The merit of Bill Simmons on PTI

Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon are the cantankerous and argumentative hosts of ESPN‘s Pardon the Interruption five days a week – or so. When they don’t, the show has a long list of people who fill in for either or both of them.

It’s a list that includes media stalwarts like Bob Ryan and Jason Whitlock – both of whom were interesting and livened the show up – but also Rick Reilly and Jay Mariotti, who – in the minds of some – did not.

One name that has been floated recently is that of ESPN‘s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. Speaking of Deadspin’s podcast, occasional-PTI host Dan Le Batard suggested that he might host a round of episodes with Simmons this summer (although, notes Dan Levy at The Sporting Blog, it’s now a question of if, not when, he’ll host).

I can see the appeal of having Simmons as a host: he’s a bankable name, one of the most popular writers ESPN has and he has a book coming out this fall to boot.

But does that mean he should host the show?

No way.

The first – and most glaring – reason Simmons wouldn’t work on PTI is his background. Look at the background of all the hosts of the show: they’re all sportswriters who covered a beat. They write stories, chase down leads and serve as journalists.

Simmons does not.

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This certainly isn’t to call Simmons a hack, but he’s more of the Bill James-mold of sports writing. James once wrote that he has no inside information, does not try to provide any inside analysis, but that he’s on the far outside, looking in. Simmons, like some of his peers that write for ESPN, is a continuation of that. He writes for the fan, in the guise that he is a fan.

It’s a gimmick that works for him, but it wouldn’t work for PTI, where hosts have to come up with their snappy arguments.

This, of course, leads to the second most obvious point: Simmons likes to talk.

If it wasn’t apparent with his 10,000-word columns, Simmons is a prodigious talker, somebody who routinely has podcasts lasting over an hour. He likes to talk, to elaborate his points and doesn’t really cut his way to the point. On a show where he’ll have something like 90 seconds – or less – to make an argument, one suspects he could be overwhelmed, or at least not very good.

It’s likely the same reason that PTI hasn’t been guest-hosted by somebody from the world of sports-talk radio.

The last argument is why should he even bother?

His brand is that he’s a fan who just happens to write for ESPN. That’s why he can write columns about hanging out with his friends, have podcasts where he talks to his friends and have segments on E:60 where he tries to sink a shot from half-court.

He’s not part of the sports writing establishment. Going on PTI would undermine his crafted image. If he starts acting like the people who write in the press box, what’s making him different than the guy in the press box?

Nothing. Plus, all his work at trying to be the guy who represents that fan kind of goes out the window.

Really, unlike other hosts on PTI, he’s got nothing to gain by appearing there.

So if he doesn’t, then who would?

Here are five columnists who should make appearances on PTI:

1) Tim Cowlishaw: One of the better panelists on Around the Horn, Cowlishaw is usually pretty quick in forming an argument, doesn’t resort to cheap gimmickry (like a blackboard) and actually has a ton of experience covering everything from hockey to the Cowboys.

2) Mitch Albom: Likely the best panelist on The Sports Reporters as well as a big enough name to draw people in, Albom seems like a logical fit.

3) Charlie Pierce: Another panelist who appears sometimes (not often) on ATH, Pierce is a long-time writer who’s written for everything: papers, magazines and websites. He’s got the knowledge to have an accurate opinion on anything the show can throw and with his experience, he knows how to argue it.

4) Furman Bisher: Bisher, at 90, is likely the oldest sportswriter in North America. He’s covered more or less everything, except the first Super Bowl. How awesome would it be to have a guy who interviewed Shoeless Joe on PTI?

5) Steve Simmons: I don’t think a Canadian sportswriter has ever appeared on PTI – or ATH or Sports Reporters, for that matter – but if there was one who could succeed, it’d be Simmons. He’s shown he can debate on TV on the Canadian Sports Reporters and he knows enough about everything – especially hockey – that he could hold his own with anybody.

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