Thank you Joe, but say it ain’t so

This week has been bittersweet for yours truly and no I’m not talking about the election. Last Friday, November 6th, marked the end of an era at WFAN and New York sports Radio. Joe Benigno aka Joe B retired from the radio station after a 25 year career. For the unitiated and even for those who have seen the multiple tributes, his career is remarkable. From a caller that was working as a salesman to a winner of a radio contest that gave him the opportunity to leverage himself as a radio host, Joe’s career has been amazing. Starting out on overnights, he moved to the midday shift for over a decade most of it with his partner, the zealous Evan Roberts, to capping off his career with the marquee show: the afternoon drive, Joe’s passion was always there. Mix in doing television at SNY, Joe was very busy. Factor in Joe’s departure with not having the likes of John Minko doing updates or the Mike and the Mad Dog show, it truly marks a shift in the pecking order at WFAN. For folks in their 30s and 40s, Joe’s retirement marks the end of an era in sports radio.

Benigno’s passion for his teams will always and forever remain unbridled. A diehard Jets, Mets, Knicks, and Rangers fan, Joe’s rants whenever his teams suffered a heartbreaking loss are legendary. In what seems like the endless number of tributes to Joe, one thing that was always apparent was that Joe was just a regular guy who was exactly the same if you met him outside of the studio. I for one, can attest to that assessment. I had the honor and privelege of meeting Joe B at an opening of a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in upstate New York after getting an autograph from Yankees legend, Mariano Rivera. Sitting with his lovely wife Terry, I spent nearly 5 minutes talking to him about various subjects. He asked me about my fandom and teams, and then we both talked Jets. At the time we were overly optimistic (believe it or not) as it was the beginning of the Rex Ryan regime. My one regret was not getting his autograph, but I was more than happy to just have a minutes to talk to him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hog up all his time as other people were waiting to talk to him, but I honestly can say that just getting to talk to him was pretty close to getting Mariano’s autograph.

Joe wasn’t perfect, there were times you could call him an irrational fan. He also survived a sexual harassment lawsuit that threatened to end his career a few years early. But Joe was/is/and always will be a true fan that sticks to his guns. I’m proud to admit that this venture is due to people like him. I want to follow his footsteps and get to talk about my passion for sports as he was able to do so successfully. So Joe, we will all miss you, but I wish you the best in retirement and hopefully you can play all the golf that you want while enjoying the weather in Florida. God bless fine sir!

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