The Barley & Hops Sports Connection, which broadcasts live Tuesday nights at 9 at www.bhsportsconnection.com, stars Steve Beltz, Brad Garrett and Chris Robinson. According to Robinson, the show can take a real look at sports because it's broadcast on the Internet and not the radio, meaning they don't have to follow the restrictions of the Federal Communications Commission and can talk about bad plays, dropped balls and other athlete screw-ups, unfiltered.

"One of our mottos is that 'we say what other sports guys wish they could say,'" Robinson, 33, said.

The show debuted last fall, and was launched by Brad Garrett and Steve Beltz as a fun outlet for their friendly sports debates.

"Every time we got together, sports was affiliated with conversation," Beltz, 32, said. "I've been an avid sports fan and athlete myself growing up, and we decided to put something together."

Garrett built the Web site www.bhsportsconnection.com and set up the live broadcast through YouStreamLive. Beltz came up with the name for the show, with the hosts taking on the personas of Steve "Hops McGee" Beltz and Brad "Barley" Garrett.

Both guys brought a wealth of sports knowledge and were fans of different teams. Beltz is a Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes fan, while Garrett, 39, cheers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Florida State Seminoles.

"Right now we're really covering NFL and college football," Beltz said. "We also chime in on some basketball; baseball is becoming a main topic now... We briefly hit on some aspects of NASCAR, golf, hockey games. We also talk about local high school football, especially with the Lakeland Dreadnaughts being a nationally ranked team and winning state championships over the past few years."

Over the next few months, the duo shaped up their broadcasts with Jack - - - of the Week segments in which the guys select an athlete who's receiving media attention for ridiculous or idiotic behavior.

"This past week we've had Braylon Edwards of the New York Jets, we've had Plaxico Burress, Matt Jones from Jacksonville Jaguars for his cocaine possession," Beltz said.

In April, the pair invited their old friend Chris Robinson, a fan of the Chicago Bears and Seminoles, to come on the show as a guest host.

"I came on the show and thought it would be fun and it just kind of clicked," Robinson said. "Sometimes I won't shut ... up, and it wasn't long after that they talked about joining as a regular co-host and I was more than thrilled at the idea."

Robinson took on the name "Dirty Red," a nod to his red hair, and brought new segments to the show.

"We try to add a bit of humor, it's basically 'The Man Show' meets sports talk radio with a twist," Robinson said. "I do what's called a 'Dirty's Bag of Bitterness,' in which I basically go off on stupid things that irritate you like bad drivers or people who post everything they do on Facebook."

The radio team has since worked to add more interactivity to their broadcast. Not only can listeners follow them on Twitter, MySpace and Facebook, but they also can call in to the live shows via Skype or telephone at 863-614-0523. The show also has set up a few live broadcasts from local businesses, like Natalie's Sports Bar & Grill.

Steve Barbee, a 41-year-old warehouse worker at a local processing plant, heard about the show through word of mouth at work and now is an avid listener.

According to Barbee, being able to participate in the broadcasts by calling in or sending instant messages, adds to the fun of listening.

"When you listen to something and you have a point you want to make, it's nice to be able to pick up the phone and get right through and have a discussion," he said, mentioning he's called the show at least twice in October to talk about college football.

"If you IM them something interesting, they could use it (on the air). At this point they expect me to IM and say 'hey, let's talk about college football.'"

In the coming months, the organizers hope to grow their audience, which is about 100 local listeners a week, get a few professional athlete interviews and arrange more live broadcasts, including possible NFC/AFC Championship or Super Bowl pre-show broadcasts.