It was reported the other day that former ESPN 1050 radio host Brandon Tierney would be joining former San Francisco 49er Eric Davis on SportsRadio 95.7 KBWF for the 2-6pm afternoon drive. It’s the radio home for the Oakland Athletics and the San Jose Sharks.

BT, who also was on SNY’s WheelHouse, was one of my favorites on the New York sports talk scene. I always viewed him as one of the progressive voices that was more about hard work, knowledge, and substance versus shtick. I reached out to him the other day to confirm the story, and he was kind enough to answer some questions about the Mets, Yankees, Knicks, his new teams in the Bay Area, and some thoughts on his radio experience in New York.

You could follow BT on Twitter @brandontierney.

MS: Congrats on your new slot doing the afternoon drive for Sports Radio 95.7 KBWF San Francisco So how was radio free agency? Is it as exciting as what Jose Reyes, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols will experience this offseason?

BT: Thank you very much, I appreciate that. I have to say, it was definitely exciting, I embraced it and enjoyed it, and had fun with it, but it also presented new challenges. Challenges in the sense that my daily routine was interrupted, and I had to find new, creative ways to stay mentally sharp. I remember saying to my wife after my last show at 1050, well, let’s see how good I really am. Will the phone ring? Will markets outside of New York be interested? Will WFAN be interested? Let’s see how good I really am. I was strangely at ease from Minute 1 of the process, and definitely enjoyed my down time. We traveled to Aruba, cruised in Bermuda, hit the Hamptons…I needed to decompress. After nearly 8 and a half years at 1050, in addition to my daily work on SNY, St. John’s broadcasts, Knicks broadcasts…quite frankly, I was ready to chill for a bit. But at the end of the day, I am a worker, it’s the way I am built, it’s who I am. I pour my soul into everything I do, and I was worn down a bit. The tires were getting a bit flat. Still, rather than fear the unknown, I kept saying, “if you’re truly as talented as you think you are the phone will ring.” And thankfully, it did. More than once.

MS: You are Brooklyn born and bred. I know Donnie Baseball was your guy growing up. No truth to the rumor you are trading your vintage Mattingly jersey for a Will Clark version? Will Chris “Mad Dog” Russo be asking you inside information about his beloved Giants?

BT: You’re right about Mattingly. He was my Mantle, minus the rings. He was the one player, regardless of the score, that forced me to watch all 4 AB’s, even during the lean years, and there were many during my high school years. The Yanks were terrible, but Mattingly eased the pain. He played with passion and purpose and exuded grace. He was accountable, and his swing, when right, was as sweet as anyone in the history of the game. Musial. Williams. Cobb. Gwynn. Boggs. Ichiro. Carew. He was right there. He took my passion for baseball to another stratosphere, just like Will Clark did for so many youngsters out West. Funny you mention Clark, being that I had a picture of him in my locker in college. I loved his swing. Fluid, yet explosive, and he too, was pretty smooth around the bag. Big fan of Clark growing up. As for Russo, he’s one of a kind, a true talent. And while I don’t know him nearly as well as I know Mike (Francesa), if the Dog ever called, I’d certainly take his call. Together, they lit my broadcast fire, and they are 100% the reason I do what I do professionally. They are legends, plain and simple.

MS: Seriously though, you always have seemed to bring a new brand of style to the airwaves. You interact on Twitter, have a good balance of guests and calls, and talk about the secondary sports (i.e. NBA) here in New York where it seems always dominated by baseball. Do you agree that you may be a new breed of radio host that is evolving as radio and internet begin to merge?

BT: Well, first of all, thank you. If you’re not evolving, you’re going backwards, I believe. Society is moving fast. The days of doing an opening monologue and hitting the phones for three hours…those days are over. In a way, it’s more sophisticated, and you have to be aware that the attention span of the listener, it’s condensed. You can still reach listeners and connect, but you have to go about it differently, especially in drive time. By then, everyone has read the paper and inhaled the web sites and highlight shows, they know what happened the previous night. You have to advance the story and you have to entertain while doing so, otherwise, the station flips, and you lose. For me, Twitter is a great outlet; I enjoy communicating when I want, on my terms, and not just when I am on the air. It’s amazing to me how many hosts are either lazy, or reluctant to embrace technology. How the hell you can host a show in 2011 and NOT be on Twitter? If something pops into my head, I don’t have to wait to flip open the mic the next day to express myself. I like that. Plus, it creates an additional bond with my audience, which has always meant so much to me, and always will. My audience drives me, pushes me to want to be the best.

MS: Will you be keeping up with the Mets and Yanks? Actually, you now can watch NFL football while eating breakfast and be done by 4pm. Your show will be ending while both New York teams are in the late innings. You get the added bonus of then watching the Giants and A’s through the evening. You really can have it all sports wise on the left coast.

BT: I will always keep up with the New York sports scene. It’s in my blood, it’s in my soul. I did so when I worked in Pennsylvania, Vegas and Detroit, and I will absolutely do so from Frisco. ALWAYS. Still, I have a responsibility to my new audience, to build relationships, and to take my listeners behind the curtain, like I did with the Knicks. The only way to do that is to go to games, hit the locker rooms, build trust…that is how you break stories and build credibility. The medium doesn’t change, the job description doesn’t change–my location changes. I will maintain the same approach, and I will be as active as anyone on the Bay Area sports scene. It’s a lot more work than people think, but it’s imperative. New York will always remain a passion until the day I die, but not at the expense of the teams I am covering now. It can’t. Otherwise, it will come thru on the air, and I will fail. But DVR will be working OT, that’s for damn sure.

MS: You are going to miss the New York pizza, delis, and Chinese food I assume? I moved to Long Island from Brooklyn and it was an adjustment for me going 60 miles, you are going 3,000 miles away.

BT: Well, in terms of cultural diversity, Frisco is right there with New York. They play at a bit of a different speed out West, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I have to. I’m not changing. The Bay Area is as close to Europe as you will find in the states, and that in itself is extremely appealing. Again, I’ve lived and worked in different markets during my early years in radio, so this is not new for me, but I did so when I was single. The added bonus is that this time, I have my wife by my side. She is such a positive person, so upbeat, but also so tough, and she really believes in me. She has my back with everything. That helps tremendously. I have a support base right next to me every, single day. The toughest thing will be leaving my family and my fan base. I made an impact during my time in New York, and I believe that I brought a unique perspective to the airwaves, something different. I really tried to keep it real, and at times for 1050′s taste, too real, but I know New York sports fans appreciated that. It’s very tough saying goodbye, I’m not going to lie, especially to my Dad…he really got a kick out of watching his son on “The WheelHouse,” and seeing his son achieve what he set out to achieve. The bottom line is this: in this business, change is inevitable. People come, and people go. But I really believe that I left an imprint, and that I will be missed. I believe that. Actually, I know that. And I will miss New York greatly.

MS: First, give us your take on the Yankees. Lots of talk about how, although they are poised to win 95 games and make the playoffs, they are short in the rotation and bullpen. I also feel they can’t beat the Red Sox in a short series as currently constituted. I think they need a lefty starter (Wandy Rodriguez), a LOOGY, and maybe even another veteran bat to platoon with, or replace Posada? Thoughts?

BT: I am a little surprised the Yanks are playing as well as they are, quite frankly. I still feel Boston is better, especially with Beckett bouncing back in such a big way. The pressure on CC Sabathia to win during a playoff series is incredible, whereas Boston has a small army of elite arms. Hughes is a key, and really, I need to see how Joe handles Jeter once he eclipses 3,000 hits. It is undeniable: the Yankees are more dangerous, more well-rounded and really, just better with Gardner in the 1 hole. It’s a delicate subject. But Jeter needs to drop to the lower third of the order. Evaluating him for what he is right now, he has become a liability, while Gardner is an asset. It’s so obvious. The Yanks are actually better than I thought they would be, but right now, with that rotation…they are not favorites to win it all, not in my book. It’s still Boston and Philly.

MS: Are the Mets for real? Will we see Jose Reyes traded at the 31st (maybe he is coming out West to SF with you?). Would you give Reyes a 7 year deal? Cut it off at 5? Thoughts?

BT: Terry Collins is doing a phenomenal job, plain and simple. They play hard and they are accountable. Collins has changed the mood in the workplace; he has eradicated that losing, defeatist attitude. The Mets talent base with Wright and Davis out, and Bay slumping is sub-standard. Yet, here they are, hanging around, playing meaningful games and I am happy for the fans. As for Reyes, he is playing video game baseball right now, it’s insane. However, I would not give him 7 years, no way. You have to look at this objectively, and since I am not a Mets fan, I think I am able to do just that. In so many ways, this season is the exception, rather than the rule for Reyes. This is his 9th year, and once–ONCE–he has hit above 3 bills over the course of a full season. Suddenly, he’s a .350 hitter? Please. The Mets are being forced to buy high, and that is never a good thing. Still, he is the best player on the New York baseball scene right now, and he’s a joy to watch, but this isn’t the NBA where one player changes everything. They have lost plenty of games WITH Jose Reyes over the years. Don’t tell me that they’re incapable of WINNING plenty of games WITHOUT Jose Reyes in the future. It’s baseball. It’s different. 5 years, big money…take it or leave it. If not, load up on compensatory picks and go from there.

MS: Give me a unique radio experience you had in New York, Detroit, PA, or Las Vegas. You had to do an event or show that stands out above the rest.

BT: Broadcasting live from Jefferson Avenue in Detroit ’02 when the Wings won the Cup, watching the Stones open up Ford Field…interviewing Pete Rose and Bob Feller….broadcasting until 6 AM following the final out of the ’04 series between the Yanks and Red Sox…traveling to multiple Final Four’s…calling my first Knicks game, flying on the Knicks’ charter for the first time…playing golf at Shinnecock before the ’04 US Open…I am so grateful for all of them. But on a personal level, the thing I enjoyed most was leaving floor tickets for my Dad at the Garden will call for a St. John’s game, and at some point during the game, making eye contact with him, and without saying a word…just being so happy. Happy to have reached that level in my field, but even happier that he was, and is, there to share it all with me. It’s tough to verbalize, but he knows, and I know.

MS: Do you have any regrets about your show with Jody Mac? I thought you guys were onto something, but obviously you were taking on a legacy station, which is an enormous task for even the most experienced voice. Could you have done anything differently? What did you learn from the experience you will take to San Francisco?

BT: We were onto something, and the ratings document that. We were up 38% over the 1st 12 months after taking over the 1pm shift, and really we did that with zero promotion of the show. None. I thought we owned NBA free-agency, so much so that every other show was vying for second in that department. Really, I never even thought it was close, it was ours. I always wished the show was an hour longer. It was always a challenge to squeeze so much into two hours each day. Too often I left the studio feeling as if we left something on the table that I know we could have nailed. That was frustrating. Still, I’m not sure if people understand just how powerful WFAN truly is. Mike is an absolute icon, a beast, and Boomer and Carton, I have to say, they have a damn good show. Carton understands radio, he gets it. Their signal is like a blowtorch and they had nearly a 15 year head start on us, and that matters big time. Plus, they are completely local, which is key. Still, I have no regrets, none whatsoever. I always said what was on my mind, and I did it my way at 1050. I also believed that I improved greatly during my time at the station, working with different personalities like Stephen A. and obviously Jody Mac. Polar opposites on and off the air, but overall, good and decent men. Were there challenges at 1050? Sure, but overall, I enjoyed my time there. When I was hired I was still raw, at times too raw. I think I’ve learned when to pound the gas, and when to pull back. I am so much better now, I took advantage of the resources I had there. In a lot of ways, I walked in as a kid, and walked out a man. It was a critical phase of my life, on and off the air.

MS: Finally, not a baseball question, but will we see you courtside when the Knicks come out West to play Golden State? Did you ask Chris Mullin (a fellow Xaverian alumnus like yours truly) for any West Coast advice?

BT: There will definitely be some heavy East Coast representation on the hoops scene in Frisco, that’s for sure. Over the past year I have become friendly with Chris, and reached out to him last week. He knows I’m coming. I’ve known his brother Terrence for a while, and now I consider Chris a friend. I spoke with David Lee a few days ago, and he’s excited to have a familiar voice in town. We’ll definitely get together for a beer with him once he returns from St. Louis. I’ve always had so much respect for him. As a rookie, he treated everyone with respect, and now, even with the big contract, he’s the same exact way. Hasn’t changed a bit, except that now, he sticks the open J. I told him the other night, double/doubles are great, but you know I’m going to be watching the way you rotate on defense too. He understands the game, he gets it. I also told him to hit weights this summer! Throw Mark Jackson into the mix, and I’m expecting Oracle Arena to be pretty damn fun and our NBA discussions on-air, to be top notch. But make no mistake about it: when Amar’e and ‘Melo roll into town…there’s no doubt which way I’m rooting. No doubt.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: 95.7 KBWF, Amar'e Stoudemire, Bob Feller, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Tierney, Carmelo Anthony, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, Chris Mullin, Craig Carton, David Lee, Detroit Red Wings, Don Mattingly, Eric Davis, ESPN 1050, Golden State Warriors, Jody McDonald, Jose Reyes, Mac and Tierney, Madison Square Garden, Mark Jackson, Mike Francesa, New York Knicks, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Pete Rose, Rolling Stones, San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Giants, San Jose Sharks, St. John's Basketball, Terrence Mullin, Terry Collins, WFAN, Will Clark, Xaverian High School