Longtime Cincinnati sports radio commentator Andy Furman was fired Wednesday, nearly a month after calling Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh a “racist” during station WLW's weeknight sports talk show, according to a report in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Furman made the comments on Oct. 6, one day after Houshmandzadeh failed to make a scheduled, paid appearance on the show.
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Big number
161
Major league baseball players who have filed for free agency.
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Clear Channel, the company that owns WLW, made the decision to dismiss Furman, according to his attorney.
During the show on Oct. 6, Furman accused Houshmandzadeh of calling him a “punk-(expletive) white boy,” according to the newspaper.
Houshmandzadeh denied making that remark.
“I told him, 'Andy Furman, you can (blank) yourself.' That's the bottom line. And he twisted it into all whatever he wants to,” Houshmandzadeh said.
“What he did was wrong. ... This time he took it too far.”
Furman, along with other WLW personalities, has a history of making controversial and inflammatory comments on the air. The station has led the Cincinnati-area ratings for more than six years, according to the paper.
Trivia time
How many years does it take for a monofilament fishing line to biodegrade?
SEC puts limits on rooster crowing
The rooster won't crow as much at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
The Southeastern Conference has told the Gamecocks they can only play a rooster crow during timeouts, after a score, before the game, during halftime and when the game ends.
South Carolina had been playing the rooster crow before critical third downs and other times to pump up the crowd.
The SEC told the Gamecocks they were breaking conference regulations about when artificial noise could be played.
“We are certainly disappointed that we have to limit the Gamecock crow, as we know it's a crowd favorite, but obviously we will comply with the Southeastern Conference rules and regulations,” said Jeff Crane, the university's athletics marketing director.
McEnroe beats Borg in exhibition
In a throwback to one of tennis' greatest rivalries, seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 in an exhibition match yesterday.
The two faced off 14 times in ATP tour, Davis Cup and Grand Slam play, each winning seven times.
In a vintage performance before a capacity crowd at Madinat Jumeira Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the 47-year-old McEnroe threw himself around, produced some trademark crosscourt shots and – for theatrical effect – smashed his racket against the court and argued with the umpire.
Borg, three years older than McEnroe and winner of 11 Grand Slam titles, matched McEnroe stroke for stroke before the fitter American prevailed in what was billed as the final showdown between them.
Trivia answer
600 years.
