The Jim Rome Show

The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show based in Los Angeles, and hosted by Jim Rome. It airs three hours live each weekday from 9am to 12pm Pacific time. It has been syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, the programming arm of Clear Channel Communications, since 1996, and can be heard on more than 180 radio stations in the United States and Canada.

Soundbites

Often, when celebrities (and sometimes regular people) say or do something embarrassing in front of a microphone, the clip will end up in Rome's archive and subject to ridicule on the air. A clip is usually only played when a take, either from Jim or a caller, makes reference to it. Such clips include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Ron Jeremy - Rome will occasionally play an audio clip where Jeremy can be heard saying "Hi, this is Ron Jeremy, coach of the Miami Heat, and you're watching Jim Rome is Burning." Rome has enjoyed this promo so much that he said on his show that Jeremy (who he used to dislike) would be exempt from his usual porn insults.
• Three Day Weekend - On May 6, 2005, Terrence from Sierra Madre called into the Smack-Off with a hilarious "Hey Mr. J-Stew" song which unfortunately was unfinished. Jim asked other people to call in and finish the song Terrence had written. This led to disastrous results. This continued until a band named Three Day Weekend out of Houston sent in a tape of a song about J-Stew named "Mr. Automatic." The song quickly became a hit among clones and is occasionally played as the Huge Call of the Day.
• John Daly - The champion golfer recorded a country music CD, for which Jim often plays the opening lines of the track "You Don't Know Me (Like I Know Me)", as an example of why athletes should never record an album.
• Golfer Steve Elkington - One of Jim's favorite callers drops in often and shares plenty of stories from his experiences on the PGA Tour. Be it about fellow golfer Colin Montgomery's "sweaty undies," about him and his friends getting "loaded up on froth and bubbles," or simply stating he "likes to drink and fight."
• Carl Lewis - In 1993, Lewis attempted to sing The Star-Spangled Banner before a New Jersey Nets game. Lewis sang the entire song off-key and at a range too high for his voice. Halfway though, he stops and says "Uh oh" and "I'll make up for it now." It is often regarded in the sports world as one of the worst pregame renditions of the American national anthem in history. Rome often replays the latter half of the clip, complete with his own commentary throughout, including his famous buzzer near the end. As a bonus, whenever the subject is forgettable renditions of The Star-Spangled Banner, Rome and e-mailers also reset takes on such incidents as Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith) at the 2001 Indianapolis 500 and Roseanne Barr at a 1990 San Diego Padres game.
• Ozzy Osbourne - In 2004, Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne were invited by the Chicago Cubs to take part in the ceremonial 7th-inning singing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field. Ozzy can be heard slurring his speech, forgetting the words, mumbling what he thought were the lyrics, and then cheering at the end of the song. Mike Ditka had another terrible rendition of the song, as did former Bears player Steve McMichael, who was subsequently ejected from the stadium.
• Jeff Gordon - On May 24, 2005, driver Jeff Gordon attempted to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at a Cubs game. Things started off poorly when Gordon told the crowd it was great to be at "Wrigley Stadium," (rather than Wrigley Field) then started to sing - amidst a chorus of boos and jeers from the Cub faithful. The "Wrigley Stadium" goof hints that Gordon may have been infected with the Curse of the Cubs because his racing performance plummeted after the debacle. Sitting third in points the weekend before, Gordon quickly fell out of the top ten and missed the 2005 NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup.
• Tonya Harding - Rome often plays a 9-1-1 call made on February 22, 2000 by Harding, in which the former figure skater claims to have suffered physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Darren Silver, when in fact Silver was the recipient of a hubcap on the side of his head from Harding. In the background, Silver can be heard shouting, "You're a liar! You're a liar! You are a felon, and I have nothing to hide. So come on over, officers!" After playing the clip, Jim often notes that the 9-1-1 operator is curious about Harding's boyfriend's middle name. On occassion, Jim will also reset another figure skating-related incident by playing a clip of Nancy Kerrigan screaming "whyyyyyyyy???" and crying after she was assulted on January 6, 1994. Jim usually mocks Kerrigan's creepy-sounding scream, and attributes the whole incident to a bumbling crew led by none other than Tonya Harding herself.
• Howard Dean - Rome often replays Dean's imfamous January 19, 2004 rally speech following the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses. Dean, in an emotional (but embarrasing) concession speech, screams "and then we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House! AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Rome will usually mock Dean after playing the clip.
• Pete Gillen - the former Virginia men's basketball coach, when asked about the Duke basketball team, responded in his thick New England accent, "Certainly Duke is Duke, they're on TV more than Leave It to Beaver reruns."
• Reggie White - Until the Green Bay Packers defensive lineman died in 2004, Rome had a clip from White's 1998 speech to the Wisconsin State Legislature, in which White uttered some racially insensitive statements, including, "The Asian is very gifted in creation, creativity and inventions. If you go to Japan or any Asian country, they can turn a television into a watch."
• O. J. Simpson - Rome has plenty of interview tapes and 9-1-1 calls from the former Buffalo Bills running back. One 9-1-1 call involves Simpson's attempts to get his then-girlfriend to go into rehab, because "she spent all last night doing drugs with Pedro Guerrero." Rome, a southern California native, has made "Orenthal" J. Simpson fodder a staple on his show.
• Ashlee Simpson - When the singer warbled her then-hit song "La La" at the 2005 Orange Bowl halftime show, Rome kept a copy of Simpson's last few notes - "You make me wanna, ah, ah, ah, screeeeeeeeam!" - including the boos and jeers clearly audible throughout the stadium after Simpson's song was over.
• Evel Knievel - During a May 2002 interview with the motorcycle daredevil, Knievel recounted the story of his ill-fated 1974 attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Knievel, in his trademark tough guy style, went on to publicly lambast NASA engineer Robert Truax, who had designed the failed "Skycycle" rocket, calling him "an egotistical little know-it-all bastard." Rome asked Knievel if there was only a 50/50 chance of surviving the jump, why he would attempt to do it. Knievel answered, without hesitation, "Do you know who the hell I am?" Rome has marked this occasion as the only time he has ever been speechless in his life. During another interview in 2003, Knievel shared with Jim that he owned a diamond encrusted cane that doubles as a flask for Wild Turkey.
• Isiah Thomas - During a radio interview, Rome and NBA player Chucky Brown had a discussion about the differences in per diem between the NBA and the minor league CBA, where NBA players can afford to eat at Red Lobster. Later, when Rome interviewed Thomas on Rome's show The Last Word, Thomas, who from 1999 to 2001 owned the CBA, started the interview with, "I just got back from Red Lobster."
• Tiger Woods - In 2004, Rome debuted a Tiger Woods interview clip (known typically as "Robot Tiger") in which Woods is heard to utter the phrase "The golf course looks good, my golf swing feels good, I like my chances." Actually, Rome's interview clip was edited from several Woods interviews, and Rome uses that clip as a "created" example of Woods' aloofness to the media, where the golfer might use that "phrase" for any question ever asked of him. In Woods' defense, Rome also plays from time to time the infamous Fuzzy Zoeller interview, in which, when the veteran golfer is asked about Woods' first Masters victory, responds that he hopes Woods won't serve fried chicken or collard greens at the Masters banquet. In 2005, a new Tiger clip came into circulation where after winning the British Open he made a comment about an alter ego named Ranger Rick in an attempt to be funny; which people didn't get or found unfunny.
• Peyton Manning - When the Indianapolis Colts were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs after the 2002 season, Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt gave an interview on Canadian TV in which he said that he tried to motivate a dejected Manning during the contest. After hearing about Vanderjagt's interview, Manning, who usually is calm and chooses his words carefully during interviews, let out a scathing interview during the live telecast of the Pro Bowl, calling Vanderjagt an "idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off." Rome often comments about how many times Manning says "idiot" in the interview.
• Woman with the crazy kids and the 9-1-1 operator - In 2005, a woman whose children are out of control calls 9-1-1. After the woman explains the situation, the operator responds, "Do you want us to come over there and shoot her?" That was a joke..." While not celebrities, the woman and the operator made news, and Rome sometimes plays the clip just to ridicule both of them. Rome also notes that had the woman displayed the same attitude towards her kids that she did with the 9-1-1 operator, then there would have been no need to make the call in the first place.
• Allen Iverson - In an interview after the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round in the 2001-02 season and it was revealed that Iverson was known to miss mandatory training sessions, he responded with one of the most infamous examples of the disconnection between athletes and reality. "I mean listen, we talkin' 'bout practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin' 'bout practice. Not a game, not a, not a, not the game that I go out there and die for, and play every game like it's my last. Not the game. We talkin' 'bout practice, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout practice. I know I'm supposed to be there, I know I'm supposed to lead by example. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know it's important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' 'bout practice, man. What are we talkin' 'bout? Practice?"
• Guy from "The Roger Penske Organization" - Before Jim embraced NASCAR, he would regularly make fun of its drivers, referring to them by his trademark name-calling (Jim has since apologized, admitted fault, and has 'come correct' with NASCAR, its drivers, and its fans). An angry elderly NASCAR fan once made a very disorganized call to Jim's voicemail in the late 1990s, claiming to be an employee of "The Roger Penske Organization" (the company is actually called Penske Racing). The man threatened to sue and lead a NASCAR boycott against Jim's show if Rome did not refrain from his name-calling. Instead, the man's plan backfired as Jim played the message on the air. The man left no contact information and was never heard from again.
• John In C-Town - Jim refers to this as "maybe the funniest thing I have heard on this show." A caller from Cleveland known as John in C-Town often pushed for a Tour Stop in Cleveland. He often talked about Cleveland's "monkey" (program director of the local affiliate), and how he was "banging the monkey" (pushing the affiliate to get something from Jim). He often received criticism from the Clones because all he talked about was the "monkey." Finally, Jim received a tape, which contained clips of John saying "monkey/lunch with the monkey/I have brought the Tour Stop to C-Town" repeatedly.
• Jim Mora - then-head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. On November 25, 2001, after a devastating loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Mora engaged in a long rant berating his team for its poor performance, which included five turnovers. Rome often plays the entire clip, which is about thirty seconds long, and includes such quotes as: "That was a disgraceful performance. We threw that game away. We gave them the game. It was pitiful, absolutely pitiful" and "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game."
• Mike Tyson - A few vicious remarks by the boxer include "I wanna eat his children" (speaking of Lennox Lewis, who had no children), "You're a scared coward," and "Look at you scared now...Scared of the real man."
• Jason Stewart - Show contributor for Rome, also known as J-Stew, had a small part in the USA Network TV movie Murder at the Presidio. Rome makes his line "Heh heh, you always say that" popular.
• Mel Gibson - Gibson's line "Gimme back my son!!!" from the 1996 movie Ransom is played ad nauseam when Rome sees fit.
• Author John Feinstein - During a telephone interview, Feinstein's toddler-age daughter Bridget is heard in the background playing a set of drums so loud that John, on live radio, breaks mid-sentence, and turns around to angrily yell "Bridget! Bridget!" in an effort to quiet her down. John attempts to continue his train of thought, but forever will be teased for that incident.
• Joe Namath - During a 2003 NFL game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots, Namath conducted an interview on live television with ESPN's sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, in which he was noticeably drunk. Asked by Kolber about the team's struggles, Namath leaned towards her and said, in a slurred speech, and with a goofy smile, "I want to kiss you."
• Danica Patrick - During a 2005 IRL event at Infineon Raceway, after the popular race car driver was taken out of the race in an accident, she told her crew on the two-way radio (which was picked up on the live TV broadcast) that the other driver (Ryan Briscoe) was a "stupid idiot." While Rome has commented on how redundant the phrase "stupid idiot" is (and of course, playing Patrick's soundbite repeatedly, with the added effect of "vrrroooom" noises in the background), he repeats the phrase himself. He does, however, admire Patrick for her moxie and calling it "as she sees it."
• Ryan Leaf - In his rookie season, former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf refused to talk with the media after some rough outings early on. He screamed at one reporter "Don't talk to me, all right? Knock it off!" and it was captured on film and shown countless times on TV. This soundbite comes up on occasion when "Ryan" e-mails Jim.
• Mark Madsen - During a rally celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers 2000 NBA Championship, Madsen took to the microphone, and started yelling to the crowd "Thank you for the greatest fans in the world!!! Who let the dogs out...whoot...whoot...whoot...and to those who speak Spanish..." which at that point he was yelling so loud, it not audible. Jim mocks it afterwards, bellowing to the top of his lungs.
• Rafael Palmeiro - On March 17, 2005, Palmeiro testified before a Congressional hearing regarding steroid use among MLB players. He emphatically denied using steroids, saying "I have never used steroids, period." However, on August 1, 2005, he received a 10-day suspension after testing positive for steroids. If Palmeiro makes sports headlines, Jim never misses a chance to play his sound bite from the hearing, ruthlessly criticizing him as a hypocrite.
• Sound Drops - After the Huge Call of the Day, typically a quick sound drop is played to mark the conclusion of the show. "That's whack" was ex-Lakers head coach Del Harris attempting to say a line from Shaq's rap album. "Ohhh, unbeebable" was a quote by golfer Jumbo Ozaki, when asked about Tiger Woods. "I think what I'm supposed to say is thank you, I'm out" was taken from a call by an elderly lady who surpassed all expectations, delivering an impressive smack-filled call.