Wednesday, March 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
It's 9 p.m. and John Tournour still is an hour away from punching the clock. He's studying the wires, the web pages, the publications. He needs to be prepared when that switch is flipped, turning him into his alter ego, turning him on to millions of listeners.
From 10 p.m.-4 a.m., J.T. the Brick hits the national airwaves. His all-sports call-in show, "The Brick House," emanates from the Sports Fan Radio Network studios in Las Vegas and is heard on more than 100 stations across the country.
The Brick is proud of his six-hour, late-night time slot, heard locally on KENO 1460-AM until he is switched over to what is now KORK 920-AM in a couple weeks. It allows him to be heard in major markets such as San Francisco, Detroit, Boston, Miami and Seattle. It also allows him to take more calls than any other show.
"I'm a glorified, sports-talk traffic cop," the Brick says before slipping behind the mike. "I'm just trying to direct the calls. Keep my calls moving or I'm throwing you the hell outta here."
After accompanying his heavy metal intro music with a little air guitar, the Brick starts off the show like he does any other with a passionate monologue.
He proclaims Karl Malone the NBA's best player this season: "He's downright dominating. He's awesome this year. The numbers he's putting up, you're talking about a first-ballot hall-of-famer."
Then he baits the Florida hockey fans: "Hey Panthers fans, last year you were tossing rats on the ice after every goal. Well, this is the real world. How are you going to react when everyone comes gunning for you?"
J.T. rips off his headphones as his first commercial break arrives.
"That's the monologue and I freaking love it," he says. "I get to go off. It's time for me to set the table and have some fun."
Back from the break, his first call is a notable one. It's the Mayor of Poway, a legendary listener who makes a name for himself as a regular on Jim Rome's nationally syndicated show, "The Jungle."
And that's how the Brick, an admitted call-in addict, became famous. Rome gave him his nickname and eventually named him the winner of his show's annual call-in contest, leading the Brick to leave his job as a stockbroker for the world of sports talk.
But back to the phones as the calls keep coming, with topics ranging from the Ontario Hockey League to the Indiana high school basketball tournament to the trials of Jackie Robinson to bullfighting.
The Brick deftly handles them all, answering with the help of wild hand gestures as if his listeners are seated before him. With several newspapers, magazines and almanacs scattered across his desk, he rarely touches any of them. This man knows his sports.
The only knock, though, is he disrupts his delivery at times. The Brick makes a point of thanking every caller before he hangs up, a habit that breaks the momentum. And this show is fueled by momentum.
"It's not like working in a factory, but it's a workout," says producer Bobby Machado.
Most of the second hour goes smoothly, but as it approaches midnight, it gets a little rough. The Brick bounces two consecutive callers, one for not knowing his stuff and another for being an ass.
"Come in here, be passionate, don't be a clown and keep the show moving," he shouts.
But the third hour soon arrives and the Brick is on fire. He's sweating profusely and the calls -- including one from Alaska -- are steaming. Halftime comes and goes, and while he obviously is in need of his second wind, he doesn't miss a beat.
Then comes the fifth hour, when San Francisco joins the show. That alone gets the Brick worked up as it's time to reset. He rips through another monologue -- this one more West Coast-oriented -- and starts all over again.
That means it's time to drop another bomb, boldly stating that the top-ranked Kansas hoops team will not win the NCAA Tournament.
Shortly thereafter, the final hour comes and the Brick does the rest of his show pacing like a caged animal. Then he gets a call that baffles him.
"Hey, Bobby," he says on the air. "Did I just get a Wisconsin Badger hockey call out of Phoenix at 3:30 in the morning? Unbelievable."
But the end is in sight and the Brick refuses to coast to the finish. He closes with a segment called "Speed Brick," a rapid-fire string of smack that leaves him drained as the morning crew filters in.
"I don't mind going to bed after this," he says, heading out the door.
Static
* TOURNEY TIME: ESPN (Prime Cable Channel 19) will air live three games from the Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament. The all-sports network will show Hawaii against New Mexico Thursday at 9 p.m., the semifinal from that bracket -- which also includes Utah -- Friday at 9 p.m. and the final Saturday at 7 p.m. ... ESPN will show the WAC women's final on tape-delay Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ... ESPN and CBS (KLAS Channel 8) each will offer selection shows for the 64-team NCAA Tournament field Sunday. Both begin at 3:30 p.m. For the sixth straight season, CBS will broadcast the men's tourney, starting with regional action March 13 at 9 a.m.
* WELL, HELLO THERE: Only on live TV -- or the Spice Channel -- can this happen: During is telecast of "USA Tuesday Night Fights" from the Aladdin the USA Network (Prime Cable Channel 16) turned its cameras on the ring card girls. For several seconds it showed the girls in their evening gowns seated at ringside. What the producer didn't notice, however, was that one, sitting with her legs uncrossed, was not wearing underwear.
* SPINNING THE DIAL: ESPN's "Baseball Tonight" returns for its eighth season Monday at 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately, Harold Reynolds remains an analyst. ... HBO (Prime Cable Channel 54) presents another edition of "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" Monday. Features include the story of Curt Flood in his own words, a profile of Wake Forest basketball superstar Tim Duncan and a look at women's boxing.
archive
