Just read the news on Twitter unfortunately looks like Larry has passed away.
RIP
RIP
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That guy was a Legend in the Sports information businessComment -
Wow. A true pioneer. RIPהמוסד
המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים
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I remember calling into his radio show when I lived in Vegas many moons ago. We were discussing a college football game and we were butting heads on the spread. We ended up betting lunch at Bally's and I won, lol. Never took him up on it, though. Nice guy, really.
RIPComment -
How old was heComment -
What ever happened to the Coach Ron Bash and Jack Price?Comment -
Haha, that's a great story. That's exactly the way I think about Larry. I'm not at all sure he was sharp or a winning bettor.
But he carved out his niche in the industry. When he gave out an opinion on air, he had me believing that HE BELIEVED. And that's half the battle.
Goldy, he had to be pushing 70. He looked mid-40s...and that was 25 years ago.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
I can't find any clips on him. I will also say this:
*The SAT morning touts from the mid-1990s were much more entertaining than anything now.
I know there was Proline and Sports Desk. Surely, each guy paid for his seat. Sometimes, there was overlap.
Jack Snow was host of one show. Some of the regulars were Feist, Cokin, Mike Lee (RIP), Wayne Root, and Larry Ness (RIP).
Might not mean much. But they made me laugh.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Looks like his last update on his website was Aug 16th. So from then until now something went terribly wrong.Comment -
Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Why bring it down? Let it run in perpetuity.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
One less tout; not a bad thing.Comment -
Don't remember him.. Bye.. I do remember Jimmy the Greek though.Comment -
What was the name of the host on Proline that would grab his ear lobe at the end of the show?Comment -
Any chance it was this guy? Lee Pete:
Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Hopefully Stu isn't doing the funeral eulogy<a id="fprsl" class="gL9Hy" href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1WHAR_enUS995US995&sxsr f=AL iCzsbmH62c9Aq332VWt3ewGR7FoRTchg:1662622 972650&q=funeral+eulogy&spell=1& amp;sa=X&ved =2ahUKEwiNibid2YT6AhVShIkEHUWEANkQkeECKA B6BAgBEDc" data-ved="2ahUKEwiNibid2YT6AhVShIkEHUWEANkQke ECKAB 6BAgBEDc" style="color: rgb(138, 180, 248); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.1); font-size: 18px; outline: 0px; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"><strong><em>
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Polo, I can't say for this. But that description fits Larry's reputation.
I can speak to this, b/c I observed the tout shows from back in the 1990s. I really think it's fair to say there were two levels of Touts:
1) The "honest" touts. Guys who did their legwork. They DID bet on their own games, even if it was small dollars. They did their research. And they would then offer to sell it to customer, onus is on customer.
...These were guys like Mike Lee, Dave Cokin, and Ness.
2) There was a 2nd group of "scammer touts". Guys that would tout to their mother. Totally un-monitored, make up whatever record they wanted. Over the top thieves. Preying on customers who had no self-control.
...Guys like Stu Feiner (who effectively made this a business out of thin air), Kevin Duffy, and others.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Polo, I can talk more about this. Stu made a show called the "Sports Advisors". Truly one of the funniest shows I've ever seen, but in no way was he giving out winners.
Try to find the expose that Jim Lampley did on Stu Feiner's win/loss record.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
wow. RIPComment -
RIP
his last pick was Sunday - White Sox +115
a winner
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You bet, Pig. I had to think back about the hosts from those 1990s shows:
1) Jack Snow (the former NFL WR and father of MLB 1b JT Snow) was really very good. He had just the right mix of sports knowledge with humor.
2) I remember Lee Pete less. I think it's b/c he was mostly quiet. Pete mostly let the "experts" speak, if I recall correctly.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Polo, this is a topic I can speak on extensively. I lived through much of it. My opinions, just through my own lens:
*The mid-1990s (roughly) were a different time. Very early stages of internet but not used extensively.
So, how do you transmit Sports Information? The answers (for me) were two things:
1) the "rags" that touts sold at Super America etc.
2) the Saturday AM tout shows.
Again, this covers the spectrum of guys who were LEGIT to guys who were out-and-out SCAMMERS. Some fell in the middle.
I'll start with one guy who really goes into a separate category, and he's relevant today. That guy is Phil Steele. I don't consider him to be a scammer. He did something that NO ONE else in the country was doing. He put out a dedicated Coll FB preview that blew away the detail in the other products (Athlon, Street & Smith).
He loved Coll FB and did all his research to produce the annual. When you started to read it, you saw the amazing level of detail. Here's the part where I think Phil missed the mark (at least slightly).
Who is he marketing to? Is your average fan (an alumni backer) going to read all that if he's not putting down some $$ on the games? So, Phil was (inextricably?) linked to gambling. Phil is/was a great information man. Is/was he a great gambler? IMHO, no.
I'll pause for a second and date back to the 1996 Sept game, Ariz St +25 vs Nebraska. Ariz St was Phil's Sept GOM. Go back and watch the game. Hard to think of a more shocking result. Ariz St won, 19-0. Derrick Rodgers emerged as a defensive threat too quick to handle.
Fast forward twenty years from then. Phil eventually made it onto ESPN as a Coll FB expert. Around that time, I know he attempted to separate himself from the gambling angle.
Anyway, I could talk about this all day. I'll come back w/ some more comments later.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Roscoe, LOL. You got me started now.
*If anyone has a VHS box set of the "Sports Advisors" full season...I'd pay $100 for that.
I'm not even joking. I think about the stuff I used to have on VHS. I would set the timer to record the show b4 I woke up. As long as I set the details correctly, it was a thrill to start up the tape w/ my morning breakfast. Couldn't wait to hear who the guys were on.
Stu also had a "free phone". To hear him say "UCLA pissed all over Florida International"...is just LOL.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
That's a long life for a degen gambler. He almost made 70! I call it a win...
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Had buffet at Bally's 20 years ago with Larry................never seen him again.Comment
