PORTLAND, Maine — Things could be worse for Dave Schumacher. He still has a job and a paycheck. But you may have a rather chilly heart if you don’t feel a least a twinge of sympathy for him right now.
Schumacher, known to all as “Shoe,” is the co-host of a radio talk show devoted to sports…in a world where there are no sports. From 6:00 to 10:00 every morning, Monday through Friday, he has to pull in listeners, virtually all of them hardcore sports fans, to his station, the Big Jab in Portland. In a normal world the dudes who tune in (and, yes, they’re nearly all dudes) would already be thrilled or appalled by how the Red Sox are faring three weeks into the season, they’d probably be delighted by the fortunes of the Bruins, and they’d perhaps be cautiously hopeful about the prospects of the Celtics. Instead…crickets.
I was listening a few days ago, and Shoe and co-host Joe Palmieri were talking about the coronavirus and when the economy might start to re-open. A listener called in, clearly annoyed at their views on the subject. “Why don’t you just stick to sports?” he finally demanded.
“Stick to sports?” Shoe replied with more than a touch of exasperation. “There are no sports!”
So, what does a guy in his position do? Watch our interview to find out. Then see if you don’t feel that twinge of sympathy for him.