Smack-off Power Rankings |
Who is the best caller of all time? Nobody! But at least you can search all Smack-off participants by year and try to make a case for anyone, even Silk Brah.
Try it out: Smack-off Rankings

Scoring System:
1st (200 pts),
2nd (100 pts),
3rd (70 pts),
4th (50 pts),
5th (40 pts),
6th (30 pts),
7th (20 pts),
8th (20 pts),
9th (10 pts),
10th (10 pts),
Participation (5 pts)
|
|
Smack-off Results |
1995
1. J.T. the Brick,
2. Adam in Pacific Beach,
3. Chip the Chowd,
4. Jeffrey E. DiTolla,
5. Dave the Mayor of Poway,
6. Steve Carbone,
7. William in San Diego,
8. Dave in Irvine,
9. Tom Tolbert,
10. Darrell in Georgia
1996
1. Jeffrey E. DiTolla,
2. Doc Mike DiTolla,
3. Iafrate,
4. Terence in Sierra Madre,
5. Greg the Cockroach,
6. Rich in Anaheim Hills,
7. Voz in Omaha,
8. Steve Carbone,
9. Dave in Irvine,
10. Scrooge
1997
1. Doc Mike DiTolla,
2. Iafrate,
3. Steve Carbone,
4. Terence in Sierra Madre,
5. Greg the Cockroach,
6. Screaming Mike in Vegas,
7. Dean in Huntington Beach,
8. Lisa in Green Bay,
9. John in Syracuse,
10. Silk in Huntington Beach
1998
1. Steve Carbone,
2. Iafrate,
3. Gino in San Antonio,
4. Sean the Cablinasian,
5. Doc Mike DiTolla,
6. Kerwin in Riverside,
7. Lisa in Green Bay,
8. Jeffrey E. DiTolla,
9. Bobby in Brooklyn,
10. Terence in Sierra Madre
1999
1. Sean the Cablinasian,
2. Kerwin in Riverside,
3. Doc Mike DiTolla,
4. Iafrate,
5. Tom Tolbert,
6. Greg in Vegas,
7. Steve Carbone,
8. Dean in Huntington Beach,
9. Boston Phinn,
10. Terence in Sierra Madre
2000
1. Doc Mike DiTolla,
2. Sean the Cablinasian,
3. Dan in D.C.,
4. Steve Carbone,
5. Dean in Huntington Beach,
6. Kerwin in Riverside,
7. Greg in Vegas,
8. Iafrate,
9. Terence in Sierra Madre,
10. Gino in San Antonio
2001
1. Silk in Huntington Beach,
2. Steve Carbone,
3. Gino in San Antonio,
4. Doc Mike DiTolla,
5. Iafrate,
6. Terence in Sierra Madre,
7. Sean the Cablinasian,
8. Jim in Fall River,
9. Dean in Huntington Beach,
10. Jay Mohr
2002
1. Jeff from Richmond,
2. Iafrate,
3. Jim in Fall River,
4. Steve Carbone,
5. Doc Mike DiTolla,
6. Matt in Denver,
7. Sean the Cablinasian,
8. Irie Craig,
9. Silk in Huntington Beach,
10. Greg in Vegas
2003
1. Sean the Cablinasian,
2. Greg in Vegas,
3. Joe in the O.C.,
4. Dan in D.C.,
5. Otis in Austin,
6. Jim in Fall River,
7. Willie in Kansas City,
8. Terence in Sierra Madre,
9. Silk in Huntington Beach,
10. Steve in Chicago
2004
1. Iafrate,
2. Sean the Cablinasian,
3. Terence in Sierra Madre,
4. Trapper in Dana Point,
5. Joe in the O.C.,
6. Greg in Vegas,
7. Doc Mike DiTolla,
8. Casey in Vegas,
9. Irie Craig,
10. Mike in Orlando
2005
1. Sean the Cablinasian,
2. Iafrate,
3. Terence in Sierra Madre,
4. Rachel in Houston,
5. Steve Carbone,
6. Casey in Vegas,
7. Joe in the O.C.,
8. Bill in Knoxville,
9. Greg in Vegas,
10. Oliver in St. Louis
2006
1. Sean the Cablinasian,
2. Greg in Vegas,
3. Joe in the O.C.,
4. Iafrate,
5. Rachel in Houston,
6. Terence in Sierra Madre,
7. Bill in Knoxville,
8. Steve Carbone,
9. Jeff on a Carphone in Phoenix,
10. Jeff from Richmond
2007
1. Sean the Cablinasian,
2. Joe in the O.C.,
3. Greg in Vegas,
4. Iafrate,
5. Terence in Sierra Madre,
6. Steve Carbone,
7. Jay Mohr,
8. Jeff from Richmond,
9. Trapper in Dana Point,
10. Oren in Denver
2008
1. Iafrate,
2. Doc Mike DiTolla,
3. Joe in the O.C.,
4. Steve Carbone,
5. Terence in Sierra Madre,
6. Jay Mohr,
7. Greg in Vegas,
8. Silk in Huntington Beach,
9. Jeff from Richmond,
10. Casey in Vegas
2009
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Mike in Indy,
3. Vic in NoCal,
4. Greg in Vegas,
5. Iafrate,
6. Trapper in Dana Point,
7. Josh in Grand Rapids,
8. Rachel in Houston,
9. Terence in Sierra Madre,
10. Jay Mohr
2010
1. Vic in NoCal,
2. Mike in Indy,
3. Doc Mike DiTolla,
4. Joe in the O.C.,
5. Iafrate,
6. Jay Mohr,
7. Terence in Sierra Madre,
8. Brad in Corona,
9. Dan in D.C.,
10. Trapper in Dana Point
2011
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Steve Carbone,
3. Iafrate,
4. Vic in NoCal,
5. Dan in D.C.,
6. Jay Mohr,
7. Mike in Indy,
8. Mike in San Diego,
9. Israel in L.A.,
10. Joe in the O.C.
2012
1. Chael Sonnen,
2. Mike in Indy,
3. Iafrate,
4. Vic in NoCal,
5. Doc Mike DiTolla,
6. Mark in Hollywood,
7. Brad in Corona,
8. Dan in D.C.,
9. Dave in St. Louis,
10. Trapper in Dana Point
2013
1. Mark in Hollywood,
2. Steve Carbone,
3. Vic in NoCal,
4. Mike in Indy,
5. Chael Sonnen,
6. Joe in the O.C.,
7. Dan in D.C.,
8. Jason in Fullerton,
9. Mike in Wichita,
10. Dave in St. Louis
2014
1. Mike in Indy / Chael Sonnen,
2. Mark in Hollywood,
3. Brad in Corona,
4. Vic in NoCal,
5. Steve Carbone
2015
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Mike in Indy / Chael Sonnen,
3. Kaleb in Green Bay,
4. Mark in Hollywood,
5. Leff in Laguna
2016
1. Leff in Laguna,
2. Mike in Indy,
3. Iafrate,
4. Mark in Hollywood,
5. Mark in Boston,
6. Vic in NoCal,
7. Chad in LA,
8. Chael Sonnen,
9. Kaleb in Green Bay,
10. Brad in Corona
2017
1. Leff in Laguna,
2. Mike in Indy,
3. Jeff Passan,
4. Mark in Hollywood,
5. Benny in Wisco,
6. Kaleb in Green Bay,
7. Mark in Boston,
8. Chael Sonnen,
9. Vic in NoCal,
10. Trapper in Dana Point
2018
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Steve Carbone,
3. Leff in Laguna,
4. Mike in Indy,
5. Benny in Wisco,
6. Mark in Hollywood,
7. Rick in Buffalo,
8. Kaleb in Green Bay,
9. Vic in NoCal,
10. Matt in Vancouver
2019
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Rick in Buffalo,
3. Kaleb in Green Bay,
4. Sean the Cablinasian,
5. Mike in Indy,
6. Leff in Laguna,
7. Benny in Wisco,
8. Dan in Denver,
9. Jason Stewart,
10. Damon Amendolara
2020
1. Leff in Laguna,
2. Brad in Corona,
3. Benny in Wisco,
4. Jeff from Richmond,
5. Mike in Indy,
6. Iafrate,
7. Sean the Cablinasian,
8. Mark in Hollywood,
9. Steve Carbone,
10. Kaleb in Green Bay
2021
1. Brad in Corona,
2. Vic in Nocal,
3. Sean the Cablinasian,
4. Benny in Wisco,
5. Kaleb in Green Bay,
6. Leff in Laguna,
7. Rick in Buffalo,
8. Mark in Boston,
9. Mark in Hollywood,
10. Jeff in Southfield
2022
1. Kaleb in Green Bay
2. Iafrate
3. Vic in Nocal
4. Brad in Corona
5. Sean the Cablinasian
6. Rick in Buffalo
7. Leff in Laguna
8. James in Portland
9. Mark in Hollywood
10. Benny in Wisco
|
|
|
Jim Rome Smack-off Background |
Smack-off History
The Smack-off is an annual competition on The Jim Rome Show, held in mid-to-late spring and which takes up the entire program on a Friday. The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Show host Jim Rome has referred to the Smack-off as the most important show of the entire year.
The Smack-off began in 1995 while The Jim Rome Show was still on local radio, but has continued into syndication. To date, twelve Smack-offs have been held, the last on May 5, 2006, won by (now) four-time champion Sean "the Cablinasian" (a.k.a. Sean from Houston).
According to Rome, the idea for the Smack-off came after an extended period of mediocre to outright horrible calls to the show. Rome and show producer Travis Rodgers got together to talk about the lack of good callers, and Rome voiced the opinion that he would like to be able to pick and choose who could call the show. Rodgers felt that this would not be feasible on a daily basis but could work for one day, which Rome agreed would work.
How the Smack-off works
Invitations to the Smack-off are attained in two fashions. The first is for recognition for a caller's body of work on the show: multiple "awards" of the Huge Call of the Day (a show-ending playback of what Rome has selected as the best call of the show), a history of consistently good calls, or as a reward for an especially exceptional call. The second is in the form of a "lifetime exemption." Previous winners are automatically invited every year, regardless of how often (or even if) they call the show. J.T. the Brick, for instance, has not called for many years but still is invited to participate. Sean "the Cablinasian," once a regular caller, flaunts the fact that he now only calls the show to participate in the Smack-off.
Rome admits that the invitation process for non-winners is totally subjective, and that he can offer invitations for any reason, or no reason at all. Rome also will threaten to deny invitations to previous invitees who have not called the show for an extended period of time, and some callers are considered to be "on the bubble" in the weeks before the Smack-off. These callers must prove that they deserve invitations or they will not be invited. During the time between the official announcement of the date of the Smack-off and the event itself, Rome will begin announcing callers who have secured invitations and those callers who are "on the bubble." The show's website often has polls asking for listener opinions on who should or should not have been invited; however, polling results do not directly affect the field.
For the Smack-off, Rome almost completely breaks show format. No interviews are scheduled, and Rome offers no takes of his own. On the day of the event, Rome explains the history of the Smack-off, repeats the list of invitees, and warns those invited that invitation does not guarantee participation, then begins taking calls. It is not known whether or not Rome picks and chooses which calls to take or if he takes calls in the order they come in, but callers on hold when Rome announces the top 10 callers do not get to participate. Usually, the first hour's callers begin at about 15 to 20 minutes into the show. The second hour is dedicated to calls, and the third hour's calls stop at about the bottom of the hour, allowing Rome to name the top 10, replay the winning call, and hold a short interview with the winner. During the contest, Rome will read e-mails from listeners commenting on the calls, and offer brief comments of his own.
Callers are expected to follow the general guidelines for calls to the show, and are as susceptible to being run (cut off) as if a normal show was airing (see The Jim Rome Show for details). Rome also stipulates that while there is no set time limit for calls, he expects callers to finish their takes within roughly 5 minutes. Rome noted this during Smack-off 2006, when caller Orrin in Denver was run in the middle of his call, which Rome predicted would've taken 9 to 10 minutes to finish.
Over the history of the Smack-off, first-time invitees have generally not fared well, but exceptions occur, such as Joe in the O.C. and Casey in Vegas, who have become consistent invitees. Several callers from the "So-Cal" area of California are also long-time invitees, including Silk in Huntington Beach, Terence in Sierra Madre, Trapper in Dana Point, and Irie Craig.
|
Past Smack-off Winners |
No. |
Date |
Winner |
I |
April 14, 1995 |
J.T. the Brick |
II |
April 5, 1996 |
Jeffrey E. "Esquire" DiTolla |
III |
April 4, 1997 |
"Doc" Mike DiTolla |
IV |
April 10, 1998 |
Stevie Carbone from LMU |
V |
April 2, 1999 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
VI |
April 28, 2000 |
"Doc" Mike DiTolla |
VII |
May 4, 2001 |
Silk in Huntington Beach |
VIII |
April 19, 2002 |
Jeff from Richmond |
IX |
June 21, 2003 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
X |
April 16, 2004 |
"Iafrate" Ken Chasen in Los Angeles |
XI |
May 6, 2005 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
XII |
May 5, 2006 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
XIII |
May 4, 2007 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
XIV |
April 25, 2008 |
"Iafrate" Ken Chasen in Los Angeles |
XV |
May 8, 2009 |
Brad in Corona |
XVI |
April 23, 2010 |
Vic in NoCal |
XVII |
April 8, 2011 |
Brad in Corona |
XVIII |
May 18, 2012 |
Chael Sonnen |
XIX |
June 14, 2013 |
Mark in Hollywood |
XX |
June 27, 2014 |
Mike in Indy / Chael Sonnen |
XXI |
June 26, 2015 |
Brad in Corona |
XXII |
July 1, 2016 |
Leff in Laguna |
XXIII |
July 28, 2017 |
Leff in Laguna |
XXIV |
July 20, 2018 |
Brad in Corona |
XXV |
June 21, 2019 |
Brad in Corona |
XXVI |
June 19, 2020 |
Leff in Laguna |
XXVII |
June 25, 2021 |
Brad in Corona |
XXVIII |
June 24, 2022 |
Kaleb in Green Bay |
|
Multiple Smack-off Winners |
No. |
Winner |
6 |
Brad in Corona |
5 |
Sean the Cablinasian |
3 |
Leff in Laguna |
2 |
"Doc" Mike DiTolla |
2 |
"Iafrate" Ken Chasen in Los Angeles |
2 |
Chael Sonnen |
|
|