The timing was coincidental (we think) but all too predictable.  Two days after Kermit, Chuck and I made our second appearance on WGN Radio’s Sports Central, the station admitted what had been rumored.  They’re canceling the show.

It might well have been my fault.  I’m sure that after reading the columns here, somebody at WGN was sure that they could count on me to call somebody a douchebag.  Nothing drives ratings like somebody calling somebody a douchebag.

I guess it makes sense that Sports Central is going to be no more.  Once WGN added the Blackhawks to their air, that tied up lots of weeknights during the long, interminable hockey regular season, and goaltending willing–through a long playoff run, too.  The Cubs, even with their love of the sun, still play the vast majority of their games at night.  That doesn’t leave a lot of 7-9 evening shifts open for a sports show.

And how can you resist turning that time over to a guy convicted of accepting bribes?  If you want two hours of what it’s like in federal prison, Jim Laski’s your man.

And how can the station be steered wrong when the program director, Kevin Metheny, is best known for inspiring the Pig Vomit character in Private Parts?

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv-esAvZuMA]

Still, it’s not like anybody needs to have a bake sale for Dave Kaplan.  Phil Rosenthal ran down the long list of things he’ll be doing for WGN.

Kaplan will continue to do WGN afternoon sports reports, appear on other WGN shows as warranted and contribute occasional “Cubs Confidential” specials for the station. He also still will host “Chicago Tribune Live” on cable’s Comcast SportsNet Chicago and co-write the Tribune’s “Around the Town” column with Fred Mitchell.

It didn’t say anything about everybody’s favorite blog, though.  Come on Phil, how could you forget that Chicago Now still exists?  It does, doesn’t it?  Will somebody check?  Whose turn is it to read it today?  Somebody e-mail Greenfi and see if the Tribune is still trying to shove that thing down people’s throats.

For those of you who enjoy good radio, this is not all good news though.  Kaplan will be on much more than he normally would have under the old Sports Central format, and yes, he has indicated that he’s going to have us back on again.  So you’re not off the hook.  He’s got two hours to kill every afternoon-evening after Cubs games, after all.  Maybe when they run into his duties at Comcast Sports Net, he’ll just let the three of us host it ourselves?

Until then, I’ll look back on my Ted McGinley-like role in the demise of a 28-year sports institution in Chicago.

Wow, if I have this kind of power, I’ll take requests on which show I should next be a guest on, so it can get shitcanned.