The Small Screen Part III

Friday afternoon I'm scheduled to appear on TSN's Off The Record, which I'm pretty sure is the longest-running sports talk show on Canadian TV.

It's been a minute.

I made my first appearance last January and talked NFL playoffs with some former CFL players and a really loud guy from CBC.

A few days before the Superbowl the brought me back, and I discussed the Giants' chances of winning with an NFL player, a (now unemployed) CFL coach and yet another loud guy from CBC.

Since then they've invited me to return but our schedules have never meshed. I'd always be out of town or stuck in the office, or out on an assignment somewhere actually earning a living.

But this weekend, with the NFL in town, they asked me back. I happened to be free, so I signed up.

For those of you who haven't seen the show, I'll outline it for you:

One host/moderator, four panelists from various branches of sports, entertainment and the media. Some guests are clever and thoughtful, and others aren't. Almost all are loud. It gets a little hectic on that set sometimes with four panelists and a host all trying to play Chuck D.

You know, "force my opinion with volume!"

Don't expect that from me.  I'd rather make sense at 30 decibels than make a fool of myself at 100. I think viewers are smart enough to figure out how smart I am, so I'll leave the shouting with people with less to say.

Instead, I'll give you on the air what I give you on the blog -- intelligent, irreverent sports talk that's both edgy and educated. And if the opportunity arises I'm not scared to drop a $10 word on the panel. I don't know if I'll top "recidivist" (which I used last time to describe Chris Simon), but I'll do my best.

Anyway, show starts at 6pm eastern.

Tune in if you can.