"That's the Sports Flash"

That is the tagline of Jon Wallach, who has been working for Sports Radio WEEI for over ten years. Jon currently is the award winning “flash guy” for the Dale and Holley Program. He has also co-hosted his own weekend talk show, first with Pete Sheppard and then with Greg Dickerson. I had a few questions for Mr. Wallach and he was good enough to answer them…

 
James: What goes into the preparation for a sports flash at the top of each hour and the bottom of the hour?
Jon Wallach:  It’s a lot of things. Obviously there is the mandatory reading of all of the local papers, but there is also the research of a lot of web sites. I like WEEI.com, ESPN.com, cbssportsline.com, prosportsdaily.com, mlbtraderumors.com, profootballtalk.com and tsn.ca, just to name a few. Then you have a ton of information to sift through, condense and present in less than 2 minutes and THEN you have to tailor some of it to whatever sound is available for you to use at the top of the hour.

James: What’s the determining factor when picking the lead story?
Wallach: The Red sox are always #1 during the summer (it doesn’t hurt that Entercom owns the radio rights of the defending World Series champions). But, during training camp and on Mondays during the fall, you kind of segue into the Patriots. Then it all changes again during the winter with the Celtics and, to a lesser extent, the Bruins get some run during the week. However, if a major sports figure is making news, such as Carl Yastrzemski, THAT takes priority. There are always exceptions to these rules, but those are the guidelines.   

James: When Dale “scoops” you, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind?
Wallach: This is how a bitter old man has his fun……..

James: Recently you broadcasted a game for Major League Lacrosse featuring the Boston Cannons and the Denver Outlaws, how did that come about and where did your fandom for Lacrosse start?
Wallach: It’s funny, I never even saw a Lacrosse game until I got to college. However, I went to Hobart and, at the time the Statesmen were the best of Division 3. They won the national championship all 4 years I was there and, I think, 14 or 15 in a row in fact. I did play-by-play for the team for my college radio station my sophomore and junior years and for the local commercial station my senior year. Later on, I also did Brown University Lacrosse on radio when I worked in Providence.
In recent years, I’ve always watched the Cannons, and have routinely stopped by the offices of Major league Lacrosse, which, of course are 2 floors down from WEEI. Jason Chandler, who does the home TV broadcasts, used to work as a weekend “Flash Guy” for the station, and, when he needed to take a game off, he called me. In fact, I was going to do their games on radio a few years ago, but, ultimately it didn’t work out. The sport gets lost behind the Big Five of Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey and Soccer, but, the fan base of Lacrosse is growing every year, and I think it will continue to trend upward. 

James: What is your favorite obscure movie quote/reference?
Wallach: It seems to change every 6 months or so, but here are 3……..
 ”Don’t you people have homes?” - Caddyshack
 ”Can I borrow your towel? My car just hit a water buffalo.” - Fletch
 ”Stick a fork in him…..He’s done!”  - He Got Game.

James: Is there anything I can do to help promote the Jon Wallach brand?
Wallach: There very well could be a college basketball play-by-play job for yours truly to announce in the near future……