Back in May, I lamented the loss of Philadelphia's finest radio sports reporter, Vinnie the Crumb. He had been let go by 93.3FM WMMR, and a huge void was created, with no more "Sports Crumbs" or "Friday Rants".

Well, as I had hoped and prayed, The Crumb is back. I first learned of this a couple of weeks ago, when one of my bowling buddies told me that he had been picked up by 94.1FM WYSP in their new "FREE FM" format, but since the show was on later in the day, it really wasn't enough to me to investigate for proof. There's nothing on Vinnie's website about it, and WYSP didn't have anything on theirs, either.

I did a search on the matter last week and found that Barsky was following Howard Stern in the mornings, and that Vinnie was part of the program. Of course, as a teacher, I just can't listen to that stuff when there are kids around, which is just about the whole day. Again, I didn't really pursue the matter any further.

This weekend, I had FREE 94.1 on just as I was driving home from the local home improvement warehouse, and, lo and behold, the voice of Vinnie the Crumb came booming through the car stereo. There was no sports report or rant or other commentary, just Vinnie telling us he's back on the air, and you can catch him on the Barsky show after Howard Stern.

What a breath of fresh air! My hope, of course, is that Barsky and Vinnie, et. al., will take over Stern's morning slot when he moves on to satellite only, and I will again be able to laugh with Vinnie on my way to work as he presents the day's sports reports, from his very personal and uniquely "Philly" perspective.

Welcome back, Vinnie! Your rants are an inspiration and your love and enthusiasm for your hometown and its sports teams are the example every Philadelphian should admire and follow. Regardless of what anyone thinks of Philly sports, ya just gotta love the Crumb!

I'll be listening when I can! You go, Vinnie!

RWR