Live at Lunch

Live at Lunch is a Baton Rouge sports-talk program on 104.5 ESPN, and it announces itself with a bit of theater. The open asks who sounds a little taller on radio, then loops 'Is it live?' before the welcome. The intro bills the show as 'Ott and Hanny', for Jimmy Ott and Charles Hanagriff. Around them, these episodes name Max Gautreaux, Jordan Kitchens back in the studio and, on one Friday, Barry the bartender. That Friday edition came from Rufino's on Highland Road, and its sign-off thanks the restaurant while running through the specials, down to the dry-aged pork chops and the filet mignon. Local flavor is literal here. LSU keeps surfacing. A single Monday rundown moved from the Masters to a visit to LSU football practice, then to LSU baseball getting swept and the NFL draft drawing close. Another sign-off previewed an LSU national semifinal on ESPN2, with Florida, Georgia and Stanford in the same regional and a top-two finish needed to reach the final. The national calendar fills in the rest, and a run of episode titles shows the range: 'NBA Play-In Recap, NHL Picks', 'LSU vs Texas A&M, NBA Playoffs Weekend' and 'NFL Draft Mock Draft Talk, Vegas Picks'. What sets the conversation apart is how quickly it reaches for a number. When Rory opened a record six-shot lead after 36 holes at the Masters, the follow-up question was what his Saturday over/under should be, and the answer landed around 70. The NBA talk turned to teams that seem to give up in the final weeks to chase lottery position, and to how bettors picked out which teams were laying back even with the lines adjusted. Troy joined for NFL draft odds, making the case that picks which break from the mock drafts can hand the public long-odds wins. One sign-off also pointed to college baseball plays on the College Sports Rush YouTube channel. The mood stays loose. That Masters lead had set off a round of Friday complaining about a ruined weekend, and one voice owned up to most of it before hearing the grumbling had company. Live reads for a South Louisiana heating and air company sit right beside the analysis, and the sign-offs hand the air to Hunt Palmer. The whole thing plays like a radio lunch table with the sports calendar and the odds board both open. It suits a listener who wants LSU and the national calendar talked through by Baton Rouge voices, with the betting angle built in.