Around the Horn: The Final Win Totals

Yesterday was the final episode of Around the Horn on ESPN, which began on November 4, 2002. Originally hosted by Max Kellerman, and then from February 2, 2004 onward by Tony Reali, it started out as sports' answer to The McLaughlin Group, and became something more insightful and more beloved.

The show ran for a little over 21 years, with over 5,000 episodes. Of those, 4,953 were hosted by Reali. As was pointed out, that was more shows than were hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer or David Letteerman -- and Reali is only 46 years old.

Here are the final win totals:

1. Woody Paige, 688 (Tony symbolically bumped him up to 700)

2. Tim Cowlishaw, 551

3. Bill Plaschke, 428

4. Kevin Blackistone, 386 (1st among nonwhite panelists)

5. J.A. Adande, 339

6. Jay Mariotti, 329

7. Jackie MacMullan, 259 (1st among women)

8. Israel Gutierrez, 228

9. Bob Ryan, 224

10. Frank Isola, 192

11. Bomani Jones, 160

12. Pablo S. Torre, 138.75

13. Michael Smith, 137

14. Clinton Yates, 135

15. Sarah Spain, 127

16. Mina Kimes, 89

17. Ramona Shelburne, 61

18. Courtney Cronin, 52

19. Harry Lyles Jr., 48

20. Jorge Sedano, 47.5

21. David Dennis Jr., 44

22. Emily Kaplan, 43

23. Kate Fagan, 42

24. Justin Tinsley, 41

25. Michael Holley, 34

26. Kevin Clark, 29

27. Jemele Hill, 23

28. Monica McNutt, 22

29. Elle Duncan, 19

30. Bill Barnwell, 19

31. Jim Armstrong, 18

32. Marcel Louis-Jacques, 17

33. Joon Lee, 10 out of 49

34. T.J. Simers, 10 out of 65

35. Gene Wojiechowski, 9

36. Jen Lada, 7

37. Charlie Pierce, 5 out of 13

38. Josh Elliott, 5 out of 23

39. Jon "Stugotz" Weiner, 4 out of 16

40. LZ Granderson, 4 out of 19

41. David Jacoby, 3 out of 5

42. Domonique Foxworth, 3 out of 8

43. Lindsey Thiry, 3 out of 11

44. Kimberley A. Martin, 2 out of 4

45. Adam Schefter, 2 out of 5

46. Tony Reali, 2 out of 7 before he was host

47. Martenzie Johnson, 2 out of 12

48. Christine Williamson, 1 out of 1

49. Malika Andrews, 1 out of 1

50. Bruce Arthur, 1 out of 1

51. Lil Wayne, 1 out of 1

52. Mark Cuban, 1 out of 1

53. Dianna Russini, 1 out of 4

54. Richard Justice, 1 out of 5

55. Bob Glauber, lost his only appearance

56. Andy Katz, lost his only appearance

57. Mark Kiszla, 0-for-2

58. Jean Jacques Taylor, 0-for-4

59. Ron Borges, 0-for-4

60. Dan Shanoff, 0-for-5

61. John Powers, 0-for-5

Most appearances: Paige, 2,965, to Cowlishaw's 2,114, Plaschke's 1,758 and Blackistone's 1,608. MacMullan's 891 was the most by a woman.

Best winning percentage, with at least 50 appearances: Kevin Clark, 31.5 percent, to Michael Smith's 30.3. Elle Duncan led women with 30.2.

Most points per show was won by a woman: Emily Kaplan, 23.7, to Jackie Mac's 23.0.

All of the current panelists, and several former panelists, were brought back to do one last "Face Time" on the final show, or, at least, during the final week. With a cloud still over him, Mariotti was not one of them. 

Where Yanks & Mets Stand After Splitting With Each Other

It's July 28, 2023. We are 112 games into a 162-game regular season. Just short of 70 percent. Where do the New York baseball teams stand?

This season, the Mets and an injury-plagued Yankees split 4 games. The Mets are 48-54, 17 games out of 1st place in the National League Eastern Division, and 7 games out of the last NL Playoff berth. The Yankees are 54-48, 8 games out of 1st place in the American League East, and 2 1/2 games out of the last AL Playoff berth.

Steve Cohen is the richest team owner in baseball, Met fans said. He's gonna spend us to a World Series win, they said. We're gonna be better than the Yankees, they said. We're taking over New York, they said.

Today, they traded reliever David Robertson, a former Yankee, to the Miami Marlins, for 2 minor-leaguers in Rookie League. The team with a $380 million payroll are sellers.

Who's next? Their elderly aces, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, have contracts bigger than their ages, and can't be moved. Of their top 7 hitters, 6 have what amount to no-trade clauses, and the 7th is Pete Alonso, the face of their team right now. They can't move any of those guys.

Are the Yankees a disappointment? Yes. Are they a failure? Yes. But, divided by preseason talk, the Mets are everything Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times said they were on today's ESPN (well, ESPN2) broadcast of Around the Horn: "Perhaps the biggest disappointment in baseball history. No team has ever spent more money than them, and they're the 5th-worst team in the National League. They're an embarrassment."

Tonight, Aaron Judge returns to the lineup for the 1st time since his toe injury in Los Angeles on June 3. They were 19-23 without him -- but only 35-25 with him. He can make a difference, all by himself -- but enough of one?

The next 10 games will likely tell the story for the rest of the season: 3 games away to the new 1st place team in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles; 3 games home to the former 1st place team, the team that dominated the 1st half, the Tampa Bay Rays; and 4 games home to the cheating Houston Astros.

Are you looking forward to this? Should I be? I can't answer the 1st question for you. I have my answer for the 2nd question.

November 4, 2002: "Around the Horn" Premieres On ESPN

November 4, 2002: Around the Horn premieres on ESPN, sort of a McLaughlin Group for sports. Max Kellerman hosts until January 30, 2004. Tony Reali has been the host and moderator since February 2, 2004.

Reali introduces topics, then lets each panelist have about a minute on them, giving points if he likes what they say, taking off points for not liking something. If a panelist had made a prediction that came out right, they get bonus points; if a prediction bombed, they get points taken off. Reali will also hit the MUTE button, an automatic 1-point deduction, for a panelist getting out of control, or just to "direct traffic" if everybody is talking at once.

Current regular panelists include:

* Woody Paige of the Colorado Springs Gazette, formerly the Denver Post.

* Bob Ryan, ESPN NBA analyst, formerly of The Boston Globe.

* Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.

* J.A. Adande, of ESPN and formerly of the Times

* Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News.

* Kevin Blackistone of The Washington Post, formerly of The Dallas Morning News.

* Israel Gutierrez and

* Bomani Jones, co-hosts of ESPN show Highly Questionable, both formerly of The Miami Herald.

* Pablo S. Torre, co-host with Jones of ESPN's High Noon.

* Frank Isola of The Athletic, formerly of the New York Daily News.

* Elle Duncan, co-anchor of ESPN's 6:00 PM SportsCenter broadcast.

* Mina Kimes, panelist on ESPN's NFL Live.

* Sarah Spain, co-host of ESPN Radio's Spain and Fitz.

* Jorge Sedano, ESPN NBA analyst.

* Emily Kaplan, ESPN's lead NHL reporter, formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

* Joon Lee, ESPN baseball analyst, formerly of the Boston Herald.

* Monica McNutt, ESPN college basketball analyst.

* Ramona Shelbourne, co-host of ESPN Radio's TMI with Beadle & Shelburne.

* Harry Lyles Jr., ESPN college football analyst.

* David Jacoby, co-host of ESPN Radio's Jalen & Jacoby.

* Malika Andrews, host of ESPN's NBA Jump.

* ESPN NFL analysts Courtney Cronin, Dianna Russini and Kimberley A. Martin.

* And writers for ESPN's The Undefeated: Clinton Yates, Justin Tinsley, David Dennis Jr., and former NFL player Domonique Foxworth.

Notable former panelists include Jackie MacMullan, Charlie Pierce, Michael Holley and Michael Smith, all formerly of The Boston Globe; T.J. Simers, formerly of the Los Angeles Times; Richard Justice, formerly of the Houston Chronicle; Jemele Hill, formerly of the Detroit Free Press; Kate Fagan, formerly of ESPN and the Philadelphia Inquirer; Jon Weiner, a.k.a. "Stugotz," who hosts an ESPN Radio show with Dan Le Batard; and, most controversially, Jay Mariotti of Fanhouse.com, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times, on nearly every episode until 2011, when he was fired following a domestic violence scandal.

The show does annual specials for April Fool's Day, where Reali switches with a panelist, who usually gives him a taste of his own medicine with the MUTE button; and Halloween, where the panelists, and sometimes even Reali, not only wear costumes, but answer questions in character.

As of the 20th Anniversary episode, November 4, 2022, Paige is the all-time leader in appearances, with 2,858, and in wins, with 650. Kimes holds the record for highest winning percentage, with a minimum of 200 appearances: 31.2 percent.

Woody on today's show.

Other win totals: Cowlishaw 514, Plaschke 409, Blackistone 357, Mariotti 329 (until his firing, he and Paige were neck-and-neck for the all-time lead for a few years), Adande 325, MacMullan 258, Ryan 211, Guiterrez 191, Jones 159, Isola 159, Smith 136, Spain 119, Torre 112, Yates 108, Kimes 67, Shelburne 50, Fagan 41, Sedano 29, Kaplan 26, Hill 22, Tinsley 19, Duncan 16, McNutt 12, Dennis 11, Lee 10, Lyles 10, Simers 10 (including the 1st episode), Cronin 6, Stugotz 4, Foxworth 3, Jacoby 3, Russini 1 and Andrews 1.