Strengthening a Segment

When you're throwing out a trade possibility for the Montreal Canadiens on live air, you have to be prepared for a lot of different opinions from fans coming at you. That is why if you want to state your case for something, you have to have the information to back it up. Matthew Ross threw out an idea of Lars Eller being traded and asked me to get Eller's stats, compare him to other players around the league and find a few realistic players that could be traded for Eller. I named Ryane Clowe and Steve Ott and gave information to back it up. I shared Matthew's opinion on the subject and this show taught me that it's important to make a strong case if you're going to give an idea on a hot topic. You can't just say something for the sake of being bold. You should be able to back up what you're saying and I feel I was able to help in that regard, which was very positive. Matthew also asked me to look up NFL Combine news and bring it up to Moe Khan, who appeared on the show via phone this week. I went to air with reports saying that Alex Smith is on his way out of San Francisco with the 49ers having a deal in place, with the rumored team appearing to be the Kansas City Chiefs. Matthew steered the ship for the segment, but he gave me a lot of responsibility in following the biggest stories of the NFL Combine and I feel my story selection was appropriate. I went with Manti Te'o's news conference and quarterback updates. Te'o's offseason story has been one of the most bizarre in sports history, so I felt it was important to follow the Heisman finalist. It was a really solid show overall and featured a lot of participation from the listeners, which always makes for better radio. I find in Montreal if you come up with a strong idea for a Habs topic that no one's approached yet, it's a good idea because you're bound to get a strong reaction, negative or positive. Just make sure you can back up what you're saying, or you'll sound like a hack.