97.1 The Ticket

**jerrytimes** · January-30-10, 02:56 AM

Ok, I'm a HUGE sports fan, but I hate this station and it's a waste of Detroit radio. Anyone else agree, I'll hang up and listen [[typical ahole caller says this before hanging up)

**p1acebo** · January-30-10, 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

Ok, I'm a HUGE sports fan, but I hate this station and it's a waste of Detroit radio. Anyone else agree, I'll hang up and listen [[typical ahole caller says this before hanging up)

I love 97.1.

**Zimm** · January-30-10, 03:49 AM

i like the station [[except they don't have anyone who knows a thing about baseball [[especially caputo, who claims he knows it...) hate the callers, who are by and large just know enough about sports to get really dumb ideas.

and if you hear "let's go to caller bob in [[insert location in macomb county)" you know you're going to get some horrible trade idea. something like "let's trade calvin johnson to some team already stacked with WR's for 2 #1 picks." or "the tigers should trade magglio for draft picks." it's like not knowing anything about sports is a requirement for county residence...

**DetroitZack** · January-30-10, 07:29 AM

I love the station...but the callers can say some whacky things.

**Gary** · January-30-10, 07:54 AM

I usually keep 97.1 on in the car. I agree about the idiotic things some of the callers say, but I find there's also a pretty good amount of worthwile opinions to be heard too.

**FormerSpringGardener** · January-30-10, 08:09 AM

I only get to listen to it for about a total hour each day during the morning and evening commutes. I like the balance they have between sports and current events. Especially the "conversations" that Valenti and Foster get into. It's refreshing to hear someones passion about topics that doesn't have to be juvenile like 89x has gotten to be lately.

**East Detroit** · January-30-10, 08:32 AM

I listen in the morning because Deminski is a sexist loud mouth, Clark is a washed up farting Republican shill, and I have heard the word penis before without giggling so I dont need to listen to 89x.

I listen after work because Foster and then Caputo seem like normal guys who happen to be on the radio.

**wazootyman** · January-30-10, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by East Detroit

I listen in the morning because Deminski is a sexist loud mouth and Clark is a washed up farting Republican shill.

I listen after work because Foster and then Caputo seem like normal guys who happen to be on the radio.

I've had the good fortune of hanging out with Terry on several occasions [[we have a mutual friend) and he's a good guy.

You do know that D&D were fired earlier this month, right?

I liked Bill [[of the 97.1 morning show) much better when he was on mid-days with Gregg & Michelle. Back then, I think 97.1 was at its peak. Though, I really do like Valenti & Foster. Mike's rants about MSU & U of M are priceless...particularly because I'm a Sparty.

I really want D&D to find their place again in afternoon radio. I miss driving home on Fridays listening to their weekly game.

**Roq** · January-30-10, 08:40 AM

I love the Ticket, esp. Valenti & Foster, and...waste of Detroit radio? Most of what is on the dial here is complete and utter shit.

**Roq** · January-30-10, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by wazootyman

I liked Bill [[of the 97.1 morning show) much better when he was on mid-days with Gregg & Michelle.

Agreed and I find I liked Jay Towers paired up with Bill much more than Stoney even though I don't like Jay..go figure

**gumby** · January-30-10, 08:40 AM

I dislike Mark Valenti and Pat Caputo but overall like the station. The Karsh and Anderson show has lead to many hilarious discussions between my friends and I.

**mogo** · January-30-10, 10:05 AM

I'm not much of a fan of 97.1 either. But, I have a problem with sports talk radio in general, in that it's almost completely geared to meatheads who sound like Caputo. For that reason, Valenti and Foster are about the only thing I can stand to listen to, but that's mostly because of Terry.

I don't really like Valenti's NY'ness, but I think he's second-to-none with his stats/analysis. Caputo and the dweeb that's with him kill brain cells.

I like the morning show with Stoney and the girl [[whatever her name is), but I don't care for the main guy [[whatever his name is). What else is there to listen to in the morning...Mojo? HA! Don't think so.

**sturge** · January-31-10, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by mogo

What else is there to listen to in the morning...Mojo? HA! Don't think so.

I prefer Sean Beligian on WDFN. I'm always a day behind though since I listen to the podcasts on the bus. It is nice almost the entire show is available on podcast with no ads.

**FredGarvin** · January-31-10, 11:36 PM

I laugh at the callers. If a particular team is doing badly, it's "they did this, or they need to do this...". If a team's winning, it's "we won!, we did this really well, we're going to the Superbowl [[wait, I don't believe I've heard that one)". Anyway, no one want to be associated with a lousy team, but everyone wants to be part of a winning team. Look fans, you're either on the team or not, you can't have it both ways.

**ct_alum** · January-30-10, 10:35 AM

It's great that the ignorant sexist jerk Towers [[his favorite word seems to be "chick") is not on in the morning any more. Karsh and Anderson are o.k. but they can get off on non-sports tangents. I love Valenti and Foster, especially when they go at each other. Caputo is embarrasing, his lack of command of the English language is stunning for an alleged "journalist". 97.1 is the best of the worst in a pathetic sports radio market. I love it when most of them [[especially Caputo) pick the Lions to win almost every week......

**One Shot** · January-30-10, 11:25 AM

A complete waste??????? WTF? Did they make fun of you or something and your venting?
I like Mike Valenti & Terry Foster. Pat can be annoying at times but don't stop me from listening. The hang up & listen I feel comes from Pat's show when he cuts you off and answers/responds to you never letting you answer back. So I think they say that just to be like "up yours" if and when they pull that.

**Johnnny5** · January-30-10, 12:09 PM

I listened quite a bit before the switch to sports. Now it's not even on my presets.

Ravine · January-30-10, 12:52 PM

I am not proud of the amount of time I have The Ticket on my radio, but I'm not ashamed, either; it's a Guilty Pleasure, I suppose.

Jerrytimes, I don't miss you. A couple of people, here, dislike Stoney, but he's OK with me, and I like him a lot better than I liked you. Bill & Sara[[h?) don't need you or your adolescent sexual preoccupations.

I disagree with Zimm. I think Caputo does know his baseball. I don't always agree with him, but I appreciate the fact that, probably more than any other local sports-talk guys, he loves baseball, keeps up with it, and gives it some air-time. I don't want to constantly hear about football.
However, he truly does come off as being a total dope. I have to assume that he has some education, but his verbal "skills" are shamefully poor [[a fact about which he actually seems to be sort of proud.)
Another thing, about him, that irritates me is that he, like a fair amount of guys I've come across, gives me the feeling that he just couldn't wait to turn into his own dad. For instance: I get the strong intuition that he mis-pronounces, or otherwise "gets wrong," a lot of the pop-culture references he makes. The give-away is in how, after doing so, he pointedly pokes fun at himself for it, like he wants us to know that he is far too mature, and has his mind on too many other "grown-up" things, to keep track of certain aspects of pop-culture... even though it is painfully apparent that he keeps up with it plenty.
Think about it: When a person genuinely makes a mistake, of that kind, how often are they going to call attention to it?

Heh. Since I'm so fully thrusting myself into the persona of on-line curmudgeon, here, I may as well add that I grind my teeth when I hear him [[or anyone else) pronounce "something" as "sometheeng."

I know, I know; I must be paying way too much attention.
But, I guess that I just notice funny little stuff like that.
Check him out, sometime, with my persnicketty little comment in mind. Betcha that you hear what I mean.

Now, Jeff Riger, he's material for a whole 'nother post...

**dtowncitylover** · January-30-10, 01:23 PM

It's a hell of a lot better than AM 1130.

**Zimm** · January-30-10, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by Ravine

I disagree with Zimm. I think Caputo does know his baseball. I don't always agree with him, but I appreciate the fact that, probably more than any other local sports-talk guys, he loves baseball, keeps up with it, and gives it some air-time.

caputo knew about baseball in 1980, but has absolutely no idea about the game today. don't think you have to go any farther than his work for baseball america's top 10 tiger prospect lists that he used to do to see just how little he knows about the game, and how poorly connected he was within the organization.

there are probably a dozen tiger-centric bloggers that can break down the game and talent better on their worst day than caputo can do on his best. and these guys don't even get payed for that know-how! i also know a couple of people who get paid to write about the tigers for a living and the difference between the info that they pass on and the info he passes on tells me all that i need to know about caputo's inside knowledge of the tigers-he has none! no one in that organization gives him any tips or info or inside goodies that you can't get from reading the local papers every day or listening in on a press conference.

so essentially, if you read the sports pages everyday [[but ignore MLBTR or Rotoworld) you know about as much about the goings-on of the tigers as caputo. and if you used to know the game 30 years ago, you can probably relate to him because he wouldn't know an advanced metric from dinosaur stats like batting average.

Blarf · January-30-10, 04:38 PM

The station would be alright if they didn't have so many damn commercials. I have never heard a station that comes back from a 5 minute commercial break, and than takes another 5 minute commercial break after 5 minutes of show.

**noenaim** · January-30-10, 02:44 PM

I can't stand Valenti he never has anything good to say about Detroit sports. I look at another New York jerk like Rob Parker he can't get a job in local radio and News fired him, but people seem to love Valenti. That guy is the man reason I avoid that station. The way they messed up AM 1130 I find myself rediscovering music on the radio.
By the way Pat Caputo is the best thing on that station.

**patmc16** · February-01-10, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by noenaim

I can't stand Valenti he never has anything good to say about Detroit sports. I look at another New York jerk like Rob Parker he can't get a job in local radio and News fired him, but people seem to love Valenti. That guy is the man reason I avoid that station. The way they messed up AM 1130 I find myself rediscovering music on the radio.
By the way Pat Caputo is the best thing on that station.

Agreed.

I gave the station a chance after they killed DFN. I am amazed 1130 is still on the air. I thought for sure they would go dark after their contract with the Pistons ran out. They're dead to me all the same. I gave XYT about 2 weeks last spring. The former DFN people were about the only ones I could stand. With Valenti, it seemed like you either agree with him or your an idiot not worth his time. I literally felt uncomfortable listening to him.

With the exception of the receptionist at the studio [[she was a nice lady) everyone associated with 97.1 that I have had contact with, either listening on air or in person, has come off as rude or a just plain jerk. This includes the guys running their table at TigerFest last weekend. There I noticed they had some XYT cups behind the table. I had seen a few people with them in the crowds so I figured I'd ask for one. You would think I asked the guy for his bank account & SS #'s.

When everyone at DFN was let go, I found myself listening to WKNR out of Cleveland in my car more and more. It is 850AM and comes in as clear as most local AM stations during the day. They must lower the power at night as I can't pick it up late. I started out listening to Rome because they carry him and I didn't want to listen to DFN anymore. I stayed after Rome signed off a few times and liked what I heard enough to keep listening. I do turn it off when they get into OSU football or "Lebron James is God" talk.

**carman** · January-31-10, 09:06 AM

I can not bear the Karsch & Anderson show. Sophomoric and not the least bit entertaining. Haved moved to 1130 in that slot. Valenti is a tool, but really can keep the show moving. Has a talent there. Foster is great in his role, but can't run the show. Caputo is a loveable dufus. Fithian and Riger are only listenable for a short period for me. After a while, the voice blocks out all content. IMO

bartock · January-31-10, 12:24 PM

Ravine your first sentence about sums up my feelings and I agree with you about Caputo and his knowledge of baseball. His grasp of the English language aside, I actually think he's the best they have. And whoever compared Valenti to Parker, Valenti to me is really annoying, but unlike Parker he does have something of substance behind his statements.

Riger - wow. All I have to say about that guy - "Hiyayou" and "'cause to MEEE"