Let me say before I start the rant that it's good to have all of the following kicking around Winnipeg's sports scene, in particular the Jets. Despite the faults, they all contribute something worthwhile to the infoverse, some more than others.
Murat Ates -- He's fine if you want to know what kind of doilies a Jet prefers, or whose mother's friend made a player a sandwich 15 years ago. With all the knowledge he has about analytics one might expect him to have more incisive, perceptive, cogent opinions about actual hockey, and worthwhile criticisms, but my experience of him (some written, mostly podcast) is largely puff and blandness. Too much of a company man to be taken seriously, he is too often a wasted resource.
Winnipeg Sports Talk -- Hustler, The Great Interruptor. Must have been born in a barn because he has no manners, as demonstrated by the way he frequently interrupts his guests. They'll be making what sounds like an interesting point and, instead of waiting until they finish, he'll rudely jump in mid-sentence, even to the point of shouting them down, to inject his threadbare take (for the third time that episode). The interesting point then dies on the vine. He's way too far over the homer line even if he does occasionally mildly criticize. His pal Remis is semi-professional, childish, and his lispy nasally delivery is chalk on a blackboard, but even he is occasionally worthwhile. Winnipeg Sports Talk does get the best and farthest-flung guests of any local production, and that's pretty impressive. And you've got to be impressed with the way they're turning their desperation-measure podcast, born of the 1290 fiasco, into something of a tentacled local industry.
Illegal Curve -- The website's okay, good info, good job on that. The podcasts less so. While it's great to have after games and every Saturday, it's limited by some of its personnel. Dave Minuk -- Mr. Again. Kevin Chevyldayoff says "again" way too often and it makes him sound stupid. Minuk says "again" ten times more than Chevyldayoff, and the stupid factor grows commensurately. He also has a smarmy underpinning that's irksome, though thankfully seldom displayed. Ezra Ginsburg -- Interruptor Jr. Another guy born in a barn. Whereas Hustler's interruptions at least stay generally on topic, Ginsburg will interrupt frequently for any ridiculous tangent, hijacking the podcast and nose-diving it to a boring, time-wasting non sequitur, often from his personal life. It's also irritating the way he keeps saying, "I think you'd agree..." He's obviously got some hockey knowledge, it's just too bad he sprays it around willy-nilly like flatulence. Drew Mindell -- Mr. No Nickname. No nickname because he doesn't do stupid crap on the air (or not often, anyway). By far the most polished and competent of the three, not necessarily technology-wise, but as the conductor of the flow and feel of an episode he does well. He's also less of a homer than his compadres, and that's always welcome. Really, I can't watch an episode without Mindell on it, which is to say an episode with only Minuk and Ginsburg on it. Thanks but no thanks. I did, though, watch a recent episode with Minuk and guest host Joe Pascucci, who rescued the day with insightful, to-the-point and realistic commentary. Maybe one day we'll see an episode with only Mindell and Pascucci. BTW IC, here's how to pronounce "swag":
SWAG | Pronunciation in English
Scott Billeck and Mike McIntyre -- Peas in a pod. I don't read McIntyre because I don't subscribe to the Freep but he's too much a chucklebot on the air, as if that's supposed to be entertaining. Also irritating are his face-palm-worthy theories and his pet-dog act. Billeck is an average writer and a clumsy, halting speaker, almost as difficult to listen to as Remis. He'll start off in one direction but as soon as Hustler (inevitably) interrupts him with threadbare dissent, he'll agree and change tack. (It's tack, Hustler, not tact.)
Ken Wiebe -- Has anyone in all of history asked himself more questions than Wiebe does? JFC that's annoying. Just get to the point already. Balanced? Hahaha. He's as much a homer as Hustler is, his camouflage doesn't hide it. And he'll inform you of the same things everyone else on twitter is informing you of, except he'll make sure it's especially bland and fence-sitting. His stream of consciousness leads nowhere but Homerville.
Sean Reynolds -- Remember Jimmy from Seinfeld? "Jimmy likes Elaine." "Jimmy's getting angry." Reynolds is now referring to himself as third-person Renny. There is no more effective way for someone in an audio/video medium to project himself as a buffoon. Reynolds makes the occasional good point but often goes overboard with self-aggrandizing rants. Also adds more smarm to the local scene.
I've done the rest, now it's time for the best, in no particular order (you can put Mindell here too).
Ted Wyman -- Like a comfortable slipper, in print and video. Maybe a shade on the homer side of centre, it doesn't detract much from even-handed treatments. Delivers professionally and ably; if the Jets routinely did the same they'd be deep in the playoffs every year.
Paul Friesen -- Scourge of Homers. That's reason enough to like him. Salty, maybe, seasoned, yes, he should be appreciated for not toeing (not "towing") the company line and aiming criticism at worthy targets, but homers don't lean that way. A few niggles about his writing style but that's barely a blip on the report card. Like Wyman, on video he's cool, calm and collected. Unflusterable, you might say, which is a valuable trait for a reporter.
Jeff Hamilton -- Another Freeper I don't read so I'm limited to podcasts. Here he's terrific, coherent and logical, and capable of ranting in the same vein passionately but without Reynolds-like hysterics. If he has homeritis it's a negligible case, and that gives him an authoritative cache that practitioners like Wiebe can't imagine, never mind attain. I don't always agree with him but he's among the most watchable of local podcast guests.
