Mike North

From Sports Library

vidroncal Mike North has been a sports talk radio show host at WSCR 670 The Score in Chicago since the early 1990's, bringing a distinct Chicago working man's and sometimes, albeit, abrasive flavor to his listeners.

Raised in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, Mike's first real job was as a hot dog vendor at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park. Prior to his radio career, North also owned his own hot dog stand, Be-Be's, serving hot food and spicy sports talk. According to North, a manager at WXRT, who was visiting the stand and was impressed with North's sports knowledge, offered him a show on an affiliated station WSBC if he would sell the advertising, and Mike became one of the original personalities when The Score was launched by that company, Diamond Broadcasting.[1] In August of 2002, Mike signed a multiyear contract worth between 1.5-1.7 million dollars, making him one of the highest paid radio personalities in Chicago. North is credited with popularizing the word "jagbag." In Spring 2006 North called his own station while driving drunk.[2] He has offended many people by calling Korean pitcher Jae-kuk Ryu, at the time with the Chicago Cubs, a "Chinaman," a racist epithet.[3]

North's show was generally broadcast during the mid-day hours, but on September, 2004, he agreed to do the morning show to compete with syndicated ESPN Radio programming on rival WMVP.

Mike has won numerous awards including: four Achievement in Radio Awards, Radio Broadcaster of the Year in 1996, Best Midday Show in Chicago and Best Sports Show in 1997 (Mike and Dan Jiggetts), Best Talent on a News, Talk, Personality, or Sports Station in 2002, and most notably, 2 Emmy Awards. Mikeâs other accomplishments include: Receiving the Entertainer of the Year award by the Special Childrenâs Charities, the Irv Kupcinet award, and the Richard J. Daley award by the Red Cloud Athletic Fund.

Mike lives in Park Ridge, Illinois, a Northwest suburb of Chicago where he has "Pappy Land" — a multi-television sports bar in his basement. He frequently mentions his wife Be-Be. He has appeared on WBBM-TV, WMAQ-TV and WFLD-TV, and is frequently a featured guest on Comcast SportsNet Chicago's "Chicago Tribune Live" show. He was also featured in ESPN's "Top Five Reasons You Can't Blame Steve Bartman for the 2003 Chicago Cubs' Collapse."

His favorite football player is Matt O'Dwyer who retired from the NFL in 2006.

In May of 1997, when the Chicago Bulls were in the midst of a repeat in their second Three-Peat, they faced the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. After the Bulls won the first two games in Chicago, North told his listeners that he was heading down to Miami for Game 3. He was also going to make use of his press pass to enter the postgame press conference. He asked his listeners for questions to ask Miami coach Pat Riley. On May 24th, the Bulls blew out the Heat in game 5, 98-74. After the game, as the beleaguered and defeated Riley answered reporters' questions, North took the microphone and asked Riley if, it would guarantee victory for the next four games, he would shave his head. Riley was originally bewildered at the out-of-left-field question, and then quickly got angry with North, with whom Riley was unfamiliar.

On May 18, 2007, he engaged in a much-publicized argument with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen during his show, in which Guillen frequently cursed at North before hanging up on him.[4] After the incident, North brought the White Sox players and Guillen chocolate pretzels as a peace offering.

North appeared in the slot formerly filled by Imus in the Morning on WFAN May 29 and 30, 2007.

On June 15, 2007, North had another run-in with a White Sox coach. This time it was pitching coach Don Cooper.[5] North immediately went on the offensive during the interview with Cooper, saying, âNow whatâs the plan of attack for the next two or three series? Just lay down and basically do what you guys have been doing?â

Cooper responded, âYeah, thatâs it, jerkoff. Weâre going to lay down. Weâre going to lay down.â

After Cooper said he and his pitchers would continue to work hard to improve, North cut him off: âYeah, the lip service. â¦ Hey, sorry. Youâre 3-18 (actually the Sox were 3-15 since May 27). What do you want me to do? Iâll kiss your ass, howâs that? â¦ Youâre a great pitching coach. Your teamâs great, Don.â

Cooper then said, âAsk me a question.â

North replied, âI asked you a question. You called me a jerkoff.â

Cooper said, âYou are a jerkoff for saying weâre going to lay down.â

North said, âThatâs what it looks like. What do you want me to do? Okay, youâre not laying down. You suck.â

Cooper said, âRight now at this minute, we do suck. Youâre right.â

At the end of the interview, North tried to reconcile with Cooper at the end of the interview, saying, âIâm sorry to ruin your off day, but your team has been ruining ours every day so far this year. So you understand, donât you?â