He is a software development guy by day in Johnson County, but somehow Greg Hall finds the time to be one of the hardest-working reporter/commentator on the sports scene in Kansas City.
Since 1994, Hall, a native Nebraskan, has worked at the Kansas City Star, Union Broadcasting, The Pitch, KCTV5, JOCO Sun and Platte County Landmark. Today he is a regular contributor on Hearne Christopher’s “KC Confidential” site and can be heard daily on the “Morning Show With Chris Stigall” on KCMO-710 AM. He answered all our questions in the honest and straightforward manner readers/listeners have grown to appreciate over the years.
Greg Hall
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A SPORTS NUT? Since about the age of eight or nine. Once I discovered baseball I was hooked. I grew up with nine brothers and a dad who loved the St. Louis Cardinals, Nebraska football and the old AFL. My dad loved rooting for the new upstart football league that Lamar Hunt and his buddy’s started in deference to the NFL. I always had a handful of brothers to play football, baseball or basketball with and dad always had Harry Caray and Jack Buck on the radio every summer evening. I also read every biography the Omaha downtown library had on sports figures, presidents and anyone of fame. That sense of history made me curious and eager to experience those thrills in my own heroes of the day. YOU KIND OF DISAPPEARED FROM THE LOCAL SPORTS SCENE FOR A FEW YEARS. WHERE DID YOU GO? WHY DID YOU COME BACK? I didn’t go anywhere, I just took a step back from writing to concentrate on my work and family. Many of our neighbors and friends have no idea I have been part of the local media scene for the past 15 years. They just know me as the guy who mows his lawn too often or the dad who picks up his kids from school or practice. I started writing again because my friend, Hearne (Christopher), asked me to. I wanted to help him build traffic to his new website. I was not looking to restart my "Off The Couch" column and really was content having retired it. But when Hearne called, I wanted to help get him up and running. I did not plan on writing anywhere near as often as I have for kcconfidential.com. But any start-up website needs fresh content to drive page views. I am thrilled with quality of the additional writers Hearne has hired the past few months for the site. HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO LISTEN TO SO MANY SPORTS RADIO TALKERS DURING THE DAY? One answer is that I have a long commute each morning and afternoon. It gives me plenty of car radio time to catch up on some of the local buzz. I also try to check in from time to time during the midday shows but that is more of a hit or miss depending on my schedule. If I wasn’t such a big sports fan, it would be a chore. But I enjoy following the local teams on radio while I work in the yard, drive to Home Depot or the grocery store, and even my daily jog. DO YOU TAPE THEIR REMARKS? I rarely tape something to listen to or view later. There is sooooo much radio content out there that there is no need to clutter my calendar with backlogged radio shows. I will DVR a Royals game or a KU/Mizzou/KSU game or a Chiefs game to watch later in the day, but the only radio I tape is when I am listening and happen to hear a conversation that I think has merit. I always have a digital recorder close by for this reason. WHAT KIND OF FEEDACK DO YOU GET FROM RADIO SPORTS TALKERS? I think anyone who assumes the role of a critic needs to limit the contact they have with those they critique. I am not looking to be chummy with the sports talkers and most of them have little desire to invite me to their next barbecue. I do hear from some who offer a differing point, flat disagree or are simply happy to have my column back. I occasionally need to contact some members of the media to verify a quote or story. Most are very accommodating and professional in helping me out. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SPORTS TALKERS/WRITERS IN KANSAS CITY? I think Kansas City is a very avid sports talk community. For many years we were stuck with the safe, boring, Don Fortune-like sports talk radio and commentary. Two things happened to change that in 1994 – Pete Enich and Jason Whitlock. Enich started a morning sports talk show on 1510 AM and he began hammering away at the local teams, athletes and icons in a way that no one in this market had done before. Whitlock did the same but with a much bigger audience reading his KC Star column. Enich’s raw style and bombastic attacks were the start and template for the juggernaut Kevin Kietzman and Chad Boeger built at WHB. The Kansas City sports fans are much better off now than then. I love having two all-sports radio stations and Metro Sports covering the local scene 24 hours a day on the TV side. Do I like all the local sports talkers and all the writers? You do read my column, right? HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY KC SPORTS FANS AND THOSE WHO CALL INTO TALK RADIO STATIONS? KC sports fans are passionate, just like the fans in every other city. What makes this town a great sports talk town is that we have a number of different college teams’ fan bases living and working together. Their input on radio shows adds some rancor that you don’t get in a state like Nebraska, where EVERYBODY is rooting for the Red. Angst is an essential ingredient for good talk radio. The Midwest is also blessed with people who possess a great sense of humor. Some of the funniest people on the planet write anonymously on TigerBoard.com and similar online forums. The “Comments” section that follows my columns are often more entertaining than my scribblings. WHAT ARE YOUR REAL FEELINGS ABOUT STAR COLUMNIST JASON WHITLOCK? Jason Whitlock is a wildly successful columnist whose goal is to make us pay attention to him. He does that very, very well. Jason’s professional success nationally is well documented; ESPN, FoxSports, Jim Rome, AOL.com and more. What Jason isn’t quite as good at is relationships. He suffers from a constant paranoia that eventually cripples him in his work environment. It leaves his relationships in tatters and forces him to move on. He’s talented but flawed, like most of us. HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO WHITLOCK LATELY? I have not spoken or communicated with Jason since June of 1999. Before that date he phoned me five or six times a day, since 1994. WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS FOLKS IN KC? Favorites? I think Kevin Kietzman is the most talented talk radio personality in Kansas City since Mike Murphy. He has a better feel for what works on radio than anyone in the game. He is also lacking character, a conscience and a soul. That makes for a great talk show host. Steven St. John makes me laugh more than anyone else. Soren Petro has trouble speaking at times but he delivers more to-the-point one liners than anyone on KC radio. Chris & Cowboy are a unique pair. They often sound like college guys performing on a campus-only frequency but at other times deliver knockout interviews like the Carl Henry jaw dropper. Nick Wright is a young talent with lots of potential and lots of ego – it will be interesting to see which trait wins out. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS FIGURE? My favorite sports figure in Kansas City history was Bo Jackson. The media hated Bo – and rightfully so because he treated them poorly. But I believe he was just a country kid who was uncomfortable around microphones. He was the most marvelous athlete I have ever encountered. I am told Wilt had the same affect on those who saw him play at KU. I grew up idolizing Willie Mays. My email address is greghall24 and the 24 is a tribute to the "Say Hey Kid’s" uniform number with the Giants. WHO IS THE BIGGEST SPORTS JERK YOU HAVE EVER MET? Bob Gibson. I was about 12 when I saw him at the West Roads Mall in Omaha. Both Gibby and I are Omaha natives. He was window shopping alone when I spied him. I walked over to him and said, “Mr. Gibson, may I shake your hand?” He looked down at me like I was driving a spike through his left foot. He sighed and then held out his hand for the limpest hand shake this side of Liberty Memorial. The encounter took less than 12 seconds. It changed how I viewed that St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher forever.
FEEDBACK: BRINGING IT HIGH AND TIGHT "Nice interview with Greg Hall.I read his stuff all the time now on Hearne's website.Pretty strong stuff about Kietzman: 'No soul!!!!'Wow, he brought it high and tight with that one."
08-01-2009 CUT THROUGH LAME BS "I enjoyed reading the the Q&A with Greg Hall. When I worked in Kansas City, his stories were must read for me. He cut through the usual lame BS and got to the heart of issues - what listeners, viewers and readers want from their media. The media needs more like Greg Hall." ---Scott Simon
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