Damon Bruce
Encyclopedia
Damon Bruce is a sports talk radio host in San Francisco, CA. He hosts the "Damon Bruce Show" - Monday - Friday on KNBR 1050. He is also the post-game host of the San Francisco 49ers.
Bruce joined KNBR in October 2005 as the host of, SportsPhone 680. Along with his hosting duties on Sportsphone 680, Damon Bruce also served as the post-game host of the San Francisco Giants
, San Francisco 49ers
and the Golden State Warriors
. Damon still does 49ers post-games even though he departed from SportsPhone 680 for his own midday show.
& Notre Dame, Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady, New York
. A graduate of Indiana University
with a degree in broadcasting
, Bruce spent one year at KNBR
as a producer of KNBR talk shows and sporting events before leaving to be a host on Sports Overnight America
, then with ESPN Radio
as a network sports anchor. There he met Jason "McGiggy" McBride, a fellow producer and friend, who often calls in to Bruce's radio show. While at ESPN, he hosted SportsCenter
for ESPN International. Later, he was a fill-in host on Fox Sports Radio
and Sporting News Radio
. Before rejoining KNBR, Bruce was a morning anchor at WOWO
news talk radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. In October 2005, he took over as the host of SportsPhone 680.
On his February 22, 2010 show, Damon announced that he was leaving SportsPhone 680 to host The Damon Bruce Show from noon to 4pm on KNBR 1050. Personally, Bruce said he was tired of being preempted by live games, which would only happen more with the start of San Francisco Giants
season. From a business perspective, Cumulus Media
-who had recently purchased both KNBR
680 and KNBR 1050-wanted to find a way to make 1050 profitable. It was felt that Bruce's loyal following would attract more listeners to 1050. Former San Francisco Giants
and Oakland Athletics
player F. P. Santangelo
took over as the SportsPhone 680 host. FP has been the fill in host for many shows on KNBR after retiring from baseball. F.P, Bruce Macgowan,and Ray Woodson filled in as the SportsPhone 680 host in between Krueger's departure from KNBR, and when Damon took over as SportsPhone host in 2005. Eric Byrnes
took over as SportsPhone680 host on March 23rd 2011. Damon, Larry Krueger, made an appearance on Eric's 1st show. On August 1st 2011, Damon re-joined KNBR 680 as the co-host of the "Gary & D.Bruce Show". On August 30th, 2011, while Radnich was into the third week of a two week vacation, KNBR announced the 9am-12noon show would be replaced with a new Radnich/Kruger show, effective immediately. Bruce announced on his twitter feed that he would be returning to his old KNBR 1050 slot, 12noon-3pm M-F.
' video game NBA 2K11
.
Bruce is also the play-by-play voice for the highly successful video game, The Bigs
, released in June 2007 by 2K Sports
.
The Bigs 2
was released on July 7, 2009. Bruce returns as the play by play announcer.
He also wrote a book about Bay Area Sports Lists: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0762435216
Damon often appears on Chronicle Live on Comcast Sportsnet and hosts the 49ers post game show on KNBR.
On both April 20th 2011 and July 5th 2011, Damon Bruce filled in for Jim Rome
on the Jim Rome Show.
He is currently working with 2k Sports on the next installment of The Bigs, tentatively scheduled for release this Summer.
Bruce joined KNBR in October 2005 as the host of, SportsPhone 680. Along with his hosting duties on Sportsphone 680, Damon Bruce also served as the post-game host of the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Damon still does 49ers post-games even though he departed from SportsPhone 680 for his own midday show.
Career
Damon was born on March 25, 1975 in Chicago. He attended Linton High School, the same school as Pat RileyPat Riley
Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...
& Notre Dame, Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. A graduate of Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
with a degree in broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
, Bruce spent one year at KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
as a producer of KNBR talk shows and sporting events before leaving to be a host on Sports Overnight America
Sports Overnight America
Sports Overnight America is a live, national sports radio show airing Monday through Friday from 10pm-1am PST . The show is part of the Sports Byline USA network in San Francisco, California, and is hosted by Chris Townsend...
, then with ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
as a network sports anchor. There he met Jason "McGiggy" McBride, a fellow producer and friend, who often calls in to Bruce's radio show. While at ESPN, he hosted SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
for ESPN International. Later, he was a fill-in host on Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
and Sporting News Radio
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
. Before rejoining KNBR, Bruce was a morning anchor at WOWO
WOWO
Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WOWO is an independent news/talk radio station transmitting on 1190 kHz at 50,000 watts during the daylight hours and 9,800 watts during the nighttime hours. An application is on file with the Federal Communications Commission to add a fourth tower to the three...
news talk radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. In October 2005, he took over as the host of SportsPhone 680.
On his February 22, 2010 show, Damon announced that he was leaving SportsPhone 680 to host The Damon Bruce Show from noon to 4pm on KNBR 1050. Personally, Bruce said he was tired of being preempted by live games, which would only happen more with the start of San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
season. From a business perspective, Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
-who had recently purchased both KNBR
KNBR
KNBR, The Sports Leader, is the on-air branding used by two AM radio stations in the San Francisco, California, area broadcasting a sports radio format, owned by Cumulus Media....
680 and KNBR 1050-wanted to find a way to make 1050 profitable. It was felt that Bruce's loyal following would attract more listeners to 1050. Former San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
and Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
player F. P. Santangelo
F. P. Santangelo
Frank-Paul Santangelo , is a former American professional baseball player from the University of Miami, Sacramento City College and Oak Ridge High School . Santangelo played in the Major leagues from 1995 to 2001...
took over as the SportsPhone 680 host. FP has been the fill in host for many shows on KNBR after retiring from baseball. F.P, Bruce Macgowan,and Ray Woodson filled in as the SportsPhone 680 host in between Krueger's departure from KNBR, and when Damon took over as SportsPhone host in 2005. Eric Byrnes
Eric Byrnes
Eric James Byrnes , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He has played for the Oakland Athletics, the Colorado Rockies, the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Seattle Mariners...
took over as SportsPhone680 host on March 23rd 2011. Damon, Larry Krueger, made an appearance on Eric's 1st show. On August 1st 2011, Damon re-joined KNBR 680 as the co-host of the "Gary & D.Bruce Show". On August 30th, 2011, while Radnich was into the third week of a two week vacation, KNBR announced the 9am-12noon show would be replaced with a new Radnich/Kruger show, effective immediately. Bruce announced on his twitter feed that he would be returning to his old KNBR 1050 slot, 12noon-3pm M-F.
Other work
Damon is the halftime host of 2K Sports2K Sports
2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. It comprises a single development studio, Visual Concepts, which was purchased from Sega in the year 2005. 2K Sports mainly develops and publishes American sports video games such as NBA 2K series...
' video game NBA 2K11
NBA 2K11
The game has received critical acclaim. Game review websites have praised NBA 2K11 for its developed controls, online multi-player, and Michael Jordan features...
.
Bruce is also the play-by-play voice for the highly successful video game, The Bigs
The Bigs
The Bigs is an arcade-style baseball video game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii and PlayStation Portable. It was released in June 2007 in North America, and in October in Europe...
, released in June 2007 by 2K Sports
2K Sports
2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. It comprises a single development studio, Visual Concepts, which was purchased from Sega in the year 2005. 2K Sports mainly develops and publishes American sports video games such as NBA 2K series...
.
The Bigs 2
The Bigs 2
The Bigs 2 is a baseball sports video game developed by Blue Castle Games and published by 2K Sports for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PlayStation Portable. The game performs as the direct sequel to The Bigs...
was released on July 7, 2009. Bruce returns as the play by play announcer.
He also wrote a book about Bay Area Sports Lists: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0762435216
Damon often appears on Chronicle Live on Comcast Sportsnet and hosts the 49ers post game show on KNBR.
On both April 20th 2011 and July 5th 2011, Damon Bruce filled in for Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
on the Jim Rome Show.
He is currently working with 2k Sports on the next installment of The Bigs, tentatively scheduled for release this Summer.
Sound bites
- Damon's most popular catchphrase on the show is a sound bite of a Spanish-speaking broadcaster's interjection of "Oy Yoy Oy!!!". He typically plays the sound bite when a caller makes a good point (usually a complimentary one) about the team or subject at hand, to great comedic effect. Many callers seem to call in to see if they can elicit an "oy yoy oy!", and some even explicitly ask for it (e.g., "Damon, I'm having a rough night, I could really use an oy oy oy!").
- "Pound it, pound it, pound it", which is taken from a caller, "Annie-Baby" in San Francisco. Though when Annie said it, she was referring to drinking alcohol, Damon often uses the sound bite to suggest sexual relations. The phrase has caught on and has been used by Gary RadnichGary RadnichGary Radnich is the host of the 9 a.m. to noon slot on KNBR radio in San Francisco, California, and is also the lead sports anchor on KRON television.-Early life:...
and Tony BrunoTony BrunoFor Tony Bruno, the musician, see Tony Bruno Tony Bruno is an American sports talk radio personality in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
during their segment 11-11:30 AM PT on KNBR. Gary Radnich has said that he would want Damon to succeed him in the 11-11:30 segment with Tony.
- The Japanese strikeout sound bite, "Sanshin!", which callers also occasionally request.
- The famous Bill RafteryBill RafteryBill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
call of "Send it in, Jerome" is often used as an innuendo.
- Another sound bite Damon uses is from a certain TecateTecateTecate is a small city in Baja California, Mexico and the municipal seat of Tecate Municipality. It is located on the border with Tecate, California, United States in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. There is a small port of entry betwixt the sister cities that serves as a calmer...
Light beer commercial, sampling a Spanish woman's voice saying "Sí, mi hijo." He often uses it in non sequitur, on random calls, or when a caller makes a good point, much like "oy oy oy!!!"
- At the end of every show, Damon finishes with a sound bite from The Usual SuspectsThe Usual SuspectsThe Usual Suspects is a 1995 American neo-noir film written by Christopher McQuarrie and directed by Bryan Singer. It stars Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey and Pete Postlethwaite....
: "...and like that, he's gone!"
- "Ray Durham was at Momo's!" Whenever the subject of Brewers infielder Ray DurhamRay DurhamRay Durham , nicknamed The Sugarman, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.A two-time All-Star, Durham in his prime was one of the premier offensive catalysts in all of baseball, providing prototypical lead-off hitting with power...
comes up, Damon plays a short clip of a caller exclaiming that he saw or heard that Ray Durham was at Momo's Restaurant near AT&T Park.
- Another very common soundbite is a clip of someone mumbling, "No sound effects for Dave Feldhouse." Feldhouse is the producer of Sportsphone 680. This clip is played almost every time Damon says Dave's name.
- Another recent sound bite is a clip of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis proclaiming "I'm not going anywhere." This is played when the subject of Davis either retiring or moving the Raiders to a different city comes up.
Popular segments
- A very popular segment on his show is "A coin, mother, and son of a Bruce." His mother, from IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, comes on and picks footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games, NFL and college. Damon also picks the same games, and the coin is flipped for its picks. In Damon's words, his mother "puts money in your pocket." During the segment, they double-down on Monday Night FootballMonday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. They pick the game against the spreadSpread bettingSpread betting is any of various types of wagering on the outcome of an event, where the pay-off is based on the accuracy of the wager, rather than a simple "win or lose" outcome, such as fixed-odds betting or parimutuel betting. A spread is a range of outcomes and the bet is whether the outcome...
, as well as the over-underOver-underAn over-under or over/under bet is a wager in which a sportsbook will predict a number for a statistic in a given game , and bettors wager that the actual number in the game will be either higher or lower than that number...
. The beauty of the bit, his Mother, Linda, knows nothing about football - but nearly hits as many games as the experts.
- Another very popular segment is the Tuesday Trifecta, in which Damon selects 3 questions of a certain relevant theme, and the callers call in and answer the questions. It is now known on The Damon Bruce Show as the Three O'Clock Three Play where the fourth hour is devoted to the Three Play.
Damon-isms and sayings
- Damon believes and often says "real fans listen late," meaning that die-hard (hardcore) fans listen in the evening/night, right after games, and those shows talk the most about sports. His "SPM," or sports per minute, is (in his words) the highest on KNBR. That is because hard-core fans listen to the games and want to react, and thus the show is very focused on sports.
- He ends every show by signing off with John Wooden's: "Sports don't build character, they reveal it."
Music
- The theme music for Sportsphone 680 is "Jenny Was a Friend of MineJenny Was a Friend of Mine"Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" is a song by the Las Vegas Indie rock band The Killers. It is featured as the first track on The Killers' first album, Hot Fuss. It was written by Brandon Flowers and Mark Stoermer....
" by The Killers. The theme is played at the beginning of every hour, but different music is played going to and coming out of commercial breaks during the hour.
- A song often played to go to commercial break is James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
's "I Got the Feeling." Damon will stop and let the "baby baby baby, baby baby baby" play while he sits silently.
- Another song played to go to commercial break is "Summer Madness" by Kool and the Gang. This song is usually played before the last commercial break of the show.
- Footsteps in the DarkFootsteps in the Dark"Footsteps in the Dark" is a 1977 slow jam recorded by The Isley Brothers as an album track featured on the group's double-platinum album, Go For Your Guns. It was the B-side to "Groove with You", which reached #16 on the R&B singles chart...
by The Isley BrothersThe Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
is another song used when going to commercial break.
- Another song that Damon plays is "The 900 Number" by DJ The 45 King. Damon only plays a quick sound bite from it though, whenever there is a racy comment on the show, or some form of innuendo. He plays it commonly when Annie calls in.
Well-known callers
- Annie baby (from San Francisco), "the official first lady of Sportsphone 680". She is the voice of "pound it, pound it, pound it", she also claims she had sex with Robert De Niro
- Smirnoff (in Palo Alto), the shows "unofficial researcher" of Sportsphone, he became the official researcher when he joined Sportsphone 680 as an intern in the summer of 2009
- Discreet from the Streets (of San Francisco), who gives very good information and is very entertaining, also calls The Third ShiftThe Third ShiftThe Third Shift was a daily radio program broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Radio from 2–6 AM ET. The program was hosted by FSR's Ben Maller with Karen Kay. The show was produced by Greg Bergman...
on Fox Sports RadioFox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks... - Salty Balty from Clovis, known on all KNBR shows for his negativity and criticism of all teams (especially the Giants)
- Bob from San Jose, a very smart football caller, "the most dominant football caller of Sportsphone 680"
- Barfighter in San Jose, who starts every call pronouncing Damon's name in a Spanish accent
- Sportacus on a cell phone, who consistently offers thought-provoking perspective and a good deal of humor. He ends every call by Damon asking "any declarations?" and him replying "I am Sportacus"
- Scott in Santa Cruz, who starts every call with " What is up, Admiral Bruce!" Sadly Scott died in 2009.
- Mr. McBride, a fellow former-ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
employee, now a "real estate mogul" in Denver, and "the official brotha'African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
of "The Damon Bruce Show" - Fry in Antioch, the frequent Tuesday Trifecta caller.
- Smokin' 13 Year Old, who frequently calls in during baseball season to talk about Giants minor league prospects.
- Ronaldo from Palo Alto, "the official soccer caller of Sportsphone 680"
- Russ from Lafayette, is known for his long yet insightful rants about the state of Bay Area sports.
- The Badger in Dublin, who is introduced accompanied by the sound of a chainsaw starting.
- De Kaizer in Der Gilroy, a frequent Giants caller.
- Babalooga in San Mateo, greets Damon by saying "shakin' a bush" and Damon replying "Shake it up, Bob."
- The Professor in San Jose, who Damon greets with "class is in session", a frequent caller and actual finance professor at San Jose State University.
- In The Buff in Boulder (son) and Glen from Glen Ellen (father) are father and son callers who occasionally call in right after one another.