Saying goodbye to ESPN's 'Around the Horn'
The Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi writes about his memories of ESPN's 'Around the Horn' and finding out firsthand why Tony Reali is the nicest man in sports media.
Good morning and welcome to The Morning Column at The Sporting Tribune. It’s the first part of our ampm series, where you can read The Morning Column, Arash Markazi’s daily column, in the a.m., and then watch and listen to The Sporting Tribune Today in the p.m. on X. The show, which is hosted by Arash Markazi and Grant Mona, will hit on the top stories of the day and will also air on KIRN 670 AM in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and The Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii.
LOS ANGELES – Six thoughts for Monday:
1. I was never on “Around the Horn” but knew many of the panelists who were on the show and the one thing they all said was how nice Tony Reali was. Not in the low bar we sometimes have for people in the public eye where not being an asshole makes you nice in comparison but I’d hear stories of him being there for people dealing with things. I always thought about that while watching the show and then a few years ago while I going through a tough time Tony reached out to me.
"I hope you’re hanging in there, and with those who matter most to you. Something I think about often: you have no control over what others may think or do - you only have control over how you respond. So, I say to myself go where there’s kindness. It’s a “self-full” aim. I say self-full because we all can spend too much time beating ourselves up or chasing a fictional, hurtful version of ourselves other people have created; that is wasted energy. Go where the kindness is and be self-full."
It was a beautiful message from someone I had never met before and had a huge impact on me. It made me realize how much kindness and a simple message of support can mean to someone going through a difficult time. I never thought I would get such a profound life lesson from a sports talk show host famous for hot takes and a mute button but Tony isn’t your average host. He's one of the good ones and as he transitions from ESPN, I look forward to him going where the kindness is and being self-full.
2. The end of “Around the Horn” also got me thinking about Max Kellerman, the first host of the show. He was part of ESPN’s layoffs two years ago and hasn’t done anything in the public eye since – no social media posts, no interviews, no stories, nothing. I can’t think of the last time someone who was on TV and/or radio every day for as long as he was just disappearing like that. There have been multiple reports over the past two years saying he will be back soon but nothing yet.
I always liked working with Max when we were together at ESPN. He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and rubbed some the wrong way but he didn’t deserve to be kicked on the way out the door by Stephen A. Smith the way he was. I talked about it with Jim Lampley, who told me. “I have genuinely lost sleep about what happened to Max and I can honestly say I don’t understand any of it. I never lost sleep over what happened to me but I have lost sleep about what has happened to Max. It’s not right.”
3. The WWE is smartly piggybacking off the MLB All-Star Game being in Atlanta this year. The WWE announced they will hold Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12 and WWE Evolution on July 13 from State Farm Arena (as well as the Great American Bash) before the MLB Home Run Derby on July 14 and the MLB All-Star Game on July 15 at Truist Park. Atlanta will be the hottest city in the country during the slowest time on the sports calendar this year.
4. After the Oklahoma City Thunder got blown out by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 143-101, I heard a stat that surprised me. No NBA team has ever lost a playoff game by 40 or more points and gone on to win the title. First, that record will be broken next month. Second, I’ll never forget being at Staples Center for a watch party for Game 5 of the 2000 NBA Finals and watching the Pacers blow out the Lakers, 120-87. It was a bad loss but it was just one game and the Lakers won the title in Game 6.
5. When Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers, his weight and physical conditioning were cited as two big reasons. It seemed absurd considering Doncic was 25 years old, a five-time All-NBA First Team player, and coming off his first NBA Finals appearance. Lakers coach JJ Redick even mentioned the need for the Lakers to get in “championship shape” after losing in the first round. It seems Luka didn’t waste any time as he looked like a new man last weekend while at a Real Madrid game. The NBA has yet to see this Luka.
6. The Sparks are battling injuries and are 2-3 this season but they are attracting some of the biggest names in sports to their games. Kevin Durant has been courtside for the last two home games and Aaron Donald was courtside for Sunday’s win over the Chicago Sky. It’s a perfect time reiterate that the Sparks are the best bargain in sports in Los Angeles and maybe the country. For Tuesday’s game against Atlanta, for example, you can sit in the lower bowl at Crypto for $10 or be in a suite for $15.