Tony Reali, host of ESPN’s Around the Horn and ‘Stat Boy’ on PTI, joins the show to talk about going from a researcher at the WWL to hosting his own show.  How does that happen?

We talk about his beloved Yankees and being from New York but growing up in Jersey. We also touch on his time at Fordham with Lakers announcer Spero Dedes. Some crew that must have been.

We discuss his relationship with Kornheiser and Wilbon, and how much he owes them for his career. We also discuss why PTI works so well, and if he feels that translates to ATH.

What is his relationship with Max Kellerman, and does he think Kellerman is holding a voodoo doll of him, waiting for the right time?

We talk more ATH, including how the show has been different since he became host and how the topics are selected for each day’s discussion. Is a panelist ever given the side of a topic they don’t really agree with?

We talk about ATH as a breeding ground – a triple-A affiliate – for ESPN.com and SportsCenter.  With many ESPN writers being hired after regular appearances on ATH, I wanted to get his reaction to that claim and get his thoughts on people using that job as a job interview.

Yes, we talk Mariotti. Reali has some strong thoughts on the maligned pundit.  Oh, and why not have a bloggers week on ATH?

Last, what does the future hold for Reali? Will Stat Boy ever become Stat Man?