The Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein has a nice piece on Dan Patrick and his new gig with Chicago radio impresario Jimmy de Castro:

His new company, Content Factory, plans to distribute Patrick across nine platforms: AM/FM radio, satellite and HD radio, online, television, mobile, publishing, out-of-home video (i.e. screens at gas station pumps), retail and event marketing.

It looks like we’ll still have access to whatever Dan’s doing pretty easily.

After edging out Patrick on the golf course, de Castro sent him a John Daly golf shirt. Why?

“It has 12 logos on it,” de Castro said. “We told Dan: ‘That’s what ESPN is to you. You don’t want to wear 12 logos. You want to wear Dan Patrick, and when we sell Budweiser here, you own it.’ ”

In other words, don’t simply serve as a vehicle for ESPN to sell ads.

“He had been a paid employee,” de Castro said. “Now he owns a percentage of the radio show.”

The Dan Patrick Broadcasting Empire, Inc?

De Castro says he’s looking at a lanch date of September 9 and that recurring guests will include Rick Reilly, Reggie Miller, and… yes. Keith Olbermann.

ETA: AOL Sports: “…an ESPN spokesman tells me that the speculation is wrong, and that Patrick will be back for a ‘farewell week.’” But not until then? My afternoons will be awfully bleak between now and September.