Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole: The Sports Guys - Part two!

Inside Television 546

Publication date: 3-25-11

By: Hubert O'Hearn

Our interview with SportsCentre hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole continues...

Jay and Dan ... the early years

How did the Legend of Producer Tim get started? What's he like: the man behind the Question Mark?

Jay Onrait: Dan gets credit for that one. He started talking about Tim during the show and it stuck. Tim is notoriously camera shy and so he will never be seen on television and that’s the way he wants it. Dan and Tim get into a lot of arguments about the show which are tremendously entertaining and fun for me. I actually started with Tim at TSN as a writer back in 1996… we were interns together… 15 years later we’re still basically interns but paid slightly more. Tim is our voice of reason and he basically keeps us from getting fired which we appreciate.

Dan O'Toole: You had to ask about Producer Tim didn't ya. Tim is our full time producer and is slowly trimming years off my life. If I say its sunny out, Tim would say there was partial cloud cover. We do not agree on much which probably helps the show as it gets us see both sides of an argument. Tim's main job is acting as our better judgment filter. If we write or say something a little out there, Tim will rein us in. We don't always agree, but when you are driving home and thinking about it, you usually end up agreeing we were best not saying what we really wanted to say. As for talking about Tim on the show, it just began happening. We had no set plan, he just began coming up in conversation on air, and we didn't get in trouble for it plus it kind of annoyed Tim, so we just continued doing it. Our bosses just made us promise that he would never be seen on camera, which he never will. Does he exist or is he really the Tyler Durden (Fight Club imaginary person) of our minds. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure myself.

How much of the comedy (e.g. the presentation of a Bob McKenzie poster) is scripted and how much just sheer instant inspiration?

Jay Onrait: It’s about half and half I think on a regular night. We write the ‘bits’ when we appear on-camera but most of the stuff we say over the hilites is ad-libbed. I think it’s a good combination. You don’t want to plan it too much but at the same time you don’t want to go completely off-script or it could be chaos.

Dan O'Toole: The thing that really works with our show, and that makes it fun, is the ad libbing we do. We make the same comments you and your buddies would make while sitting on the couch watching the highlights, its just we have mic's on... and are on TV.... wearing suits. Sports is a distraction for people, its entertainment. We know when to be serious and we know when to have fun. You hear from the odd person that says they want their sports without all the clowning around. We are sure to put those people in touch with Tim and they usually become best friends.

Television vs. the Internet. What can SportsCentre or TSN do that the Internet can't?

Jay Onrait: I think it’s at the point now where you have to have a connection to the personalities hosting the show. In fact, it’s probably always been like that… because even pre-internet you didn’t have to watch one specific show to get your sports hilites. I think we have done a pretty good job of creating a show that is both informative and entertaining. We realize the internet exists and that you don’t have to watch our show to get the hilites. Hopefully our show is entertaining enough that you can get all your hilites and maybe even be entertained along the way and possibly appalled.

Dan O'Toole: I am all for the internet but I don't get watching TV on it. If I am watching a show, I want it to be on a screen that is larger than an encyclopedia. (For those unsure, an encyclopedia was the original internet) The web brings you instant information. TV makes that information look pretty. 

Have you ever had to cut anything for the 3AM repeat because maybe a joke crossed the edge?

Jay Onrait: Actually one night I said the word “douchebag” to describe Jon Gosselin and the next day CTV sent out a memo to all its employees pointing out that ‘douchebag” was not an acceptable word to say on TV. I was pretty proud that day.

Dan O'Toole: This all goes back to Producer Tim and his 'voice of reason'. There have been to many instances to mention in which we say our goodbyes and Tim says in our ear "let's do that again". Our argument usually is that they say the same type of thing on late night TV, and he reminds us that our show airs in the morning. Blast that Tim and his voice of reason.

And finally...what's your favourite moment on SportsCentre?

Jay Onrait: The clip that comes to mind recently is “ANOTHER GAME FOR MILOS” … Milos Raonic was such a good sport to say it and of course we will play that clip until everyone gets sick of it. Which will be never.

I agree. Another Game for Milos will live forever! Be seeing you.