The Billiken's Bluff

The NY Times Sunday Edition contained this article about ESPN's Stephen (Screamin') A. Smith. It was seemingly misplaced in the Arts section.



Richard Sandomir writes:

Six years later, when [Stephen A. Smith] started his television career at the now-defunct cable network CNN/SI, he seemed to intuitively grasp what all panelists on sports and political shows know: that the loudest, the most argumentative, even the rudest voice will get the most attention.

I documented the phenomenon that is Stephen A. nearly a near ago in August 2004:

Stephen A. Smith and Michael Irvin simply yell at one another.

No jokes. No give and take. No clue. Only yelling. Now I think I have some idea what it sounded like at the Giant Cricket Gambling Ring in Hong Kong. Lots of screeching. They are essentially the same person. They get worked up to a rabid level (although I suspect Irvin gets his energy from some supplemental sources, I'm not sure how Smith gets so worked up) and begin screaming incredulously at one another.

Richard Sandomir writes:

Indeed, perhaps the most riveting part of almost any studio session with Mr. Smith is watching him not speak. He clearly suffers from the pain of anticipation. He sits in his custom-made suit, trying not to fidget as Mr. Saunders hands the verbal ball to Mr. Legler or Mr. Anthony. Mr. Smith stares through each speaker, a ticked-off, silent, impatient predator seeking his moment. Rage - or is it fervent hope? - seems to paint his stern face. When his time comes, his expression alters. He is relieved but energized, spitting out his words at high decibels.

"I'm struggling," Mr. Smith agreed. "I'm struggling with the reality that I feel differently, that I have a minimal amount of time to express what I want to say. Somebody is saying something I don't agree with and I have 45 seconds. I'm like, 'Damn it, can I fit it all in?' "

But will the same approach work once Mr. Smith is the star of his own show, and not simply punctuating others? As he prepared for the launch of "Quite Frankly," Mr. Shapiro was coaxing Mr. Smith to show his lighter side.

"It won't work if he goes for 60 minutes the way he goes for four minutes on 'SportsCenter,' " Mr. Shapiro said. "He has to switch gears, which he hasn't learned to do."

He might explode if he went at that speed for an entire hour.