Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 (4:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: Stephen Brunt
Guests: Saul Korman, owner of Korry's Clothiers; Randy Robles from the Elias Sports Bureau; Globe and Mail writer, Jeff Blair, The media conference from the Toronto Blue Jays announcing the Roy Halladay trade; ESPN's Dan Shulman; Canadian golfer Lisa Meldrum, Daryl Jones and Keith McCollough of Ice Edge Holdings; Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos; Pat Gillick, senior advisor to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Rogers has the cash to pony up and pay for the Jays to compete with the ALE. They are choosing not to. Another option is to ask for a move out of the ALE - that's not happening, nor should Rogers want it with all of those Sox and Yanks fans coming in. It a perpetual losing situation until something changes (and a rookie GM with vision armed with another 3 year plan is not change.)

The Jays could roll over, play dead for 15+ years, and there would be Jays die-hards that would continue to blindly support another 3-year plan. Good thing there aren't people like that on this email!!

It's like being in a relationship with a woman who you have a 30 year relationship, whom you had a fantastic 15 years with, but in the last 15 years, you hardly see, takes you for granted, tells you things will change and after 15 years nothing has changed.

Am I saying I won't support the team - dunno. But things will never be the same. My heart needs to be swayed, but for now I enjoy the memories of what was, and hope that this sustains me through the dark ages.

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown - Tuesday, July 21 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: John Shannon
Guests: Tuesday: President and GM of the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo; Pat Gillick, advisor to the Philadelphia Phillies; SportsBusiness Journal writer, Bill King.

Yet another great co-host in John Shannon. Great behind the scenes discussion regarding sports television production and direction. For anyone interested in sports broadcasting, particularly hockey, the first segment is for you.

Interesting times in Toronto - Bosh and Halladay could easily be gone this time next year. These moves will be critical for both the Jays and Raptors.

I was waiting for McCown to tell Gillick that Beeston may need the ultimate convincing from Gillick himself in coming back to the Jays as GM, something that Bobcat has espoused on fadoo.ca and on Prime Time Sports.

Hey Bobcat, there are no "wimpy easterners" in Ottawa...we LIVE cold here!!! Saskatchewan ain't got NUTTIN' on Ottawa with regards to winters!

The Bill King interview was great. Hope he returns! McCown quipped on blogs, "Blogs are opinion pieces, they are not information pieces. Any information that has been gleamed off of a blog has been usually ripped off of someone else, traditional media. What are bloggers? Amateur columnists!" Thanks Bob - I take that as a compliment, although I am not ripping off
anyone...and you won't see profanity here!!! :)

As these are the dog days of summer, I've compiled a top 5 list of Bobcat's Public Enemies:
1. Gary Bettman
2. Tom Watson
3. All-Star Games
4. Soccer
5. Cito Gaston

What/Who am I missing? Post below!!

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown - Monday, July 20 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown

Co-Host: Bruce Arthur

Guests: Daryl Jones, Research Edge LLC managing director; Toronto Blue Jays radio play-by-play announcer, Alan Ashby; roundtable with Bob McCown, John Shannon, and James Deacon.

(My opinion on the Heatley situation, which continues to be ignored by Prime Time Sports:)
There is a parallel between the Heatley-Sens situation and the Halladay-Jays situation. As Beeston said a couple of days ago (paraphrased), "If someone wants Doc, it's gonna have to *hurt* them with the pieces they are going to give up. He's a quality pitcher and you are going to have several quality pieces to get him".

I applaud Murray for 'standing pat'. What's the worst that could happen if Heatley is forced to return? Or if Heatley accepts the move to Edmonton, but the Oil don't put up any more compensation to deal with the 4 mill the Sens dished out? There's no way Heater would sit out on the Sens, especially during an Olympic year. This decision will be as pivotal for the Sens as is the Doc decision is with the Jays. It will set the Sens up well for the next few years or set us back a few if the decision isn't the right one. If there are no suitors, I say wait it out and bring Heater back.

OK Bobcat, let's can the baseball discussion and get to the story behind you and Watson... What happened? Why is he such an a-hole?

EDIT: Reader Sensfan commented that Heatley was discussed to death while I was away...apologies to PTS and Bobcat. Well, what did the glassed-eyed-one have to say on Heatley??

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown - Thursday, July 16 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: Bruce Arthur
Guests: Paul Beeston, interim CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays; Hamilton Tiger Cats owner, Bob Young; Kevin McCabe of Fox Sports Net; Jeff Blair, Globe and Mail sports columnist; USA Today writer, Michael Hiestand.

LOVED the discussion about Bobcat listening to the Beatles as a 12 year old at Maple Leaf Gardens. Well told memory. Having Bobcat talking about Letterman and the Beatles is a bull's-eye on my love of Music, Sports and Comedy. I also LOVED Arthur's annihilation of Leno. I also hate Leno with a passion and agree that he's brutally over rated. "Letterman's last show will be something you can't miss. Leno's last show was NOTHING!" I now like Arthur that much more! Great first segment.

So Beeston and company haven't talked to Doc about an extension, but have openly talked about being open to offers? How's that first chat with him gonna go?

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown - Tuesday, July 14 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: Bruce Arthur
Guests: Rick Dudley, Atlanta Thrashers associate GM; Stacey Allaster, chair and CEO of the WTA; legal analyst and lawyer, Rob Becker; ESPN's Dan Shulman; Stephen Brunt, Globe and Mail writer.

I doubt the majority of listeners would have even heard of Stacey Allaster if it weren't for Prime Time Sports. What a privilege for Canada and the WTA to have someone of Allaster's intelligence and candour.

Am I the only one who gets a bit nervous when someone McCown interviews is on a bad cell connection?

It's gonna be a real sad day when Doc is traded from the Jays.

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown - Monday, July 13 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: Bruce Arthur
Guests: Bob Elliott, Toronto Sun baseball columnist; boxing writer and historian, Bert Sugar; roundtable with Bob McCown, Bruce Arthur, and Michael Grange.

I'm back! Mommy and babies are doing well. RIP Michael Jackson.

I am liking Bruce Arthur. Second time I've heard him, but really impressed with his facts and putting Bob in his place a couple of times. He doesn't seemed intimidated by the Bobcat like the others in the co-host chair have been (including at times, Brunt.)

How do the Jays hang their all-star, moneyball pitcher, Doc Halladay out to dry at the all-star game? Someone who has meant this much to the team and the city. It's a shame that more people aren't going to watch games, especially when he's pitching. There isn't a 'bump' in
attendance when he's pitching, so maybe the fan reaction to him leaving will wake Rogers up. Maybe not this year, but in years to come.

Sugar was so poetic (yet again), in discussing the death of Gatti. Love to hear Brunt's take on Gatti's passing.

Part of the Round table discussion about all-star games and their worth...ho hum...same discussion 3x a year, and it's getting old (the game AND the discussion).

Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 (5:00-7:00)

Host: Bob McCown
Co-Host: Stephen Brunt
Guests: Keith Pelley, president of Canada'a Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium; National Post writer, Michael Traikos; Dan Shulman, baseball play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN; Doug MacLean of Rogers Sportsnet and THE FAN 590, and Canadian curler Kevin Martin

The podcast of Prime Time Sports will now be covering the 5:00-7:00 hours, which is GREAT! I'll be reviewing both hours here daily. Thanks to Neil Oosten at Prime Time Sports for getting back to us on this request (although we were one of a bunch that requested this!)

Doc is the best Blue Jays pitcher ever. Debate over. ...and who knew, AJ Burnett is older than Halladay?? Wow.

Shameless sponsor mention - Shulman loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...

I hear from a *very* inside source at Prime Time that Stroumboulopoulos will not be on the roundtable on Friday. Hopefully a rain check is issued, but you can't really bail on McCown more than once, can you??