Sports Talk Personality Steve Czaban Scalds ESPN, Digs Belfour Straight Rye
On this episode of The Fred Minnick Show, sports talk radio personality Steve Czaban joins Fred for some lively conversation and tasty whiskey. Czaban is a veteran of Fox Sports Radio, Yahoo Sports Radio and others, and his Steve Czaban Show currently airs on 97.3 The Game in Virginia. During the interview, he and Fred discuss what might happen if Fred’s bourbon fell off the shelves, mindfulness, Stitzel-Weller, modern sports media and more, all while tasting and comparing three different whiskeys. Whiskeys tasted: Belfour Straight Rye (8:20) Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 8 Year (20:14) Doc Swinson’s 15 Year Old (24:37) EPISODE SUMMARY Fred and Steve touch on plenty, such as: They come right out of the gate trying to name Fred’s studio space, starting with the possible name "The Bunghole." Let’s hope that one doesn’t stick. The Belfour sparks conversation about the “Kentucky chew.” They engage in conversation about mindfulness and applying it to aromas and flavor. Pappy Van Winkle bourbon comes into the conversation briefly. Fred talks about how high whiskey can go in terms of proof and why. Steve compares a non-soccer fan watching soccer to a rookie whiskey drinker drinking whiskey – you know whether you like it or not, but you can’t really explain why. Fred talks about his grading system for spirits. They then engage in conversation about modern sports media … and how bad so much of it is. They take well deserved shots at Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, and ESPN shows like Around the Horn. Steve calls it, “Completely non-nutritious for a thinking person.” They agree that the best way to enjoy whiskey is with friends. It provides a nice transition from making fun of yelling sports talk hosts to agreeing on enjoying whiskey any way you choose. That said, don’t be mixing Coke with your Pappy. Yes, Jack Daniel’s is technically bourbon. Steve chooses the Belfour as his favorite because the bottle reminds him of the Stanley Cup. Fred proclaims that “whiskey rocks are lame.” QUOTABLES Steve Czaban, on modern sports talk broadcasting, “The stuff that is churned out by ESPN every day is so laughably bad. I say to myself, who on Earth watches this and thinks, ‘Yeah, Stephen A. [Smith], that’s a perfectly solid opinion.’ Nobody with a brain.” RESOURCES https://czabe.com/ https://twitter.com/czabe https://www.instagram.com/czabe/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.