04/26/24
January 30, 2002
"I will be leaving Sporting News Radio effective Friday, February 1st," longtime overnight host Bob Kemp announced today on the network's web site.
At least he's not as full of himself as Mariotti...
posted by owillis at 05:16 PM on January 30, 2002
Wow, what an awful time slot. How did you ever discover him? Most Sports shows in the middle of the night seem utterly depressing.
posted by jacknose at 07:16 PM on January 30, 2002
I found bob kemp about 4 years ago during late night studying sessions as a freshman in college. At first, I was amazed that someone that rude to callers could be on the air. It wasn't long, however, that I realized he only came down hard on you if you didn't know your stuff. If you had an opinion you better be prepared to back it up, and back it up well, or you were doomed. He is/was unlike any talk radio host I've ever heard. His opinions were usually different from the normal 'hometown' tripe you hear on talk show after talk show, and he knew stats like no other. While everyone else was praising the parity in the NFL, he was calling the leagues play a joke. While everyone was kissing jordan's butt for coming back he was calling it a scam. Completely original, he was the rare opinionated sports nut who backed up anything and everything he said. That's rare today, on the radio, television, or web. He would have been great at sportsfilter. He will be missed.
posted by justgary at 04:44 AM on January 31, 2002
I discovered Kemp around eight years ago because his show was on during my drive home from work. While other hosts are relying on comedic shtick, personality, and their ability to play off of callers, Kemp's like the walking sports brain in those ESPN commercials: He talks sports, knows his stuff, doesn't suffer foolish callers and keeps himself out of the limelight as much as possible. I'm not surprised that he doesn't want any hoopla about his departure. It's a sad day for the Kemp cult. I have been getting e-mail from distraught strangers all night -- people hear the news about Kemp, Google for his name, and end up at my fan site.
posted by rcade at 07:29 AM on January 31, 2002
He sounds incredible. Maybe, one day he'll be browsing the web and stumble upon SportsFilter and feel the desire to join the conversation. Wouldn't that be nice? posted by kemp.
posted by jacknose at 08:50 AM on January 31, 2002
I still have to listen to the complete show from early this morning, but from what I have heard in bits and pieces, Kemp may be resurfacing somewhere on the west coast working for a different employer in the next few months.
posted by timbo at 12:36 PM on January 31, 2002
While everyone else was praising the parity in the NFL, he was calling the leagues play a joke. While everyone was kissing jordan's butt for coming back he was calling it a scam. And these speak to his judgment? I'm not a big fan of the 'Jordan Watch' and all the other stuff that treated his return as the Second Coming, but the man can still play and is going to more than double his team's win total. That's hardly a scam. And while the Lakers and Yankees dominance continues to destroy the TV market for their sports, the NFL has continued to do reasonably well. Not that they couldn't stand for a little contraction, but what league couldn't?
posted by tieguy at 01:29 PM on January 31, 2002
It speaks to his originality. I think Kemp is right about the declining quality of play in the NFL, and right to blame it on the salary cap, which prevents teams from having any depth. The league was more entertaining when there were always a few great teams that stayed that way over a 3-5 year period. Now, with the exception of the Rams, it seems like 2/3rds of the league is hovering around .500 -- and reaching the playoffs is as much about luck and a hot streak as anything else. Does anyone believe with any conviction that the Patriots or Steelers will be the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the AFC next year? Or could it just as likely be the Titans and Seahawks, two teams that missed the playoffs this year? Back to the subject at hand, Kemp said on his program last night that he wants to stay in talk radio but is taking some months off in Arizona to do nothing, so it's possible he'll pop up somewhere else in sports media.
posted by rcade at 02:31 PM on January 31, 2002
Tieguy~ maybe I shouldn't have used examples that obviously so many people would disagree with, because that's not what the thread was about. I was trying to demonstrate how his views varied from the norm, and how he backed them up. I'm sure many disagree with the two examples I stated, but if you called in to his show to disagree with his views, you had better known what the hell you were talking about, because he sure as hell did. And that was refreshing.
posted by justgary at 02:37 PM on January 31, 2002
A Sporting News Radio press release about plans to honor Kemp tonight. I didn't realize that the network is owned by Microsoft megazillionaire Paul Allen.
posted by rcade at 03:34 PM on January 31, 2002
If the name doesn't ring a bell, Kemp's the droll, no-nonsense 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. host who drops callers if they use the word "respect" and maintains a "banned from discussion" list that includes Pete Rose, Dennis Rodman, the College of Charleston, and the Bowl Championship Series. Surly on his best day, Kemp sometimes sounds as if he takes a shotgun out of his mouth only long enough to respond to a caller. After making a few stabs at creating a girly-man Kemp worship site [self-link], I've exchanged mail with several people in the fiercely loyal band of insomniac Kemp fans over the years. I can't believe he's leaving the show, and his remark about Sept. 11 makes me wonder if he's leaving the profession entirely. Now what the hell am I going to do in the middle of the night ... sleep?