# Everything Else > Arts & Entertainment >  Al Eschbach

## Bigrayok

I have not heard Al Eschbach on his show in recent days. Is he on one of his marathon vacations?

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## OKCretro

Heard he took a job in kc?

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## OKCretro

Heard he was working on his newest restaurant adventure

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## ljbab728

He wasn't on the Sugar Bowl coverage so something must have happened.

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## GoThunder

Tramel was on the air from 6-7 tonight and said he was filling in for Al while he's on vacation.

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## ljbab728

> Tramel was on the air from 6-7 tonight and said he was filling in for Al while he's on vacation.


I'm sure that's true but for Al to take vacation when OU is playing in the Sugar Bowl is hardly normal.

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## warreng88

I heard he was walking around an area trying to return a ring to a volcano...

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## Tydude

Al is on Vacation somewhere across the ocean.He should be back soon

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## SoonerDave

> I'm sure that's true but for Al to take vacation when OU is playing in the Sugar Bowl is hardly normal.


Yeah I thought the same thing. And I noticed it was Tram taking the lead on calls to him and Traber from 5-6pm, which was also really unusual.

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## Jersey Boss

Considering that Al went to OU in the sixties one would assume he is of retirement age. He could be transitioning to retirement or because of his age, have health issues. I'm sure it will shake out in the coming weeks.

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## ou48A

The rumor is that Al is on vacation  on a beach in Thailand  which if true and baring some type of heath issue is a pretty clear confirmation of what many others have said in that Al has shipped it in. 

Clearly by avoiding 2 out of the past 3 OU bowl games Al doesn’t take his job seriously anymore and only does it for the money..... 
It's no wonder why more people have turned to better local sports talk radio sources.

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## SoonerDave

> Considering that Al went to OU in the sixties one would assume he is of retirement age. He could be transitioning to retirement or because of his age, have health issues. I'm sure it will shake out in the coming weeks.


Considering Citadel just forked over half the building to re-sign Traber (or, more specifically, keep him away from Tyler/"The Franchise,") I wonder how close Al is to re-upping and whether a) he _wants_ to keep up the media work, and b) how much are they willing to pay him? 

Pretty sure Al is in his 70's if I'm not mistaken. If he finished OU in the mid 60's, say 65 (?), and he was around 22 then, 49 years on top of that would put him right at 70-71. And let's face it, while he still is connected to OU, he surely doesn't have the "connections" he once did, and in all honesty some of his afternoon non-sports ramblings with Traber get a little disgusting even if they're intended for a laugh. Mind you, I remember Al when he more or less started sports talk radio in OKC on KTOK-AM 1000 back in the 70's, and he's always been kinda rough around the edges, but this latter day bent gets a little (no, a lot) creepy after a while. 

Definitely think there's something to him not being in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I can't recall him _ever_ having missed an OU bowl game.

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## zookeeper

> *The rumor is that Al is on vacation  on a beach in Thailand*  which if true and baring some type of heath issue is a pretty clear confirmation of what many others have said in that Al has shipped it in. 
> 
> Clearly by avoiding 2 out of the past 3 OU bowl games Al doesnt take his job seriously anymore and only does it for the money..... 
> It's no wonder why more people have turned to better local sports talk radio sources.


If true he couldn't have picked a better place. A neighbor just got back after spending the entire holiday with his wife near Phuket. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and they both said it was their favorite vacation ever. That must be a hot place right now, they said there were a lot of Americans.

I think Al's broadcast days are numbered, probably by choice.

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## ou48A

> Definitely think there's something to him not being in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I can't recall him _ever_ having missed an OU bowl game.


Al did not cover the OU bowl game against Iowa. He took a vacation.
WWLS did not send any full time on the air employee to that particular bowl game....This in spite of the fact that they sent several to cover the OSU game in that same city just 3 or 4 days later.

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## MustangGT

I was hoping to read the bums obituary.

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## zookeeper

> I was hoping to read the bums obituary.


Wow.

?????????

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## Romulack

Heard he's been hangin' out inside a tree somewhere baking cookies.

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## Stew

> I was hoping to read the bums obituary.


Not cool.

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## SoonerDave

> I was hoping to read the bums obituary.


Um, awkward at best, not funny at worst.

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## soonerguru

> I was hoping to read the bums obituary.


Why? I've always liked Al as a radio personality (not as a person). He's a weirdo, no doubt. But he's a legend in OKC and at times he's been good.

Overall, though, I avoid the Sports Animal like a plague. Stupidly, I decided to tune in yesterday to hear discussion about the OU / Bama bowl game. I should have known better. Here's the setup:

1. Traber comes on the air and immediately starts ripping OU fans for making jokes about the SEC. Then, he puts all of this pressure on OU by saying if they don't end up in the playoffs next season their season will be a "massive disappointment." 

2. No discussion about the plays, no background from conversations with coaches, players, etc. No discussion about the atmosphere or key moments in the game. Nada.

3. Then he shifts the discussion to how much "better looking" the Alabama team was; that OU should not have been on the same field with them. He said Trevor Knight looked like a "peanut."

I realize this is all an elaborate attempt to troll OU fans, piss them off, and get them to call in. But when OU has won one of the biggest bowl games in the history of its program, people want to talk about that and not much else. 

The Franchise at least will make an effort to have an honest conversation about OU football with OU fans. F the Sports Animal.

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## Garin

Got banned from his show for life.....LOL

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## ctchandler

I haven't listened to sports talk in quite a few years, but just to remind you folks that there was no sports talk until Lou Staples on KTOK in the mid 70's.  It was doing OK but lacked something so they brought Al in as a co-host.  The rest is history.  Love him or hate him, whatever sports radio you listen to now came about because of him.  We all get old (he is 68), and sometimes it's time to hang it up.  I'm not saying he should retire since I haven't listened in a long time but he has made a lot of money for whatever station he has been on.  If you like your sports radio and it's not the Sports Animal, you owe Al for the competition.  
C. T.

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## Dave Cook

> If true he couldn't have picked a better place. A neighbor just got back after spending the entire holiday with his wife near Phuket. The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and they both said it was their favorite vacation ever. That must be a hot place right now, they said there were a lot of Americans.
> 
> I think Al's broadcast days are numbered, probably by choice.



While rumors abound, I think he is actually in Bali. 

You know, I think Al has sort of become the modern-day 'Mathis Brothers Gerbil' urban legend. It's terrible the things people post about him on the Sooner message boards and over on The Lost Ogle. He travels all over the world - Cuba, Vietnam, Bali, Phuket, Dubai, etc - but at this moment on the Sooner board, they're claiming he's on some sex trip to Thailand. People's imagination can run ridiculously wild at times. On a personal level and as a celebrity, I don't see how you deal with such rumors. 

As for Phuket, I live in Thailand. It's beautiful over here. Fantastic culture, very nice people, excellent food, peaceful religion and the beaches are just amazing. The country gets a bad rap but it's not that much different from Oklahoma when it comes to incorrect perception. Ignore all the stereotypes and ignorant opinions.....overall - like Oklahoma City - it's a good place to be.

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## Stan Silliman

I don't understand the hate.

Al has always been nice to me. I used to play table tennis with him and he was a pretty fair player. 
Eschbach's store of knowledge about quite a few things is remarkable. 
Bob Barry's gone. John Brooks, I don't hear from much and when Al's gone, sports radio will be 
pretty bland in Oklahoma.

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## SoonerDave

> While rumors abound, I think he is actually in Bali. 
> 
> *You know, I think Al has sort of become the modern-day 'Mathis Brothers Gerbil' urban legend. It's terrible the things people post about him on the Sooner message boards and over on The Lost Ogle. He travels all over the world - Cuba, Vietnam, Bali, Phuket, Dubai, etc - but at this moment on the Sooner board, they're claiming he's on some sex trip to Thailand.* People's imagination can run ridiculously wild at times. On a personal level and as a celebrity, I don't see how you deal with such rumors. 
> 
> As for Phuket, I live in Thailand. It's beautiful over here. Fantastic culture, very nice people, excellent food, peaceful religion and the beaches are just amazing. The country gets a bad rap but it's not that much different from Oklahoma when it comes to incorrect perception. Ignore all the stereotypes and ignorant opinions.....overall - like Oklahoma City - it's a good place to be.


Hey, don't get me wrong, I like Al and have over the years, but I think those rumors wouldn't be nearly as persistent if he didn't lace virtually every afternoon on-air comment with sex-related jokes, some that get more than a little weird, so to a great degree he perpetuates it himself.

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## onthestrip

Why do I get the feeling that in all of Al's Thailand trips hes spending less time on a quiet beach and more time being up to sinister things in Bangkok?

On edit: didnt see the previous post addressing this.

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## Dave Cook

> Hey, don't get me wrong, I like Al and have over the years, but I think those rumors wouldn't be nearly as persistent if he didn't lace virtually every afternoon on-air comment with sex-related jokes, some that get more than a little weird, so to a great degree he perpetuates it himself.


Point taken. I totally agree.....Al doesn't help himself with his old school chauvinism and tacky jokes (and Traber's attempts to change the subject are hilarious) but I still don't think his jabs at humor warrant accusations of traveling abroad for sex with a minor. Those are serious allegations on the OU board.

Eschbach

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## soonerguru

Yes. It's stupid. There are about 20,000 people registered on that board and there are like a dozen trolls who say dumb things like that.

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## SoonerDave

> Yes. It's stupid. There are about 20,000 people registered on that board and there are like a dozen trolls who say dumb things like that.


Yeah that's one of the reasons I never really jumped on LandThieves once OUInsider died, and while I at least have an account over there, and post occasionally, they do tend to enjoy the rancid a bit more than I care for....just gets a little ugly over there for my taste.

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## soonerguru

> Yeah that's one of the reasons I never really jumped on LandThieves once OUInsider died, and while I at least have an account over there, and post occasionally, they do tend to enjoy the rancid a bit more than I care for....just gets a little ugly over there for my taste.


As you would imagine, it's a much more harmonious place after that tremendous bowl game.

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## MustangGT

> Wow.
> 
> ?????????


He is an arrogant plick who is substantially more ignorant than he or his Gumby brained listeners believe.  If he was drowning I would throw him a concrete cinder block.

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## zookeeper

> He is an arrogant plick who is substantially more ignorant than he or his Gumby brained listeners believe.


You know, we all work our way through this thing called life. Some do "better"...some do "worse" (whatever that means). But I know this - nobody - not one of us is perfect. Nobody. One that doesn't meet "our" standards (especially when there's no atrocities or murder involved) shouldn't be wished with the loss of their life. That's far more cruel than anything Al has done on the radio.

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## RadicalModerate

> He is an arrogant plick who is substantially more ignorant than he or his Gumby brained listeners believe.  If he was drowning I would throw him a concrete cinder block.


My personal, in reality, contacts with Al belied his on-air persona.  He was, in reality, a helpful gentleman, who was kind enough to provide me with an autographed copy of a guide to The Best of Kansas City BBQ when he returned from one of his broadcasting expeditions to points unknown.

Am I now to assume that MustangGT drivers are douchebags?
(usurping the place formerly occupied by BMW drivers in conjunction with porcupines regarding the relative location of the pricks?)
Yeah.  I think that's about right.

(oh. wait. you typed plick.  (an unintentional slur to those of the oriental persuasion?)
fer sure: illiterate douchbags driving virtual Mustangs dis Al.

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## Celebrator

> He is an arrogant plick who is substantially more ignorant than he or his Gumby brained listeners believe.  If he was drowning I would throw him a concrete cinder block.


Easy, man...c'mon.

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## Bigrayok

Al was back on the radio today. 

Bigray in Ok

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## Dave Cook

I didn't catch Al's show but I heard BBJ say he had returned from Bali. I can see why he goes back. The Gili Islands have probably the most beautiful water and sealife I've ever seen.....although I can't see Al snorkeling. 

That OU board is something else. This quote is probably the dumbest thing I've ever read on the internet. 

"smells fishy to me. Not judging , but there's not much else to do in Thailand."

Talk about clueless...it's particularly funny coming from a guy in Oklahoma.....the tourism capitol of the United States.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## ljbab728

> I didn't catch Al's show but I heard BBJ say he had returned from Bali. I can see why he goes back. The Gili Islands have probably the most beautiful water and sealife I've ever seen.....although I can't see Al snorkeling. 
> 
> That OU board is something else. This quote is probably the dumbest thing I've ever read on the internet. 
> 
> "smells fishy to me. Not judging , but there's not much else to do in Thailand."
> 
> Talk about clueless...it's particularly funny coming from a guy in Oklahoma.....the tourism capitol of the United States.


Considering that Bali and the Gili Islands are in Indonesia instead of Thailand, that is a laugher.

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## Dubya61

> Considering that Bali and the Gili Islands are in Indonesia instead of Thailand, that is a laugher.


Yes, the two are such radically different climates and so distant from and disparate to each other.  LOL

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## traxx

> I didn't catch Al's show but I heard BBJ say he had returned from Bali. I can see why he goes back. The Gili Islands have probably the most beautiful water and sealife I've ever seen.....although I can't see Al snorkeling. 
> 
> That OU board is something else. This quote is probably the dumbest thing I've ever read on the internet. 
> 
> "smells fishy to me. Not judging , but there's not much else to do in Thailand."
> 
> Talk about clueless...it's particularly funny coming from a guy in Oklahoma.....the tourism capitol of the United States.


Instead of complaining about it here, why don't you go over there and tell 'em. I know you have an account because I've seen you there. 

LT isn't really all that different from Shaggy, but with less drawings of wieners.

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## SoonerDave

> Instead of complaining about it here, why don't you go over there and tell 'em. I know you have an account because I've seen you there. 
> 
> LT isn't really all that different from Shaggy, but with less drawings of wieners.


I may be wrong, but I think the guy who started LT _purposely_ wanted to make it an OU version of Shaggy with a particular bent toward the NSFW content, which is why I'm not there very often. Just not my thing; problem is there aren't a lot of really good OU boards around since OUInsider changed itself around amid all kinds of hurt feelings a couple years back. I know its still around in name, but its not the same place at all.

Keep wondering if a more "family friendly" OU board might gain any traction. Hard to start things like that these days, though, I guess.

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## okcboomer

Really?   All this obsession with Al is a little on the sick side.

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## MustangGT

RM I have my opinion based upon several personal contacts that sickened me and you have yours.  Neither is anymore valuable or valid than the other.  To educate you I used the word plick to get around the profanity filter.  YOU are the one who brought up it being used as a slight to another group of folks.  That tells the world where you biases are.  Again his obit will not be sad news at my house.  There are a lot of folks in that boat so he is not so special to be in at alone.

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## OKCisOK4me

I don't think the vacation helped Al one bit.  I actually had it on WWLS last night and he's still his usual filthy, rabid self.

See yaaaaaaaaaaaa........

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## soonerguru

I thought Al sounded refreshed. He was in a very jovial mood. Sue me, but I like Al.

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## RadicalModerate

> RM I have my opinion based upon several personal contacts that sickened me and you have yours.  Neither is anymore valuable or valid than the other.  To educate you I used the word plick to get around the profanity filter.  YOU are the one who brought up it being used as a slight to another group of folks.  That tells the world where you biases are.  Again his obit will not be sad news at my house.  There are a lot of folks in that boat so he is not so special to be in at alone.


I sit corrected, and educated, Sir. (yet I am still biased)
(p.s. i had a feeling that your use of the word "plick" was a clever method of getting around that robotic censorship sh!t yet wanted to see how easy it was to push your buttons.  i apologize and assure you that it won't happen again.)

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## Bill Robertson

> I thought Al sounded refreshed. He was in a very jovial mood. Sue me, but I like Al.


I like Al too, both on air and the few times I've spoken to him while having dinner and a cold one at one of my favorite establishments that must be his also. But, it really does get old when he talks non-stop about "midget strippers", "lady-boy cabaret", etc.  He knows and can talk sports with anybody but he doesn't talk sports much these days. I think they get good ratings though so if it works it works.

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## traxx

> I may be wrong, but I think the guy who started LT _purposely_ wanted to make it an OU version of Shaggy with a particular bent toward the NSFW content, which is why I'm not there very often. Just not my thing; problem is there aren't a lot of really good OU boards around since OUInsider changed itself around amid all kinds of hurt feelings a couple years back. I know its still around in name, but its not the same place at all.
> 
> Keep wondering if a more "family friendly" OU board might gain any traction. Hard to start things like that these days, though, I guess.


I didn't know OUI was even still around.

It died a horrible death. It got to where you'd go there and there'd hardly be any new post for days. That's when I went to LT. And yes, the guy that started it based it on Shaggy. I understand what you mean though. On OUI there was one guy, DM, who really pushed the envelope of being a total jerk. On LT, everyone was being DM. In fact, DM is one of the more tame guys now.

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## Pete

^

Just so you guys know, LandThieves has a style (choose it on the lower left corner of any page) that filters out anything not safe for work.

I miss OU Insider...  I was a poster, then a moderator than an administrator.  I learned a lot about message boards from that experience.

I really like the guys that run LandThieves but it's way too out of control for my tastes.  I prefer more intelligent, less sophomoric discussion and there don't seem to be any limits over there at all, which in the Internet world leads to all kinds of crazy and often hateful outbursts.


It's a very difficult call about setting tone and moderating but once you let the barn doors swing fully open, it's impossible to close them.

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## traxx

> ^
> 
> Just so you guys know, LandThieves has a style (choose it on the lower left corner of any page) that filters out anything not safe for work.
> 
> I miss OU Insider...  I was a poster, then a moderator than an administrator.  I learned a lot about message boards from that experience.
> 
> I really like the guys that run LandThieves but it's way too out of control for my tastes.  I prefer more intelligent, less sophomoric discussion and there don't seem to be any limits over there at all, which in the Internet world leads to all kinds of crazy and often hateful outbursts.
> 
> 
> It's a very difficult call about setting tone and moderating but once you let the barn doors swing fully open, it's impossible to close them.


I remember you from OUI. And if memory serves, weren't you on LT at the outset?

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## stratosphere

> I was hoping to read the bums obituary.





> He is an arrogant plick who is substantially more ignorant than he or his Gumby brained listeners believe.  If he was drowning I would throw him a concrete cinder block.





> RM I have my opinion based upon several personal contacts that sickened me and you have yours.  Neither is anymore valuable or valid than the other.  To educate you I used the word plick to get around the profanity filter.  YOU are the one who brought up it being used as a slight to another group of folks.  That tells the world where you biases are.  Again his obit will not be sad news at my house.  There are a lot of folks in that boat so he is not so special to be in at alone.


Your posts are absolutely hideous.  What a sad person you must be.

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## SoonerDave

> ^
> 
> Just so you guys know, LandThieves has a style (choose it on the lower left corner of any page) that filters out anything not safe for work.
> 
> I miss OU Insider...  I was a poster, then a moderator than an administrator.  I learned a lot about message boards from that experience.
> 
> I really like the guys that run LandThieves but it's way too out of control for my tastes.  I prefer more intelligent, less sophomoric discussion and there don't seem to be any limits over there at all, which in the Internet world leads to all kinds of crazy and often hateful outbursts.
> 
> 
> It's a very difficult call about setting tone and moderating but once you let the barn doors swing fully open, it's impossible to close them.


Pete, as a former admin over there, given your insights and experience here, you think there's any room for a more "family friendly" OU-themed board? Or is the 'net just too saturated with them, or is it just too hard for a new one to get any traction? I don't like LT, even with the "filter" it just seems every post is a race to put more...ahem...nsfw content in them, and its just not my bag. The old OUI was a *great* place, and I wish we could bring it back. I understand their reasons for doing what they did, but I never quite understood the scorched earth policy they undertook to get there - even if it was unintentional, it was certainly careless and unnecessary.

I just mused a few posts back here about whether a new OU board that was _not_ in the LT vein would have any hopes. I know its a lot of work - and I know one guy from a long time ago that tried to start one on his own, and I don't think it really went anywhere. Any thoughts?

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## SoonerDave

> I didn't know OUI was even still around.
> 
> It died a horrible death. It got to where you'd go there and there'd hardly be any new post for days. That's when I went to LT. And yes, the guy that started it based it on Shaggy. I understand what you mean though. On OUI there was one guy, DM, who really pushed the envelope of being a total jerk. On LT, everyone was being DM. In fact, DM is one of the more tame guys now.


Yeah, there's still an "Ouinsider.com," and it _looks_ a lot like the old OUI, but the majority (?) of posts on the "free" Owen Field forum are restricted to "VIP" (translated - paid) users, and as you pointed out, the thing is largely dead. Really, really sad - I was a _very_ regular contributor there - in fact, posting to the game threads was kind of a blast, and was there right in the midst of the big meltdown before they moved to the new structure/format. 

No idea if they've been as successful as they'd planned/hoped, but to say the least I sure wouldn't use their approach as a model.

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## Pete

> Pete, as a former admin over there, given your insights and experience here, you think there's any room for a more "family friendly" OU-themed board? Or is the 'net just too saturated with them, or is it just too hard for a new one to get any traction? I don't like LT, even with the "filter" it just seems every post is a race to put more...ahem...nsfw content in them, and its just not my bag. The old OUI was a *great* place, and I wish we could bring it back. I understand their reasons for doing what they did, but I never quite understood the scorched earth policy they undertook to get there - even if it was unintentional, it was certainly careless and unnecessary.
> 
> I just mused a few posts back here about whether a new OU board that was _not_ in the LT vein would have any hopes. I know its a lot of work - and I know one guy from a long time ago that tried to start one on his own, and I don't think it really went anywhere. Any thoughts?


I know LT is not for everybody but they have incredible traffic -- wildly successful endeavor.  I was never involved with running LT, only OUI.

I just don't want to interact anywhere there is a good chance people will say all types of random and hostile things.  I go out of my way to treat others with respect, and try very hard to put myself into situations where I can expect the same in return.

As far as starting something new, it's an incredible amount of work and it would have to be a passion project and labor of love.  And even then, sports incite high passion and thus leads to a lot of conflict, even between fans of the same team.

Frankly, I generally feel worse about being a fan of any team after reading most of what my supposedly fellow fans have to say.

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