Wednesday, October 17, 2012

"The Torg" [UPDATED]

Scott Torgerson co-hosts a show locally here in Columbus, Ohio called The Common Man & The Torg which airs on WBNS-FM 97.1 The Fan. Torgerson was suspended earlier this week for the following tweet:

"I wish Desmond Howard would get fired or die so I can watch Gameday again"

Columbus is a unique sports town that is difficult to label. I'll never forget catching Game 4 of the 2008-09 NHL Conference Quarterfinals between the Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets on TV. I have never seen a crowd as rabid as the Columbus fans at Nationwide Arena were for that game. All the fans stood, yelled, screamed and pounded on the glass the entire game. The ice felt about 5'x4'. The CBJ lost that game and with it, the series. It was (and is) the only time the CBJ have made the playoffs. To this day I rate that TV event as one of the most unique I've ever experienced.

That experience was very similar to the recent US Men's Soccer team game at Columbus Crew Stadium. Just a wild atmosphere that even Nike took notice of, tweeting: Well done Columbus, we see you.

You also have the Columbus Clippers, a Triple A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians, that draws pretty well at its beautiful downtown stadium and (of course) the Columbus Crew, who I writ much. Modest, yet hungry, crowds attend both.

All that said, the big dog is The Ohio State University and her football program. 110,000 people pack The Horseshoe each home game. There is easily another 50-100k that travels to the stadium area as well. 200k people migrating to a specific location for a sporting event isn't a news blurb -- it is a regularly occurring Event on Roman-fucking-Empire gladiator like levels.

However, Here be where our troubles begin and end.

Mike Ricordati and Scott Torgerson have become my normal afternoon listening over the years. One of the reasons I can relate to them is because both are from out of town and are around my age.

I've spent a significant amount of time commuting to and from work in my lifetime and in that time I've floated between NPR, Howard Stern, Don Imus, bluegrass (the Virginia/NC goodness godness), classic rock, modern rock, college awful (and good, zzzZZz), and endless streams of local sports guys in: Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Baltimore, MD, Virginia Beach, Raleigh, NC, and now Columbus, Ohio. All these places I've lived in, not just traveled to.


"The Common Man and The Torg" aren't "breaking the rulz" or "shock jocks", as some national outlets and blogs (that I like, mind you) have written. Ricordati and Torgerson have a solid sports program that I enjoy. It's not just me either... The President of the United States appeared on their program just a few weeks ago. To my knowledge, they are the only radio program in Ohio, Sports or otherwise, to get an exclusive interview with him during an election year. This is a testament to the size and quality of their sports show.


Scott Torgerson wasn't placed on "indefinite leave" for an insensitive tweet. He was suspended for making a flippant comment about Kirk Herbstreit's co-worker/host on ESPN's College GameDay. Herbstreit, a former OSU quarterback, is ESPN's goldenboy. He came out and ostracized Torgerson for his tweet and Torg was suspended.

No doubt this could all be a show to drum up listeners, but it feels a little different to me. It feels like Herbstreit swinging his big stick and little dick to protect his co-worker (Desmond Howard, who does a pretty poor job in reality) and might have inadvertently destroyed a local sports radio station. It also smacks of jealousy on Herbstreit's part, who appears weekly on this station, that could stem from the interview with the POTUS that he wasn't a part of. But who am I to say.

Herbstreit, it should be mentioned, had to move out of Columbus for fear of his life because OSU football fans were making threats towards his family. He and his family now live in Nashville, Tennessee.

I'm hoping to hear that Scott Torgerson will be returning to his post soon. It was a a tweet, folks. Also, it's his job to get people like me writing about it. Job done, with little harm done. Forgettable.

Columbus Sports, ladies and gentlemen. Somewhere in this post you'll find it.

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Hey, I hear the Hex match with Mexico might be played at Crew Stadium. Play it where the fire burns hot, man. Where the fire burns hot. Say your prayers it ain't here, El Tri. Goodness me.

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[UPDATE OCT 24 2012 1:46 PM: via 97.1 The Fan Twitter: @thefan "Scott Torgerson is no longer employed by our company as of today. We appreciate his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors."]

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Torg opened his mouth and is known to say dumb things all the time. You can't cure dumb.