Tony Reali has had dream jobs before.
As a student at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, Reali grabbed a student-radio station (WFUV) microphone and covered his beloved Yankees. He became ‘Stat Boy’ on arguably the greatest sports television program ever, ‘Pardon The Interruption.’ Of course, Reali made his own mark on the industry host as host of ‘Around The Horn’ over the past two decades.
But with the ‘ATH’ closing for business May 23, Reali is searching for the next dream job. He hasn’t publicly announced anything yet. But he’s been on the search for a bit since ESPN decided to remove ‘Horn’ from its daily lineup.
People close to Reali, whose contract lasts until August, have asked him what he’s expecting May 24 to be like. He understands he’s given a lot to show – as in his entire heart, every day, for more than 20 years.
“I’m not worried in the least,” Reali told USA TODAY Sports. “I have lots of ideas.’
Reali recognizes he operates from a different playbook than the traditional sportscaster. He’s the type of person who wants to create, invent and ‘cook a little bit with the Reali sauce’ as he put it. He wants his content to be attached to doing the biggest games but also wants to enjoy the modern media landscape that opens up the possibility of ownership over that content.
Reali loves game shows and children and kids shows. That could be a potential avenue.
‘I have a lot of interests, and more energy than interests,’ he said. ‘And I’m happy and I’m hungry.’
As a host, Reali came across as somebody who didn’t interject much opinion and was responsible for keeping the show moving. He wants to show that he can be kind and also mix it up without being a doormat.
The Final Horn: Why sports TV will never be the same without ‘Around the Horn’
Reali had a system of trying to make panelists forget they were about to do live (to tape) TV. The method was inspired by Cesar Millan, of ‘Dog Whisperer’ fame. His other muses were Regis Philbin and Anthony Bourdain, and he combined some of their style with his ‘outer-borough charm.’
“You’ll find out the person who needed to be muted all along was the host,” Reali, 46, said.
Reali floated the idea of obtaining the technology to conduct ‘Around The Horn’ with fans of the show from his home and through a personal website – kind of like a ‘Cameo’ for sports debates.
“I’m so grateful, as I said,’ Reali said. ‘I think everyone needs to recognize things go away because they have to go away, because there’s more to grow. And I’m not going anywhere. My goal is to connect with viewers, as we always have, in an energetic and fun way. More smiles to come.”