He was previously on the Free Beer & Hot Wings" show. [29], A frequent column target for Simmons in the past has been former New York Knicks coach and general manager Isiah Thomas. Most of you think I hate Matt Stafford. The downtown location was a risky proposition, but Caven and Hott didnt hesitate. That included Eric Zane, morning host of The Eric Zane Show along with his on-air partner, Ben Glaze, as well as program director Marcus Bradman. Bill Simonson. It cost me a total of around $140 for $20 cover each for me and the wife, dinner and drinks and including a $50 tip for the waitress (she was awesome). For programming inquiries or to learn about advertising opportunities with Talk Media Network, call us at (616) 884-8616 or. "[76], With his column, Simmons aims to speak for,[43] reconnect sportswriting with, and reproduce the experience for the average fan. Thanks to some open records weve obtained via The Ogle Mole Network, we were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how Ryan Walterss PR team tried to score him a speaking gig in DC at CPAC, and their efforts to get Oklahoma taxpayers to front the bill. He made Jim Traber look humble. Bill Simpson was born in Detroit, MI. By late Friday, the format had changed to country. A representative for Cumulus Media could not immediately be reached Friday. Theyll soon be opening another disco on Cedar Springs, near Magnolias. Its dictated by our market. Actually, there will be a lot of growth.. That was fifty bars ago. Biography of Bill Simonson Last update: June 3, 2022. He went into partnership with a young rock n roll entrepreneur from Austin named Bill Simonson and backed Simonsons idea to transform the old Rawlins Street building into a boogie and blues club, refurbished in the rough cedar look that was catching on, and aimed at the straight crowd. [76] Simmons has stated that he "will never write a traditional sports column. On May 24, 2022, Simmons hosted Jalen Green as a guest on his podcast, where the two discussed the controversy and cleared the air. Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC, "ESPN Wins The Courtship of Bill Simmons", "Creators and producers of 30 for 30 series share thoughts on fifth anniversary - ESPN Front Row", "Fall 2009 Slate and Schedule Announced for ESPN Films' "30 for 30", "Interview with Bill Simmons, Author of The Book of Basketball", "ESPN sends strong signal on role of podcasts", "Another Record Year for ESPN Digital Media", "Bill Simmons Writes About Holdouts, Works Through Some of His Own Issues", "Simmons: Don't deny NBA stat geeks the truth", "ESPN Adds Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons to NBA Countdown", "ESPN Is Splitting With Bill Simmons, Who Offers an Uncharacteristic Word Count: Zero", All-Star Roster of Writers and Editors to Join New ESPN Web Site, "The Bill Simmons Top Secret Editorial Project Is Underway", "The Grantland Basketball Show with Bill Simmons to Debut October 21 on ESPN - ESPN MediaZone", "Scenes From 'The Grantland Basketball Hour' Debut", "ESPN Statement Regarding Grantland - ESPN MediaZone", "Bill Simmons to Join HBO, Going From Free Agency to Freedom", "HBO Cancels Bill Simmons Talk Show 'Any Given Wednesday', "Bill Simmons's first HBO documentary will focus on Andr the Giant", "Bill Simmons Inks New Deal at HBO (Exclusive)", "Bill Simmons unveils new site's name: The Ringer", "Bill Simmons' The Ringer Inks Advertising, Tech Pact With Vox Media", "Bill Simmons scores massive sale as Spotify buys his publication, The Ringer, for nearly $200 million", "Spotify is buying Bill Simmons's The Ringer to boost its podcast business", "Sports Media Giant Bill Simmons Finds Himself Playing Defense", "Bill Simmons has had this coming for a long time now", "Bill Simmons on lack of Ringer podcast diversity: "It's a business. Listen to recent episodes to find out why The HUGE Show is the most widely heard sports talk show in Michigan. TV Shows. And friendliness, friendliness at the door well, thats critical.. Bill Simonson. You can bet on it.. Before he entered the bar business, Cavens life was selling cars. 337. State Journal columnist Graham Couch and reporter Cody Tucker are occasional guests on The Schuiling Report.. Caven, once again, found a crease in the market. Bill Huge Simonson is all about huge opinions and big name guests from the world of Michigan sports. The OP, as its regulars fondly dubbed it, began to skim the cream off the top of the Bayou Landings clientele. But Frank Cavens years in the bar business had, more than anything else, taught him resiliency. [21] His second column was "Is Clemens the Antichrist?" This won't be an on air war. How tall is Bill Simpson? The Caven/Hott cruise bars are basically break-even propositions financially. Previous to Bill's current city of Selah, WA, Bill Simonson lived in Yakima WA. [21], In July 2008, Simmons announced that he would be taking 10 weeks off from writing columns for ESPN.com's Page 2 to concentrate on finishing his second book,[70] The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy, which was released on October 27, 2009. Its estimated that the gay population of Dallas is about 100,000. Zane joined the station in 2016. He is also known for the creator-owned work Star Slammers, which he inaugurated in 1972 as a Rhode Island School of Design thesis. http://www.buddymagazine.com/pdf/2012/201205-mother-blues.pdf, From KZEW to Mother Blues, a documentary that remembers ‘When Dallas Rocked’ | Dallas Morning News, Buddy Magazine: The Original Texas Music Magazine Dallas Texas Buddy Magazine Mother Blues Photography Gallery, Ray Wylie Hubbard - Mother Blues Lyrics | MetroLyrics, Jerry's Brokendown Palaces: Keystone (New Monk), 2119 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA, Islip Hammerheads, Long Island, NY, USA Concert Setlists | setlist.fm. "[75] He claims that he believed his job was not to get into the heads of the players, but into the heads of his readers,[76] and to do so by updating frequently and being provocative, and get a discussion going with his readers. This is all a roundabout way of giving background to the following thing I ran across today on Deadspin: a blog entry, written by Simonson, that is possibly the stupidest thing I have read in my entire life. [20][21] He decided to call his column "Sports Guy" since the site had a "Movie Guy. The two men had high hopes for their new nightclub here on Cedar Springs. The G. I. ran out of money and Frank bought him out; he opened the place and named it Gold-finger. An incredible ten days after the fire, he and Charley opened a temporary OP on Denton Drive. The next morning, Sunday, the two men stood forlornly in the same place. The rest of the Caven/Hott clubs are cruise bars much smaller, non-disco, totally gay. [86] Simmons later removed himself from consideration and Remy was named president. On May 15, it was announced Simmons was officially done at ESPN, effective immediately. Fan favourite Walt Simonson took over as writer and penciller of Thor in 1983 with issue no. If we do that, with our competitors pouring for $1.50, were lost.. He said he planned to soon begin a podcast via his Facebook page with a similar format. They now sell more Lite than anyone in the area. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. In March 1973, Mother Blues was born. Anyway, he never really caught on here, thank Gary England, and eventually moved on to Tulsa, where he ended up getting fired for making racist statements about John Blake. The Old Plantation on Rawlins, meanwhile, was forced to move when the owners of the building decided to tear it down. The lawsuit is still pending, but with the departure of Burgess, the harassment has ceased. Continuing their game of musical bars, Caven moved back into the old Rawlins Street house. [50] In these episodes, Simmons discussed NBA-related current events as well as some of his more popular sports columns with his co-host Jalen Rose. Zane took to his Facebook page to share the announcement. Ray Wylie Hubbard pretty much sums it up. Bill calls Avon, IL, home. The product of a middle-class family in Arlington, Charley had a strong work ethic and a fascination with money. In 1961 Juke became co-host of Talk of the Town, a daily two-hour call-in program developed by Bill Gargano in 1959. With the OP-Houston, Caven adopted a layout design that has since been duplicated in all of his other discos. Thats why our drinks are cheap, Elan can pour a cocktail for $2.10. The fire marshals inspectors subsequently ruled it arson. It will soon be on (106.1-FM) in the Grand Rapids area and a new FM dial spot yet to be determined also in Muskegon, according to MMN. "[19], Originally the column was only available on AOL, and Simmons forwarded the column to his friends. As the festivities began, Frank went home and went to bed. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. On a visit to El Paso in 1955, he noticed the pedestrian soldiers of huge Fort Bliss, figured he could sell them used cars, and set up shop in Texas. Those were the worst, meanest bar fights Ive ever seen.. The X's and Bro's Morning Show from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. with Anthony Bellino starts your mornings by breaking down the biggest Michigan sports stories of the day. [39] Simmons created one or two hourlong podcasts a week, generally carrying one theme throughout, talking to everyone from sports and media notables to his friends. I worked for Bill from 1974-77 and saw and met too many of the music legends to count. [54] It was cancelled in November 2016. "If Mr. Schuilling does want to sue me or my website, my legal team will defend it vigorously with the potential for a countersuit due to the frivolity of any such claim.". "[35] Simmons and Schell took special interest to "stories that resonated at the time but were eventually forgotten for whatever reason. The operation had expanded to Houston and the Bayou Landing there was faltering. Bill Simonson is a 27-year veteran of the sports radio, having hosted the Huge Show in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Austin, Chicago, and for the last 18 years on the Huge Radio Network in Michigan. A lot of people prefer to dance to rock n roll; and a lot of club owners will find its easier to hire a disc jockey playing the original records than to hire live bands to make a mess of them. Hott expands the notion: Even more likely, at least in the South, will be C&W discos. A native of New York City, Symington attended the Gilman School in Baltimore; he subsequently graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Dutch art history. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Frank and Charley went in search of much larger quarters; the new OP would be serious disco big floor, big big sound, big lights catching the wave that was rising out of New York and LA. Bill has also hosted on national platforms like ESPN Gamenight, the Fabulous Sports Babe, Howard Cosells Speaking of Sports, and the Huge Show Sunday Edition. And please, don't call it just another Grantland", "Basketball Blog: Oden, Wisconsin and a whole lot more", "The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy", "Bill Simmons '92 is "Boston's Sports Guy", "CUT FROM HIS ROOTS, BUT STILL ROOTING BOSTON'S EX-'SPORTS GUY' LEARNS HOLLYWOOD ABCS", "Bill Simmons on the NFL Hall of Fame and Player Empowerment", "In the Land of the Insomniac, The Narcoleptic Wants to Be King", "In the Studio at ESPN Xtra - Bill Simmons", "ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy" Bill Simmons Joins E:60 as Special Contributor", Washington Post. [29] In 2005, according to ESPN, Simmons' column averaged 500,000 unique visitors a month. Simonson has been a sports fixture in Grand Rapids and later throughout the state since his arrival in September, 2001. Personal details about Bill include: political affiliation is currently a registered Democrat; ethnicity is unknown; and religious views are listed as unknown. Twelve years ago, Frank was selling used cars in El Paso; Charley was selling corny dogs in the Cotton Bowl. Caven aimed the Old Plantation at the older, moneyed gay crowd 25 and over, businessmen, professionals. [106], Simmons is married to Kari Simmons (ne Crichton),[14] mentioned only as "The Sports Gal" in his columns. [56] The documentary aired on HBO on April 10, 2018. Dallas has become one of the most attractive cities in the country for gay professionals, and its center is the World Trade Center and the huge market and fashion trade here. At The Ringer, he hosts The Bill Simmons Podcast. "[49] Some key contributors to the website included Jalen Rose, Zach Lowe, Kirk Goldsberry and Wesley Morris. Its as if theyre deaf to the thudding music and blind to the staccato lights, the swirling mass on the dance floor, the general frenzy of this jammed disco. Well, I think the next move may be to rock discotheques. Tomorrow they would put down the carpet and begin fine-tuning the place for their grand opening, just five days away. Caven has just opened an extraordinary new disco in Tampa called El Goya. Gay observers were amused during legal proceedings when Burgess cited prostitution as his primary reason for cracking down on the OP. When reached, Law said he could not comment yet on the future plans of WBBL. Mass firing at WBBL today. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Ingham County Circuit Court, alleges Simonson defamed Schuiling in various statements made via email and across social media. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. [27] He left the show in the spring of 2004[27] after a year and a half of writing for the show. [8], Simmons is a devoted fan of Boston's teams[16][21][80][108] including the Boston Red Sox,[109][110] New England Patriots,[110][111] and Boston Celtics. Love the Cannery! His young companion, much younger, is a wisp of a man, almost frail, dark hair falling in a long sweep over his forehead. The Old Plantation on Harwood was a huge success from the beginning. Besides, they knew their clientele. I talked with Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel about the crazy controversy swirling around Phil Mickelson. It's a bit of a perverse way to think, but I miss the 'haze' effect that cigarette smokers used to provide with their habit. Charley washed glasses by night and by day studied accounting at UTA. He has his own consulting company, plays the stock market avidly, and deals in real estate, But those are my passive investments; my active investment will always be the bar business. Frank immerses himself in his latest construction project; he can hardly finish his coffee after dinner, hes so keyed up to get back to the construction site where he will work until after midnight. Added to Roster Saturday, Oct 23, 2021. Caven and Hott saw the Houston market as a ripe one, made a deal to purchase the Bayou Landing from Sisk and Caterine, remodeled the place, and, in November 1975, reopened under the name of the Old Plantation. When she was a junior at Maui High School, she won her first election as class president. In late July 2018 it was revealed that HBO decided to renew Simmons's contract to remain with the network moving forward. At ESPN, he wrote for ESPN.com, hosted his own podcast on ESPN.com titled The B.S. [11] Feeling sure the market would support a gay dance bar, he said goodbye to the car business and, after two months of searching, discovered a foundering bar, The Gilded Cage, in a large old house on Rawlins Street in the heart of Oak Lawn. Placed in the recently deceased body of a war veteran named Simon Walters (a reference to his creator, Walt Simonson) on Earth, Bill has a brief encounter with the villain Boar and the hero Spider-Man. Most of the discos, like the OP-Dallas, have begun to attract more and more of a mixed crowd gays and straights alike. But, in fact, they see and hear it all better than anyone. Schuiling's attorney, Jamie White, declined to comment on the lawsuit. When was Bill Simpson born? He decided this time to call the place the Old Plantation. Bill Simpson was born on December 5, 1951. Bill Simonson is known for Touchback (2011). Bill Simonson is a 27-year veteran of the sports radio, having hosted the "Huge Show" in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Austin, Chicago, and - for the last 18 years - on the Huge Radio Network in Michigan. Im a bug on it. The place had burned to the ground. Ten years later, a G.I., one of thousands who had bought a Caven car, came to him with a proposition: If Frank (who had state residency) would secure a liquor license, the G.I. Plays: Football; Class Year: Sophomore 2025: Teams: Varsity Football #68 G. Recent Football Games. Set in an old Spanish building in the old Ybor City section of Tampa, replete with Spanish tile mosaics, huge arched doorways, and wrought-iron gates, the club has five separate bars in separate rooms. [71] The book tries to find out who really are the best players and teams of all time and the answers to some of the greatest "What ifs?" But can the disco fad hold up? Bill Simonson, a longtime Michigan sports personality known for The Huge Show, will move to a new radio network following an announcement Friday that gutted the local sports crew at Grand Rapids station WBBL (107.3-FM). Contact Christopher Haxel at 517-377-1261 or chaxel@lsj.com. [9] In 2001, his website averaged 10,000 readers and 45,000 hits per day. They made a scholarship gift to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism to support HBCU graduates. It also means a topflight disc jockey the best now make $100-$150 for a short nights work. It was going to be, they felt, the best gay bar in Dallas, the liveliest disco around. Frank Caven and Charley Hott seem to know no bounds. There have been, in the past, stringent ID checks at the OP door, partly to cut down on the date clientele (a woman with a date often doesnt carry her purse; thus, no ID). Simmons first gained attention with his website as "The Boston Sports Guy" and was recruited by ESPN in 2001, where he eventually operated the website Grantland and worked until 2015. Judge William Collette has not yet ruled on Schuiling's request for a temporary restraining order, although a court hearing is set for Tuesday in Ingham County Circuit Court. The trend in discos in both New York and LA now is toward the mixed crowd, so why fight it? [21] Becoming one of the most popular columnists on the site,[29] Simmons was given his own section of ESPN.com's Page 2, which helped both himself and Page 2 gain widespread popularity. A sportsman of sorts (he used to play ice hockey and drive stock cars), he likes to fish, likes to golf, likes to dabble in the stock market; but mostly he likes to play the bar business. Sometimes Bill goes by various nicknames including Bill H Simonson, William H Simonson, Willia Simonson, William Simonson and William H Simonson. Create an alert to follow the career of Bill Simonson. [61] On February 5, 2020, Simmons announced that Spotify was buying The Ringer for approximately $200 million,[62] with Daniel Ek describing The Ringer as "the new ESPN. [21] Bill eventually finds and joins Canadian superhero team Omega Flight against the supervillain team the Wrecking Crew, who release the