It would be the height of understatement to say former “Around The Horn” / ESPN1050 host Max Kellerman is a tad unpopular with some segment of sports fans in general and boxing enthusiasts in particular. However, there’s something rather dramatic about Kellerman achiving the ranking of The Worst LA-Based Talk Show host from The LA TImes’ Tom Hoffarth earlier this week, when Max has been on the job at 710AM for fewer than 10 working days.

In the couple of weeks since this piece of work was recruited to butt out Andrew Siciliano and Mychal Thompson, Kellerman shows all the migraine-inducing signs of rubbing Southern California listeners every which wrong way with no happy ending. The rat-a-tat-tatter New York transplant who has the unique inability to slow down and pronounce his own name has to realize this local listening base isn’t full of pent-up complainers who need an outlet or someone to commiserate with. Name recognition might have gotten him here, and a game plan to be a polarizing force might force the issue. But all that might do is counteract whatever energy, sports smarts and wise cracking he has to offer. Listeners will disengage in an L.A. minute, unless M.T. comes back or Marcellus Wiley is signed to dilute the toxicity. Otherwise, we expect to keep hearing things from his colleagues like: “Max is the best thing we have at the station ” and he’ll be the first to tell you that.