pittsburgh pirates in an 8-1 win over the dodgers. today he got his first start at third base. the news continues. cnn prime time with michael smerconish starts now. thank you. he was once a politician but it wasn t until he pumped up the volume on talk tv that this provocateur defined today s era of politics. i m michael smerconish in new york. [ crowd chanting ] for nearly three decades, that was the chant heard over the course you have more than 4,000 episodes. controversial, unapologetically brash, rowdy words used in the headlines covering the news of jerry springer s passing. my favorite from the bbc. era era defining. he truly ushered in an era of television that no one in the world had ever seen before and i argue set the stage for today s political landscape. springer was 79. his family says he died peacefully today. at his home in suburban chicago after a brief illness. reports are that he had cancer. the son of holocaust refugees, he became a global sensati