A Tradition Goes Missing

As far back as I can remember, a New York radio personality named Jonathan Schwartz has had a Super Bowl Sunday tradition on his radio show: "The Super Bowl Sunday Salute to Baseball, " which he has done since 1970.

I can remember listening to it as a little kid with my parents on WNEW-AM radio, which was a legendary station that played the standards and Schwartz had a popular show on the station. Jonathan is also a fanatical Red Sox fan, and like myself, born and raised in New York City.

He would play all types of baseball vignettes, like great moments in Red Sox history such as Carlton Fisk's World Series blast, and even tough ones like Bill Buckner's error in the 1986 Series. He would also play baseball songs, interviews and even some obscure stuff, like a typical Red Sox game from 1956. It was always an enjoyable hour of baseball nostalgia on a day of relentless and overbearing hype.

I looked for his show this morning, which is on WNYC-AM here in New York, and called "The Sunday Show." http://www.wnyc.org/shows/schwartzsun/ But I discovered that the station, which is part of NPR, is doing a pledge drive today, and Schwartz said that he cannot do his traditional hour and the pledge drive at the same time.

"This is the first time fundraising for WNYC has fallen on the same day as the Super Bowl," says Schwartz, a lifelong Red Sox fan. "But the baseball program is an intense hour, and I can't do it and fundraising at the same time. The idea is to raise money and talk about public radio and WNYC."

I can certainly understand that, but I was disappointed, especially as a Red Sox fan, that it won't be on today. It was a great hour that I always looked forward to, and I really hope that Jonathan will bring it back next year.