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August 2

Welcome to the first installment of "Joe Knows."

What you're about to read is mostly about me, to let you know who I am and why the folks at HOFMAG.com have added me to the staff. 

This is starting out as a weekly column, but if there's something I feel like commenting on, the powers that be at HOFMAG.com have given me the go-ahead to have at it. So, if you drop by the site every Wednesday, you'll see a new column by yours truly. But I suggest you drop in a few times a day because I have a computer with me everywhere I go, and who knows what I may come across. And you also want to come to the site a few times a day just to read the other great writers. I'm happy to be included among the likes of Robert Creamer, Jay Thomas, Charley Steiner and, of course, Armen Keteyian.

By trade, I'm a radio talk show host. I work for the number one sports station in Los Angeles – AM 570 KLAC. We're the flagship station for the LA Lakers and UCLA Bruins. I also host a general talk show on Sunday for the Air America affiliate in LA –  KTLK AM 1150. So, while the majority of my comments here will be sports-oriented, you'll also get my thoughts on world happenings. This column will be all encompassing.

I'm a two-time Golden Mic Award winner, and I have been named talk show host of the decade by the Los Angeles Daily News. I've also been voted talk show host of the year six times by the Daily News.  Like Armen, I made my reputation as an investigative reporter. I've broken a ton of local L.A stories, and some huge national ones as well: Wayne Gretzky's trade to the Kings; Pat Riley's firing as coach of the Lakers; Magic Johnson's hiring as Lakers' head coach; exclusive details of the baseball commissioner's proposed drug policy in the mid-1980s; Lou Holtz' hiring at Notre Dame and Mike Scioscia's hiring by the Angels; Vladimir Guerrero's signing by the Angels; Shaquille O'Neal signing as a free agent with the Lakers. Those are some of the stories I've been able to get out there ahead of everyone.

Two of my idols: Howard Cosell and Muhammed Ali.

And that's something else I'll be bringing to this site – breaking news. Whatever I find out, it will be in print here first. I like to think of myself as a less-arrogant version of the late, great Howard Cosell. That's no misprint – Howard Cosell.  Despite his obvious flaws, Cosell was a first-rate journalist and commentator, who was never afraid to ask a tough question or take a stand he believed in – whether popular one or not. He was the first person who inspired me in this business. When he backed up Muhammad Ali during his draft induction battle with the government in the 1960s, it showed me the kind of influence a well-informed and opinionated reporter could have on the reporting of a story. And on public opinion. I'll guarantee you that if it were not for Cosell's reporting, many people would have looked upon Ali as nothing but another privileged athlete looking for a way to circumvent the process. Or a gutless wonder who didn't want to face the possibility of going to war. Or, far worse, a black man who wouldn't fight for his country because he felt betrayed by white people.

Instead, as the story of Ali vs. the United States unfolded, many people changed their thoughts on Ali, and now he's one of the most popular men to ever walk our planet. And as Ali told me one night during dinner at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas:  “Howard could be a real pain sometimes, but he stuck with me when no one even wanted to be associated with me. He did what he thought was the right thing to do, and he believed in me. He's my friend and always will be.”  My only encounter with Cosell came at Dodger Stadium when he was an analyst on Monday Night Baseball. I walked up to him in the Dodger dugout and told him he was one of my idols and that I admired his work for years. His response? Now you have to imagine him saying this with his voice: ”Of course, young man, you're just one of many who idolize me. And rightfully so.”

He starts to walk away, and I'm standing there, not knowing how to react, when he stops, turns around and winks at me. And when I ran into him in the press box later that night, he asked me what I did and where I worked and actually seemed very interested and not at all patronizing. 

Now, I've also seen the other side of Howard and heard horrible things he said about Al Michaels and Frank Gifford. His opinion that most ex-athletes have no place in broadcasting was spiteful and likely came from a very dark place. And when my radio partner and I called him to come on our show in the early 1990s – something he had done in the past – he screamed into the phone that he was dying and to never call him again. We didn't. And he died. But what a legacy he left behind. 

Another influence for me was the late Lakers' announcer Chick Hearn. He was also fearless when it came to his job. He was the world's most passionate Laker fan, but if they were playing badly, he told the audience about it, holding absolutely nothing back. And I loved it. He showed me you can have passion for a team or a player, but there was no reason you couldn't also tell the truth to your audience. He was also my friend and I miss him every day. 

So, that's a little about me. And as we move forward here you'll find out much more about how I think, and what I know. That could be a scary proposition. Interesting, but scary, entertaining and informative.