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WP: Fans Are Unhappy With Herzog's Ouster


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Fans Are Unhappy With Herzog's Ouster

By Leonard Shapiro

Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, February 28, 2004; Page D01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13491-2004Feb27.html

Sam Huff was nursing a rare case of laryngitis yesterday but had enough of a voice to make it known he also was hurting over the decision by WJFK radio to take his longtime Redskins game broadcasting partner, Frank Herzog, off the air starting in the 2004 season, when he'll be replaced by Larry Michael.

"I think it's a shame," Huff said on a day when hundreds of similarly disappointed Redskins fans voiced their displeasure over Herzog's departure via telephone or e-mail to the radio station, The Washington Post and other local media and Internet outlets. "I feel like something is going to be missing."

Huff, who has been doing color analysis on Redskins games since 1973, and fellow analyst Sonny Jurgensen will remain on the broadcast. On Thursday, WJFK vice president and general manager Alan Weinland said both men were "Washington institutions" and will remain part of the radio broadcast team as long as they want to continue.

"Was [firing Herzog] a mistake?" Huff said, repeating a question. "Hey, it was a business decision. Was getting rid of Stephen Davis a mistake? You tell me. The three of us [Herzog, Huff and Jurgensen] have been together since 1981, and we had a pretty good thing going. Frank was well-prepared, well-versed and had a great delivery.

"Frank knew how to deal with Sonny and me, and that's not easy. The great thing is, Frank let us be ourselves. He'd let me talk defense, Sonny talk offense and it takes some doing because we're both kind of high-powered. Most broadcasters I've worked with over the years want to dominate the air. Frank was not like that. He knew how to do it."

Herzog, who first did play-by-play on the Redskins in 1979, evoked plenty of fan outrage yesterday, most of it directed toward WJFK. One station employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said calls started coming in early in the morning and never stopped until the switchboard closed down at 5:30 p.m. Several Redskins-related Web sites included the e-mail addresses of station manager Alan Leinwand and other station executives.

Leinwand did not return a number of telephone calls to his office yesterday.

By late yesterday, a message board on www.washingtonpost.com, The Post's internet Web site, had received more than 230 postings, virtually all of them opposed to taking Herzog off the Redskins' game broadcast. The Post's sports department recorded more than 50 telephone calls by 3 p.m. expressing the same sentiment, with many callers also asking for the telephone numbers and e-mail address for WJFK.

Several themes ran through many of the web postings, including dismay over breaking up one of the NFL's most popular radio broadcasting teams and complaints about not being able to pick up WJFK's signal. Other postings blamed the Redskins, and team owner Daniel Snyder, for instigating the move, which was announced Thursday by Leinwand.

"Touchdown, Washington Redskins," one e-mail began, using Herzog's signature touchdown call. "How can you fire Frank Herzog? The term, and the way he says it, is an institution in Washington, D.C."

Another read, "This is a slap in the face to all Redskins fans . . . guess I'll now have to listen to the two new fools they put on television."

Other comments included:

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Originally posted by bubba9497

Fans Are Unhappy With Herzog's Ouster

By Leonard Shapiro

Washington Post Staff Writer

Saturday, February 28, 2004; Page D01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13491-2004Feb27.html

Sam Huff was nursing a rare case of laryngitis yesterday but had enough of a voice to make it known he also was hurting over the decision by WJFK radio to take his longtime Redskins game broadcasting partner, Frank Herzog, off the air starting in the 2004 season, when he'll be replaced by Larry Michael.

"I think it's a shame," Huff said on a day when hundreds of similarly disappointed Redskins fans voiced their displeasure over Herzog's departure via telephone or e-mail to the radio station, The Washington Post and other local media and Internet outlets. "I feel like something is going to be missing."

Huff, who has been doing color analysis on Redskins games since 1973, and fellow analyst Sonny Jurgensen will remain on the broadcast. On Thursday, WJFK vice president and general manager Alan Weinland said both men were "Washington institutions" and will remain part of the radio broadcast team as long as they want to continue.

"Was [firing Herzog] a mistake?" Huff said, repeating a question. "Hey, it was a business decision. Was getting rid of Stephen Davis a mistake? You tell me. The three of us [Herzog, Huff and Jurgensen] have been together since 1981, and we had a pretty good thing going. Frank was well-prepared, well-versed and had a great delivery.

"Frank knew how to deal with Sonny and me, and that's not easy. The great thing is, Frank let us be ourselves. He'd let me talk defense, Sonny talk offense and it takes some doing because we're both kind of high-powered. Most broadcasters I've worked with over the years want to dominate the air. Frank was not like that. He knew how to do it."

Herzog, who first did play-by-play on the Redskins in 1979, evoked plenty of fan outrage yesterday, most of it directed toward WJFK. One station employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said calls started coming in early in the morning and never stopped until the switchboard closed down at 5:30 p.m. Several Redskins-related Web sites included the e-mail addresses of station manager Alan Leinwand and other station executives.

Leinwand did not return a number of telephone calls to his office yesterday.

By late yesterday, a message board on www.washingtonpost.com, The Post's internet Web site, had received more than 230 postings, virtually all of them opposed to taking Herzog off the Redskins' game broadcast. The Post's sports department recorded more than 50 telephone calls by 3 p.m. expressing the same sentiment, with many callers also asking for the telephone numbers and e-mail address for WJFK.

Several themes ran through many of the web postings, including dismay over breaking up one of the NFL's most popular radio broadcasting teams and complaints about not being able to pick up WJFK's signal. Other postings blamed the Redskins, and team owner Daniel Snyder, for instigating the move, which was announced Thursday by Leinwand.

"Touchdown, Washington Redskins," one e-mail began, using Herzog's signature touchdown call. "How can you fire Frank Herzog? The term, and the way he says it, is an institution in Washington, D.C."

Another read, "This is a slap in the face to all Redskins fans . . . guess I'll now have to listen to the two new fools they put on television."

Other comments included:

"Several Redskins-related Web sites included the e-mail addresses of station manager Alan Leinwand and other station executives."

I wonder if Shapiro or someone at the Post have been secretly lurking on Extremeskins.com.

:whoknows:

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This is the first time I've been able to sit down at my computer since early yesterday afternoon and this is the fisrt post I've seen today. I don't mind telling you I have tears in my eyes as I type this. This is an absolute travesty. Losing Frank Herzog off the broadcast is like losing a member of your family. I know it's not like he died but the broadcast will NEVER be the same.

I have radio recordings of the 82 NFC Championship game against Dallas and of Super Bowl XVII. I guess I'll have to go listen and reminisce. :cry:

Maybe if enough people boycott WJFK, those idiots will bring Frank back. :mad:

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Originally posted by gridironmike

I'm going to make it a point to reply in each one of these Herzog threads. Frank is the man. I hate to get all rah rah, but this is a worthy cause to me.

me too, it really dawned on me today how much losing frank is gonna suck! :(

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"Touchdown, Washington Redskins," one e-mail began, using Herzog's signature touchdown call. "How can you fire Frank Herzog? The term, and the way he says it, is an institution in Washington, D.C."

Good to know my email as seen by someone. Asswipes.

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What about lobbying the Redskins front office to do something about this????

I mean after all, the power is whollly in their hands......

They made a contact with WJFK for broadcasting the games under certain guidelines. We could argue that the current guidelines as of now we deem indecent :evil:

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"Other postings blamed the Redskins, and team owner Daniel Snyder, for instigating the move,"

Someone always has to find a way to blame Snyder:confused:

As someone said about having to watch the idiots Fox puts out there is so true.

We should write letters to WJFK to say not how disappointed we are he's leaving, but that we'll be boycotting ALL of their sponsers. - That may get their attention. Maybe a letter speaking for all Extremeskins members to show them the capacity of it.

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BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT, BOYCOTT!!!!!!

Hit the fools at WJFK where it hurts.

Let the advertisers know we're Redskins fans and will hold it against them if they pay to advertise on WJFK's Frank-less Redskins broadcasts.

Hey, can we get one of these signs to say WJFK SUCKS?:dallasuck

WJFK, I break wind in your general direction. :fart:

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