18 questions with Greg
Rakestraw of ESPN 950
Greg Rakestraw (left) is
the host of SportsDesk
from 4 pm - 7 pm
weekdays on ESPN 950.
He is also the co-host
of the Reggie Wayne Show
(coming September 2007)
and has spent several
seasons as the play-by-play
voice of the IUPUI
Jaguars.
1)
You are from Ohio River
country. What teams did
you grow up rooting for?
I hate to admit this,
but I grew up a Bengals
fan. I even stuck
with them through some
early years in the 90s.
This is a major source
of contention with the
lovely Mrs. Rakestraw.
She's from Cincy, and
still supports her
favorite felons of the
Ohio River valley. When
we first started dating
in college, I told her I
was a Bengals fan.
She thinks I lured her
under false pretenses .
. . I call it wising up.
I converted to Colts-ism
in the fall of 1994.
2) What do you think
it would it take for the
Pacers to recapture the
heart
of the city?
Very simple - win . . .
they win, and people
will start to watch.
By winning, I don't mean
46-36, I mean 50+ wins.
They do that, and I
don't care what type of
criminal is on the
floor, people will show
up.
3) What is your dream
sports announcing job?
The one I have now. . .
and doing podcasts on
this website. . . the
honest answer would be
doing college, NFL, or
MLB play-by-play.
I love doing the talk
show, but nothing beats
being at the game.
And if that can be your
full-time gig, then it
would be one of the few
that would be better
than the job I have now.
4) What is the
dumbest thing you've
ever heard from a caller
on SportsDesk?
Hey there JMV, how's it
going?
5) Who is the best
guest you've had on
SportsDesk?
My favorite guests are
the intelligent ones. .
. ones you can have an
actual conversation
with, and not an
"interview." One
of the best that people
wouldn't know about
would be Joel Cornette
from his days at Butler.
Might be the brightest
athlete I had on the
show. Then again, Joey
Harris when he was at
Purdue was a good
interview, too, and he
flunked out of school.
6) Have you
interacted with Bill
Simmons at all? Is he a
nice guy or a
tool?
Bill Simmons is a good
guy, and great writer .
. . until it gets to
talking about the
Patriots or Colts.
Then it's a complete
waste of time and space.
7) What would you say
is best the reason is to
listen to ESPN 950
instead of 1260?
Listen to my show, and
then listen to his show.
If you honestly think
that's a better show,
then go ahead and
listen. But I
think we consistently
put out a better product
every day.
8) We have to ask: Do
you get along with JMV
of WNDE?
Yes I do, but I still
think my show's better.
9) Given the tight
budgets of the average
local sports fan: Give
us 3 good reasons to go
to an IUPUI game
(instead of a Butler
game or WNBA game etc.)
1. Worst seat in the
house is no more than 15
rows off of the floor.
2. Ron Hunter is worth
the price of admission,
even if there wasn't a
game actually playing.
3. George Hill.
He's really good.
4. Reason #4 - it's
cheaper than Butler and
the Fever.
10) We are
super-psyched about the
Reggie Wayne show. Tell
us how it came about and
what to expect.
We were approached by
Reggie's agent to see if
we had an interest in
doing the show.
After 2 to 3 seconds of
deep reflection and
consideration, we said
sure. Reggie and I
will break down the
game, talk about life
away from the field, and
then take telephone
calls. Plus, we'll
talk about the latest in
military attire.
11) We've become fans
of Aaron Moorehead as a
result of his show, will
Aaron still be on the
air in some capacity?
Still working on that.
Aaron is a true friend.
ESPN 950 will not forget
about our boy Moorehead.
We seriously shared a
big old hug last year
after the AFC
championship game.
I couldn't imagine a
Colts season on 950
without him being a part
of it.
12) Can you think of
a better nickname for
IUPUI than 'Ooey-Pooey'?
That's actually
considered a derogatory
term to those of us
around the program.
Now, I'm going to have
to kick your ass.
Sorry. Actually, I
like to tell people they
can't handle the "Pooey."
13) How do you see
the 2007 NFL season
playing out for the
Colts?
Don't know.
Schedule is much
tougher, especially in
the middle. I
think 11-5, 12-4 will be
a great season for this
team. I thought the
"planned" changes were
going to go well for the
team (Jackson, Hayden,
Keiaho and Morris).
It's the un-planned
changes, Ugoh and
whoever plays for
Booger, that really
worry me.
14) What two teams
will play in Super Bowl
XLII?
Same two that play in
the RCA Dome on Sept.
6th, Colts and Saints.
15) When you watch
the Colts play on
television are you a
screaming, high-fiving
fan or impartial media
observer?
When I'm at home and not
in a press-box, I am a
fan, with media
knowledge. I do
the quiet fist pump, the
one-word yell. I
do cheer for Moorehead
like crazy, and I'm sure
the same thing will
happen now for Reggie
Wayne.
16) Can you think of
a greater sports
abomination than the
Jacksonville Jaguars?
They have the dumbest
head coach in the NFL.
If they get an actual
coach, they might be the
best team in the NFL.
Of course, a quarterback
might help, too.
17) We think
Indianapolis is
fortunate to have some
very strong on-air radio
talent from talk radio
to the play by play guys
(Boyle and Lamey). Who
are some of your
favorite sports
announcers or analysts?
I love Bob's passion, I
love Boyle's quick
witted nature and
vocabulary, and no one
can imitate Don Fischer,
even though we all try.
Nationally, Al Michaels
is the man. Plus,
I grew up a Reds fan, so
Marty's right up there,
too. I saw the
other day he got a
3-year contract
extension, I had always
assumed he had a
lifetime contract.
Oh well.
18) Based on the
evidence, do you think
Bob Sanders is a zombie
re-animated by a vodoo
curse?
Yes. He and Rob
Zombie are blood
relatives.
