Ralph Barbieri to tell ‘his side of the story’ on 95.7 FM The Game

Bay Area Sports Guy June 15, 2012

Well, there you have it. Even though 95.7 FM The Game clearly states that Ralph Barbieri is coming on at a specific time on Monday, many people seem to think Barbieri is joining the station full-time. That is not the case. Rest assured, if Entercom makes that hire there will be a lot more hoopla than a single tweet on a Friday evening.

Ralph already told “his side of the story” to Dennis O’Donnell, but there are still plenty of questions Brandon Tierney and Eric Davis can ask.

1. Are Barbieri and his lawyer, Angela Alioto, pushing forward with a lawsuit against Cumulus on the basis of age and/or disability discrimination?

2. Has he had any contact with Cumulus at all?

3. Has he talked to Tom Tolbert, Brian Smith or any other KNBR hosts or producers since his termination?

4. In terms of his future, does he want to stay on radio? Has he been in talks with Entercom or a satellite station?

5. If Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open, will 95.7 supply Barbieri with some freshly grilled crow to nibble on?

Alright, maybe No. 5 isn’t necessary (plus, Barbieri is a noted vegetarian). In fact, there probably isn’t any need for sports talk at all while Barbieri is on. All people want to know is what’s going on with his career, how angry he is at Cumulus, Bill Bungeroth and Lee Hammer, and if he still plans on taking them to court.

About the Author

Otherwise known as Steve Berman (no, not the guy from the Eminem skits), BASG started Bay Area Sports Guy in January of 2008 with the help of his then-girlfriend (now wife). Since then he's covered college football for CSN Bay Area, gained media access to the Giants, Warriors and 49ers, and built Bay Area Sports Guy into the No. 1 independent Bay Area sports blog. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

36 comments

Newest | Oldest

Sal

This is the way to fix KNBR, will anyone listen? Murph and Mac – get rid of Mac. What exactly does he do besides say at the end of an interview, “Yeah, thanks for coming on”, and his non-stop references to the Grateful Dead. Who cares about the GD? Radnich and Krueger- get rid of Radnich. I agree w/ everyone else, he is awful. His time has passed. Krueger can do the show on his own. Fitz and Brooks – get rid of these two. I will not listen to another second of silly middle-school joking around….”Haha, I’m gonna tell your momma” this or that. Most annoying duo ever. I agree, I’m surprised they have not been replaced yet by Damon Bruce. Mr T & Byrnes – Find someone else to pair up with Mr. T if he can’t do the show alone. Byrnes is not the guy. It sounds like he is just pimping himself up, already looking for the next big thing.

Monty

KNBR isn't the Sports Leader. They suck and the only thing that makes them worth listening to is the ESPN Content & Jim Rome. The Afternoon Slot's at 9.57 the game are much more entertaining.

Justin

Listening right now. Can barely understand what Ralph's saying, his voice is so raspy. He started telling an interesting story about Barry Bonds, but now he's talking about Al Cowlings' girlfriend.

Otis Byrd III

Wow, Ralph is suing KNBR/Cumulus for $10 million. Ralph is going to get paaaiiiiidddd!

Jason

LOL, Lee Spammer and his General are defendants in Ralph's 10 million dollar lawsuit. This is going to get very interesting.

Jeff

I normally would turn my radio off when Ralph is on, but I"m curious to hear his story. Then hopefully, he'll just go away. Fire Radnich next KNBR.

Martina

Just check the KNBR line up these days: Murph and Mac - homer and canned observations Radnich and Kreuger -okay Fitz and Brooks - homers and canned observations Tom and Byrnes - non-descript, Tom and Ralph were definitely better than Tom and Byrnes. I'm kind of surprised they haven't moved Damon Bruce in there to repace Fitz and Brooks 95.7 is kind of a frat party with really predictable sports talk and opinions. It's ESPN lite, empty sports opinion calories.

keyd333

Everything you Always wanted in Sportsradio...and less!

Doubting Thomas

Am I missing something, or is Ralph essentially saying, "You can't fire me- I have Parkinsons"?

the sports leader

Precisely Doubting Thomas. This whole Barbieri/KNBR firing has left a bad taste in my mouth. Barbieri wants sympathy from us. Yet he was quick to let loose with his unbridled rips of anyone who did not share his sports or political views. Sorry Ralph but you dug yourself a giant hole. Here is a shovel and dig yourself out.

Sunset Boy

Ralph is a Bay Area sports talk legend. Could he be annoying and full of himself? yes. Were his questions too long? yes. Did the Amici's plugs become absurd? yes. Guess what? I didn't care. KNBR is not as good without him. That's because Ralph was the only one on that station who wasn't afraid to get into a verbal brawl with anyone he had on the show, especially if he felt he was being BS'd. His legendary radio battles with Brian Sabean were some of the best sports talk radio I've ever heard. Love him or hate him, when he latched onto something he believed in, he never gave in. I have to respect that. (I will admit, however, that he was way too easy on Don Nelson. Conflict of interest, I suppose). Larry Krueger is the next best thing on KNBR now that Ralph is gone. But Krueger, who I think makes great observations, does not have the bulldog personality to really, truly spar with people on the radio the way Ralph did.

Gooselosgatos

Really well put Sunset. I for one will definitely listen to Ralph to 95.7 if Ralph works there.

I would listen to Ralph on 95.7... but only if he replaced Lund or Tierney.

Fitz's Future Unemployment Check

The Razor and Mr. D? That could work.

Stan

The other day Krueger tried to get a real sports question to some guy- I forget..and Radnich wouldn't stop laughing for Kreuger to get his question in..finally He just asked the guy..while Radnich was in hysterics at his own joke. Think of the life of the party drunk...and trying to talk over him..

The Sports Leader

Agree with your point Stan. That is what I dislike most about Radnich, his incessant laughing while others are trying to get their point across. Someone, a co-host or guest will be making a valid argument and there goes Radnich with his uncontrollable cackling. Hey Gary will you do us a favor for once, and shut the hell up while Kate or Larry try to get a word in?

tommyj

Why tune in when an possibly interesting interview will by ruined by the blacksmith touch of Tierney ("Hey Razor, Howya doin? Let me ask you diss?"). Papa or Townsend are the only Game hosts that would conduct a good interview. That being said, I'll probably tune in at 5:00 pm since I like dumpster fires with my evening commute!

Stan

EVERYBODY will be listening.

Stan

I mean,BASG seem's like on OK guy. Just a little misdirected on Mark Sanchez..and some of BASG friends are a bit hostile...kidding!

Stan

Have...sheesh.

Stan

Has you noticed THEGAME doesn't have Kawakami or Lowell Cohn call in or in Kawakami's case host? I don't hear any local writers on THEGAME. They give props to BASG..so why not have him call in?

stAy

Considering its the A's flagship station and Cohn has been stated on record saying the A's need to be contracted I would call in to the station 24 7 to complain if they had that giants homer on......TK has been on the game a couple of times

I'm unfamiliar with Cohn, but Kawakami is awful. If he sticks to basketball, he might be serviceable, but is pieces on baseball, football, and hockey are generally are only good for lining bird cages.

Stan

No doubt Aj, Already the line between the two is blurry..Dibly,Urban,Townsend,and Tittle are ex KNBR people. I can only toss out ideas for something not same-o.

Stan

I tried to listen to KNBR...and it was commercial after commercial. It's mostly a commercial and some sports station now.

Stan - yeah, KNBR plays a ton of commercials, but that's because they're #1 right now. Being #1 means you get to sell ad time up the wazoo. Believe me, the Game is dreaming of the day they can sell that much time.

Paperback Writer

I listened to KNBR 680 and 1250 the past four days and heard superb US Open Golf coverage from LIVE ESPN radio coverage, to KNBR's Hooked On Golf and the live regular shows from the Olympic Club. Really great stuff! It's popular to criticize them (justifiably at times) - but giving credit here for a great job.

devnull

That's pretty much the state of all radio nowdays, near as I can tell. Possibly the only thing more annoying than the commercials are the shameless and fake pretend-it-isn't-a-commercial segments with those professional sports betting guys.

MoragaJohn

Even though I could not listen to 680 after 12:00pm when Razor was on with MrT, I have to say, IMHO, it is now even more unlistenable. What's up with that? Nothing personal, MrT, but to opine over just about every topic imaginable is not my idea of good radio.

Dan

I wish this Has Been would just go away. It's nice turning on the radio and not being tortured by his horrible opinions and attempts at sports discussion

Paperback Writer

I hope people that dis-liked Ralph and KNBR when Ralph was working there are not all of a sudden ga ga over Ralph and the game now over this interview with this edition of a corporate monster, Entercom.

devnull

I'm sure I will enjoy this segment with Ralph as much as all the ones prior to it. Possibly even more, since I don't plan to listen to it.

Stan

KNBR is run by a Bunghole and two Dicks. If anything needs to be dragged into the light its that bigoted sports station. Even with the Giant surge...you can feel a grip tightening on that Cumulus station...