This is a 4-part series coming atcha from bayareabias.com writer David Crowell. This is Part 2…

We continue with the right side of the bracket as the local sports personalities battle it out for best in the Bay. Part 1 can be found here.

SWEET 16:

Match-Up #5: Tom Tolbert “Mr. T” v. Brodie Brazil

The Razor’s other half, Mr. T, has balanced out the harsh and abrasive rhetoric of Ralph Barbieri on KNBR since 1996. Tom brings a smooth and level-headed voice 20 hours a week that often carries into long dissertations about Pop Tarts, WWF, the Warriors, or quite frankly anything else. The man’s memory is impeccable, often able to recite final scoring drives of Pac-10 college football games from 2002, and his NBA experience allows him to take the respect people give him for having laced them up, though he was more the type to chug a 6-pack after the game than look at tape. Mr. T comes off as a man’s man, not so much with the high testosterone but with the common interests he shares with his 25-54 male demographic – many can identify with his likes and dislikes from video games to 80’s one-hit wonders, sometimes going in so much depth that The Razor is left silent and confused, wondering how they got on the Smashing Pumpkins playing acoustic in a Minneapolis suburb. He is well balanced across all sports, not just basketball, and can speak intelligently about anything from the 5-step drop to the ramifications ofsliding headfirst into first base. While he leaves most of the tough awkward questions in interviews to his partner Ralph, Mr. T does well in taking a humorous angle in asking questions that may not often be asked but are certainly curious.

Brodie Brazil probably has the best porn name on this list, but his advantages end there. Brodie was the High School Sports Focus guy, and for a lot of us this meant we became accustomed to watching his show looking for highlights of ourselves on local TV. I, for one, was disappointed when my high school soccer team (Mission San Jose) upset the rest of the MVAL in the Shaughnessy playoffs in 1998, and didn’t make the telecast. I’ll never forget Brodie!! But that’s not all. Brodie (and I) have moved on and now he is the rinkside reporter for the Sharks and has won some Emmy’s for his work. I don’t think his Emmy acceptance speech is following the cast of Modern Family, but when our local guys can win Emmy’s, that’s pretty dope. But unfortunately his reach is too limited and Brazil lives in the shadow of others here in the Bay.

Result: Mr. T is going to out entertain Brodie pretty much every day of the week. I think, “Man, I wish I had said that,” when Tolbert says some stuff. Not so much with Brodie. He has a cool playoff beard though.

Match-Up #6: Paul McCaffrey “Paulie Mac” v. Jaymee Sire

Paulie Mac is the Mac in the “Murph and Mac” KNBR morning show. Sports seem to be his secondary interest as music often creeps its way into this Dead Head’s AM banter. One of Mac’s strongest points is his witty and clever creations of songs devoted to our local star athletes like Matt Cain, Buster Posey, and of course, Tim Lincecum with the wildly popular “Lin-ce-cum! Lin-ce-cu-u-u-u-u-um!”Paulie Mac supports the radio program but leaves the leading and hosting to Brian Murphy, often agreeing with or reiterating what has been said, almost like an assistant coach would. But he has a wicked ability to pounce in with the one-liners, and his on-air back-and-forth with Murph and Dan Dibley help create one of the best shows on Bay Area radio. Mac has enough sports knowledge to talk with the audience about something like why the Steelers will win the Super Bowl, but he’s much stronger in the Pop Culture Show Downs where he is analyzing the best band to come out of Pittsburgh and why that’s vital to Super Bowl Sunday.

The Erin Andrews of Bay Area sports media, allow me to dip into the non-journalistic arena here for one quick sec by acknowledging how attractive Jaymee Sire is. Married (sorry fellas), Jaymee is the Comcast field correspondent and covers the A’s and Giants, Warriors, Niners, and pretty much all of it so fans of all teams can have equal access to the beautiful Sire. She was there for us most recently when, in the Giants clubhouse after the Game 5 World Series clinching victory in Texas, a shirtless clubhouse manager Mike Murphy walked behind Jaymee who was reporting live, causing a nice moment of “uhhhhhhhhhh…WOAH!” that you can find here. Jaymee has a great ability to bring us the post-game interviews with the stars of the Giants and it’s always amusing to watch guys like Barry Zito (hmmm, did I just say stars?) and Tim Lincecum give her some sound bites while wondering if they’re thinking what we’re all thinking – dang this chick is hot.

Result: This is a tough one to call, because if the result here is to have a few rounds of scotch and talk sports, I can’t quickly eliminate Jaymee Sire what-so-ever. Who would? And I honestly think that Paulie Mac would understand, I really do. But Paulie would be fun and I’d enjoy foraying into classic rock with him and ranking the top bands of the 70’s with the top bands of the 90’s and 00’s. But really, since Jaymee and I are both married, I don’t see why we couldn’t talk sports for a while over some drinks…right? Sorry Paulie.

Match-Up #7: Rod Brooks v. Matt Maiocco

Here’s what I like about Rod – he’s a good guy. He isn’t going to clown on the callers that know less than him, he doesn’t call out players when it’s too early or unwarranted, he respects his role in the local sporting industry and media, and he breaks it down clearly and concisely with facts and reason. He is what a day-time host should be. The daytime guys need to know the stats, the X’s and O’s, and the business of sports, and Rod does and speaks it well. He’ll let his partner Fitz (and before him, Rick Barry) fly off the handle while staying cool and collected. Doubling as the 49ers sideline reporter for the radio broadcasts, Rod has done well carving out a place for himself in the Bay Area media world and has the ability to add in humor and pop culture references when needed, something some of the others have trouble with. I like Rod, he’s a good one for KNBR to have. He won’t entertain you as Paulie Mac or Mr. T might, but he’ll share his knowledge and answer your questions and debate it with you, and still shake your hand at the end.

It may be a little unfair for Matt Maiocco to put him in this game, because he’s not really a TV or radio guy, he’s the 49ers beat writer. But he did join the Comcast team and is on TV with them often enough and a guest on KNBR often enough and Tweets enough to be in the daily grind of non-print media. Matty Mo is the 49ers guru and drapes himself in red and gold 365 days a year. He lives on fact, not fiction or speculation, and with the advancement of Twitter, can break a story even when you’re falling asleep on Christmas night in Cincinnati with your iPhone on your chest. This happened, I awoke, and read my Maiocco. In essence, he’s there for us. But let’s face it – as far as sports personalities he doesn’t quite measure up, and for a round or two of scotch, we may have trouble settling on a place too far from the 49ers Santa Clara headquarters. Stick with what you’re good at Matt, leave the entertainment up to Barrows!

Result: Rod and Matt both know their sports, but Rod can add a little flare that Matt doesn’t seem to do much of. But is he supposed to? Rod moves on.

Match-Up #8: Scott Reiss vs. Damon Bruce

I was expecting more of Scott Reiss. A Stanford grad who was an ESPN SportsCenter anchor and had hosted Baseball Tonight and ESPNews, Comcast Bay Area got him a couple years ago and he hasn’t exactly emerged as a big fish in a small pond. Not that the Bay Area is all that small, but it’s smaller than the national audience ESPN gets. Reiss hosts SportsNet Central (dumb name) and post gameshows for the Giants and Sharks, but nothing stands out. Information only. Thanks Scott.

Damon Bruce meanwhile is the opposite of everything. The Bay Area’s loudest sports character (non-athlete, mind you), D. Bruce hosts his show on 1050 AM. Formerly the Sports Phone guy until he handed it over to FP Santangelo for a broader scope to discuss than the Giants, Damon Bruce takes pride on being edgy, racy, negative, and loud. It’s his shtick and it works for him for many, and for many it does not. Like Gary Radnich, you either love or hate this guy and he’s perfectly fine with you hating him because he ain’t changing and it’s your loss. For me, I can’t listen to this guy for a whole commute, he’s only good in doses. I’m not a big fan of the Negative Nellie stuff he spits out where he’ll often start sentences with “I toldja…” or pound on a team after a big loss calling for heads to roll. I paid close attention to the way he reacted to the Giants winning the World Series after he berated them often throughout the season. It was as I thought it would be, he eventually hopped on the bandwagon and offered congratulations to the fans, I may have missed it when he tipped his cap to Sabean and the team.

Result: Damon Bruce gets an easy first round win as he moves on. Whether you like him or hate him, he is a personality in the area and makes waves. But is he the biggest and best the Bay has to offer?

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