Best Sports Broadcast Personality

After a few weeks of working across from Jim Moore on the P-I sports desk in the late '80s, I couldn’t help but think ''This guy should be on the radio!'' Now he is, partnering with one of the Northwest’s most recognizable and distinctive voices, former Sonics play-by-play man Kevin Calabro, as the afternoon drive-time centerpiece of a 710 ESPN lineup that has been a game-changer in Seattle's sports-radio wars. With a natural passion for all (well, most) things sportsâ€"enhanced, not dimmed, by the grind of more than three decades spent covering and writing about themâ€"Moore has retained the ability to see things from an everyfan's perspective, and shares their concerns. Unlike some local sports personalities, he's not a know-it-all, and doesn’t need to constantly tell listeners what he thinks. He makes no attempt to hide his flaws and foibles, celebrating them instead, with a candor and self-effacing humor that's rare in the buttoned-down, image-conscious, consultant-driven world of broadcast media. And he's not afraid to ask tough questionsâ€"he's a journalist, not a shill. He's also a vocal, unapologetic Cougar in a Husky town, who takes particular delight in sticking it to the powers that be on the local sports scene. Disagree with him? Sure. But Moore won’t bore you. MICHAEL MAHONEY