CBS Sports commentator Ian Eagle is among the most beloved in his field. The 2023 Awfulie recipient for Best Commentator has often delivered on every sport he’s asked to call. Whether it’s American football, college basketball, or the NBA, ‘The Bird’ is one of a kind.
An old clip of the esteemed broadcaster recently emerged and went viral. The clip featured a ‘spat’ between Eagle and his former YES Network colleague and famed color commentator, Mike ‘The Czar’ Fratello.
While it went viral, Eagle stayed quiet. ‘The Bird’ has emerged again, though, as he spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina about the incident.
“I’m amazed at the shelf life of this bit,” Eagle told me Wednesday. “I woke up in Portland to 40 texts and thought something serious happened. A clip of me using the term ‘gobbledygook’ with Fratello 13 years ago going viral again is not what I had on my 2024 bingo card. It’s funny but also sad.
According to the man himself at the time, it was all sarcastic humor. Eagle told the New York Daily News then, “Every bit of that was a put-on. Not 40%. Not 70%. It was 100% busting each other’s chops. We do it every game.”
That, unfortunately, appeared to get lost in the shuffle amid the clip taking off. But such is life on the internet in 2024. You’re only as good until the next time you might go viral. And even if you do, sometimes the real information can get lost in the thick of the shuffle.
