I Hate Howard Eskin!

During last baseball season, I remember a caller saying that he really liked Greg Dobbs and thought he could be a very good player. In typical Eskinian fashion, Howard responded by berating the caller, saying something to the effect of Oh, cmon, are you serious? Greg Dobbs? You’re a moron for thinking that Greg Dobbs is gonna be a good player…As you might have noticed, Greg Dobbs is batting .356, and is 10-22 as a pinch hitter, including 9 RBIs and the game winning hit last night. Granted, Dobbs has not proven that he can be an everyday player. But what annoys me is that Howard feels that he can pass judgement on a player so quickly (because he is THE ALL-POWERFUL, ALL-KNOWING KING OF RADIO), without giving that player even a chance, and berate his caller for being so uninformed. Howard, why not be a little more openminded and say that we’re not sure about Dobbs yet, but he’s had a good start? Howard loves to be right, and when he’s not right, he usually denies what he said before that would make him look like a fool. Howard, I think everyone in Philadelphia would respect you alot more if you would own up to your mistakes, as opposed to stubbornly denying you said something, as I’m sure you would if I was to call in and say that you said Dobbs wasn’t a player. Yeah, he might not be an everyday starter, but the fact is he IS a player that adds value to his team as a situational lefthander, and therefore, is “good” (ala Chris Coste). You, on the other hand Howard, are not a good radio host. Good hosts inspire an open dialogue that gets to the heart of issues, as opposed to your dogmatic approach whose sole purpose is to show why you’re right.

I’d make fun of the way Eskin looks, but it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Plenty of that to come as the blog develops. But clearly Eskin knows how fucking strange he looks, because oddly enough there aren’t a ton of pictures of the guy on the internet. So here’s a call to all our readers: if you find any great pics of the man himself, shoot them over to Cite@IHateHowardEskin.com. We’ll be sure to doctor them up with lots of Burger King propaganda and post them immediately.

Any marginally aware sports fan knows about the tragedy of Eight Belles at this years Kentucky Derby. Poor horse comes in second, then breaks both ankles right after crossing the finish line, and is euthanized right on the track. Some modicum of controversy followed, with accusations of trainers not looking out for the well being of the horse, perhaps overworking her or maybe even running her with a known injury. I’m not going to pretend that I know much about horse racing, but I am more or less against horse and greyhound racing entirely.

I happened to listen to Eskin’s show the following Monday to hear him complaining about the way these trainers treat their horses. He spent hours arguing that trainers were sleazy, the horses had a bad deal, horse racing needed to be cleaned up. Fair enough … I would presume that most of those statements are spot on. Problem isn’t the statements, it’s the jerk-off spouting them. What’s the number one reason horse racing exists? Mmmmm … I’m gonna guess gambling. Howard is surely against gambling, correct? Oh, thats right, once a week during football season he has a odds-maker on his show to give good NCAA, NFL, and the occasional NBA picks for the weekend. Hell, the man’s own website, HowardEskin.com, sells gambling picks to people (I can’t tell if horse picks are available because I’m not a member. Imagine my sadness.) Hard to codemn a sport based on gambling when you constantly promote said activity.

That’s not even the worst offense though, and admittedly a little indirect. For all his spouting off about animal cruelty and the horrors of horse racing, one can only wonder if maybe this all wouldn’t have registered on Eskin’s selfish, contradictory self if they had turned dear Eight Belles into a coat and given it to the King himself. The man is a walking poster board for animal cruelty, yet he finds no problem contradicting himself so he can stick it to a sport he probably hasn’t ever liked. Do us all a favor Eskin, stop championing causes you clearly don’t actually believe in.

Philadelphia is by far one of if not THE greatest sports town in this country. We have great teams, tons of history, and for better or worse, incredibly passionate fans. With passionate fans come passionate opinions, and 610 WIP has always been a great sounding board for these opinions, a forum where we can test the waters with our own ideas, seek out some validation, counter unfair perceptions, and just blow off some steam every once in a while. For the most part, the commentators on WIP do a great job of facilitating this function. Unfortunately, not all of them do.

In a nation founded upon democratic principles, including perhaps most importantly, freedom of speech, in the city where the papers documenting these rights were drafted, Howard Eskin has found a niche in radio that allows him to skirt these basic rights. Consequently, we feel oppressed, voiceless, and most importantly, angered when he tries to present logical arguments on his radio show. It’s no coincidence that the man is nicknamed “The King,” as calling his show is like entering the court of a tyrannical ruler. His biggest power is oppresion of voices, his biggest weakness his lack of appreciation for those who put him where he is. When you present facts that invalidate Howard’s perspectives, he rigorously denies it. He’ll call you a dope, a nitwit or a moron, and hang up on you. Is this ignorance what America is all about? Is it what Philadelphia is about? Of course not. It is our right to demand the answers we want and show that Howard Eskin survives simply because of his ability to opress.

This blog’s mission is to end this King’s reign, to give all of us what he doesn’t want us to have: a voice! We will document his doubletalk on a daily basis by recording his contradictions and posting them immediately! When he frustrates you, let your voice be heard and make a post! Through this collective voice, more will follow, including other prominent sports personalities, players, women’s rights groups, minority rights groups, and animal rights groups, amongst others. Ironically, this site, when successful, will increase his ratings and make him even richer (which of course he will blow on more fur coats and bling). But we don’t care how rich he gets, because what truly matters to him is that his faulty opinions (or FACTS as he refers to them) are never questioned. Here he cannot hang up on you. Here he cannot call you a nitwit. The only option for him on this site is to hear your opinion, the one thing he doesn’t want. IT’S TIME TO PUT THIS BURGER ON THE GRILLE.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!