Sports Radio Service


		Giants execs pushing for talk-show host firing By Ralph A. Gora August 6, 2005

	SAN FRANCISCO - After talking with Sportstalk's Stefani Black, who listened to the Giants' flagship radio station after the Giants' loss to Colorado on Wednesday night when talk show host Larry Krueger made his "I have a dream of wheat" speech and lambasted the Giants' play. At that point, his monologue was directed towards the team and front office execs (rightfully so), but crossed the line by saying that the Giants had "Caribbean brain-dead hitters" (wrongfully so). Giants executive vice-president Larry Baer, according to the Giants flagship sources, tells Sportstalk that he wanted Krueger not suspended, but fired from the station for his racial remarks. Manager Felipe Alou was so incensed by Krueger's remarks he will no longer do any pre-game shows, which he had been doing prior to Wednesday night's game, until Krueger is fired. On Thursday, the night after his show, showed up at SBC Park only to be greeted by a collage of reporters who peppered him about the "Caribbean" and "cream of wheat" remarks he made. Krueger had no comment and made his visit to the park brief, according to Sportstalk's Jeremy Harnes,s who sought Krueger out on Thursday. Krueger, whose suspension with the flagship station ends on Aug. 15, has been the ire of the Giants anger and it may have proved to be a positive thing. Here's a laundry list: 1. As of Wednesday night, the Giants have stunk up the joint, losing their second straight game, this time 3-2 to Colorado on a ninth-inning RBI single. The loss proved to be last place Colorado's first back to back wins for the season. 2. On his Wednesday night talk show, Krueger, in which he admitted was a "rant" of the club's performance, said besides "brain-dead Caribbean players" or "Felipe Alou has the mind of Cream of Wheat... "They should pay you (the listener) and me to come out to watch this garbage," and "That's it - the season is over, from tonight and this point on, it's over, as far as I'm concerned they've given up and they're hung out to dry. The season for the San Francisco Giants is over." The next day, the Giants started a three-game winning streak, which went through Sunday. Jeremy Harness, Jeremy Kahn and Daniel Dullum, who went to interview various Giants players, saw a complete difference in the clubhouse for the Giants at SBC Park and the players seemed fired up, intense to win, and tight-lipped about the Krueger remarks. On Thursday Krueger, who showed up at the park, went to Felipe's office to talk to him about the show, but was refused an audience with the Giants manage. After talking with Harness, Dullum and Black regarding Krueger and their experience this past week with Giants players and KNBR staffers, all did agree on one thing - Krueger is not an evil villain that people have made him out to be. He has been accommodating in the past and has come on Sportstalk many times as a guest, always professional. He had everything right about the Giants Wednesday night, except when he stepped over the line when he said the Caribbean players were brain-dead. The suspension is accurate, he should come back and do his job and praise the team if they continue to play like they have in their last four games, or if they stink, he should not be afraid to get all over their case again, but leave the racial stuff out of it. If Baer doesn't get his way, Krueger, who also drove former Giants manager Dusty Baker and Giants outfielder Marvin Bernard mad when they were with the team, should keep up the his style. As far as we can see, this isn't over for Krueger yet. KNBR management - program director Bob Agnew and general manager Tony Salvatore - is under intense pressure to fire Krueger once he returns to KNBR on Monday. Ralph Gora continues his investigative reporting for this story. Read more this week on the Giants' pursuit of firing Giants flagship station talk show host Larry Krueger. Ralph also co-hosts Sportstalk on 1430 KVVN San Jose and 1110 KLIB Sacramento weekends.