Not much has been written on this blog about the local radio shows of late. That's partially because Robert Feder is no loner writing in the Sun Times. But it's also because the current local shows make banality exciting by comparison.

Sure, the occasional "Who You Crappin'" can have some funny stuff in it, but there really is no "appointment radio" on the air in Chicago these days. Not unless you call counting the number of times a minute Dan Hampton says, "And again..."

The ESPN 1000 afternoon show is being killed right now. The first exit was Dan McNeil who was summarily booted last week. John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz will follow very shortly. Can't say that this show will be missed.

There was a time when they actually talked sports. The last year or so, every time I turned the show on, they seemed to be talking about some personal anecdote that had nothing to do with anything interesting. You hear that and it's an easy push of the button to Roe Conn or the multi-CD changer.

Today in the Sun Times, McNeil says "farewell for now" in a column he wrote. Not much news there but for this piece:

I'm not sure if Jurko or Harry would agree, but I think (station manager Jim) Pastor pulled the plug at the right time. And I don't begrudge him for not affording us a ''goodbye show.'' I've heard those before. They're ugly. Neither management nor talent wins.

That's correct, Dan. It's also true that this column is a mini version of just such a goodbye show. While this column isn't ugly, it's hard to see how this helps you win.

So, sappy goodbye shows bad. Sappy goodbye columns ok. Dan McNeil, who you crappin'?