Gavin Dawson let go from The Fan

For local sports radio junkies in the Portland area, your choices are pretty limited. You have The Fan, our only 24/7 sports station, or occasional sports updates during the news hour, the dedicated games at KEX (OSU) and KXL (Ducks, Blazers), and Canzano's show in the evening.

So, if you're like me, you've spent a lot of time listening to 1080 The Fan and learning to alternately love and hate the people there.

One I consistently liked was Gavin Dawson, who's big gigs were the Blazers post-game shows and Sports Saturday (aka La Familia). Gavin, who called himself "The People's Champion," was a non-apologetic Blazers homer who, nevertheless, looked at things in a pretty analytical way and was willing to call BS when it needed to be called. He was knowledgeable about a wide range of sports topics, though, and wasn't a one-trick pony in the booth.

My only real brush with Gavin of any sort was during the summer. He was having open auditions for a new side-kick on his Saturday show, and I nearly called in. He and I e-mailed back and forth a little, and he encouraged me to take part, but once I heard what some people were bringing to the table, I knew I had no chance. Also, he was pretty straightforward that what they were looking for was a young guy who was single, since there's a certain flexibility needed in the industry, and my only real selling point was that I have a day job and was willing to work for peanuts just to have some fun on the side (but was otherwise entirely too old and inflexible, having a wife and kid and all).

All this to say that I've learned from Dave at BlazersEdge that The Fan has let Gavin go. No real reason has been offered, and no word on what Gavin will be doing next. I'll note that, in the comment thread to Dave's post, Gavin has weighed in a couple of times, and he's classy enough (and smart enough) not to burn any bridges at Entercom, The Fan's home.

I'll join the concert of those who wish Gavin the best, and who also hope he sticks around town for his next gig. And I'll also add that, although I'm sure it doesn't help, this is clearly a step backwards for The Fan, and also eliminates any chance that I'll tune in at all on weekends.