A big gulp of an energy drink.

Or a big helping of Hacksaw.

"This is Lee Hamilton, and I want to talk sports with you,'' the familiar voice boomed from the car radio.

Hacksaw, the background noise for countless San Diego afternoons, was ricocheting off the vehicle's interior soon after sunrise. So, for me, it was time to set the dial to XX 1090 AM.

"I can still bring the heat,'' Hamilton said.

With hosts Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith on vacation, Hamilton was singing to the Starbucks crowd. By his gauge, the man who started here in 1987 on The Mighty 690 was as espresso-strong as ever.

"I am hitting .488 as a pinch-hitter,'' Hamilton bragged. "I am Smokey Burgess, I am Manny Mota, I am Jerry Lynch. I am bleeping brilliant.''

Ah, typical Hacksaw. A tad over the top, combined with a smidgen of truth and a whole lot of fun.

"I hope you are enjoying it,'' he told listeners. "I know we are.''

Hacksaw isn't without his detractors, and it's easy to see why. He rubs some the wrong way; his direction is often skewed by long-held grudges.

But there is something appealing about him calling Chargers Park "The Fortress" or players looking for new teams "street free agents." Or someone not just being cut but "punched in the nose and kicked to the curb."

There is also the encyclopedic sports knowledge he reveals when citing the third lines on NHL squads. Or taking area teams to task for stinking. Or jostling with callers ---- when they do or don't call.

"Rancho Penasquitos, pick up the phone!" he shouts. "Oceanside, what do you have to say?"

The anti-Hacksaw clan cites his practice of presenting canned interviews as live; his not knowing receivers' names when he worked as the Chargers' play-by-play man. Or the oversized ego inside his noggin, which is covered by a batch of hair that prompts some to call him the Fifth Beatle.

Hamilton shrugs. It comes with the business, which he has been in since the early 1970s.

"The radio/TV columnists think it is their duty to take shots,'' Hamilton said. "But I don't live in a negative world. There will always be critics out there, and it doesn't matter to me. My response is, 'Thanks for listening.'

"Some take shots because I mispronounce a name. OK, how many words are spoken in a four-hour show? The guys that criticize me on a consistent basis have an agenda; there is some jealously. I live with what is going on live and comment on it.''

Hacksaw urges people to dial in on three connections he has long pimped: first-time caller, long-time listener; I hate Hacksaw; and the always popular ladies line.

On a recent morning, Padres manager Bud Black was on the other end. Of course, Hacksaw had solutions for what ails the woeful Padres.

"I'm a talk-show host,'' he said. "I'm never off-base.''

He tried picking off Black with questions, but the savvy skipper knew better. Black, a Rancho Santa Fe resident, has long had Hacksaw filling his ears and he wasn't biting.

"When you are done managing, you want to be a talk-show host?'' Hacksaw asked.

"Lee, I've listened to you for a long time,'' Black said, "and I don't think I can match you, brother.''

Few can, and that makes Hacksaw's schtick such a gas.

"The week has gone excellent, and we are very pleased at what Hacksaw has done,'' said Jack Evans, XX's vice president of programming. "He has not lost a beat since he was last on the radio.''

While the Internet has minimized the relevance of Hacksaw's "headlines off the high-speed sports wire," his delivery and voice inflection still make it entertaining.

A foot injury to Rockets center Yao Ming is pumped as a "horrific story out of Houston.'' With the NHL, there is a "huge rumor coming out of Canada.'' There is this and that, all done in Hacksaw's rat-a-tat style.

"You just heard the best 15 minutes of radio there is anywhere,'' he crows. "Now it's time to unlock these phone lines. From San Diego downtown to the border, to the east in Imperial Valley. Where are you and what would you like to talk about? Agree or disagree, I don't give a damn. I want to hear what you have to say.''

Hacksaw had grown silent ---- locally ---- since his contract at XTRA Sports 1360 expired last October. He had a gig with Sirius Radio arranged, and then the economy went south and the job market soured.

Since, he has latched on with XM Radio, doing weekend baseball shows, and he'll call NFL games this season for Compass Media Networks. He also writes a column for San Diego News Network.

But his love is talking sports, and I would love hearing him yap again in San Diego. And it might just happen.

"I'd like for Lee to be part of our team here at 1090,'' Evans said.

Here, there or anywhere, there is only one Hacksaw.

And despite the early hour, we sign off in typical Hacksaw fashion: Good night, now!