In Praise of Greg Papa
Thanks to the wonders of Sirius satellite radio, and while catching up on some long-overdue household projects amid the Raiders bye week, I took an audio tour of gamecasts around the league on Sunday. I now have even more respect for the Raiders radio team of Greg Papa and Tom Flores.Sirius radio, as you may know, enables you to tune into every NFL game, and to listen to the localized broadcasts of either participating team (except for the Titans radio network, which refused to opt in). But while it's fun to eavesdrop around the league, it’s not always the most pleasurable listening experience.
The Raiders radio team is like a fine cup of coffee: smooth, rich and satisfying. But much of the league’s radio personnel are like the stuff you get at the mini mart: thin, tinny and brash. Greg Papa moves the game along with clarity and purpose. Tom Flores colors the game from a vantage of true insight and experience. We are lucky to have them.
And nothing—nothing—beats Papa’s signature call of TOUCHDOWN RRRRRAIDERS!
Note: If you are considering Sirius radio, click on “comments” below, where I have added some personal thoughts and recommendations.
posted by Raider Take at 8:16 AM
1 Comments:
Raider Take highly recommends Sirius satellite radio. In addition to NFL gamecasts, you get the dedicated NFL radio talk station (not to mention ESPN radio and a ton of music and talk options).
Here’s how it works. First you buy a radio receiver and a subscription. The subscription is $12.95/month. Is paying for radio crazy? Think of it this way: one month costs less than the average CD, and you will listen to it a lot more than you will the CD.
I got the Sportster Replay receiver with the companion boombox. Once you buy the receiver, you call Sirius and activate your subscription. Easy.
IN THE CAR
In the car, the receiver is secured via suction mount to the windshield. It is powered via the “cigarette lighter” or whatever they’re calling it these days. A long thin antenna cord also attaches to the receiver. At the other end of the cord is a magnetic disc that receives the satellite signal. You can run it outside and secure the magnetic disc to the top of the car for a permanent installation. However, I just place the antenna disc on the dashboard, which enables me to move the unit back and forth between vehicles. Finally, the receiver puts out an FM modulated signal, which means the car stereo picks up Sirius via cordless FM signal. If all of this sounds complicated, trust me, it’s not…
In summary:
1. Buy and activate receiver
2. Secure receiver in car via included suction mount (or other included mount)
3. Plug into power source
4. Connect antenna
5. Set FM modulater to send signal to selected FM station.
AT HOME
The optional boombox enables you to listen to Sirius outside the car. It has a slot that holds the receiver and a long antenna cord. Note that the receiving end of the antenna typically needs to be outside for you to catch a signal. It’s great for working outdoors and or in the yard, and the antenna cord is long enough for you to run it outside from your garage as well.
PARTING SHOT
I can’t vouch for other receivers, but I do like the Sportster Replay, particularly because it enables you to pause live radio. I know, that sounds stupid…but it’s actually pretty cool. You can drive to the grocery store, pause the radio if they’re talking about the Raiders or something else of interest, do your shopping, and then resume where you left off. Since you are now several minutes behind real time, you can also fast forward through commercials (essentially, it’s Tivo for radio).
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