ESPN takeover sadly buries old, reliable WCBS News Radio 880

Since I was a kid, we’d gone everywhere together. Camp, college, Cross Bronx Expressway.

And I have no doubt that WCBS News Radio 880 played a role in my desire to become a newsman.

The sports reports, as delivered every 20 minutes by the steady, studied likes of Ed Ingles and Spencer Ross, and with a sundown reach of hundreds of miles, were cherished.

From my college dorm, 450 miles from NYC in southwestern, Pa., I listened nightly. Even “traffic and weather together” sustained my hometown heritage in bituminous coal country.

WCBS 880 included breaking news field reports, and thoughtful features on travel, health, education and the law. Charles Osgood’s and Charles Kuralt’s well-written commentaries provided car-travel snack food for miles.

And when its signal faded from distant journeys, I sought out companion or similar stations in Philly, D.C., Atlanta.

But News Radio 880, after 57 years, has been sentenced to sudden bottom-line death, sold and to be replaced by ESPN Radio NY, which has been desperate to find a stronger signal.

Yet the signal seems the least of its problems.

ESPN-NY is loaded with dull, dreary redundant shows all conspicuously committed to promoting ESPN/Disney goods and on-air personnel, plus daily irrelevant takes on Aaron Rodgers.

Forced laughter, personal insecurities, personal vendettas and childish “guy/sex” talk are staples that don’t create lasting attachments — as opposed to thoughtful, independent and personable sports talk.

And now, of course, endless come-ons for listeners to lose their money and minds gambling on sports.

Au revoir, WCBS News Radio 880. Even when I was a kid — and especially when I was a kid — it did me well.

Steph curries no favor with Olympic antics

As he showed the world that he’s something else, Steph Curry was eager to show that he’s like everybody else.

In the gold medal win over France, Curry’s extraordinary late-game shooting might’ve been an opportunity to demonstrate humble modesty, allowing his achievement to speak for itself.

Instead he played the showboating, opponent-mocking, cheap-date fool. Pity.

This time last year, local media and fans were pounding the drums for the Jets to sign Dalvin Cook in spite of his acknowledged brutal beating of an ex-girlfriend.

What difference did it make to local media, fans or Roger Goodell if he beat the hell out of her “as long he can carry that rock!”

That he was a bust is why there’s media silence, not because the Jets reached so low to sign him.

By today’s double standards, the Red Sox’s Jarren Duran got off lightly with a two-game suspension for hurling a homophobic slur at a spectator described as “a fan.”

The Red Sox and feckless Rob Manfred could’ve cured Duran months ago when he’d so proudly removed his team jersey to display an unprintably profane message for TV audiences to enjoy during postgame interviews.

All they had to do was demand that he desist or sit. In other words, grow up.

So now, after fully enabling bottom-feeder Vince McMahon to nationalize the sex-infested XFL and creating the Snoop Dogg Olympics in salute to a recidivist criminal, gang-affiliated and pornographic women-trashing rapper, what’s next for NBC?

I’d stick with Dogg. But add more Snoop-centric events such as Drive-By Shooting competitions and Aspiring Rapper Murders.

By the way, rapper Travis Scott, arrested then released by Paris cops at the Olympics for a physical hassle with one of his bodyguards, was one of Goodell’s chosen “End Racism” women-denigrating, crotch-grabbing N-word-spewing, X-rated chosen Super Bowl halftime acts.

ESPN remains more woke than awake. In its latest venture to sell Serena Williams as America’s darling — as if America doesn’t know better — it is airing a five-parter on her.

Take a guess, ESPN, on why the big-ticket movie about her father, “King Richard,” bombed, losing millions. Might it be because America has learned to dislike the Williams family in spite of the media’s blind pandering?

OK, so Chris Russo confused the death of Billy Bean, the former MLB player who revealed his homosexuality, with the death of Billy Beane, the MLB team exec of “Moneyball” fame, who is alive.

Until I read it in print — Bean vs. Beane — so did I.

More Julie, less Megan, please!

Julie Foudy, ex-U.S. soccer standout and NBC’s analyst on the Brazil-USA women’s soccer final, was superb.

She was balanced, alert and foresighted. Brazil had such a first-half possession advantage that U.S. set pieces on free kicks became extremely important, she said, and she treated them fairly.

Only thing that bruised the telecast was repeated crowd shots of Megan Rapinoe, another obnoxious vulgar “ugly American” U.S. TV thinks the nation adores.

Dwyane Wade, NBC’s unprepared men’s basketball Olympics hoops analyst, watched repeated shoving and trash-talk episodes during the France-U.S. final, then delightfully concluded, “This is what gold medal basketball is all about!”

Sure, who wouldn’t want to be ejected from a gold medal Olympic game?!

With the Yankees down 4-1 on Monday to the White Sox, Suzyn Waldman reasoned that the White Sox’s MLB-worst record is something that fans and media dwell upon, but that the Yankees are unaware of or blissfully ignore. Nonsense.

Are legalized sports-betting operations and their sports and media investors headed for a fall? The time seems right.

1) They’ve wildly spent to advertise here, there and everywhere.

2) As per their business model, clients are positioned to lose their money — diminished returns and fewer clients guaranteed.

Can’t bet what you no longer have. Besides, a sucker wakes up every minute.

That Roger Goodell sure runs a tight ship. The Commanders have signed receiver Martavis Bryant, a Clemson man who hasn’t played since 2018 following his third “substance abuse violation.”

Braves 1-0 over Giants on Monday in 10. Eight pitchers totaled 33 strikeouts.

Britney Griner cried tears of gratitude as she stood for our national anthem following the U.S. gold medal win. Great to see, even if it was learning the hard way.

ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” play-by-player Karl Ravech is apparently on a first-name basis with many of the big leaguers in his on-air purview. Red Barber, Marty Glickman and Vin Scully would send him to his room, no TV.