Alvin's Mix is an extended soundbyte frequently played on the Jim Rome Show. The soundbyte is meant to be a medley of memorable sports and talk radio moments in the Jungle's 15 year history. Shortly after The Mix began in 2006, Rome descirbed it as "where he (referring to show engineer Alvin Delloro) connects about ten years of this show into a two minute soundbyte." The Mix is often played at varying speeds, sometimes by listener request. Currently, at faster than regular speed, The Mix extends nearly five minutes. Many of the legendary moments in The Jungle and in sports are found below.
Famous Jungle Calls[]
Smack-Off 2005-That year's version of the Smackoff, often considered to be the most important day in the Jungle, featured three of the Jungle's iconic calls, all of which are included in The Mix. The third place call came from beloved caller Terrence in Sierra Madre, in which Terrence combined his take on 'the average clone' with his smash hit "Hey Mr. J-Stew." Eventually, the band 3-Day Weekend took Terrence's idea and ran with it, creating their own smash hit, "Mr. Automatic (Friggin J-Stew)." Terrence's song as well as 3-Day Weekend's song are included. The second place call came from Iafrate, who cracked Andruw Jones with this famous line, "Our next contestant in the Major League Baseball Spelling Bee is outfielder Andruw Jones! Andruw, your next word is ANDREW!" The first place call came from five-time champ Sean the Cablinasian, the highlight of which was a crack on "the peeps at the All-Star Cafe," combined with Star Wars music.
Buzzers-For many years, a loud horn-like buzzer was used to run callers to the show. This was replaced in 2006 with Rome's imitation of the buzzer, called the Manual buzzer. Approximately one year later Meggan in Sacramento found her way into Jungle lore, and found a way into Smack-Off 2007, through her impersonation of the Manual buzzer. Both Rome's and Meggan in Sacramento's version of the manual buzzer are in The Mix.
Jeff in Richmond-This caller from Richmond, Virginia, a former Smack-Off champion, is known for his loud, defiant, self-promoting calls, and is also known for using wrestling catchphrases in his calls. Often, he will use Chris Jericho's famous line, "and I mean, EH-VEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!" Though many callers have mocked Jeff for his constant use of these catchphrases, this catchphrase has found his way into The Mix.
Brad in Detroit-On the day of the 2005 All-Star Game (which was held in Detroit) Brad called the Jungle to talk about Cal Ripken. Amongst other statements, Brad claimed that, "Cal Ripken sucks," and called his consecuitive games streak a "stupid, overrated record." Brad has not called the show since, but the latter soundbyte has found its way into The Mix.
Jeff in Columbus-Prior to the annual football clash between Michigan and Ohio State in 2005, this diehard Buckeyes fan called as he was on his way to Michigan Stadium for the game. Then, Jeff let loose with this infamous blast, "I'm gonna call out the score, 27 Buckeyes, 27 Ann Arbor Michigan Wolverines and you guys are gonna be looking for a new head coach!" That clip found its way to the Mix, but not before Jeff was subject to much ridicule on that day and in the days following the game, which Ohio State won 25-21 and eventually used to earn a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.
Tommy in Detroit-In April 2006, this caller found his way into Jungle lore when he used the popular term, "ERRRRRRR!" into a sound which resembled a seal. He was eventually run, but still received a Smackoff invite on the strength of that call. That seal sound was eventually combined with Rome's imitation of the buzzer to create the Adult Alarm.
Bodie in Pearland-On the last regular show of 2007, in the third hour, Bodie made his Jungle debut, highlighted by his smash hit "The Mole Faced Rock." The song was so impressive to Rome and the XR4TI crew that Rome put it on the year in review show, and part of the song was added to The Mix later.
Chad in Portland vs. Mike in Wichita vs. J.D. in Nashville-This epic three-way battle of 2007 stands as one of the legendary examples of clone-on-clone crime in the show's history. In the summer of 2007, iconic emailer Chad in Portland made his first call to the show and was subsequently racked. Shortly after, a legendary feud began between Chad and Mike in Wichita, in which Chad would often use parodies to mock Mike. Included were parodies of songs such as Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" which Chad renamed "Wichitard Clone." Later, Chad used New Kids on the Block's "You Got It (The Right Stuff)." Then, in October 2007, Nashville caller J.D. came with his legedary parody of "Bad," in which he used phrases such as "sha'mon" and called Chad "a pervert in the Jungle." All three were invited to Smack-Off 2008, but only J.D. participated. He did not place.
Vic in NoCal-A new school Bay Area caller who premiered in late 2006, Vic began racking calls at an alarming rate, prompting Rome to call him "The Next Big Thing." On the Wednesday prior to Smack-Off 2007, Vic called the show, in which he made a legendary guarantee. In that call, he claimed, "When I make guarantees, I'm wearing a mink on the sidelines," and warned defending champ Sean the Cablinasian that his four titles were won before Vic began calling the show. But Vic did not make it through the screener to participate in the event, and was thereafter renamed such things as "Vic in No-Call." Despite his absence in the 2007 event, that quote found its way into the Mix.
Willie in KC-Though he is now banned from the program for anti-Semitic remarks, Willie remains legendary due to a call in early 2003, approximiately a month and a half before a Tour Stop was to be held in Denver. In that call, Willie came up with a parody mocking Jungle icon Sean the Cablinasian (who was living in Denver at the time), titled "Cablinasian the Friendly Ghost." Though Willie is banned, Rome has sometimes called that parody one of the program's most legendary calls, and the parody is in the Mix.
Oren in Denver-Oren premiered in late 2005 and early 2006, and eventually got into such a groove that Rome even gave him a vote as to whether to stay on terrestrial radio or switch to satellite. But he became most famous for a call which eventually was a response to Jeff in Richmond in February 2006. The previous day, Jeff had called Oren an epileptic and called him "Boring in Denver." In Oren's response, he made several hillbilly references to Jeff, and called him such names as Jebediah and Jethro. But his most famous line was as follows, "Some one please call the Jungle police - tell them to bring white chalk and yellow tape because I am verbally murdering this inbred." The last part has found its way to the Mix.
Whitey's Dad-This smash hit, created by Southern California legend Iafrate during the 2004 Smackoff, was a tribute to former show engineer Brian Albers. Until that point, Iafrate had yet to win a Smackoff, but the song, as well as him calling himself an unmitigated loser for coming in second to Jeff in Richmond in the 2002 event, helped him win his first title over fellow Jungle legend Sean the Cablinasian. To this day, the line, "each time he put a cart in," can be found in The Mix.
Carl in Rosemead-In October 2007, following Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians, this caller phoned the show to comment on Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Lebron James wearing a New York Yankees hat to the game. His comment was that "it was the worst idea since showing up to a party with a boner in sweatpants." The call was subsequently run, and has been frequently reset by clones in the months since.
Lunch with the Monkey-In the early syndicate period of the show, Rome would often get frustrated with stations that didn't carry the whole show. While some affiliates, such as Houston and San Antonio, were broadcasting the Jungle eight hours of the day every weekday during the four hour period, some affilites didn't carry all of the show. Rome would often refer to the program directors as "monkeys" due to the simple job that it should have been to carry the show. Then, along came John in C-Town, a caller from the four hour period. John quickly became notorious for his calls where he'd tell Rome about having 'lunch with the monkey' and how he was banging the monkey to be sure Cleveland got all of the show live, and got Tour Stops. Then, in 2000, Rome received an anonymous tape which turned out to be a mix of John's calls. After Rome played it on the air, it became a posterboy of mocking John, and famous callers such as Jeff in Richmond and Rachel in Houston would use it for later Smackoff material.
Joe in the O.C.-This legendary caller has also found his way into The Mix with a legendary Smackoff call, highlighted by an original Smackoff rap from the 2008 event which was as follows:
Six years up in the Smackoff
Jeff in Phoenix, what a jack***
On the phone, I got flow
Smack to win for real, though
Ice a job in radio, not squeak but just to let you know
Smackoffs, I drop my flow
On the phones, you already know
Who's the man, OC Joe
Slingbox, here we go!
Check TV while make my dough
Watch JRIB, definitely!
JT the Brick, what a hack!
Come on Rachel, shave your back!
I'll be back, running that smack!
Taming the lame, bringing my game
The call wasn't enough to win, but the first part of the rap was included in Alvin's latest version of The Mix.
Nezzrin in Orange County-A new school female caller from Orange County who found her way into the Smackoff during the summer of 2008, she also found her way into Jungle lore earlier in the summer with an epic blast on the Lakers and Lakers fans following the 2008 NBA Finals, which the Boston Celtics won in six games over the Lakers. Her most famous line of the call was "You thought Pau Gasol and Phil Jack-SON (with emphasis on the last syllable) were the answer to YOUR problems?"
Rants[]
Playoffs????-In 2001, while Jim Mora Sr. was the coach of the Indianapolis Colts, he got off one of the most famous tirades in NFL history following a Colts loss to the 49ers which dropped the Colts to 4-6. Near the end of the tirade, he was asked about the Colts' playoff chances and responded with, "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!"
They Are who we Thought They Were-Shortly after his Arizona Cardinals fell to the Chicago Bears 24-23 on Monday Night Football in October 2006, coach Dennis Green let loose with this famous tirade,
"We played them in the third game (of the preseason), everybody played three quarters, the Bears ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! NOW IF YOU WANT TO CROWN THEM, THEN CROWN THEIR A**! BUT THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE, AND WE LET EM OFF THE HOOK!"
The rant soon became one of the most widely celebrated rants in sports history, and "If you want to crown em..." is in the Mix.
Intramurals, Brother-On National Signing Day in February 2007, just months following a disastrous 2-10 football season for the Colorado Buffaloes, Coach Dan Hawkins let loose with this rant upon receiving a letter from a disgruntled parent,
"IT'S DIVISION I FOOTBALL! IT'S THE BIG 12! IT AIN'T INTRAMURALS! YA GOT TWO WEEKS AFTER FINALS, YA GOT A WEEK AT JULY 4, AND YA GOT A WEEK BEFORE CAMP STARTS, THAT'S A MONTH! THAT'S PROBABLY MORE VACATION THAN YOU GUYS GET! AND WE'RE A LITTLE BUMMED OUT THAT WE DON'T GET THREE WEEKS? Go play intramurals, brother, go play intramurals."
Rome would often ask rhetorical questions whenever this rant was reset ont he show, such as "What division are we talking about?" The very beginning of the rant is found in the Mix.
Come after Me, I'm a Man, I'm 40-It would normally be easy to talk about football following a key win. But that's what Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy did not do following a thrilling 49-45 win over Texas Tech. Instead, he went into a tirade directed at a reporter for the Daily Oklahoman, Jenni Carlson, who Gundy thought was demeaning one of his quarterbacks, Bobby Reid. Included are two major lines from the rant, "Come after me, I'm a man, I'm 40!" and also the emphasis on which Gundy said, "FAT!" during another part of the interview. "FAT!" is often a soundbyte that is played several times during a show.
Whining Little Babies-During his tenure as the head coach of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, Larry Robinson spoke out on the growing practice in the NHL of flopping on minor contact. Part of Robinson's quote was as follows, "We've got a few pffffft...whining little babies in this league who don't want to get touched."
Leave it to Beaver-When Pete Gillen was coaching Virginia's basketball team, he was asked one year about Duke's basketball team and his response was this, "Certainly Duke is Duke, they're on TV more than Leave it to Beaver reruns." Rome often impersonates Gillen's heavy accent when resetting this soundbyte.
Knock it Off-When Charger rookie Ryan Leaf got off to a rough start in his rookie year, he became next to impossible to get an interview with. Following one particular miserable performance in which he was benched, Leaf screamed at one particular reporter, "Don't talk to me, all right? Knock it off!"
Howard Dean and John L. Smith, Separated at Birth?-Rome has often mocked Howard Dean's infamous rally speech following the 2004 Iowa caucuses, in which Dean finished his speech with the following, "and then we're going to Washington DC to take back the White House! YEAAAAAAAAAAH!" Then, in October 2005, following a botched field goal which led to an Ohio State touchdown near halftime, former Michigan State coach John L. Smith let loose with an extensive rant, capped with the following, "The players are playing their tails off, and the coaches are screwing it up!" Rome often plays the two sooundbytes closely together and both are featured in the Mix.
Boom Outta Here-Following a game in late August 2007 in which Phillies pitcher Brett Myers gave up a 9th inning lead, he was interviewed by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Sam Carchiti, who Myers called a "retard" and claimed Carchiti was filling in for someone. In response to Carchiti's statement, "You are classy I tell ya," Myers said, "Boom, outta here, you f***king idiot." Rome said that the soundbyte is getting better every time he hears it, but it isn't the best.
We Talkin Bout Practice-Following the Sixers' elimination from the 2002 NBA Playoffs, Iverson let loose with one of the most famous rants in sports history, which is as follows...
"I mean listen, we talkin' 'bout practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talkin' 'bout practice. Not a game, not a, not a, not the game that I go out there and die for, and play every game like it's my last. Not the game. We talkin' 'bout practice, man. I mean how silly is that? We talkin' bout practice. I know I'm supposed to be there, I know I'm supposed to lead by example. I know that, and I'm not shovin' it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know it's important, I do. I honestly do. But we talkin' 'bout practice, man. What are we talkin' 'bout? Practice?"
Rome has often called this the greatest soundbyte ever, and bits and pieces of it are included in the medley.
Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton-Rome often makes fun of his former colleague (the two both worked at AM 690 San Diego during the early 90s) with impressions during his show. Phrases such as "good night now" which were originally used by Hacksaw, are now a frequent part of the Jungle lexicon. One of Rome's other famous Hacksaw bits is "Have I given you enough to talk about?" which is also a part of the Mix, as is Rome's son Jake's version of "good night now."
Interviews[]
Mark Grace-Considered one of the best athletes ever to come on the show, this sure-fire Hall-of-Famer rose to Jungle legendary status with his take about "slumpbusters." Grace's take on slumpbusters was to find the "gnarliest, grossest chick you can find," and "just lay the wood to her." That last quote is in Alvin's Mix, and slump-busters are often reset on the show.
Steve Elkington-A veteran PGA player who has been on the Tour for years, Elkington often drops by to share his stories from the Tour. One of his quotes, often played on the show and a prominent one in the Mix, is "we ssee cat, mate."
Isiah Thomas and Chucky Brown-On Rome's first television show The Last Word, Rome interviewed former NBA player Chucky Brown, also a former CBA player, on the differences between the NBA and CBA. Brown would often say that players got very little meal money in the CBA and would often eat at fast food restaurants, while in the NBA players could afford to "go to Red Lobster, get you a nice meal." Then, Isiah Thomas came on the show, and following Rome's greeting, Isiah said, "My pleasure. I just got back from Red Lobster." Rome has added his own impersonations of Thomas to this soundbyte, such as "I just got found liable of sexual harrassment," "I just got back from a 45 point beatdown by the Celtics," and "I just got back from settling my sexual harrassment suit for 11.5 mil."