From the New York Post’s Phil Mushnick.
Remarkable. One radio station, 1050 ESPN-NY, has two, very different guys, both named Brandon Tierney.
There’s the Brandon Tierney who sidekicks, backslaps and rubber-stamps Stephen A. Smith during the week, the one called “B.T.” That Brandon Tierney (above) talks a lot of homey-hop, corner-jive, brutha-blab.
In fact, what he’s says doesn’t seem nearly as important as how he says it.
Then there’s the other Brandon Tierney (above), the one who seems to have become the unofficial voice of ESPN 1050 – he hosts ESPN Radio’s Knick wraparound shows in addition to providing color/analysis on St. John’s broadcasts.
That Brandon Tierney – “Brandon the Other” – plays it more button-down; he’s more eager to be heard as a wise man as opposed to a wise guy, a fellow who tries to make himself clear instead of slick.
They’re the same guy? Then which one is an act? Or might both be an act?
Uh, paging William Safire. Bill, what exactly is “homey-hop, brutha-blab”?
Wow. Makes one long for that whole sublimated/unconscious racism we were talking about last week.
I’ll admit to not listening to Stephen A. Smith’s radio show, but from my brief experiences with him on ESPN, I have to say that — as artificial and grating as his “straight talk” and goes-to-11 voice are to me — he doesn’t really seem to use much hip-hop slang at all. Not as much as, say, your average clock-punching anchor on ESPNews, looking for that one catchphrase that could vault him into Scott Van Pelt territory. But I’m sure Mushnick’s all over those guys, too, right?
David,
Word (to your mother).