How does it feel?

I'm going to try and explain my reasoning on the ESPN Radio Host Power Rankings.  I've already explained what all the different categories mean, and hopefully this will help the scoring make sense.  I figured I'd start with the winning show, "The Herd" hosted by Colin Cowherd.

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Interestingness: 9

Reasonability: 8

Engagingness: 10

Hangability: 3

Humor: 4

Total: 34

When I first started listening to the Herd, I hated it, but I couldn't turn it off.  That pretty much sums up the reason for his high ranking.  It's not that I always agree with everything he's saying; but his show, more than any other, leaves me sitting in the driveway waiting for a commercial break.  Successful radio involves the listener, and that's what the Herd does.  You either love it or hate it, but you don't turn it off.

Interestingness: 9
Colin always finds something a little bit different than everybody else to talk about.  That's why he's interesting.  Case in point, a week before the Lebronapalooza, everybody was speculating where he would go, and quoting their anonymous sources etc, etc.  Colin took one sliver of that pie, and made an interesting social commentary.  He suggested that there are different kinds of "smart" (computer smart, business smart, sports smart), and that sometimes smart people make bad decisions.  But, dumb is just dumb.  Some people just don't get it and probably never will.  The New York Knicks, especially over the last decade, are a don't get it organization.  For that reason, they have no chance at landing Lebron.  That kind of niche interpretation is what makes the Herd especially interesting.

Reasonability: 8
He didn't score quite as high on this one, because part of his schtick is flipping the other side of the coin. But a lot of what Colin does is react to typical sportscaster fury.  Often, he takes a middle perspective between two extremes.  When it was recently reported that Tiger Woods would be paying 750 mily-on dollars to his estranged wife, Colin immediately dismissed the reports as absurd. Citing the experience of his own divorce and a general understanding of "how these things work," he laughed as he explained that there was no way that would happen.  It later came out that the report was wildly exaggerated, and Colin of course said I told you so.

Engagingness:  10
I think this is the only 10 in all the rankings.  It's also pretty much the most important category as far as radio is concerned.  All you have is your words, so it better be pretty engaging.  I don't know what else to say other than that some people just have the ability to be really fascinating when they talk.  Couple that with Colin's ability to pick captivating subject matter and you have full engagingness.  My thesaurus is starting to run dry, so I'll go ahead and move on.

Hangability: 3
This is Colin's lowest score, though he still managed a "Liked It" on the Netflix scale.  Since you've probably already noticed this is a Herdfest, I'll just go ahead and say that in a way, this contributes to the high scores in other categories.  I really don't think he would care (as if he would ever read this) that he didn't do as well in this category, because he's not trying to make friends, he's trying to get listeners.  Since arguing is like a sport to me, I'd probably like a road trip with Colin pretty well.  But he's never going to care what you think, so he had to score a little lower than everybody else.

Humor: 4
Though he'd probably give himself a 5 in this category, he's still a funny guy.  I have to think that ESPN deliberately considered humor when they were casting their hosts, because they're all pretty hilarious.  Whatever Colin is talking about, there's almost always a joke at the end; and, he's especially funny when he tries to sing.  He also manages to use his humor in disagreement, which can be an effective way of introducing the discord discussion.  Even if he's being excessively harsh, I still think he's funny enough to neutralize the hostility.

I know that a lot of people don't like "the Herd", and a lot more people disagree with a lot of what Colin says.  But hardly anyone will change the channel once they're listening.  And that is why "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd ranks No. 1 in the ESPN Power Rankings.  And wherever you may be, thanks for making this blog a part of your day.