Sports radio battle heats up at Fairmount taproom

610 WIP's Rob Charry and Pieface, a producer from ESPN 950 AM, got into a heated argument Thursday night at Bishop's Collar (2349 Fairmount). We're told Pieface, whose real name is Sean Brace, initially approached Charry to politely introduce himself. Charry, says an eyewitness, soon insulted ESPN 950 and said that if the station were any good, he would be on it. We hear the conversation escalated into Pieface calling Charry a "c---sucker" and telling him that if he said one more cross word about ESPN 950, they would have to take it outside.

"The guy was drunk," said Charry last night. "The conversation I had with him was absurd, and to be recalling it now with you is even more absurd," said Charry, who has worked for WIP for more than 20 years. "Apparently something I said rubbed this guy the wrong way. All of a sudden he got a little testy." Charry says he is "friends with people at 950" and didn't recall badmouthing the rival radio station.

We could not reach Pieface, but spoke with ESPN 950 program director Matt Nahigian. "I don't condone that type of behavior from my guys," Nahigian says. "But, that type of passion from our radio station is why we are as close to WIP as ever and are defeating their afternoon show," he said. "If someone was taking shots at our station, I would expect our guys to stand up for the station," says Nahigian. Mike Missanelli's afternoon drive show, on which Pieface works, has been beating Howard Eskin's WIP show in men 25-54 for the past three months.