Whoever Sold The Man-Cave Show To ESPN980 Leadership Deserves An Oscar!

By Richard Lyons - MAR 2016 The Man Cave Show featuring Jason Reid and Chris Paul was a complete disaster from inception and I find it hard to believe that this likely outcome was not discussed or foreseen by ESPN980 management. Chris Paul by profession is a standup comedian that tours throughout the East Coast region performing at local comedy venues. Jason Reid is a former columnist for the Washington Post who now functions as a sports analyst for the NFL. Upon its debut, the Man-Cave show lacked any sense of flow, its content lineup felt very dry and often portrayed an unsettling sense of buffoonery from a listener’s perspective. I believe that Chris Paul is a decent comedian when he stays within his standup comedy lane, however as a lead radio host, Chris lacks the zest needed to keep a radio audience attentive. As for Jason Reid, he is a good columnist/writer, however his radio personality/voice persona is way too passive, making the show feel like a bad “tooth-ache” for the avid listener.

Don't take my word for it, watch this video of Chris Paul and Coco Fresh in a standup comedy set and you will see why the Man Cave Show appeared dry in nature and did not appeal to the local target audience.

Based on the shows guest line-up and associated skits it is apparent that Chris Paul was given free rein to create the shows content at will as many of the gag segments featured friends and associates of the Chris Paul comedy circuit. Of the (2) gag segments that I can remember, the only one that was tolerable and often funny was the Judge Poole segment performed by local comedian Gregory Poole. This segment provided a parody gaff of the most popular celebrity antics that transpired during the week. Female comedian Coco Fresh hosted a short entertainment and gossip news skit called the Hollywood Scoreboard which was down-right horrible. Now let me explain- Coco Fresh is a very attractive African American female comedian who is classified by most men as “phenomenal eye candy” to physically watch on stage; however, her standup comedian skills are often dry and subpar at best. Her comedy routines lack a sense of flow, they come off relatively slow with a highly anticipated punch line and is basically a bore to listen too.

If you peel back the onion to determine what was missing it is clear. Besides the weak content and subpar hosts, the Man Cave show did not have a true DC Sports Historian to introduce and validate current/past sports events relevant to the old school DC Sports Fan. Nor did it have a lead moderator or pitchman to harvest and sustain a sense of flow for the listening audience. Case in point for a winning formula; The John Thompson Show historian/moderator was Smokin’ Al Koken. The Locker Room utilizes Scott Jackson and The Drive has Al Galdi. All (3) of these analysts are local sports historians and they do a phenomenal job of bringing a sense of balance and continuity to their respective shows. The Sports Fix show hosted by Kevin Sheehan and Tom Loverro beats to a different drum as this show portrays great chemistry without a moderator/pitchman. The Sports Fix is a winning combination because of Kevin Sheehan’s and Thom Loverro’s superb on air chemistry which mimics the behaviors of the hit TV series- The Odd Couple featuring Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. During the final (2) months of the failed program, ESPN980 brought on DC Sports Historian/Moderator Andy Pollin to save the sinking ship. Unfortunately by that time the Man-Cave was 95% under water and sinking very fast. Andy Pollin, whom I enjoy listening too immensely, immediately made the show a better listening experience but the duo buffoonery of Reid and Paul was too much for the listening audience to bear- All in All The Man-Cave Show just sucked!

It’s a shame that the only option available for local sports news in the early morning hours is the Sports Junkies. I personally, find this program boring and very obnoxious most of the time. Mike and Mike on ESPN980 offers no content relevant to the local DC Sports Fan so I am forced to listen WTOP in the early morning hours. ESPN980 management, I have a great idea for a new early morning show lineup that consist of (3) local celebrities with Andy Pollin as the moderator that would immediately compete and eventually surpass the rating success of the Sports Junkies. If interested, I can be reached at Richard.Lyons@dcsportscenter.com