Moohead Radio

February 3, 2007 7:23 pm

It’s over. The cursing. The threats. The rhetoric. Mo Clarett’s morality play. Dave Anderson’s long expired commitment to host the team. Vindy.com’s 438 page forum opus dedicated to a pack of rabid Jim Terry haters. The photostatic copies of bounced checks. The memories of a failed high school all star game years ago in Pinellas County Florida. The pointless name calling against some of Youngstown’s most recognizable people by Jim Terry. The criticism of downtown’s safety. The image of a team of mafia hit men. The verbal abuse thrown at the principal of JFK High School. The “Free Mo” t-shirts. The amazing “Thunderdome”. It’s over.

All that’s left is a group of guys trying to play indoor football, a guy in Central Pennsylvania claiming he’s owed $1000, a loosely configured 4 team league, and tonight’s “sold out” preseason game that season ticket holders were not allowed to attend. Most would say “that’s enough”. Hell, even the area Chamber of Commerce warned members to steer clear of the Hitmen. That’s the equivalent of Mother Theresa bashing hungry Sri Lankans.

But against all odds (mainly constructed by Terry himself), the Hitmen are ready to hit the field running. The TV stations won’t be there, because Mr Terry chose to insult Bob Hannon, TV 33, and TV 27 at one time or several over the last 4 months. Ed Puskas of the Tribune Chronicle won’t be there. Same story. In this context, I am not sure we can find ANYONE in the valley willing to cover this event. I hear the newspaper in Sharon Pa might attend. But only because Masury is downwind from Sharon and not the other way around.

My internet radio show has become a home for this unfolding drama. We haven’t missed a single guffaw. A single insult. A single story deviation, prevarication or insinuation. Moohead Radio is plugged into this story. So much so, I have gotten to know many journalists in Youngstown who share the wrath of Terry in one form or another. Long after the newsroom lights have dimmed, these tireless jornalists sift through the Moohead archives to lavish themselves with the story their media are too dignified to cover. For one hour they revel in the sheer ridiculousness. The ethical bankruptcy. Then it’s back to covering real sports and real news.

But now it’s over. With the first snap, the story will change from Jim Terry’s intrastate money runs, to a few hopefuls trying to extend their football shelf lives. They will crash into boards and kick into walls. They will play on a field named after an insurance company, and pray to God almighty they don’t need to call the sponsor after the game. Jim will yell and scream “I told you so”. This game will serve as his personal vindication.

But all Greek tragedies start with a tragic hero, hubris, recognition scene and retribution. While Mr Terry will delay the recognition scene, thousands in the valley wait for the Deus Ex Machina. And with it, final retribution.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007 at 7:23 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.