through.”
Sooo, assuming this is legit… Beasley made an offer, then Rich countered asking for more money. Beasley said no and pulled the original offer??
Maybe thats why all that weird shit was happening with the show accounts. Rich knew no deal was getting done and he wanted to take all the followers and run.
Breer leans into jokes all the time on T&R and the Midday show. I don't think any of the people they have take themselves too seriously, else Fred wouldn't have them on. When they haven't, like Brad Stevens, Fred's kicked them off the show. Half of the time the guest they have are joking about coming on about a guy who's sexually attracted to balloons, farts, or some other nonsense. It's got a bit weird with Jaffe, but I have no idea what's going on there.
They have beat guys / reporters on every day, they can't do a standup guy everyday, it's not Stern. They are on a sports station with some basis in sports, even if it's not a serious sports talk show.
I love Kendra, I think she's great and she's a grown adult. She's not intimidated by Fred and is tough as nails. Fred can go too far sometime, but she's a great listen when she's on here or on the weekends / The Joe Show.
That's a good point on rotating people out, I guess maybe I am just hoping for something that can't be accomplished on that station, I just tend to tune out when it's a hard sports interview
Haven't heard much of weekends or joe because I don't happen to be in the car during those shows but I'll definitely check out the pods because she seems like a reason to tune in
Great thread. Thank you for sharing the link. I have to admit: I'm starting to drift away from the show little bit by little bit. It's just not the same without Rich's structured bits and format. Hardy seems overwhelmed by Fred, and Wallach is...Wallach. I will continue to give it a little more time, but I have a feeling by the summer it will be podcasts only for me in the AM.
And mostly ALL negative. The posters all seem articulate and inciteful too. Bad sign for the show.
Not sure I’d call it wild. Looks like a handful of people saying the same shit over and over again. Kinda like this thread.
Welcome to SoSH by the way!
I'm with you. For years I launched the stream each morning excited to listen to the show. But the last few weeks I'm less and less enthused to listen. There are still moments of entertaining radio. There are also long stretches that range from mediocre to lousy.
How much of an asshole was rich? We all can see how fucked up Fred is and in any other scenario he would be the clear cut pick to get the boot. At first it was kinda just Fred’s word and obviously he’d be biased, but as time has gone by and more things trickle out about how Rich was universally disliked. He must have been just a complete dickhead.
rich and fred seem to have wound up like an unhappy married couple, no longer able to handle each other’s negative traits. But we are getting a pretty one-sided picture of this version of their break-up.
Unfortunately, the resultant current version of the show is overwhelmed by fred’s overbearing and over talking negative-ness, an increasingly adolescent preoccupation with sex, as well as his not being able to simply talk coherently. Not a good sound from a supposed industry leader.
I agree at first it was one sided and I took what Fred was saying with a grain of salt. I was hoping rich at least did a podcast or something while he’s unemployed just to get a more balanced view. But with the revelation that Bertrand and Zolak couldn’t stand rich to the point of not even putting up with him for 2 mins to do a simple crossover, coupled with the Reddit thing about Lockhart preferring to sacrifice his job just to no longer have to work with rich, is making everything Fred says a lot more believable.
I love it how things become fact due to reading on Reddit that somebody said they had a conversation with somebody in a Twitch chat. Have you ever been in that Twitch chat? It’s just a 6-10am back and forth of “Rich is gay” jokes. A few of the users are all right, but it’s a pretty toxic place. I eventually turned the chat option off on my TV.
Just posted on instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3DllyFR0o2/?igsh=Z2h1ZHlraHVid2t3
Very impressive!
I may be misrembering but didn't Minihane say years ago that Rich was hated in the SportsHub building?
It was something like "Fred may seem like the jerk on the air but Rich is actually the one that people don't like" I believe. I didn't give it much thought at the time because, y'know, Minihane. This, the not having talked to Adolfo thing, and the Lockhart thing does make me reconsider that a little bit. I was really disappointed to hear that.
...but again, if that's the case why were people going to Rich's parties and offsite get togethers and not Fred's? I remember Fred had whole segment asking coworkers "why didn't you come to my party?". I thought at the time no one had the heart to tell him "because I don't like you" because it sure seemed like they were dancing around it.
I wonder if Hardy also hates Rich to the point that they wouldn't have been able to make a Rich and Hardy show work.
Random thought: Fred did bring up a good point yesterday about the social media accounts. They’ve gotten much better in the past few months promoting the show. Especially the videos on instagram. We really didn’t get that when Rich was controlling them.
Rich also used them more like his personal account which was weird to me.
Rich also used them more like his personal account which was weird to me.
Are you the North Shore Beef account that Joe Murray always talks about?
Is it me or are there like 8 posters who have joined in the last couple months who solely post in the media forum? Almost exclusively about 98.5 shows?
Obvious 98.5 insiders.
If one of them starts promoting magic shops or leather dojos I'm going to totally lose it.
This is all just speculation from me: but I wonder if this all goes back to COVID. It really feels like the dynamic of the show and Rich himself started to change. He definitely became a bit more serious and reclusive during that time period (for very justifiable reasons) that it makes you wonder if this is when his relationship with other members of the show began to deteriorate. My memories of his relationship with other show and 98.5 staff prior to that time period is similar to yours. It seemed like he had numerous get togethers (unlike Fred), took care of and spent time with Adolfo and seemed genuinely liked -- at least with how things were characterized publicly. We will probably never get the full details though. It just sucks now looking back in retrospect.
Speaking of Rich, I saw someone on the Twitch feed recently that I lurk on from time to time say that Rich might still be on a non-compete and that's why he hasn't been able to announce any new opportunities yet. Is that true? Was he released before the end of his contract? I hope he still lands somewhere soon.
I can't imagine that's true. I'm a moron so I'm not speaking as an authority on this but if they let his contract lapse and don't re-sign him can they not allow him to get another job in the industry?