No tears, no pain – well, except for hearing the commute time home – and nothing but #allthelove for, and from, Joe Benigno on his final day at WFAN.
Tributes poured in from across radio lines, across the world, and even within the CBS Sports Radio family – when do you EVER hear esteemed program director Mark Chernoff on air? – including returns from the afternoon predecessors, Mike Francesa and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo!
After all the love, the NFL picks, and even a visit from his “second and last wife,” Terry Benigno, it was time for Joe to say goodbye for the final time – and this is how he started:
“Let me start with my partner – we have had an unbelievable 14 year run. We did something they said was impossible in the midday: we were No. 1 a couple times. The midday show was like Jets coaches – they’d come and go like the wind! I wish you all the best going forward. You are the premier sports guy in the country, and what makes you great is the fact that you’re a real guy. That’s why we got along so well over the years. We had a lot of fun all over the place.”
Evan Roberts was touched, and offered this as his final tribute to Joe:
“I can say what a lot of people have said over the last few days, about your impact on me, but the biggest takeaway to me is that you’re my friend. The first conversation we ever had was you giving me advice about women! But getting to go to work every day and work with someone I liked – it’s been an honor to sit next to you for 14 years.”
Joe then thanked producer Ernie Acosta, who has been with Joe & Evan for almost 11 years and “doesn’t get the credit he deserves, because he works his rear end off.”
“Joe, it’s been a great run. When you interviewed me 11 years ago, you said, ‘I’m gonna be retiring soon, and you’re gonna be my last producer!” Ernie laughed. “Like Evan, I grew up listening to you in the overnights, and I’ll never forget the first time I met you in the Astoria stairwell; you said, ‘what’s up bro?’ and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for like three days. It’s been a great run. A million memories I’ll take with me for the rest of my life.”
Then it was time to salute the first Joe & Evan producer, Ray Martel, who came back for one night only to join Ernie on the other side of the glass for Joe’s farewell, and Joe had one last classic story in him.
“You talk about great moments, we’ve had a lot of them over the years. I remember going to the Maryland-Clemson game…Boomer gave us tickets. We’re sitting in Boomer’s seats, and it’s like this special box, so this girl comes along and asks if we want something to eat, and we were like no – and then she says “you know, it’s all complimentary,” and Ray goes “oh yeah? Let me see that menu!” and ordered like everything!”
Classic Ray (if Joe says it, we believe it), and then it was time for Martel’s goodbye.
“Like Ernie said, I got five years with you, and all of us old producers, we love you. I remember you walked in when I was an intern, I had my Celtics jacket on and you go, “bro, you a Celtics fan? ‘86 is a long way off isn’t it?” But it was you that kept me in radio; I work at WCBS now, and I’ve had a very lucky radio career, but I’ve always said, if I could have one thing, I’d go back to do one more overnight with you – and when you called me to do this, you gave me that opportunity. You’re a special person to me, and all of us who are fans. You were a fan like us, and we loved every minute of it.”
And then it was time to say one last Benigno goodbye…and instead of waxing poetic, Joe did what he always did for 25 years, whether it was at 5:59 p.m., 5:59 a.m., or anywhere in between.
“I’ll say it one last time: I wanna thank all the callers, great job out of you, couldn’t have done it without you. I also want to thank everyone who came on today. Thank you for 25 STELLAR years, and to everybody out there, all the love. God bless you.”
Hit ‘em straight, Joe. First round at Umberto’s on all of us!
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