Back in 2004 Bob Haynie invited me into the frat house-like confines of WNST to sit in with him to talk Ravens. It was a great opportunity for the then very young Ravens24x7.com. It also represented my first live in studio experience on an all sports station.
The nervousness that I believed to be mostly inward and undetectable to others was hardly as transparent as I thought. Just prior to our first on air segment Haynie said to me, “Just relax. You know this stuff so say what you know.”
Shortly thereafter the commercial break had ended, accented by Haynie’s queue, “Here we go.”
And off we went…
Haynie brought me back in studio probably another 4 or 5 times and with each visit I felt more and more comfortable. Sharing a microphone with Haynie on air was akin to sharing a beer with him at Della Rose’s – it was easy, friendly and most of all unpretentious.
He never used his vast knowledge of sports, particularly local area sports to intimidate callers. He respected each one, gave them time to complete their thoughts and through his interaction with him he tossed out the welcome mat to call again and again.
Yet that is only part of Haynie’s charm. He has the unique ability to allow less informed listeners to feel like they are at a backyard barbeque while they learn from his insightfulness and his skillfulness when interviewing his many informative guests. The experience is on par with getting a sports degree on a schoolyard playground.
And for Haynie, that studio was his playground. He is a fan first but that doesn’t cloud his objectivity. He has fun and so do you and unlike so many others around the dial, he never gave his listeners the feeling that he was bigger than the show.
Bob Haynie – no less quintessential Baltimore than steamed crabs, Natty Boh, Charlie Eckman, Chuck Thompson, Vince Bagli, Brooks Robinson or Johnny U.
Let’s hope the suits at 105.7 The Fan or Fox 1370 see it the same way and they put Bullet Bob back on the airwaves where he belongs and perhaps more importantly, where Bawlmer needs him.