Michael Irvin finding a comfort zone on radio

Used to be that Michael Irvin could go to a neighborhood health club and enjoy relative serenity. But then, all he used to be was a lightning rod wide receiver on a three-time Super Bowl champion who would evolve into a big-time ESPN television analyst.

These days, even the steam room offers no sanctuary from inquiring minds who want to know.

"People are more interested in talking to Michael Irvin now than when he was a player," Irvin said, offering a smidge of third-person insight. "They want to respond to something they heard me say. They know my opinion or want to know my opinion on something else, and they want me to know theirs."

Such is life when Michael Irvin is a local sports talk show host with the most famous face on the radio dial.

The reason for the increased connect is logical. Most people believe players live in their own world and don't want to be bothered. (Most people are correct.) Approaching a player of Irvin's stature carries the possibility of rejection. Talk show hosts – good talk show hosts – ooze approachability.

Irvin, who has been on the job since late January, is growing into a good talk show host on the 11 a.m.-to-2 p.m. shift at ESPN-FM (103.3). To be sure, his show is a little different. A listener can never be sure how far from the sports path Irvin and sidekick Kevin Kiley might venture. Irvin fancies himself a Dr. Phil/Dr. Laura for the afflicted who happen to be sports fans.

Tom Lee, the station's program director, echoes what anyone who has ever worked with Irvin has reported: "He works hard and is hungry to learn. He's thrown everything he has into the show."

Irvin's effort has resulted in a 64 percent increase in ratings for his time slot among men ages 25-54, the most sought-after demographic in sports talk.

Irvin's guest list has been chock-full of celebs. He's had Adam Sandler and, more famously, Adam "Pacman" Jones. Ice Cube and the Round Mound of Rebound. He's even had an athlete calling in asking to be on the air. Surely, you've heard about the Josh Howard call.

No one was more surprised than Irvin last week when Howard offered maverick talk about his marijuana use.

"I thought he wanted to come on and talk about his camp and tell me he was misquoted in the newspaper story about him," said Irvin, who had never before had a phone conversation with Howard. "Then I was going to ask him about the Mavericks game that night. That's what I really wanted to talk to him about."

Irvin grabbed a copy of The Dallas Morning News story on Howard's marijuana use, which appeared on the morning of Game 1 of the New Orleans series. Irvin read it back to Howard, waiting for the denials. They never came. Only confirmation blasted into his headphones.

"I got caught up in the moment, and I'm thinking, 'Should I stop him for his own good?' " Irvin said. "But I know I'm onto a story, and I have a responsibility to my listeners and to my employer. ..."

"I could not believe what I was hearing. I've been in the firestorm. My actions put me there, and I'm thinking, 'Why would anybody put himself into the firestorm with his own words?' "

Irvin said he doesn't miss his ESPN television job. In the NFL studio, he was simply a role player. On The Michael Irvin Show, he is once again "The Playmaker."

I confess that when I first heard Irvin was taking a local radio job, I thought it would be a pit stop until something bigger came along. Irvin says he is too happy to think about anything else. And, he reminds, he hasn't yet been on the air during what should be his strongest season: football.

"They can't do this one without me," he said. "I'm having a blast. We're live and unedited. Radio is reality. There are no outtakes ... no do-overs ... no taking things out of context ... no cutting out my mistakes ...When I say something, it goes all the way from my mouth to Pluto."

(dallasnews.com)