Remembering Big Joe
I was reminded by both Elizabeth McDonnell and Don Barrett, the latter via LARadio.com (still updated daily with past stories) that it's been eight (8) years since the passing of Joe McDonnell, aka "Big Joe," "The Big Nasty," etc.
Joe was always good to me, anytime I needed a quote or occasionally some background info on a story I was doing, he was always available and helpful. And he was always a kick to listen to, albeit I did listen to him at more than one venue. Tom Hoffarth, former sports media columnist for the Daily News, summed it up nicely:
Courtesy https://samehereglobal.org/profile-tom-hoffarth/
I found it interesting that Joe always put on his resume that he was the Los Angeles Daily News Sports Talk host of the decade during the 1990s. He also made the number one spot of my annual list of the best sports talk show hosts so many times that I stopped counting. The one thing you could always count on with Joe was he offered an unfiltered opinion, but it was an opinion based on his knowledge and reporting and talking directly to the people he had issues with. I knew as a reporter, if I hung around at a Lakers or Dodgers game with him I could glean information that others couldn’t get. But I wasn’t the only one. I probably did more columns on him in my Daily News column career than anyone else – maybe because he was always getting hired and fired, reinventing himself, grinding new ways to get his voice heard.
Those who knew Joe McDonnell and had heard he was in the intensive care unit of St. Vincent’s Hospital were concerned, yet expected Big Joe to again rally and once again make his voice heard. He was planning to do more with podcasts and social media, as opportunities in his beloved medium of radio were becoming harder to come by. So it was with both sadness and surprise when it was announced the 58-year-old sports talk legend had died after a relatively brief illness.
Numerous outlets have offered their tributes to McDonnell, one of the best is offered by Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News (http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/). There were two details in his story which stood out. One was McDonnell was constantly selected as the “Best Sports Talk Host,” and he was often featured – perhaps more often than anyone else – in the Daily News media column. Hoffarth said the latter was due to having to keep track of Big Joe moving from one radio station to another, one gig to the next.
His partner, Doug Krikorian, offered the nickname “The Big Nasty” to describe McDonnell. In some ways, it was true – McDonnell even named his personal website using Krikorian’s moniker (and causing his website to be blocked by my employer, but that’s another tale). Indeed, McDonnell could be abrasive on the air as he called out what he viewed as hypocrisy, mismanagement, incompetency, and lack of dedication. During his stint at KMAX, the spots for his show reinforced this notion, something about “(USC football coach) John Robinson’s worst nightmare is happening – Joe McDonnell has a daily radio show!” As a general interest talk show host on KFI – an underrated effort, by the way – McDonnell would dismiss a nonsensical argument as something originating from an “idiot.”
Even so, what was interesting was what was stated over and over again in the numerous homages to Joe McDonnell on Facebook. More often than not, someone would post a comment which made some statement about “I didn’t agree with him,” or “I often argued with him,” yet the poster treasured her or his friendship with McDonnell. Big Joe would take the Dodgers and the Lakers to task, yet both organizations are offering to help defray the costs of McDonnell’s memorial service.
Joe McDonnell personified what’s becoming a dying art. He could disagree with someone, even be critical, and yet maintain a supportive friendship. Currently, dialogue between opposing views has become so polarized that civil discussion no longer exists. It’s now deteriorated to a state where someone believes a point of view is so righteous, the only obligation is to vociferously express opinion and consider it a duty to explain why the demonic opposing view is irrevocably wrong. McDonnell had strong opinions and could border on being vituperous, yet when all is said and done, he would be happy to take your call in a day or two. It may explain why McDonnell was trusted by athletes who would otherwise shun the media. Ultimately, Big Joe was about his relationships, staying in touch with others was a priority
When McDonnell decided to have gastric bypass surgery, his friends viewed this as a positive step, a life-changing decision. Finally Big Joe was going to do something to improve his fitness, he could get rid of the cane he needed because of his weakening knees, let alone attenuate the stress his body endured in carrying anywhere from 600 to 700 or more pounds during his adult life. That’s how he met Elizabeth, the woman he cherished to his dying day, whom he met while recovering.
McDonnell didn’t look healthy over the last couple of years. There was more than one thought about whether he was doing what he needed to take care of himself. His frustration over not being able to have a voice on the local airwaves certainly didn’t help out his well-being. Yet he still cared for others and kept working, appearing at major press conferences and held by the local teams, asking a probing question to discern truth and report the facts. He continued to serve as an encouragement and mentor to others who sought his expertise and experience.
On a personal note, I spent 10 days a couple of years ago in the hospital, much of it in intensive care, recovering from my own cardiac issues. Even in my medicated state, I instantly recognized the voice asking me “what’s going on, how are you doing, how are you feeling?” I don’t even know what I said in reply, but I hope I expressed my appreciation. Earlier this year, we pledged to stay out of hospitals. This time, Big Joe disappointed me.
His former station, the ESPN outlet in SoCal, spent two hours on Friday night celebrating the life of Joe McDonnell. A favorite of his and listeners alike was the feature “Who Do You Want to Kick Out of L.A.?” Callers were given the opportunity to offer an offender who deserved to be run out of town. During the final 15 minutes, Elizabeth McDonnell appeared with host Jeff Biggs, not only to thank the many who shared their memories and kind words about Big Joe, but to give Elizabeth the opportunity, one last time, to kick her husband Joe McDonnell out of L.A.
And Big Joe has been kicked out of town, heck he’s now out of this world. But you’d think he’s hanging out with his Mom and Dad, introducing them to Wilt Chamberlain, and making others a just a bit more apprehensive about not having their facts straight if they decide to challenge the newest heavenly resident. Of course, after the verbal altercation, Big Joe would want to then have a friendly chat about just about anything and learn everything he could about his new quarters.
Congratulations, Joe McDonnell, as you’ve graduated from the Los Angeles airwaves and are now flying above it all.
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