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.

The Clones

The "Clones" are what Rome calls the listeners of the show. Their devotion to Rome along with their use of "smack" makes them different from normal people, but all the same as each other. Unfortunately, callers often only reiterate Rome's exact take on an issue. During the day, Rome saves the recordings of the best calls in the rack (with the term "Rack him" or "Rack her" after a call, as a signal to the audience that he enjoyed the caller's take). At the end of the show, The Huge Call of the Day (the best call in Jim's opinion) is replayed with much fanfare.

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Rome is notorious for hanging up on callers who perform poorly in the middle of their takes. If a call is cut off, it will be "run" with a loud buzzer and immediately ceased. Usually the caller will be subject to ridicule from Jim and the Clones. Callers are often run when they are unenthusiastic, incoherent, believed to be reading their takes, or after saying something incredibly offensive. It should be noted that Rome himself does not run the calls himself, but leaves the task to the show engineer, Alvin. Occasionally, Alvin will run a call when Jim doesn't think deserves it, or when Jim doesn't think was too offensive. Jim lets the run-off caller know that it was Alvin who did it.

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It is not uncommon for callers to be on hold for long periods of time, upwards of two hours, before they make it on-air. While the callers are expected to be patient and prepared when their turn comes up (sometimes unexpectedly), Jim has no patience if they are not. Due to a seven-second delay, the callers must listen to the show through their phone with their radio turned off. Otherwise, when Jim puts them on-air, they will miss their cue, and be subject to ridicule. Jim often comments on how if he can hear his voice through the phone (due to the delay), the caller is probably not paying attention. In addition, if a caller complains about how long he/she has been on hold, Jim normally hangs up on them, and ridicules them for wasting all that time.

Related Topics:
Seven-second delay - Phone

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Although the enforcement in recent times has been lenient, Rome has a rule against the caller stating his/her name after Jim has already mentioned it. Whenever Jim goes to a caller, he announces their name and where they are from. If a caller starts his/her call by repeating that very information (their name and where they are from), Jim will immediately run the call and ridicule the caller for telling him something he and the listeners "already knew."

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Rome also has an unofficial ban against callers singing (whether actual songs or poorly written parodies), with only a couple designated exceptions. Usually callers who attempt to sing have no business doing so. One exception to this rule (with disastrous results) came after Smack-Off 2005, when callers made poor attempts to complete Terrence in Sierra Madre's song, Hey, Mister J-Stew. Also, see the reference to Willie in KC below.

Related Topics:
Songs - Parodies - Smack-Off 2005

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Basically, Rome has one simple rule for clones calling in or emailing the show: "Have a take, don't suck." This rule is repeated at the beginning of every show.

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Infamous Callers

Jim appreciates good calls on his show, but oftentimes he will receive a call that is less than acceptable. The really terrible calls will live in their own infamy, and listeners will reference those calls for years to come. Some of these calls include:

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• Patty in Modesto - Apparently tried to call the show, but was too inebriated to have an intelligent conversation.
• Alex in Louisville - Called in to congratulate Rome on the great interview with NFL player Deion Branch not knowing that the interview had not yet taken place.
• Willie in K.C. - A regular caller who often broke into song parodies during his calls; was permanently banned from the show after one of his calls contained what was thought to be anti-Semitic references. Willie attempted to be reinstated to "The Jungle" by calling the show in 2004 to apologize for making the offensive remarks. Rome allowed the remainder of the day's callers and e-mailers to vote on the matter, and the decision was made to uphold the ban.
• Bill in Syracuse - While Jim was making a sarcastic remark about how he would LOVE to have his child enter the porn industry, Bill in Syracuse called to chastise the host, believing him to be serious.
• Fabian - Often referred to as "Flamian" because he promised to have an epic phone call - only to almost immediately "flame out" in spectacular fashion (specifically, he was unable to make it through his first on-air sentence without stumbling over his words and asking for a do-over).
• Jim in Fall River - During one of his calls, Jim in Fall River became extremely animated and agitated, to the point of actually shouting out his call. In the background, Rome heard what he thought was the sound of an animal, possibly a donkey braying. Despite Rome's effort to get Jim in Fall River's attention, the caller continued to shout his take and the animal sound persisted. Since then, Jim in Fall River has been associated with bestiality.
• "Smack Attack" in Wisconsin - Was on hold for over an hour and when his turn finally came up to speak with Rome he yelled into the phone, "AAAHHHHH... My Phone Bill!" then hung-up. The call was mostly remembered because Rome blames that incident for some of his hearing loss.
• Iggy in Springfield - Called into the program and greeted Jim before starting a prerecorded tape of what was intended to be his call (noticed because the sound of the tape player starting was audible in the call as well as a differential in sound quality and another greeting to Jim). In (dis)honor of Iggy, callers occasionally announce the local time before starting their call to prove that they have not prerecorded it.
• Pancho and Tyrone - During one call-in session, Rome took a call from a caller who claimed his name was Pancho, and that he was an African American. Jim doubted this, but let the caller go through. A few minutes later, another caller got through the call screener, saying, in a stereotypical Spanish accent, "Jim, eff he can be Pancho, why can't I be Tyrone?" This is often cited as an example of a caller fooling the phone screener.
• Will - After a monotonous laundry list of insipidly obvious observations, Rome ran this caller simply for his inability to come up with a single original thought. Subsequent callers who show little or no originality are frequently run, and subject to redicule and comparison to Will.
• Jockey Stewart Elliott - Rome interviewed Elliott by phone, following his unsuccessful bid to ride Smarty Jones to a win at the 2004 Belmont and thus the Triple Crown. The anticipated interview turned unforgetably dull when Rome fielded a question regarding the horse's attitude of being a champion. Jim expected it to be a segue for Elliott to elaborate, but instead, he simply answered "that's right" and dead air followed. Jokes by listeners since then suggest it would have been more interesting to have interviewed the horse.
• Jeff in Richmond - A frequent caller and winner of the 2002 Smack-Off, Jeff has been ridiculed by many other listerners for his deep southern accent, staunchly conservative political views, yelling into the phone, embracing NASCAR before it was mainstream, and has been characterized by some as a sterotypical redneck. Unbothered by his critics, Jeff continues to call the program, ending his calls with a loud "GOODNIGHT NOW!!!"
• Rachel in Houston - One of few regular female callers, Rachel is either reveled or despised by the Clones.

E-Mails

Rome reads as many e-mails as he can on the show; however, many e-mailers pretend to be famous athletes or public figures, responding with a comment that reflects one of that person's most embarrassing public moments. Such e-mail references often include:

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• Steve Francis - As the Orlando Magic were struggling, Francis called the team "the worst team since sliced bread" which induced a number of " since sliced bread" emails.
• Kenyon Martin - "My kidney! My kidney!" - Said by Martin as a joke during a New Jersey Nets game, when teammate Alonzo Mourning complained of fatigue. Mourning had returned to the NBA after kidney replacement surgery.
• Dexter Manley - any reference to reading; based on Manley's claim that he was able to graduate college while being functionally illiterate.
• Al Martin - any reference to playing in the Rose Bowl; Martin claimed he played college football and appeared in the Rose Bowl; he, however, never played college football during the time when his college appeared in the Rose Bowl; Martin also takes some grief for simultaneously having two wives in different parts of the country.
• Tim Johnson - any references to the Vietnam War - the former Toronto Blue Jays manager told his players stories about his experiences in the Vietnam War - despite having never fought in the war.
• Bill Parcells - any references to the Japanese, or disrespectful statements towards any ethnic or social group - based on the Dallas Cowboys coach's comments about some plays in the team's playbook being "Jap plays," i.e., sneak attack plays. Parcells' actual quote, made to members of the media during a mini-camp press conference on June 7, 2004, was: "Mike (Zimmer) wants the defense to do well, and Sean (Payton), he?s going to have a few...no disrespect for the Orientals, but what we call Jap plays. O.K. Surprise things. No disrespect to anyone." Jim will often follow this by saying "whenever you hear the phrase 'no disrespect,' someone is about to get disrespected."
• Margot Kidder - any references to being toothless and living behind a woodpile - Kidder at one time suffered from mental illness. On April 23, 1996, Kidder was found incoherently lying on a wood pile in the back yard of a Glendale, California home, with her dental plate missing. She was subsequently admitted into a mental hospital.
• Patrick Ewing - "We make a lot of money, but we spend a lot of money" - a famous comment by the former New York Knicks center during the 1998 NBA lockout, arguing that the players should not make any concessions regarding salary rollbacks.
• Billy Hunter -"On a scale of 1 to 10, it's about a 60 or a 65." -A comment Hunter made on the show during an interview regarding the separation between the owners and players of the NBA during the drafting of a new labor agreement between the two.
• Jim Mora - any references to public rants and angry coaches at press conferences. Mora, the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, became dubiously famous after two public outbursts while fielding questions during two post-game press conferences.
• The Chick from Rome's Christmas Party and Rome's Sister and her Cat are referred to often by e-mailers. The first is because of an encounter Jim had with a woman whose desire was to enter the adult entertainment industry. However, according to Jim, unsuccessful entertainers do not strive to be in porn, they "end up in porn." The second is because of an unfortunate accident (apparently true) that Jim's sister had with her pet cat. Rome makes an effort to keep the actual identities of the woman and his sister secret, which keeps the jokes alive.
• Steve Garvey - any references to womanizing. Garvey, the former MLB player, once said in an interview, which Rome and his listeners will never forget, that he enjoys "pumping chicks."
• Wade Boggs - any references to heavy alcohol consumption. In 1996, Boggs, the former MLB player, was involved in a lawsuit where he was charged with becoming enraged and verbally abusing a flight attendant, while already drunk, when she refused to serve him "another beer" during the plane's final descent. Boggs was eventually cleared.
• Darva Conger - any references to someone in the media spotlight wanting to be left alone. Conger made a name for herself by appearing in several reality shows, posing in Playboy, and doing everything it seemed that she could to not be out of the spotlight. Listeners always finish their e-mails from her by quoting her now-famous line "I just want my life back."
• Michael Jackson - generally referred to as "Wacko Jacko" by e-mailers and by Rome, pop singer Michael Jackson is the victim of constant ridicule on the show.
• Non-Hunter - Began by e-mailer "Dave in St Louis." It alludes to, and makes fun of, a report released by PETA that suggested men who are regular hunters have small genetalia.
• Al Gore - The former Vice President and 2000 Presidential candidate is often referenced by e-mailers stemming from his misunderstood and exaggerated claims to have invented the Internet. E-mailers mock Gore by attributing a long list of inventions to him.
• Jessica Simpson's father and Lindsay Lohan's father - The two popular movie and music stars' fathers are always remembered by e-mailers: Joe Simpson because of a comment about his daughter's large breasts, and Michael Lohan because of frequent alcohol problems and numerous arrests.
• Isolated Incidents and other favorites - Literally dozens of celebrities and sports figures have had isolated embarrassing episodes or have experienced odd circumstances. Most are forgotten within months, but Jim's e-mailers have a knack for refreshing everyone's memory. Such references include Jayson Williams, Najeh Davenport, Al Unser, Jr., Gene Siskel, Andruw Jones, Ted Williams, John Rocker, Bill Gramatica, Anna Kournikova, Siegfried & Roy, Milli Vanilli, Jared from Subway, The Runaway Bride, Matthew Lesko (infomercial guy with the question mark suit), the Pro Bowl, open-faced roast beef sandwiches, the Shocker, the French yelling "We surrender!", the 2002 MLB All Star Game, and the 2003 Florida Gators media guide that featured a crocodile on the cover.
• Travis Rodgers' List - Travis Rodgers, who produces the show and screens over 2000 e-mails each day, apparently has a preferrential list of topics which increase the chance that the e-mail will be forwarded to Jim and read on-air (which is still up to Jim). Topics include WWII, the word "unsavory," Bo Diaz, Yoko Ono, John Cook, Rick James, Mama Cass, Appalachia, Billy Martin, man-perms, adults who still live in their parents' basement, Billy and Benny McCrary (the fat twins from the Guinness Book of World Records), his neighbor with the hot tub in his front yard, asking Jim about cell phones or PDAs, and obscure inanimate objects, to name a few.

Smack-Off

Every spring, Rome holds a "Smack-Off," where the greatest callers from the previous year (often winners of the Huge Call of the Day) are brought back for a full day of smack talk, and the winner of the Smack-Off is crowned for an entire year.

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History

1995 -- The winner of the inaugural Smack-Off is J.T. the Brick, who parlayed his Smack-Off victory into his own sports talk radio show. Rome invites J.T. (and all other Smack-Off winners) to call during each year's event, but has otherwise cut off all contact with him and resents J.T.'s success. Partly to blame was the fact that J.T. was originally on a competing station in Los Angeles. Currently, they work for the same company (Premiere Radio Networks, owner and licensee of Fox Sports Radio) and are on in different dayparts on the same stations in many media markets, but the animosity continues. J.T. was quoted in Alan Eisenstock's book entitled Sports Talk as saying, "Jim Rome has done everything for me, but Jim Rome has done nothing for me." J.T., in recent years, has not returned the invitation to call the Smack-Off. Jason Stewart (aka J-Stew, now the call screener of Jim's show), then known as "Jason from Fullerton," also got on, with an especially bad take before getting run.

Related Topics:
1995 - J.T. the Brick - Talk radio - Premiere Radio Networks - Fox Sports Radio - Daypart - Media market

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1996 -- Jeffrey E. DiTolla ("Esquire") is the winner of the second Smack-Off.

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1997 -- Doc Mike DiTolla wins his first Smack-Off, marking back-to-back victories for the Brothers DiTolla.

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1998 -- In one of the more classic Smack-Offs, Steve Carbone wins with his famous "I am not a clone!" call. Many of Steve's detractors like to claim that the fix was in on this Smack-Off, because at the time Carbone was the call screener (known as "Phoneslap") for The Jim Rome Show (having previously been the successful caller "Stevie from LMU"). Carbone went on to host his own sports-talk radio show, before being dismissed for making some very inappropriate comments on a website. This was also the first Smack-Off to feature a professional athlete in the field, quarterback Jim Harbaugh - who unfortunately provided one of the most boring Smack-Off calls ever.

Related Topics:
1998 - LMU - Website - Jim Harbaugh

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1999 -- Sean the Cablinasian in Houston wins his first Smack-Off.

Related Topics:
1999 - Houston

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2000 -- Doc Mike DiTolla becomes the first caller to win two Smack-Offs.

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2001 -- One of the original callers to the Jungle, Silk in Huntington Beach (who is portayed by Jim and many callers to be a bum who lives in a cardboard box on the beach), wins the Smack-Off after being the unfair target of criticism from many callers throughout the year.

Related Topics:
2001 - Huntington Beach

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2002 -- One of the most polarizing callers, Jeff in Richmond, wins the Smack-Off, to the outrage of many "Clones" and the joy of few.

Related Topics:
2002 - Richmond

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2003 -- Sean the Cablinasian (now in Denver) becomes the second caller to win two Smack-Offs.

Related Topics:
2003 - Denver

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2004 -- "Iafrate" Ken Chasen in Los Angeles, who had finished second in four previous Smack-Offs, wins his first, his call capped off by a song, "Whitey's Dad" (a parody of the song "Michael's Dad" by John Niems), in which Iafrate sings about Brian Albers (nicknamed "Whitey") who was Rome's show engineer and board operator.

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2005 -- Sean the Cablinasian becomes the first 3-time winner at Smack-Off 2005. Defending champion "Iafrate" Ken Chasen finishes second for the fifth time. Terrence from Sierra Madre, considered to be the best caller to have never won the Smack-Off, places third.

Related Topics:
2005 - Smack-Off 2005

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