Hosted by: Alex Reimer

Alex speaks with Rich Shertenlieb, one-half of the “Toucher and Rich” morning show, weekdays on 98.5 “The Sports Hub” (interview is played at the five-minute mark). “Toucher and Rich” finished first in the spring of 2011 ratings book, and has finished either first or second in the market in every subsequent ratings book. Is Rich surprised at how much success the show has enjoyed in such a brief time span?

Rich is on record of stating his dislike for most sports talk radio. Alex asks Rich how he goes about ensuring his show sounds different than most others in the sports talk genre, while still maintaining a sports-centric format. Alex also asks Rich if his opinion on sports talk radio has changed now that he’s been on a sports talk station for three years.

Arguably the trademark of “Toucher and Rich” is the bits they produce, and their relationships with many current and former athletes in the city (Brian Scalabrine, Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, etc). Rich, the mastermind behind the bits, discusses the process of formulating ideas for them, and then implementing those ideas.

The Red Sox are still playing baseball, and Alex recaps their weekend series against the Yankees in New York. Are we finally going to see the Red Sox approach the rest of August with an eye towards 2013? Does Carl Crawford’s long-awaited pending Tommy John surgery provide us with any insight into how the team may approach the rest of the month?

The latest “salacious” details in the Adrian Gonzalez texting scandal, and whether ownership is capable of addressing the problems within the organization is discussed too.

In the “Around the League” segment, Alex talks about the AL East standings, and the likelihood of the Rays and Orioles making a run at the Yankees. The relatable motivation behind Melky Cabrera’s steroid use, the implementation of Stephen Strasburg’s innings-limit, and more is discussed too.

Email Alex at areimer@bu.edu, and follow him on Twitter @AlexReimer1. Feel free to post on the show’s message boards at www.thesportsstuff.com/boards (signing up is free, quick, and easy)!

http://thesportsstuff.com/?p=4079 (click on link to play the show)

Alex Reimer

Alex Reimer has been hosting the critically acclaimed Red Sox podcast, “Without a Curse”, since July of 2005. Alex has also been profiled in The Boston Globe, and has been a guest on both “The Today Show” and “The Tonight Show” for his work on the podcast. “Without a Curse” can be found on www.thesportstuff.com, and www.youcastr.com. Alex can be reached at alexredsox076@aol.com.