Receiver Mason Hands-on On Air

Tom from Reisterstown is on the line and ready to vent.

It's a little after 6 Monday evening at Bluestone restaurant in Timonium and "The Derrick Mason Show" on WBAL (1090 AM) is just getting started.

One day after Steve Hauschka's last-second 44-yard field-goal attempt drifted left and the Ravens lost a 33-31 heartbreaker to the Minnesota Vikings, a crowd of a few hundred is on hand to watch Mason, the team's star wide receiver, and veteran co-host Stan White break down the Agony in the Metrodome.

Tens of thousands of other WBAL listeners at home or at work or in their cars are ready to vent about the Ravens, too, even if it's vicariously through callers like Tom from Reisterstown.

Only Tom from Reisterstown suddenly turns into Mr. Upbeat.

"I don't understand what everyone's freaking out about," he says.

Uh, Tom? This is Baltimore.

The Ravens have lost three in a row.

They've got real issues to resolve heading into the bye week. They face the 6-0 Denver Broncos next.

And their young kicker who replaced Mr. Clutch, Matt Stover, looked like a guy facing a firing squad when he hooked that kick.

And you don't get why Ravens fans are freaking out?

But Derrick Mason does.

Mason, oozing superstar-cool in a knit cap, shades, a sweat shirt and designer jeans, smiles behind the microphone. He knows all about Ravens fans hitting the panic button.

"When you're doing well, everyone's on your coattails," he tells Tom from Reisterstown. "When you lose, they drop you in a hurry."

The thing you should know about Mason is he's not just another jock on a talk show who shows up 10 seconds before airtime, spends an hour mumbling cliches between bites of a bacon-cheeseburger, then blows out of there in his Escalade as soon as the show's over.

No, he's determined to learn everything he can about radio, because he's considering a career in broadcasting when his playing days are over.

Instead of being content in the traditional jock role of guest or co-host, he's the host and driving force behind "The Derrick Mason Show."

He books his own guests, sets the opening topics, throws to commercial breaks, and introduces traffic reports and news updates.

Trust me, you haven't lived until you've heard a big-time NFL receiver intone: "Time now for traffic and weather together ... "

"This is something I want to do," he says of his show. "Something I have a passion for."

Mason is so serious about the gig that two years ago, he attended the NFL Broadcast Boot Camp.

That's a four-day crash course held every summer in Mount Laurel, N.J., for current and former players considering a career in TV and radio.

Aspiring broadcasters learn everything from interviewing techniques to sideline reporting to anchor work in the studio to how to pick out the right suit to wear on the set.

Mason has done sports-talk radio for years, dating to his days in Nashville when he played for the Tennessee Titans.

But he really wanted to sharpen his broadcasting chops. So when WBAL approached him about doing a different kind of show this season, with him at the helm, he leaped at the opportunity.

"I can express my opinions on the game," Mason says. "[But] I don't rip my players. I don't throw my players under the bus. I try to be as honest as I possibly can ... give people an insight without bashing someone."

Tonight, he doesn't have to throw anyone under the bus - Hauschka's already pinned under the wheels, courtesy of the callers.

Some, like Brenda in Carroll County, sound like they wouldn't mind backing the bus over the Ravens kicker, too.

The show's strength revolves around Mason's energy and affable personality - he happily signs autographs and poses for pictures with fans during breaks.

But he's by no means a polished talk-show host yet. Which is why he relies heavily on the steadying presence of Stan White, who played 12 years in the NFL (Baltimore Colts, Detroit Lions) and USFL (Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers).

"He's done a good job," White says of Mason. "I think each week he gets a little more comfortable doing it. ... The good thing about Derrick is that I can ask him anything."

In fact, the highlight of the show often involves White's coaxing insider tidbits from Mason or confronting him with uncomfortable truths about the Ravens' performance.

"Offensively in the first half, you guys did nothing," White says at one point, referring to the Vikings game.

Mason finally concedes that the offense knew something was wrong but thought it was just a matter of "things not clicking yet."

At times, Mason walks a fine line between being honest about the Ravens and discussing matters of strategy and injured personnel, which, given the Code Red level of paranoia in the NFL, wouldn't go over well at the Castle.

Nevertheless, for two hours, "The Derrick Mason Show" rolls on. Sandwiched around an interview with defensive lineman Haloti Ngata, the calls keep coming in.

The venting continues unabated.

Rodney from Pennsylvania tears into the Ravens secondary ("The coverage has been awful").

Ed from Reisterstown wants to know why the team keeps losing the battle in the trenches ("This is not the Ravens defense we've come to expect").

At a few minutes before 8, Dan on his cell has the last call of the night.

"I just can't take any more of this negativity," he begins.

Negativity?

On sports-talk radio?

Hard to believe.

And with that, "The Derrick Mason Show" comes to a close and the venting is over - at least for one more night.

Listen to Kevin Cowherd Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with Jerry Coleman on Fox 1370 AM Sports.