The Top 5 Denver Sports Talk Shows of All-Time

After thinking back to my drive from Thornton/Brighton to Colorado School of Mines every day back in 1999, I look back at what sports talk shows had the most impact on my love for sports talk, so without further ado, here are the Top 5 Denver sports talk shows of all-time.


5) Mike and Sandy (Mike Evans and Sandy Clough): This show was on mainly during my late college to early career years.  It was 950 AM The Fan's morning show.  DOG Nation (Defenders of Griese) were often ridiculed by these two.   Evans was the yin to Clough's yang.  Evans kept Clough from going off on anyone that called in but also provided a lot of good back and forth and helped Clough shine.  Clough is a very knowledgeable sports guy but alone he tends to rip apart callers rather than make them learn more.  This show brought the now two longest tenured sports guys on 104.3 FM The Fan together.  They moved to the afternoons for a short stint that was so forgettable that I had almost spaced the fact they had moved to afternoon drives when 104.3 The Fan sold out to ESPN.  It would be wise to do so again late mornings and get rid of the national tape delayed show!


4) Klatt and Kreckman Show (Joel Klatt and Nate Kreckman): Yes, THAT Joel Klatt cut his chops on one of the greatest shows Denver Sports has heard with two young up and comers in the sports business.  Klatt moved up quickly taking a gig with Mike Evans giving him full lip service (pun intended) in the mornings on 104.3 The Fan for a short while before Joel got the call up to take a gig on Fox Sports 1.  Klatt has ascended the chain quickly becoming Fox's College top color guy and was also the highlight guy for the Fox's NFL coverage last year.  Kreckman has become the focal point of ESPN Radio.  The Working Man as his solo show after Klatt split off showed Kreckman can make it on his own or with a Locker Room filled with Gary Miller and Tom Nalen.  (Little known fact, Nate Kreckman was the producer and update guy for The Press Box I mention later)  Back to these two together; Kreckman and Klatt are both a little cocky, both a little arrogant and I hated Klatt with anyone but Kreckman because only Nate could put Joel in his place and Joel made Nate truly shine.  This show never went through the motions, it brought good sports talk and entertainment that has been tough to match.


3) Vic and Gary (Vic Lombardi and Gary Miller): The TV duo may be the biggest man-man love that we have seen from two sports guys in Denver.  Their show had a mass following and operated in Vic's basement.  The two were ahead of their times with a live stream and a chat for their listeners.  The great sports talk on the show coupled with the chat during the show were fantastic radio.  The two's work marriage brought comedy and their good rapport with local athletes allowed for great insight into the happenings of the sports scene.  It was just radio pleasure from day one.  The fact no one has figured a way to bring these two back together shows that sometimes these program directors over think themselves.


2) The Press Box (Tim Neverett & Jim Armstrong): Early 2000s gem on 560KLZ and then Neverett on Mile High Sports around 2007.  Armstrong was amongst my favorite writers at The Denver Post.  He was never the ass hole just to get reads (now clicks) like his peers Woody Paige and Mark Kiszla.  Instead he gave his opinion and kept it fair.   His column on Page 2 of the sports page was my must read every morning from high school through his time ending at the Post after a betting scandal took away Denver's best sports op writer.  I loved how he could talk about so many things in so few word and give enough info to want to know more.


Tim Neverett was an all-star for Denver.  He brought a great opinion and knowledge that rivaled any in Denver.  His voice is smooth as silk and delivers a perfect "pitch" now for the Pittsburgh Pirates after his departure in late 2008.  The two worked well together with their large amount of sports IQ and ability to talk about anything.  Unlike their competition, they made callers feel welcome and helped transition sports radio to a more caller friendly situation.  Unlike 104.3 The Fan and 105.5 ESPN that relies on texts for interaction and actually takes away from their shows doing so, Mile High Sports used Neverett's format to build Press Box with different cast and characters and build a caller friendly station that has had many long time The Fan listeners switch over from their old, boring same format of 20 years.  These two didn't have a mass following but anyone that had the pleasure of hearing it, heard my true favorite show of all-time. 


1) The Irv and Joe Show (Irv Brown and Joe Williams): Due to their legacy and what they have done in the Sports talk game for longer than I have been listening and probably been alive, they get the nod of the greatest of all-time in Denver.  These two bring humor, clichés (Red Dog "Down Goes Frazier), two old friends bickering (Irv threatening: I'll Walk off This Show!) and a signature ending ("Come Home Baby Now").  It has stood the test of time and these old farts are still bringing entertainment an hour a day to 1340 AM Mile High Sports listeners.  It is a guilty pleasure for me.  These two are about half a decade past their shelf life,  but I remember coming back from Golden and getting hours of entertainment.  Joe's long time pot shots at John Elway, the Avs being destined to being beat in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals and just great local and national talk is what has made this show great.  These two talk college football as often as NFL and give all sports a fair shake rather than holding on to the Denver Broncos jock talk that has lazily failed Denver Sports the past.  I started with these two in 1999 when they were on 950 AM The Fan, went over to 1600 AM when 104.3 FM The Fan let them go with their switch to ESPN Radio.  The two moved to Mile High Sports and have been hanging out around the lunch hour for ages.  A lot of young guns credit their listening to these two being a deciding factor on trying to cut their chops on the radio.  Two oldies still make a goodie once in awhile!