Of XX Sports 1090’s new drivetime duo Jordan Smith (aka Jordan from Downtown) and Irwin Earl Milan (aka ATL Earl), station CEO John Lynch optimistically (and incorrectly) cites Jim Rome, J.T. The Brick, Mike North and Mike & The Mad Dog as radio neophytes who shot to sports yack stardom.  The North Country Times’ John Maffei, however, insists “the folks who run XX have lost their minds.”

They might be nice people. But they shouldn’t be on the radio. They scream. They yell. They butcher the English language.

Jordan is a New Yorker who is in the restaurant business. The 1090 press release says “he has been an avid listener of XX.” He’s also ill-informed and obnoxious.

ATL Earl served in the Marines as a drill instructor at both Paris Island and MCRD in San Diego. For that, I salute him. He apparently works a mean BBQ and could break me in two with a nod. But he’s not a radio talk-show host.

Honestly, has Lynch listened to these guys? Calling it the worst show on radio would be an understatement. And 1090 is putting them on in drive time.

It tells me that Hal Brown and Lynch couldn’t come to an agreement with Lee Hamilton. It tells me this is a desperation move at a time when ratings and ad sales are in the toilet. It tells me listeners will be sampling XTRA Sports 1360 and the pressure will be on Jeff Dotseth, Mike Costa and Josh Rosenberg to deliver a good show. It tells me Kentera will have to pick up the pieces at night, cleaning up the mess that is Jordan and Earl —- if listeners come back to Kentera’s show.

This hiring is a disgrace, an insult to the intelligence of the San Diego audience.

The San Diego Union Tribune’s Jay Posner seems to concur, saying of XX’s “Bleacher Bums”, “there are so many things wrong with the decision to put them on the air every weekday, I’m not sure where to start.”

Oh, wait, I know: They’re terrible. Horrible. Awful. I mean, I listened to one segment this week, maybe 10 minutes, and my ears hurt “ literally. It was like two people had invaded my earphones and were just yelling at me, nonstop. Why would anyone subject themselves to that, especially when there’s no payoff? There’s no insight, no information, nothing.

You know, there’s a reason callers are limited to a minute or two. But these guys are getting four hours. Every day.