The Hurley Edition: Rob 'Hardy' Poole Reveals Nickname Origins, Recalls Rock Radio's Heyday
BOSTON (CBS) -- Better known as "Hardy" to loyal Sports Hub listeners, Rob Poole has been with the station since day one. And yet, he remains a bit of a mystery.
Or at least that was Michael Hurley's assertion when he welcomed Hardy onto this week'd episode of The Hurley Edition.
Hardy shared how he got that nickname (it somehow came from the song "Hot Rod Heart," if that makes sense) and also talked about his next career venture.
"I'm going to go off and shoot a commercial that I auditioned for with David Ortiz as the star of it," Hardy said. "They were looking for 35-45-year-old golfers. Just a guy. Which was galling for me. ... I went in and auditioned, I had to go in for a callback, and all of this for a job as an extra.
"I always err on the side of doing something than not doing something."
Having more than a decade of experience on the air on rock radio stations, Hardy talked about how drastically the industry has changed and largely disappeared. But that didn't happen without some fun times working for a rock station in Las Vegas.
All of that radio experience prepared Hardy for making the shift from WBCN to The Sports Hub in 2009, but that didn't mean it was easy.
"I was terrified -- terrified! I was used to talking for no more than a couple of minutes, three or four times an hour. And now, the guy points at you at 8 a.m., Go! And you've got to fill until 8:15. Go. Go. Talk," he said. "My hell would probably be those few days leading up to that first show, just living those days over and over, my Groundhog Day hell. Because I was terrified -- I really was."
Nearly eight years later, it's proven to be worth it.
Listen to The Hurley Edition in the audio player above, or listen and subscribe on iTunes. The podcast is also available on Stitcher and of course on the CBS Boston audio pages.
