Do people actually like Rick Reilly?

[bruin]

I've never gotten what the big deal is about this guy. Obviously a huge part of his fame/respect is the fact that he has a weekly column on the back page of SI, but aside from that, why is this guy so big (he's won national sportswriter of the year 11 times or something)?

I read him a lot, but think he's out of touch with the world, way too arrogant/pretentious/idealistic/cynical and overall pretty annoying. He's a great writer, but I can hardly ever stand what he says.

What does everyone else think of Reilly?