by Kent Sterling
Listeners look for a couple of different things in a talk host, but the overall skill set for a great talk host is an ability to
Peerless Radio Host Dan Dakich
present unique information and perspective in a compelling and fun way. That is as close a description of what you get with the Dan Dakich Show as any I can think of.
I’ll give you an example. Today, Dan previewed the huge game tonight in Columbus between Purdue and Ohio State. Dan told me and everyone else listening to watch for the Buckeyes use of flat ball screens to free up Evan Turner. He then explained the difference between a flat ball screen (the screener’s back is to the bucket) and a side screen (back to the sideline). Ohio State uses the flat screen to spring Turner free of his defender as he moves directly toward the basket. Ohio State also uses a 1-3-1 zone to defend. This zone allows Thad Matta to rest his guys a little on defense and use a six-man rotation.
Nobody brings both the knowledge of X’s and O’s and the ability to explain them to neophytes like Dan Dakich. Most of what I know about basketball I learn from watching thousands of games and listening to Dan explain the game. We had a lot of meetings that ended with ten-minutes of Dan diagramming plays on my legal pad. It’s easy to see why Dan was such an outstanding coach. If he can teach me how flex works, he would have no problem with people who actually run it.
Dan does much more than that. He watches tape like a coach. DVR is a great tool for dipshits like me and for radio hosts to record games and then watch later in the season, as Dan did last night with the first OSU vs. Purdue game. You know what most radio hosts do when they get home? They sleep, grab some dinner, watch sitcoms, and try to get aways from the stress of performing for three or four hours everyday. Dan? He’s watching tape so he knows what the hell he’s talking about.
Dan talks about sports not in some distant academic way. He brings passion and humor to his performance, and as unpleasant as it might be for hosts to admit, it is every bit the performance as a singer at Conseco Fieldhouse or a comedian at Cracker’s. There isn’t a live audience, but that makes it even more difficult for the host. There is a sense in the studio for a host that he is just talking to himself. Without some kind of feedback, it’s tough to have confidence that what you are saying has importance to anyone. Dan walked into the studio prepared to talk for three hours on day one, and he’s still bringing that energy and work ethic.
Denny Smith, a friend and host of “Investing Sense” on WIBC told me something last week in reference to my recent reversal of fortune, “A successful person, when presented with a catastrophic loss, will be successful again in two years.” Dan Dakich was replaced as head coach at Indiana University on or close to April 1, 2008. That puts him six weeks away from that two-year mark. Dan’s current gig at The Fan and his analyst role on the Big Ten Network is making Denny look like the very smart man he is.
Dan’s show airs from 10a-1p each weekday on 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis, and if you want to spend a fruitful three hours listening to a smart and funny guy talk about sports, check out the show. If you don’t live in the area, go to www.1070thefan.com and click to listen. It’s the best show of its kind in the country.
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