My old pal Kevin Kiley, a sports radio host who’s had me as a guest on his shows on Fox Sports Radio and ESPN Radio, is now the co-host of the Michael Irvin Show on ESPN Radio in Dallas. He’s been trying to get me to come on the show for a couple months, and today I made my first appearance, talking football and picking five NFL games.I must say, Michael was fantastic. We talked before the show and he was so excited to have a gay guy coming on picking football games because of how against-the-norm it is. And after I gave some assessment on the Patriots’ offense and how it’s designed to succeed in bad weather (like an oncoming tropical storm), he said it was good analysis that I was offering. I asked him if he was surprised and he said yeah, he was pleasantly surprised. He wanted to bring me on to really challenge his listeners about their prejudices against gay people; and from his reaction, I’m hoping I delivered beyond his expectations.
After I got off the phone, they got a bunch of calls, mostly perplexed guys who didn’t know what to make of football picks that mixed analysis of the Dolphins defense with comments on Brett Favre’s good looks. Michael was asked at one point if he’d be comfortable playing with a gay teammate, and Michael’s answer was great: He said there are gay guys at this gym and he walks around nude with them there. “They just can’t touch.” Kevin and Michael both knew these calls were coming, and they both really welcomed them. Big kudos to both of them. I’ll be on every Thursday or Friday.
For the record, my picks this week are:
Cleveland + 5 ½ against Dallas
Detroit –3 at Atlanta
New England –15 against Kansas City
Philadelphia –8 against St. Louis
Miami +3 against New York Jets
Pray for me.
on Sep 5th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Good for you Cyd. Now about that Dallas Cowboy pick…
on Sep 5th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
That’s very cool. Good on ya, Cyd.
on Dec 8th, 2008 at 11:21 am
“Emmitt Smith is right, but not rude” As I look back at the game Sunday against the Steelers I have come to the same point that the Cowboys of today lack toughness but they are what they are and that’s mediocre. They may beat lousy teams with finesses and smoke and mirrors. But a true champion knocks the opponent out in the late rounds. I remember Michael Irvin made the statement to say the Great people of Texas don’t care about yardage stats and how pretty you win, but they do care about the bling that represent Super Bowl winner when the fight is over. Last comment the cowboys offense needs to get alot more nasty and impede its will on the opponent defense.
on Jan 17th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Mike,
I’ve been a cowboy fan since the days of Robert Newhouse and Preston Pierson. I really enjoyed your time on ESPN, I thought you stayed with the content and brought an open objective view to football. Everyone who is a fan knows what you went through with the cowboys and its my view that we had no right to know what you had to deal with. Those are private familt matters that should be dealt with behind those doors not in front of them. I was tickled to see you get in the hall of fame how deserving with a man of your talent and leadership you brought to the Cowboys. I know you made good money with the Cowboys when you played, you’d be worth 10 x that amount now to teach what you showed when you put the blue and white on. I love you Micheal, thanks for the excitement and the class you DID bring to the Dallas area.
Chet Risenhoover
McCook NE
on Jan 28th, 2009 at 10:48 am
All I have to say is Michael Irvin would have to kill me (lol). There is no way I could be in a gym with that fine azz man naked and me not take a chance and touch it. I don’t see how you can be in a locker room with him and not touch it. I’ve had a crush on Michael since the 80’s. He is still a fine looking man and I am glad about his liberalness towards gays, I know he’s isn’t one of us but, maybe he understands the thin line between civil rights and sexual rights and I hope he keeps using his show in a positive way.