Turning the Page

A professional page turned for me on Friday. After saying goodbye for several months, Jungle Jim packed it in.

I met Jim in the winter of 1999. He hadn’t yet done a second of radio. I was sports director and morning show co-host at what was then Y105. I was emceeing a Valentines dance for my son’s pre school at the Manotick arena and Jungle was the entertainment. We spoke beforehand and he seemed like a good guy and actually “claimed” to know Gretzky (yeah whatever, buddy).

He came up and told a few jokes and did the yes no game with the crowd. I actually thought, “Hey! What a cool game. I wonder if that might work for me on my radio show.” In hindsight, I feel shame. Little did I know it would later become the bane of my existence. Loads of bane. It should have been called the bane game.

My favourite memories of working with Jungle will be the exhausting, rib crushing fits of laughter that we’d have off the air - after the show, at the bar and on the golf course. I’ll miss that a lot. Jungle is a one of a kind. Outrageous. Funny. Raunchy. Wicked storyteller. And if you never met him in person, his greatest asset would be how beautifully he deals with people. It feels like he’s your best friend within 60 seconds of meeting him. I’ve never seen confidence like that. Not an easy guy to replace.

However, I know he wasn’t universally loved either. None of us are. Many of you have your own idea of the kind of show you’d like TGOR to be. With Jim’s absence, the show will likely evolve into something slightly different. Rest assured, we’re still going to be a guy show and it’s still going to be fun as hell.

The new guy isn’t as crude or shocking but he is extremely funny and, like Jim, one of my favourite people in Ottawa radio. Plus he brings some sports IQ, show prep and a fully functional alarm clock.

Jungle will be missed but I also love where we’re heading. Stay tuned.

This is a Little Leaguer?

Aaron Durley completely towers over the competition at the Little League World Series. The 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, stands an imposing 6-foot-8 and weighs 256 pounds. The soft-spoken Durley doesn't mind the attention. He even lets opponents snap pictures with him during down time. But Durley, who played at the series last year, too — when he was a mere 6-foot-4 — is crystal-clear about his top priority in South Williamsport.

I'm sorry. I have to call B.S. on this one. He's not only over 13 he’s over 30. I think that's former Expo manager Frank Robinson. Come on, Frank. Let the kids play.