BY CHARLES COSTELLO

It was classic radio. And for those watching on the YES Network, classic television.

Mike Francesa (wfan.com)

Mike Francesa, the host of Mike’d Up on 660 WFAN, and one of the all-time legends of the airwaves, Pete Fornatale, sat down Tuesday to discuss Fornatale’s new book, “Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock.” The book was released in June and currently sits at No. 241 on Amazon.com’s list of bestsellers.

This was Francesa at his best, exhibiting his expertise in areas beyond sports, entering the world of rock, culture, and history. And seated to his left in the studios of WFAN was Fornatale, eloquent and graceful in sharing his knowledge of the August 1969 rockfest.

Nothing to do with Woodstock, but the most interesting part of the interview for me was learning that Fornatale was once Francesa’s English teacher. Fornatale and fellow WFUV deejay Dennis Elsas were both English teachers at Maria Regina High School in Uniondale, Long Island while Francesa attended the school.

You can listen to the complete interview here.

A graduate of both Fordham Prep and Fordham University, Fornatale’s “Mixed Bag” can be heard Saturday afternoons from 4 to 8 on WFUV. Mixed Bag Radio, a one-hour interview show, can be heard Sunday mornings from 7 to 8.  He’s been a part of WFUV going back to his days as a student at the Bronx campus.

Career Update: I’ll be hosting “The Press Box” today at 2 p.m. at http://lifestyletalkradio.com/. Click on Listen Live and call in at 888-454-3378. Yes, Fordham phone calls are welcome. Hey, with Jio back in the fold and football scholarships on the way there’s plenty to talk about at Rose Hill. Here are some other topics on today’s plate:

• Tony Bernazard and the “Mess” in Queens
• ESPN sinks even lower
• Seven in a row for the Yankees
• Roy Halladay trade talk and other MLB news
• David Lee and the Knicks
• Football on the way

See you today at 2:00.

CC 

One more book suggestion for you as we roll into summer, this time with a Fordham connection.

Pete Fornatale (Photo from WFUV.org)

I’ll be honest, I haven’t read it, haven’t really even looked into it beyond a couple of reviews compliments of the New York Post’s Page Six and Amazon.com, but I would think that anything written by WFUV’s Pete Fornatale is required reading for music aficionados. In this case, it’s “Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock,” written by Fornatale and due out next Tuesday. In his latest book, the legendary deejay takes a look back at the August 1969 rockfest.

Fornatale’s Mixed Bag can be heard Saturday afternoons from 4 to 8 on WFUV, immediately following One on One. Mixed Bag Radio, a one-hour interview show, can be heard Sunday mornings from 7 to 8. Fornatale graduated from both Fordham Prep and Fordham University. He’s been a part of WFUV going back to his days as a student at the Bronx campus.

CC

Photo from nypost.com

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

Add Joel Sherman’s name to the growing list of Press Box listeners.

How do I know that the New York Post’s esteemed baseball writer listens to the daily sports radio show hosted by Rob Adams on the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network? Because on yesterday’s show I talked about how important Mark Teixeira has been to the Yankees. I wasn’t just talking about his 16 home runs and 44 RBIs, his .282 batting average, or his flawless defense – no errors in 47 starts at first base. While Teixeira’s numbers are only going to get better as the summer heats up, of equal importance to the Yankees is that the Teixeira signing kept him away from New York’s main rival, the Boston Red Sox. This past winter it seemed like Teixeira would either head home to the Maryland/DC area or go north to Yawkey Way. Then the Yankees swooped in with their history and glory, and most importantly their money, eight years at $180 million. And just like that, on December 23, 2008, Teixeira became a Yankee. So Boston misses out on the first baseman and now has to watch as their DH, and former first baseman, David Ortiz slumps more and more each day, down to a .185 batting average and now down in the batting order.

My main argument yesterday was that the Teixeira signing is proving to be a bigger one than anyone could’ve imagined at the time. Sure the Yankees knew they were getting an All-Star, one of the game’s premier players. But no one could have seen Ortiz’s slide coming. The Red Sox face a huge dilemma here, and it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. What we do know is that Ortiz’s struggles would not have been this catastrophic had Boston acquired Teixeira.

So after listening to yesterday’s show, Sherman writes the following today:

“The Yankees have not won a game in 2009 vs. the Red Sox, and yet may have one of the most important victories in years over their main rival.

That is because the Yankees got Mark Teixeira. And the Red Sox didn’t.

Teixeira has upgraded the Yankees’ offense and – don’t ignore this – been the key in transforming the defense from wretched to respected.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox did not add a player whose presence would have made David Ortiz’s plummet more tolerable.”

I’ll let you enjoy Sherman’s column in today’s New York Post for yourself, and while I kid about him getting an idea from me, I once again take pleasure in the confirmation that great minds think alike.

Back in The Press Box today, as a guest co-host for the second time alongside the show’s host, Rob Adams. The daily sports radio show can be heard weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m on the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network. The show, including today’s broadcast, is also available as an archive/podcast at http://lifestyletalkradio.com/weekday_hosts/archives/tpb.shtml.

Charles Costello

Below is a link to the archive/podcast of “The Press Box” from today, May 7, on the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network. I had the privilege of co-hosting, alongside Rob Adams, the daily sports radio show. If you click on the link - and download - today’s show, you can hear us talking mostly about Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension for his use of performance enhancing drugs. In the middle of the NBA and NHL playoffs, and with plenty of on-the-field baseball to discuss, the 60-minute show was dominated by talk of Ramirez’s suspension, announced just a couple of hours before we went on the air. Enjoy!

http://archives.warpradio.com/ltrn/PressBox/050714.mp3

(NOTE: This post did not appear on Fordham SportsNet until May 14. However, the publishing date is listed as May 7 since that is the day the show aired.)

Charles Costello

I was delighted this morning to receive an email from my old broadcasting buddy, Rob Adams, who invited me to join him on his radio show this Thursday. As I reported here back on March 30, Adams is the host of The Press Box, a daily sports talk show that can be heard from 2 to 3 p.m. on the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network. The show is also available as an archive/podcast. In addition to hosting the show, Adams writes for his Exit 55 blog.

Truth be told, I was honored to receive Rob’s invitation. “The Press Box” is an excellent sports talk show, one of the best on the radio these days. It’s also good to know that Rob’s doing well. As I said before, he’s one of the good guys in the world of sports media. Quality show, quality blog, and a quality guy. Give him a listen and a read.

And see you this Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. at http://lifestyletalkradio.com/.

Charles Costello

I’m happy to announce that an old friend of mine, Rob Adams, will begin broadcasting a new sports talk show today on the Lifestyle Talk Radio Network. The show is called ”The Press Box” and will air weekdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Here’s how Rob Adams described the show last Friday in an entry on his website Exit 55:

“The Press Box,” hosted by Rob Adams, lets the sports fan be heard! Focusing on a wide variety of sports issues, “The Press Box” covers the topics of the day, the major sports news, and the minor things as well. High school sports, the minor leagues, and the lighter side of sports are all fair game.

“The Press Box” will feature great guests – the movers and shakers in the world of sports. We’ll visit with legendary names from across the landscape, along with authors, media members, athletes and more.

The goal of “The Press Box” is for the fan to drive the show. Callers get their fair shake, instead of simply being discarded with the wave of a hand. “The Press Box” will be for the fan!

Rob and I worked together at WGCH Radio in Greenwich almost a decade ago. He’s one of the good guys in the world of sports media, and I wish him well with his new show. We’ll be listening.

Charles Costello