Smack-Off
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The Smack-Off is an annual competition on The Jim Rome Show, held in mid-to-late spring and which takes up the entire program on a Friday. The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Show host Jim Rome has referred to the Smack-Off as the most important show of the entire year.
The Smack-Off began in 1995 while The Jim Rome Show was still on local radio, but has continued into syndication. To date, twelve Smack-Offs have been held, the last on May 5, 2006, won by (now) four-time champion Sean "the Cablinasian" (a.k.a. Sean from Houston).
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[edit] Background
According to Rome, the idea for the Smack-Off came after an extended period of mediocre to outright horrible calls to the show. Rome and show producer Travis Rodgers got together to talk about the lack of good callers, and Rome voiced the opinion that he would like to be able to pick and choose who could call the show. Rodgers felt that this would not be feasible on a daily basis but could work for one day, which Rome agreed would work.
[edit] How the Smack-Off works
Invitations to the Smack-Off are attained in two fashions. The first is for recognition for a caller's body of work on the show: multiple "awards" of the Huge Call of the Day (a show-ending playback of what Rome has selected as the best call of the show), a history of consistently good calls, or as a reward for an especially exceptional call. The second is in the form of a "lifetime exemption." Previous winners are automatically invited every year, regardless of how often (or even if) they call the show. J.T. the Brick, for instance, has not called for many years but still is invited to participate. Sean "the Cablinasian," once a regular caller, flaunts the fact that he now only calls the show to participate in the Smack-Off.
Rome admits that the invitation process for non-winners is totally subjective, and that he can offer invitations for any reason, or no reason at all. Rome also will threaten to deny invitations to previous invitees who have not called the show for an extended period of time, and some callers are considered to be "on the bubble" in the weeks before the Smack-Off. These callers must prove that they deserve invitations or they will not be invited. During the time between the official announcement of the date of the Smack-Off and the event itself, Rome will begin announcing callers who have secured invitations and those callers who are "on the bubble." The show's website often has polls asking for listener opinions on who should or should not have been invited; however, polling results do not directly affect the field.
For the Smack-Off, Rome almost completely breaks show format. No interviews are scheduled, and Rome offers no takes of his own. On the day of the event, Rome explains the history of the Smack-Off, repeats the list of invitees, and warns those invited that invitation does not guarantee participation, then begins taking calls. It is not known whether or not Rome picks and chooses which calls to take or if he takes calls in the order they come in, but callers on hold when Rome announces the top 10 callers do not get to participate. Usually, the first hour's callers begin at about 15 to 20 minutes into the show. The second hour is dedicated to calls, and the third hour's calls stop at about the bottom of the hour, allowing Rome to name the top 10, replay the winning call, and hold a short interview with the winner. During the contest, Rome will read e-mails from listeners commenting on the calls, and offer brief comments of his own.
Callers are expected to follow the general guidelines for calls to the show, and are as susceptible to being run (cut off) as if a normal show was airing (see The Jim Rome Show for details). Rome also stipulates that while there is no set time limit for calls, he expects callers to finish their takes within roughly 5 minutes. Rome noted this during Smack-Off 2006, when caller Orrin in Denver was run in the middle of his call, which Rome predicted would've taken 9 to 10 minutes to finish.
Over the history of the Smack-Off, first-time invitees have generally not fared well, but exceptions occur, such as Joe in the O.C. and Casey in Vegas, who have become consistent invitees. Several callers from the "So-Cal" area of California are also long-time invitees, including Silk in Huntington Beach, Terrence in Sierra Madre, Trapper in Dana Point, and Irie Craig.
[edit] History
Rome and the Clones generally separate Smack-Off history into three distinct eras: the "pre-syndication era" (1995 and 1996), the "old school years" (1997-2001), and the "New Generation era" (2002-2006).
[edit] The Pre-Syndication Era (1995-96)
This era is known primarily for three things: the Di Tolla brothers, J.T. the Brick's win and later estrangement from Rome and the show, and Jason in Fullerton.
J.T. the Brick won the first Smack-Off and was offered a radio position from a competing radio network. Although Rome continues to invite J.T. each year, he otherwise ignores the Brick, since he resents the younger host's defecting to a competing network (though both currently work for Premiere Radio Networks; J.T. for the Fox Sports Radio division).
Doc Mike and Jeffrey "Esquire" Di Tolla were both noteworthy competitors during this period, with Jeffrey winning Smack-Off 1996.
Caller Jason from Fullerton was one of the first Smack-Off callers to be run. Rome later called his performance "truly horrible" and said that it "might be the worst call ever in the history of the Smack-Off." However, in an ironic twist of fate, Jason Stewart would later became the call screener for The Jim Rome Show, known as "J-Stew" and "Mr. Automatic."
[edit] The Old School Years (1997-2001)
This era was dominated by those callers referred to by Rome as the "SoCal legends." Doc Mike Di Tolla won in 1997 and 2000, while Steve Carbone took the title in 1998. Sean the Cablinasian became the first caller outside of Southern California to win the Smack-Off in 1999, and Silk in Huntington Beach, also known as "Silk Brah," won in 2001.
This also was an era marked by controversial decisions. Carbone (previously known as Stevie from LMU) was "Phoneslap," the phone screener for The Jim Rome Show at the time. Carbone's call, while considered strong by Rome and noted for his announcement that "I am not a [expletive] clone!" generated conspiracy theories, since he was both the last caller of the day and the phone-screener. In 2000, caller Dan in D.C. made a potentially winning call but was denied the victory because his station, WTEM, did not carry all three hours live. Rome essentially admitted this when he said, "Dan, bang your monkey. It cost you the title." Doc Mike Di Tolla became the first two-time winner because of this.
Jim Harbaugh, who at the time was playing for the Indianapolis Colts, also called in 1998, becoming the first celebrity to participate. His call was regarded as weak, but Rome was not about to run off an NFL player, so the Clones had to sit through it.
[edit] The New Generation Era (2002-current)
The syndication of the show allowed for a wider range of callers, which brought many new callers to the Smack-Off and essentially ended the "SoCal legends"' domination.
Jeff in Richmond, one of the most controversial callers in the Jungle, won in 2002 with a typically loud, self-promoting and defiant call.
2003 featured more new callers and the second two-time winner, Sean the Cablinasian. It also marked the fourth consecutive second-place finish for Iafrate. This Smack-Off featured a surprise third-place finish by Joe in the OC.
Smack-Off X, in 2004, featured Iafrate's breakthrough victory, featuring a parody song, "Whitey's Dad" (for the show's engineer, Brian "Whitey" Albers). Terrence in Sierra Madre again did not win, earning him the title of "best caller never to win the Smack-Off."
Smack-Off 2005 was considered by Rome to be the best Smack-Off to date. It featured the highest placement of a woman in the Smack-Off (Rachael in Houston), Iafrate's fifth second-place finish, another third-place finish for Terrence in Sierra Madre, and the first three-time winner, Sean the Cablinasian.
Smack-Off 2006 featured Sean the Cablinasian becoming a four-time champion, and the first-ever back-to-back Smack-Off winner.
Rome has suggested that Donald Trump may be invited to participate in 2007, on the basis of Trump's abuse of Rosie O'Donnell.
[edit] All-time winners
| No. | Date | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | April 14, 1995 | J.T. the Brick | |
| II | April 5, 1996 | Jeffrey E. "Esquire" Di Tolla | |
| III | March 28, 1997 | "Doc" Mike Di Tolla | |
| IV | April 10, 1998 | Stevie "Phoneslap" Carbone from LMU | |
| V | April 2, 1999 | Sean "the Cablinasian" in Houston | |
| VI | April 28, 2000 | "Doc" Mike Di Tolla | |
| VII | May 4, 2001 | Silk in Huntington Beach | |
| VIII | April 19, 2002 | Jeff in Richmond | |
| IX | June 21, 2003 | Sean "the Cablinasian" in Houston | |
| X | April 16, 2004 | "Iafrate" Ken Chasen in Los Angeles | |
| XI | May 6, 2005 | Sean "the Cablinasian" in Houston | |
| XII | May 5, 2006 | Sean "the Cablinasian" in Chicago | |
