Around the Horn

A pathetic attempt to be "in your face" and repeat the success of the far superior Pardon the Interruption, also on ESPN. Max Kellerman, quite possibly the single most annoying host of any show this side of Ryan Seacrest, does his level best to show that the special education programs in this country have him as a success model.

The basic premise of the show, is to have Kellerman score the comments of various newspaper writers from around the country. The more outrageous and annoying, the higher Max scores them. One thing you will learn from watching this show is the reason none of these guys went into television. Some of the ugliest, most poorly spoken humans to ever live on the planet are presented here. It is amazing how these college educated, men (mostly) can be completely devoid of any speaking skills.

It was being on shows like this, that pretty much cost the once great Boston Globe reporter, Bob Ryan any credibility. He got so used to trying to be as obnoxious and stupid as possible, that he made degrading and idiotic comments about a basketball players wife. Mr. Ryan forgot to restart his brain after working on this show.

Around the Horn got some of the worst reviews ever when it first premiered, all of them deserved. ESPN ignored the pleas to remove this abomination, apparently because the ratings were pretty good. What I figure is the show is on late enough in the afternoon that the mouth breathing troglodytes with Neilson boxes are too drunk to bother changing the channel.

Avoid this crap. Dont reward the dumbing down of America by watching this show.

I just saw where ESPN's other "entertainment show" had several people commenting on it and I didn't want this one to feel slighted in the least. When ESPN announced they were debuting some new shows in 2002, I like many hard-core ESPN and sports fanatics, were skeptical to say the least. My skepticism turned to apathy when I heard Max Kellerman would be the host. From what I knew of Max, he would turn up every time a major bout took place in the world of boxing (and he is a regular on Friday Night Fights on ESPN), and I found him extremely annoying. Some may still after viewing the show, but I have done a 180 turn on Max. He is wonderful in his position as the host as he keeps it moving and manages to be funny and fresh as well. What really makes the show, however, is the panelists, who are journalist for major newspapers around the country. It is enlightening to get views on sports from different coasts and time zones from the men who cover it daily. After experimenting with several different panelists, they seem to have found 4 regulars and they are Woody Paige(Denver Post), Jay Mariotti(Chicago Sun-Times),Bill Plascke(Los Angeles Times),and Bob Ryan(Boston Globe). Michael Holley(Boston Globe),Kevin Blackistone(Dallas Morning News),J.A. Adande(Los Angeles Times),and Michael Smith(Boston Globe) also appear at times. Each one has their own characteristics and traits that make them unique. Woody's humor and mispronouncing of words make me smile after a long day, and Jay Mariotti is almost always right on the money in my opinion. These guys argue or debate topics in the sports and entertainment worlds and garner points for good answers,and are muted for bad ones. Guys are elimintated until a one-on-one showdown determines a winner, who in turn gets 15 seconds of face time to say whatever he likes. But after watching one time, you'll see the points system isn't important. Well, I've said enough I guess but I really wonder why ESPN didn't think of this show sooner. I know for a fact it is a hit among college males and people of the 18-49 demographic. Several people I talk to are regular viewers and can't miss a day. The only thing that sucks is that ESPN continues to air these golf tournaments that 90% of the people could care less about and that causes this show to be preempted at times. All in all folks if you are a fan of sports or missed the previous days stories regarding not only sports,but music,tv,and movies as well,then this is the show for you. And remember, "it's out of bounds where it's all in-bounds".

Woody Paige: Why do always have to be the one to straighten you guys out?

This could be considered a conspiracy theory, but ever since Woody Paige left the Denver Post for New York and became a regular on Cold Pizza he wins almost ALL the time, and when he doesn't win he's usually in the showdown. I like Woody Paige, but his is not the only opinion around and Tony Reali doesn't understand that. The other panelist's have compelling arguments too, and I enjoy then all. Tim Cowlishaw, Michael Smith, Kevin Blackistone, A.J. Adande are all good too....did I mention Jay Mariotti? The show gets on my nerves anymore with Woody getting special treatment (by that I mean bonus points to keep him in the game). It's almost enough to keep me from watching. Anyone that watches this show keep this in mind and see if I'm wrong.

This show is probably the best sports show on television. When you get tired of the repetitive Linda Cohn or John Andersen commentary on SportsCenter, or you don't like all of the shouting involved with "Pardon the Interruption," you may want to give this show a shot.

Woody Paige is very funny and has some great banter with Jay Mariotti, Michael Smith, Tim Cowlishaw, and the like. The guys who return day after day are some of the best debaters on television and are very amusing. Even the ones, like Bob Ryan or J.A. Adande, who pop up every once in a while are amusing. The obscure ones like Adam Schefter or Mark Kiszla are not that entertaining, but thankfully, they rarely come up.

Max Keller was borderline annoying, but he is no longer on the show. Although I miss the "Disembodied Voice," the Tony Reali era is more entertaining than the previous one. All in all, this is a very entertaining show. It can hold my attention better than "PTI" because of the scoring, and it is less repetitive than the same old commentary on SportsCenter's top plays. This show is so fast-paced and interesting that, once you become a fan, you find it irresistibly funny and hard to turn away.

Around the Horn is hilarious. The host does a great job humiliating everyone with the "mute" and a point deduction. It's a comical but informative show. You don't get as much information as if you watched Sportscenter, but it still does a good job and makes me laugh.

I like it better than Pardon the Interruption because it doesn't sound nearly as scripted as PTI does. At least sometimes the "experts" agree on topics on Around the Horn. PTI is just 2 guys showing both sides of all the biggest stories.

Good show to tune in to and get the sports news and some laughs after a day of work.