It’s time for me to say goodbye to all the loyal listeners who have heard me on WORD for the last 7 years.

 Don’t worry (or get happy), I’m not quitting or getting fired (I hope!). Unfortunately it is time for me to say goodbye to….sob!!….The Warmup Show!!

Six years ago John Thomas and myself went to Hal Brown (who was Program Director at the time) and asked him for a show. We were going to call it The Overweight Sport Show, not because either of us was fat, but because we thought it was a catchy title. Hal told us to put  together a tape (yes it was a tape!!) and he would let us know. Two weeks later…we had our answer….it was yes….sort of.

Hal actually had tears in his eyes from laughing when he told us yes, but we had to team up with Tim Snyder and it had to be a warm up show for the Carolina Gamecocks. We were told to change our names and to be as outrageous as we could. And so….Tiny Tim, Porkchop(me!), and Biscuit(John) took the air. That first year was a blast!!

By the next football season, sadly, John and Tim were no longer with the company. So I started the next year with a new partner, Jason Farr, and began using my own name. We had a lot of fun but somewhere along the way I managed to rub Jason the wrong way and he didn’t want to return the next year. Sorry man I still love ya like a lil brother.

The following year, the evil, maniacle, and definitely infamous Program Director…Peter Theile paired me with a renowned Upstate personality….Stan Olenik. The very first live show I ever produced was for Stan when we worked at WPEK, The Peak. Stan had taught me everything I knew about sports radio and I am eternally grateful for it.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well. It’s like going to work for your dad……He has expectations that you’ll never meet and you try so hard you fail. It was an honor to have my name next to his, but it didn’t deserve to be there, and I didn’t contribute nearly enough. Still….I’m thankful for the experience.

After a year with no show, and a new program director, I thought it was time to try again. Bob Mclain gave me the go ahead for the show but I still had to find a partner. Pickens were Slim and I didn’t know what in the wide wide world of sports I was going to do. (Sorry…sometimes I can’t help myself!)

We had an intern sitting in with me on The Russ and Lisa Show and we started to have a conversation that turned into a debate about the Gamecocks and Clempson. On the spot I offered him a spot on the show and told him the direction i’d like to go….fair and balanced….The Warmup Show with Lonzo and Matt took the air.

Matt Tomlinson actually made it through two years with me and I am very proud of how he has grown  into a formidable radio personality. We were very much looking forward to this years show, but alas it was not to be.

I can’t divulge the reasons yet but I can tell you that it has nothing to do with Matt and I.

I’m sure that Matt would join me in thanking all of the listeners for tuning into us each week, calling and sharing, and making the Warmup Show what it was.

I know this has been a lengthy blog but I wanted to eulogize the show in the only way I knew how. This is the end…..goodbye Warmup Show!!

In closing I would like to thank Tim, John, Jason, Stan, Matt and even Evil Producer Josh for what was…..our show!

…….but ya never know…..the end of one thing, could be the beginning of something new……stay tuned!!!

The Lonzo

Hey everybody….I’m back! Ya know, writers block can be a scary thing! It hits you when you least expect it, and like a wart on the tip of your nose, it won’t go away. I’m thinking of founding a non-profit charity that would research and find a cure for writers block. I’ll call it the Lonzo fund for buying games……I mean….Cure for Writers Block. If I could only convince our Legal department of it’s legitimacy!

Anyway…on to the blog. Unless you have no tv or radio, i’m sure you’ve heard of the Bret Favre situation. He retired from the Green Bay Packers, but changed his mind, and now they don’t want him back. There’s been back and forth between management and Bret about who said what and all that. I personally don’t care what the Packers management has to say.

Russ and I discussed this breifly on the air and he took the angle that ‘If you retire, you should stay retired!’. I totally disagree with this! It seems that whenever a story like this comes up, I always side with the player. Maybe I do!

As an athlete, the hardest thing to do is hang em up and leave the field. What’s wrong with realizing you’ve made a mistake. I think Bret should be allowed to play. There are a lot of teams out there who would love to have him for a couple of seasons. Unfortunately Packers management has made it personal by saying they don’t want to tarnish Bret’s legacy. Hello…that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. Other players from the Packers have moved on (Like Reggie White) and their legacy wasn’t tarnished. In fact, they are still revered in Green Bay.

I think in the end the Packers will do the right thing and let Bret go, but I predict that it won’t be to a team everyone believes it will be. I think there are suprises ahead. What do you think? Will the Packers let him go? Should they? Where will Bret Favre play next year?

Later!!