Biskit Art.com
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Biskit Art.com Special Feature
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Questions with 610 WIP's Brian Startare
I actually first met Brian before he began his career in broadcasting, when we played on a men's hockey team together for a season (Brian and his brother Pete are very gifted athletes and fierce competitors). Brian went on to succesfully compete in ESPN's "Dream Job" reality TV competition and to eventually switch careers to full-time sports broadcasting with 610. He also is the public address announcer for St. Joseph's men's basketball and a panelist on CN-8's "Out of Bounds" sports show. Despite his impressive success as a local sports media personality in the 5th largest US market, "B-Star" has remained very humble, appreciative and accessible to all of his friends and relations. In a recent article with the Gloucester County Times, Brian stated; "It beats working for a living... I just want to be what I am; a guy that loves Philly sports and is lucky enough to be involved with it". Brian was gracious enough to spend some time with Biskit Art.com and offer his perspective on the Philadelphia Flyers, professional hockey and brushing teeth between innings. BiskitArt: The first question everyone wants to know – your prediction of how the Flyers do in the 2008 playoffs? B-Star: Well, I like their chances in the opening round but beating Montreal or Pittsburgh in a 7 game series is unlikely, although I would love to see it! BiskitArt: As a member of the sports media, what do you feel is the most important thing that professional hockey should be doing to increase its fan base that it is NOT presently doing? B-Star: The NHL really needs to get back with ESPN and get a good television deal. Versus is a growing network and have improved their product but it is nowhere near the production value and visibility that ESPN had to offer. They also need to get rid of the shootout. It’s a gimmick and it’s wrong for the game. It also wouldn’t hurt to follow the Flyers lead and get every market involved with Skate Zones and youth hockey programs. BiskitArt: As a journalist who covers pro hockey, what is your opinion of the fighter/enforcer role in pro hockey? Do you see a day when this role is eliminated from the game altogether? B-Star: I think fighting will always be part of hockey. It’s nowhere near the violence level it once was, and hockey’s core fans love it. Plus in my opinion, if you remove fighting from hockey, the amount of stick work and cheap shots will increase. That’s the beauty of the game, it lets the players police themselves which fosters a respect for the game and its history. BiskitArt: Pro hockey players (and pro athletes in general) have a lot of idiosyncrasies and superstitions. What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen or heard of a pro athlete doing before a game? B-Star: Well, I haven’t been in touch with a lot of local players with superstitions, but by far ex-Phillie’s pitcher Turk Wendell was the most memorable. He used to brush his teeth between innings among other things. Great oral hygene, bad fastball. BiskitArt: The goal of BiskitArt.com is to visually memorialize the sport of hockey through artwork. What is your favorite visual sports image (picture, drawing, painting, video clip) of all time? B-Star: Well, that’s a tough one. I would have to say the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" and believe it or not my favorite Flyers moment to date was Jeremy Roenick’s OT goal versus Toronto in game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. I still get chills thinking about that. BiskitArt: Who is your all time favorite Philadelphia Flyer and why? B-Star: Another tough one. I can’t limit it to just one. But in the 70’s it was Reggie Leach, in the 80’s it was Dave Poulin, Rick Tocchet and Peter Zezel, in the 90’s it was Eric Lindros and nowadays I really like the way Mike Richards and Braydon Coburn play the game. BiskitArt: Who is your all time favorite pro hockey player and why? B-Star: Wayne Gretzky. Simply,the greatest. What he did from behind the net and how he scored was just beautiful to watch, except in 1985 and 1987. That hurt. BiskitArt: You cover all sports for 610 WIP – would you say you are a fan of all pro sports or is one in particular your favorite? B-Star: I like them all, but I have special affinity for the game of hockey. That being said, I also enjoy a good football game, an evening at the ballpark, and a matinee at the Palestra for some college hoops. BiskitArt: How do you remain unbiased when reporting sports at the professional level – IE: if you have a favorite player, how do you not “give him a pass” so to speak if he has a bad performance, without destroying your professional reporting relationship with him?B-Star: That doesn’t even come into play. They have a job to do, and so do I. I want nothing more than to see this city win a championship. However, if a player, manager or team owner(s) is stinking up the joint, it’s not only my responsibility (to my profession and my audience) to give my opinions freely, but it’s my job as well. You can’t compromise yourself. The fans of Philadelphia deserve that and most of the players understand that process. BiskitArt: Do you feel the old Spectrum should remain standing in the design of the new Philadelphia sports complex, or do you feel it should be removed and memorialized in another way to make room for new things? B-Star: If there was a way to remove it and make a memorial, I would love to see it done. I practically grew up in that place. I understand you can't stand in the way of progress, and Comcast-Spectacor needs to do business, but if there is way to keep that building alive somehow, I’m all for it. Return to the BiskitArt Welcome page |
Brian Startare currently
hosts shows on nights and weekends at Philadelphia's