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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 show features interviews, listener calls, and Jim's opinions on issues in sports, entertainment, and off-the-wall news.

The Jim Rome Show is unique in many ways, but the most notable are his use of "smack," the "clones" that listen to the show, and "The Huge Call of the Day." A large portion of the language used on the show is known as "smack," or a harsh, different way of saying the usual sports rant, known as a "take." Because of this, it can be difficult for new listeners to enjoy the show quickly, as there is a learning curve before one can fully understand what is being said.

Regular Bits

The Jim Rome Show also involves a lot of sarcasm, which some callers have complained about and/or misunderstood. When Rome claimed that a man playing basketball on a University of Michigan poster was Tony Gwynn, a caller rebuked him, saying "I believe it's Glen Rice." Brian Shaw has also been called "The Pride and Joy of St Mary's" even though a caller said that Shaw actually played at UC Santa Barbara. Rome replied with "I know when I'm wrong...I get paid to do this...and Brian Shaw is the Pride and Joy of St Mary's." Spurs forward Robert Horry is also refered to as Will Smith repeatedly. On one particular day, Jim referred to Anaheim Angels manager Mike Scioscia as "Tony Scioscia," which prompted another unsuspecting caller to attempt to correct him. Jim insisted "no, I know who you mean, it's Tony." Prior to his embrace of NASCAR, Jim would commonly refer to drivers, regardless of their actual first names, as "Ernie" or "Dale," hinting at a sterotype. Such sarcasm makes the show difficult to follow at times, especially for new listeners.
  • The Celebrity Drunk Bus - any time a professional athlete, actor or politician is arrested for DUI or DWI, Rome offers to send the "Celebrity Drunk Bus," which will pick up the inebriated star and courier him home. Jim says the phone number for the drunk bus is "1-800-BWAAAAAAAAAA!"
  • The XR4Ti Crew - Rome's "posse" of phone screener Jason Stewart and e-mail screener Travis Rodgers; the "XR4TI" comes from the brand name of Rome's first car, a Mercury Merkur XR4Ti. The XR4Ti Crew first came about after lampooning a soundbite from Allan Iverson's mother, on which two other women can be heard behind her repeating everything she says.
  • Use of the term "War" - Years ago, Jim became very intrigued by the way fans of Auburn University chanted the slogan "War Eagle" to support their team. It became customary for Jim and his callers to recite the phrase "war-" followed by their favorite team, player, or other activity, to show their fondness of it.
  • Tongues - Many college football teams reward players for exceptional plays by affixing decals to their helmets. Well-know examples include Ohio State University, who's players have buckeye stickers, and Florida State University, who rewards players with tomahawks stickers. Jim decided that when he has an exceptional segment of his broadcast, he affixes a tongue sticker to his microphone.
  • Use of the Term "Freaking" - On occasion, when Jim concludes an interview with a guest who demonstrated tremendous character, or told an amazing story of something they did, Jim will proclaim they have earned the middle-name title "Freaking." The first such guest was Evil Knievel, who conducted an unforgettable interview with Jim, such that Jim from that point on, referred to him as "Evil Freaking Knievel." Others who have been given that name include NASCAR driver Richard Petty, who told Jim a story about how he drove in the 1980 Talladega 500 a week after breaking his neck. Jim's response after the interview was "Richard Freaking Petty."
  • Jim Hates Soccer - As far as Rome is concerned, soccer, with its nil-nil scoring, players who fake injuries, and stereotypically drunken, riotous fan base, has no use on his show. Rome also talks about how his eldest son Jake has developed into an above-average youth soccer player, apparently against his father's wishes. In 2004, soccer star Eric Wynalda called in to chastise Rome on the radio show host's anti-soccer tirades. After the conversion, Rome said that Wynalda is the only soccer player allowed to call the show.
  • Jim Hates Wrestling - Jim Rome has no use for professional wrestling, often remarking that professional wrestlers often wear masks, sit under a sun lamp to get a nice orange tan (a veiled reference to Hulk Hogan), and outfits consisting of blue tights. He has a particular disdain for WWE owner Vince McMahon, who kept a PPV broadcast running even after one of his wrestlers, Owen Hart, died in a freak accident during the event (and for later justifying his decision on The Last Word). As for collegiate or amateur wrestling, Rome also has little use for that sport, often commenting that amateur wrestlers wear water polo helmets and unitards (actually singlets), and that they practice their "special holds" on each other - especially on dirty, unsanitary wrestling mats.
  • Border Wars - Often when leading up to a significant event (such as the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, etc.), fans of the teams will phone the show and degrade the opposing team's city. This usually degenerates into a back-and-forth war between inhabitants of the two cities where nearly every call Jim receives is from someone looking to weigh in on the war. One notable border war that flares up occasionally is United States vs. Canada (or "America Junior", as Canada has been termed on the show). It is also quite common for callers in one city to provoke another for virtually no reason other than its existence. One example is a 2005 border war between Huntsville, Alabama and Knoxville, Tennessee that erupted for no particular reason and lasted around a week.
  • Jim Hates Star Wars and its fans - One could actually imagine Rome's thoughts upon hearing of the title for the 2002 Star Wars film "Attack of the Clones." But it was a 2004 call from a clone comparing LPGA golfer Annika Sörenstam with Anakin Skywalker that prompted Rome's response from the clone's effort to make such a comparison - "If you are over the age of twelve and you still care about Star Wars, you... are... a... loser." Rome would continue to make his attacks on Star Wars fans by commenting on the numbers of attendees at a Star Wars convention in Indianapolis being larger than those appearing at a Tour Stop in Detroit on the same weekend. Against Rome's attempts to keep his son Jake away from Star Wars influences, Jake has discovered Star Wars, especially Darth Vader whom he described as "cool."
  • Jim Hates women in professional sports - Even though he is a great admirer of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, and of race car driver Danica Patrick, Rome has no love lost over the WNBA, women in soccer, nor women in any professional sport. Rome's constant comprison of WNBA players to horses and his lackadaisical attitude toward the success of the US women's soccer team in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, ignoring the individual efforts of the team members and calling any member "Mia Chastahamm," after the team's most famous members, Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain.
  • Jim and bowling - Jim's official statement about the sport of bowling is that it can't be considered a sport if you improve your scores as you continue to drink alcohol. He also points out that bowlers often have special wrist grips, have a cigarette hanging out of their mouths, and eat greasy food at the bowling center's annexed bar and grille.
  • Jim and Adult League Softball - Similiar to his feelings about bowling, Jim also finds jest in men's softball leagues. Along with pointing out the propensity for them to consume inordinate amounts of alcohol, Jim feels that "Softball Guy" takes the recreational game much too seriously, puts rediculously sophmoric nicknames on the back of his jersey (such as "Mr. Fabulous" and "Lil' Buddy"), and should refrain from addressing the umpire as "Blue."
  • Jim and gambling - A frequent reference is made to the sterotypical "Likes to Bet Guy." Jim will often ponder why obscure and unequivocally minor sporting events are designated with gambling odds by casinos, only to decide it is likely for the purposes of satisfying the needs of gambling addicts.
  • Jim and homosexuals in professional sports - Jim is open toward homosexuals in professional sports, mainly those who have the courage to "come out." Rome's opinion is open and encouraging, but suggests that the day an active professional athlete would "come out" is still far away, as he judges the attitudes of those in the game toward homosexuality as being close-minded. Rome even said that he would be supportive of his son Jake (now a child) coming out as an adult if he was homosexual.
  • Jim and Ice Cream Men -Jim is very wary of ice cream men, who he believes are sexual predators who use ice cream to get at children. This was only strengthened after a 2005 incident in Wisconsin in which an ice cream man was arrested on a DUI charge, and was later found out as a registered sex offender.

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.

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 his Clones. Callers are often run when they are unenthusiastic, incoherent, believed to be reading their takes, or after saying something incredibly offensive.

Rome only has two rules for clones calling in or emailing the show: "Have a take, don't suck." These rules are repeated at the beginning of every show.

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:

  • Patty in Modesto - apparently tried to call The Jim Rome Show, but was too inebriated to have an intelligent conversation.
  • Alex in Louisville - Called in to congratulate Rome on the host's 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 Jim Rome 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 beastiality.
  • "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.

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:

  • 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.
  • 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."
  • 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 subsiquently 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.
  • Travis Rodgers' List - Travis Rodgers, who produces the show and also screens the e-mails, apparently has a list of topics which guarantee that the e-mail will be forwarded to Jim to be read on air (though if it is actually read is up to Jim). Topics include World War II, the word "unsavory," Bo Diaz, Mama Cass, Appalachia, and Billy Martin, among others.
  • 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 being fielded questions during two post-game press conferences.
  • The Chick from Rome's Christmas Party and Rome's Sister and her Cat are also referred to often by e-mailers. The first because of an encounter at the company Christmas party, the story which has since been embellished by listeners, and the second because of an unfortunate accident (aparently 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Soundbites

Often, when celebrities (and sometimes regular people) say or do something embarrassing in front of a microphone, the clip will end up in Rome's archive and subject to ridicule on the air. A clip is usually only played when a take, either from Jim or a caller, makes reference to it. Such clips include:

  • Ron Jeremy - Rome will occasionally play an audio clip where Jeremy can be heard saying "Hi, this is Ron Jeremy, coach of the Miami Heat, and you're watching Jim Rome is Burning." Rome has enjoyed this promo so much that he said on his show that Jeremy (who he used to dislike) would be exempt from his usual "porn" insults.
  • Three Day Weekend - On May 6, 2005, Terrence from Sierra Madre called into the Smack-Off with a hilarious "Hey Mr. J Stew" song which unfortunately was unfinished. Jim asked other people to call in and finish the song Terrence had written. This led to disastrous results. This continued until a band named Three Day Weekend out of Houston sent in a tape of a song about J Stew named "Mr Automatic." The song quickly became a hit among clones and is occasionally played as the Huge Call of the Day.
  • John Daly - The champion golfer recorded a country music CD, for which Jim often plays the opening lines of the track "You Don't Know Me (Like I Know Me)", as an example of why athletes should never record an album.
  • Ozzy Osbourne - In 2004, Ozzy and his wife Sharon Osbourne were invited by the Chicago Cubs to take part in the ceremonial 7th-inning singing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field. Ozzy can be heard slurring his singing, forgetting the words, mumbling what he thought were the lyrics, and then cheering at the end of the song.
  • Jeff Gordon - In 2005, driver Jeff Gordon attempted to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at a Chicago Cubs game. Things started off poorly when Gordon told the crowd it was great to be at "Wrigley Stadium," (rather than Wrigley Field) then started to sing - amidst a chorus of boos and jeers from the Cub faithful. The "Wrigley Stadium" goof is often used to suggest that Gordon may have been infected with the Curse of the Cubs, as his racing performance dropped during the 2005 NASCAR season.
  • Tonya Harding - Rome often plays a 9-1-1 call made on February 22, 2000 by Harding, in which the former figure skater claims to have suffered physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, Darren Silver, when in fact Silver was the recipient of a hubcap on the side of his head from Harding. In the background, Silver can be heard shouting, "You're a liar! You're a liar! You are a felon, and I have nothing to hide. So come on over, officers!" After playing the clip, Jim often notes that the 911 operator is curious about Harding's boyfriend's middle name.
  • O. J. Simpson - Rome has plenty of interview tapes and 9-1-1 calls from the former Buffalo Bills running back. One 911 call involves Simpson's attempts to get his then-girlfriend to go into rehab, because "she spent all last night doing drugs with Pedro Guerrero." Rome, a southern California native, has made "Orenthal" J. Simpson fodder a staple on his show.
  • Ashlee Simpson - When the singer warbled off-key at the 2005 Orange Bowl halftime show, Rome kept a copy of Simpson's last few notes - including the boos clearly heard throughout the stadium after Simpson's song was over.
  • Evel Knievel - During a 2002 interview with the motorcycle daredevil, Knievel recounted the story of his ill-fated 1974 attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Knievel, in his trademark tough guy style, went on to publicly lambast NASA engineer Robert Truax, who had designed the failed "Skycycle" rocket. Rome asked Knievel if there was only a 50/50 chance of surviving the jump, why he would attempt to do it. Knievel answered, without hesitation, "Do you know who the hell I am?" Rome has marked this occasion as the only time he has ever been speechless in his life.
  • Isiah Thomas - During a radio interview, Rome and NBA player Chucky Brown had a discussion about the differences in per diem between the NBA and the minor league CBA, where NBA players can afford to eat at Red Lobster. Later, when Rome interviewed Thomas on Rome's show The Last Word, Thomas, who from 1999 to 2001 owned the CBA, started the interview with, "I just got back from Red Lobster."
  • Tiger Woods - In 2004, Rome debuted a Tiger Woods interview clip (known typically as "Robot Tiger") in which Woods is heard to utter the phrase "The golf course looks good, my golf swing feels good, I like my chances." Actually, Rome's interview clip was edited from several Woods interviews, and Rome uses that clip as a "created" example of Woods' aloofness to the media, where the golfer might use that "phrase" for any question ever asked of him. In Woods' defense, Rome also plays from time to time the infamous Fuzzy Zoeller interview, in which, when the veteran golfer is asked about Woods' first Masters victory, responds that he hopes Woods won't serve fried chicken or collard greens at the Masters banquet. In 2005, a new Tiger clip came into circulation where after winning the British Open he made a comment about an alter ego named Ranger Rick in an attempt to be funny; which people didn't get or found unfunny.
  • Peyton Manning - When the Indianapolis Colts were eliminated from the NFL playoffs after the 2002 season, Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt gave an interview in which he said that he tried to motivate a dejected Manning during the contest. After hearing about Vanderjadt's interview, Manning, who usually is calm and chooses his words carefully during interviews, let out a scathing interview during the telecast of the Pro Bowl, calling Vanderjagt an "idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off." Rome often comments about how many times Manning says "idiot" in the interview.
  • Woman with the crazy kids and the 911 operator - In 2005, a woman whose children are out of control calls 911. After the woman explains the situation, the operator responds, "Do you want us to come over there and shoot her?" [silence] That was a joke..." While not celebrities, the woman and the operator made news, and Rome sometimes plays the clip just to ridicule both of them. Rome also notes that had the woman displayed the same attitude towards her kids that she did to the 911 operator, then there would have been no need to make the call in the first place.
  • Allen Iverson - In an interview after the 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first around in the 2001-02 season and it was revealed that Iverson was known to miss mandatory training sessions, he responded with one of the most infamous examples of the disconnection between athletes and reality. "I mean listen, we talkin bout practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin bout practice. Not a game, not a, not a, not the game that I go out there and die for, and play every game like its my last. Not the game. We talkin' bout practice, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout practice. I know I'm supposed to be there, I know I'm supposed to lead by example. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know its important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' bout practice, man. What are we talkin' bout? Practice?"
  • Guy from "The Roger Penske Organization" - Before Jim embraced NASCAR, he would regularly make fun of its drivers, referring to them by his trademark name-calling (Jim has since apologized, admitted fault, and has 'come correct' with NASCAR, its drivers, and its fans). An angry elderly NASCAR fan once made a very disorganized call to Jim's voicemail in the late 1990s, claiming to be an employee of "The Roger Penske Organization" (the company is actually called Penske Racing). The man threatened to sue and lead a NASCAR boycott against Jim's show if Rome did not refrain from his name-calling. Instead, the man's plan backfired as Jim played the message on the air. The man left no contact information and was never heard from again.
  • John In C-Town -Jim refers to this as "maybe the funniest thing I have heard on this show." A caller from Cleveland known as John in C-Town often pushed for a Tour Stop in Cleveland. He often talked about Cleveland's "monkey" (local affiliate), and how he was "banging the monkey" (pushing the affiliate to get something from Jim). He often received criticism from the Clones because all he talked about was the "monkey." Finally, Jim received a tape, it contained clips of John saying "monkey/lunch with the monkey/I have brought the Tour Stop to C-Town" repeatedly.
  • Jim Mora - then-head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. On November 25, 2001, after a devistating loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Mora engaged in an long rant berating his team for its poor performance, which included five turnovers. Rome often plays the entire clip, which is about thirty seconds long, and includes such quotes as: "That was a disgraceful performance. We threw that game away. We gave them the game. It was pitiful, absolutely pitiful" and "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game."
  • Mike Tyson - Two vicious remarks by the boxer include "I wanna eat his children" (speaking of Lennox Lewis) and a censored version of a quote to the media "Look at you scared now...Scared of the real man."
  • Jason Stewart - Show contributer for Rome, also known as J-Stew, had a small part in the USA Network television movie Murder at the Presidio. Rome makes his line "I hope he signed out his vehicle properly" popular.
  • Mel Gibson - Gibson's line "Gimme back my son!!!" from the 1996 movie Ransom is played ad nauseam when Rome sees fit.
  • Author John Feinstein - During the telephone interview, Feinstein's toddler-age daughter Bridget is heard in the background playing a set of drums so loud that John, on live radio, breaks mid-sentence, and turns around to angrily yell "Bridget! Bridget!" in an effort to quiet her down. John attempts to continue his train of thought, but forever will be teased for that incident.

Tour Stops

Rome is also known for his many "Tour Stops." The Tour Stop is a limited access (because of the ticket required) show, often with sports related guests and surprises. Multiple times throughout the year, Rome will reward a syndication city that has been providing him with great takes with a Tour Stop. These events are often held in stadiums, parks, or other large venues. The tickets are normally free. Clones are known to travel to a Tour Stop from across the country instead of waiting for one in their town. A running joke with the show is that clones in Rochester, New York (one of Jim's original four affiliate cities) have begged for a Tour Stop since the day their station began airing the show; although Rome says that someday "Crapchester" may get a tour stop, he usually teases the city by saying they may have won a tour stop - only to give it to another city.

Guest Hosts

To ensure live content on days when Jim is on vacation, the show is hosted by a rotating stable of guest hosts, including:

On national holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day, etc.), a pre-recorded "Best of The Jim Rome Show" is aired, hosted by Jim's producer, Travis Rodgers.

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