Courtesy Reno Gazette Journal

(May 11, 2009) Two years ago, Ben Deach and Chris Ciarlo sat in the Wolf Pack Radio studio doing a sports-talk show few people ever heard.

It wasn't that the show was bad. It was simply that not many people cranked the radio dial up to 1700 AM, where the show aired through a weak signal.

A couple short years later, the duo is making local talk show history by having its show expand to two hours (the first time in Reno history a local sports show has received a two-hour slot).

Starting Monday -- almost a year to the day of the show's debut on Fox Sports 1450 AM -- "The Ben and Chris Show" will run from noon-2 p.m. live from Scheels. The inaugural guest on the two-hour show will be Nevada basketball coach David Carter.

Here is a little more about "The Ben and Chris Show," in the form of a Q&A.

Q: What is the best part about having your own radio show?

Chris Ciarlo: We get to have fun and act like a couple of guys sitting on the couch pounding potato chips, drinking beers and just debating sports and most importantly, we get paid for it!

Ben Deach: The fact that I get to go to a job every day that I love doing is the second best thing. The best part is that we have listeners that enjoy the show and that listening to it makes their day at least a little bit better.

Q: What makes your show different than any other?

CC: Our show is not just a sports show. We talk about whatever the community is discussing on a given day. Plus, even though we graduated from UNR, we aren't Pack homers. We will say what we truly feel. My job is to have an opinion, and I always do.

BD: Obviously our show centers around Reno sports, but the philosophy I continue to operate with is that the most important thing in sports broadcasting is to incorporate things that have nothing to do with sports -- and we do that. Combine that philosophy with a vast collection of sound bites and an up-tempo pace and you get a show unlike any other.

Q: Both of you also have done play-by-play: Who is the best play-by-play announcer of all-time and why?

CC: Wow ... this is a tough one but, for television I would say Joe Buck. Joe Buck does a great job of setting up what the viewer is watching and making that memorable call during the climax. He doesn't over-call, he lets the picture tell the story.

BD: Hard not to say Vin Scully, but if you're asking me I'll take Jon Miller. He is the greatest storyteller on the planet. His descriptions of the game are impeccable. His ability to transition from TV to radio is second to none. And he has a great sense of humor, something that is always needed to break up the monotony of a baseball game.

Q: Best sport ever invented is?"

CC: I would say James Naismith was a genius. I love the ebb and flow of a basketball game. There isn't a dull moment.

BD: NFL football. The league does everything right, especially when it comes to leaving you wanting more. While I can understand why other sports play as many games as they do, it seems that less is always more in sports. Football succeeds because there is a week to get excited about the game and for the media to hype it up. Consistency is also very important. Always having the games on Sunday afternoon helps with the NFL's appeal.

Q: Who is your favorite Wolf Pack player (current or past) to watch? Why?

CC: Is this a trick question? Obviously, I have to go with my brother and I mean it. Call me biased or whatever you want, but watching David Ciarlo turn the double play was a thing of beauty. He competed, he preserved and he had fun doing it. Plus, he could hit a home run and I never did. Dude puts a smile on my face.

BD: Dellena Criner. She led her team in scoring three straight years while being one of the best defensive point guards in America. She also leaves Nevada as the all-time steals leader. It remains hard to imagine that Nevada was the only university to seriously attempt to recruit her. Despite all of that, the best thing about Dellena remains her as a person. Very smart. Very humble. I feel privileged to know her.

Q: This is a family newspaper, but what is your adult beverage of choice?

CC: Although Ben Deach hates it, Blue Moon any day of the week and don't forget the orange slices ... notice that was plural.

BD: The most important thing here is to avoid beer. I'm just not a beer guy. I'm going to get ripped for this, but I'll take Hypnotic mixed with 7 Up.

Q: Who wins the season-opening Nevada-Notre Dame football game, and what's the score?

CC: Notre Dame, although I believe it will be a shootout. ND 42-35. See, I'm not a homer!

BD: Notre Dame is no longer the independent powerhouse it once was. I would actually be in favor of getting them to join the WAC and call it the WAC-10, but that's beside the point. With the running game the Wolf Pack has and Colin Kaepernick having another year of experience under his belt, I think Nevada can win this game. I'll take the Pack by a score 31-28.

Q: If you could be one athlete, who would it be and why?

CC: I would be LeBron James. He is young, he is the most talented and he has a brain to go with it.

BD: Tiger Woods. I would love to know how it feels to have to worry about reading the green when you are sitting 250 yards away.

Additional Facts
Local sports radio shows
"The Ben and Chris Show" on 1450 AM, weekdays, noon-2 p.m.
"The Biggest Little Sports Show with Don Marchand" on 630 AM, weekdays, noon-1 p.m.
"Pit Lane" on 630 AM, Saturdays, 10-11 a.m. (motor sports show)
"Inside The Cage" on 1450 AM, Wednesdays, 4- 5 p.m. (mixed martial arts show)
"Sports Junkie" on 1700 AM, Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m.