Hold My Cutter
Behind the Scenes with Joe Block
Every wanderer has a tale, and Joe Block's is a testament to the unpredictable beauty of chasing a dream. From humble beginnings in minor league baseball to the lively commentary box of the Pittsburgh Pirates, our latest episode offers an intimate glimpse of Joe's incredible journey through the world of sports broadcasting. As we light up a conversation matched only by Joe's choice of cigar, we unravel tales of upheaval and triumph that remind us: it's not just about the destination, but the adventures along the way.
Pull up a chair and join us as we honor the legends whose voices have become synonymous with baseball itself. Joe shares anecdotes from his time with icons like Vin Scully, Bob Uecker, and Steve Blass, weaving a rich tapestry of camaraderie that extends beyond the diamond. Our laughter echoes through Pittsburgh's alleys as we connect past and present, celebrating the city's spirit and the narratives that continue to shape the game we love. It's a heartfelt tribute to those who've left an indelible mark on the sport and our hearts.
As the play-by-play unfolds, we delve into the craft that brings each game to life, sharing insights into the subtleties of Pittsburgh Pirates players and the art of sports commentary. Whether it's dissecting the unseen elements of the game or sharing the creation of 'Call the Game,' Joe's expertise shines a light on the passion and precision behind every broadcast. Wrap up your day with us as we recount thrilling moments that define careers and revel in the excitement surrounding the Pirates' potential—a journey through the eyes of a man who's seen it all, told from the heart of a true fan.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Every wanderer has a tale, and Joe Block's is a testament to the unpredictable beauty of chasing a dream. From humble beginnings in minor league baseball to the lively commentary box of the Pittsburgh Pirates, our latest episode offers an intimate glimpse of Joe's incredible journey through the world of sports broadcasting. As we light up a conversation matched only by Joe's choice of cigar, we unravel tales of upheaval and triumph that remind us: it's not just about the destination, but the adventures along the way.
Pull up a chair and join us as we honor the legends whose voices have become synonymous with baseball itself. Joe shares anecdotes from his time with icons like Vin Scully, Bob Uecker, and Steve Blass, weaving a rich tapestry of camaraderie that extends beyond the diamond. Our laughter echoes through Pittsburgh's alleys as we connect past and present, celebrating the city's spirit and the narratives that continue to shape the game we love. It's a heartfelt tribute to those who've left an indelible mark on the sport and our hearts.
As the play-by-play unfolds, we delve into the craft that brings each game to life, sharing insights into the subtleties of Pittsburgh Pirates players and the art of sports commentary. Whether it's dissecting the unseen elements of the game or sharing the creation of 'Call the Game,' Joe's expertise shines a light on the passion and precision behind every broadcast. Wrap up your day with us as we recount thrilling moments that define careers and revel in the excitement surrounding the Pirates' potential—a journey through the eyes of a man who's seen it all, told from the heart of a true fan.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
We welcome you to another episode of Hold my Cutter coming your way from Burn by Rocky Patel, here on the north side, just a couple of blocks away from PNC Park. Our guest is Joe Block, longtime broadcaster of all kinds of sports, but now nine years with the Pittsburgh Pirates Radio and Television. Always ask our guests to bring along a particular rocky smoke that they like, and he selected the uh, the number six. That's our featured smoke. This episode. It's got the honduran wrapper with the honduran binder. It's a honduran and nicaraguan blend, for filler gives you notes of vanilla and cocoa, with hints of black pepper, with spicy and nutty finishes. I know that's particularly something that you're fond of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the nuttiness.
Speaker 1:It's a bit nutty.
Speaker 3:It's a bit nutty. I figured that would be appropriate for me being here. Yes, of course.
Speaker 1:Very, very appropriate. We've actually talked to Joe about his journey. It's just a fascinating episode that we had the first time. But now we want to pick up kind of where we left off, because we've talked to Joe about his minor league days and all the number of cities that he had, the number of license plates on his wall at home. We talked about getting the Dodgers gig, where you're doing some pre-game and post-game work with the Los Angeles Dodgers and you find out shortly after you're married. Is that right that I proposed to my wife, proposed to your wife?
Speaker 2:Pittsburgh, yeah, full circle, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:And three days later, uh, get a call out of the clear blue sky that the LA Dodgers want me to. What time of year was this? Uh, this is late January, early, I think it was early February. Oh wait, no, when did I get a gig? No, late January. So now you're out of that gig. Yeah, so I said to the New Orleans Hornets at the time. I said can I just quit? In the middle of the season I said can you give us to the All-Star break, which was, I think, february 11th, 12th, sure. And so, yeah, packed up and moved away and she was living back here in Pittsburgh, she had moved back home, she's homesick and wanted to be back. So now we're engaged, we're living on two separate coasts and we're going to get married back here in Pittsburgh and then move out to LA. So what could go wrong? And what could go wrong and what couldn't go wrong? Well, as soon as we get back from our honeymoon, within a week's time it turns out that the Dodgers had different ideas.
Speaker 3:They switched stations. What year is this, joe? By the way, it was after the 2011 season. Okay, so we got married old St Luke's Church in Scott Township and then drove all the way out, me and her, in her little Jeep, cherokee, and moved on out to LA, and we had to basically figure out what we were going to do after that.
Speaker 1:How much fun was it doing the Dodgers? Did you like that gig? Oh sure.
Speaker 3:Now you know you talk about the Dodgers. Oh man, yeah, you must have gotten sick of all Dodgers. Oh man, yeah, you must have gotten sick of all that winning. Oh, yes, oh my. God, how many Winning? Sick of winning. How many hundreds of games did they win that year? Well, no, they were barely over 500, which still isn't bad, but they drew. It was like their worst attendance, I think, ever in LA. They had like 20,000 fans, 25,000 fans, only two and a half million. Well, for LA.
Speaker 1:I know, I know.
Speaker 3:And then that was when the owner, frank McCourt, was going through the messy divorce and so hosting the Calling Show half the time. They wanted to talk about the divorce and how come he's not spending a lot of money.
Speaker 2:How did you handle that?
Speaker 1:How'd you handle that? Because you talked previously with us about you. Didn't think you were a great talk show host before, and now you're doing Dodger games pre and post game How'd you handle this stuff.
Speaker 3:I like doing the pre and post a lot more, because I thought I was doing it more as an anchor. Okay, and not that I've envisioned myself to be some anchor, but I guess that's probably more my personality on air would be all right. Let's set this element up, let's move to this, let's go to this. Uh, let's bring up this idea or point or concept and then let's flush it out rather than just trying to be shocking and come up, you know. And what's funny now, the older I've gotten, you know that nine run comeback game or whatever, I'm just losing my mind because you know it's just fun.
Speaker 3:So I've actually kind of moved away from that the older I've gotten so I don't know You're more of a fan Now you're out of the Dodgers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how'd you get the Brewers? Yeah, so.
Speaker 3:I just got married, just moved my wife 3,000 miles away from her hometown in Pittsburgh. Welcome to baseball. Yeah, wow, but I mean for no job. Yeah, no job. Even so, it wasn't like I'm some hot commodity free agent, you know, or something like that. I had never called Major League Baseball games full time for money, you know. So I need my first job, I need to break in to the Major Leagues, and I had had some interest from the Brewers before.
Speaker 1:You're applying every year in different places.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I'd known we talked in the last episode. You can just click this link to.
Speaker 1:That's right, you can replay it Ice plug.
Speaker 3:But when I was in detroit growing up, uh, I got to intern a little bit at tiger stadium for wjr and the. That was the flagship station at that time and the pr guy was named tyler barnes and tyler barnes Barnes still is and at that time was vice president of communications with the Brewers and we'd stay in touch a little bit. And he invited me to come out and interview for a play-by-play job with Bob Euchre and I said yes, and so part of the deal was you know, you go there and typical stuff, you interview and with all the higher ups, the team president and some of the VPs, including Tyler, and you know it seemed to go well enough that they said well, hey, you know, you kind of kind of know what, what this means. Would you like to have dinner with Bob Uecker? He's going to be your partner if you got this job.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but now Uecker lives in Arizona in the off season and in spring training. So they flew me from LA to Arizona and to have dinner at the old Don and Charlie's. Did you ever go to Don and Charlie's?
Speaker 2:No, oh, you got to go to Don and Charlie's. Well, it's gone now.
Speaker 3:It's gone. It's gone. Oh man, yeah, don Carson, they closed it down and then someone robbed them with all the paraphernalia oh my goodness, it was this great place in Scottsdale. That's terrible Wall-to-wall stuff from primarily the 70s 90s, all the people that have been in there, all sports figures and so. So we sit down and, uh, you know, he's got a seat there. You know it's like, oh my gosh, this is, you know, bob euchre and I used to watch mr belvedere in wrestlemania this is great, you know, and uh, and it was so cool and fergie jenkins came over and bought us a beer.
Speaker 3:Oh my god, it was one of those places where, just you know you never knew who you were gonna to run into.
Speaker 2:Oh no, it was an incredible place.
Speaker 3:It was just cool. It was so cool. So and that was my first experience with it, you know, at Don and Charlie's, and so it was just like wait a minute. I'm sitting at a table with Bob Euchre. Fergie Jenkins just came over and bought us a round of beers, you know what I think. But celia came in. He would like wave hi. You know he goes. Hey, al, you know you call him out. You know, just like, because he lives in the same neighborhood. You know, it's just like, just this is blowing my mind. So all the things that we talked about previous episode, all the things that you know I I had some cool experiences. This was like wait a second, what is going on? This was, this was another you know league beyond. I couldn't believe what was happening, but I kept telling myself wait a minute. You don't have the job, you know, but this has got to be the precursor to it, but so I mean in order to not get the job at that point.
Speaker 1:that means, do you want to sit down and talk to the guy we're going to hire? Yeah, yeah, you would have to be a complete jerk. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Like this guy's terrible, get out of here. You know, yeah, so he says to Fergie's leaving. You know, like I know, fergie Jenkins, fergie. Yeah, Fergie, we go way back Right after Al 31 and I were talking for a little bit but he said he goes, you know, because he just like sent around over from his table. So then he comes over and says you know he's taking off. He says who are you? And he goes. Hey Fergie, hey me and my new partner, joe Block. Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:What did you?
Speaker 3:do. In that Did your heart just drop, oh my God. Yeah, I turned just completely pale. So nothing. He didn't know anything was going on, which was great, because that was the same color you can see that there's that sense of humor.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there, sense of humor. Yeah, there we go. Sorry, it's right, you know, yeah so, but yeah, so that was, that was just crazy. Uh, experience and and I, I couldn't wait to call my wife and, you know, fly back home to la. That didn't seem right. So we end up, you know, very quickly moving to milwaukee. We somehow begin married, move out to la, lose my job and get a new job. We'd been married six weeks at that time and we're on to our second state and we just got a little condo in Milwaukee and, hey, we had a great time. The Euchars were so kind to us. Beth was pregnant with her first child, my last year in Milwaukee. They had a baby shower for us, he and Judy Mostly Judy and they were so kind to us and we love the city of milwaukee, as you know. I mean whenever we go there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a sleeper city. We have a great.
Speaker 3:It's a great time, you know, um, and that's what really. And then I, you know I talk about. I have such great reverence for everybody I've worked with. Everybody teaches you something.
Speaker 3:You know, um, but working with, working alongside bob euchre, one of the greatest entertainers who's ever lived yeah, think of all the different things, different types of things he's done, and just understanding in those four years not to try to be somebody else or or, but learn my best self and what, what's, what's, what are my best things, you know, don't, don't. I don't need to rush or put on anything, you know just kind of be, be myself, but be entertaining. I don't need to be just all nuts and bolts and you know that kind of thing. But however, my personality suits, you know, and and we ended up, I thought you know, being good compliments because obviously it's his show, you know, I mean it's, but how can I augment him?
Speaker 3:But it was never. I was never treated like, ok, you're just here to help me out, or be along, you know, be along for the ride. He always treated me like an equal, even though I knew I wasn't, but I felt like I was adding something to the broadcast and so that made me feel great and it was. It was a really great experience and beth was a lot happier that we could actually get in a car and drive back to pittsburgh. It was a long ride, but we could still do that and, um, it was a really great time did you ever feel like you were never walking on eggshells around him on the air his show?
Speaker 3:he didn't make me feel that way, but it's inevitable yeah, he's a legend I'm. This is my first really true big league job. I'm 33, you know, and he's bob euchker in his hometown, mr, his nickname is mr baseball. You know it's a. You know that means something. Yeah, it's not just bob. Yeah, for you it's mr baseball. You know, um, do you refer to him as that?
Speaker 2:yes, that's it. You know if I can make eye contact with him, it would be miss you know, no, he never made me feel like that.
Speaker 3:So, so that was great, so at least, like that barrier was always broken down. But I was, of course, had a lot of trepidation. And then, uh, we were. I remember we were in arizona, it was early in the season, uh, and it would always be me, him and kent somerfeld, the engineer, would have dinner, uh, in the media dining. You know, ken, of course, been around almost 40 years now doing this, but uh, that day, for some reason, kent was doing something. So it was just you and I sitting at the table and I, and it was like late april or something, and I said you guys said is there anything, any feedback you got for me, you know? And he said, he said yeah loosen up.
Speaker 1:How many years have you been at that point?
Speaker 3:Two months, two months, yeah, and he was like loosen up, you know, and I was like he goes, he goes, you're too tight, too tight, you know and I was like okay, all right, all right, and that really made me feel a lot better.
Speaker 3:And I go, I just don't want to, and he goes. He goes, relax, he goes. It's a baseball game, we're having fun. He goes, you're not going to. You know, if I got something for you, I'll tell you, you know. But you're doing great, just keep it up, you know. And then Ken walked in and that was the end of the conversation.
Speaker 3:And at that point I felt like, well, I'm just going to be myself and sure you know I might have stepped on him a, but it's fine, and he didn't get on me for it, it was, it was okay, it was it's real life, you know so and you're learning as you go. Yeah, but it wasn't, it wasn't this big deal to him and I just was able to relax, have fun, and I became better because I was relaxed and he knew that and I think that's why he kind of just, you know, led me that way and from then on it was really great, a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Joe, I know you've thought about this. Obviously Legends that word is thrown around way too much for me but you truly work for the legend of the broadcast business, sports broadcast business. You worked, maybe not necessarily right alongside, but certainly with Vin Scully doing Dodgers. I saw him every day you know for the home games at least.
Speaker 1:So then you go and you work with, as you say, one of the greatest entertainers in the history of our country, certainly one of the great baseball personalities and truly a legend in Milwaukee. Then you work for an absolute legend in Pittsburgh with Steve Blass.
Speaker 2:I thought you were going to say you. I was like, yeah, he's in that legendary category. I was like, at least let Michael say that. No, but how about that?
Speaker 1:That is no. Yeah, scully Euchre Blass, that's quite a run.
Speaker 2:Think about how long they were around the same team.
Speaker 3:That's what I think is so cool.
Speaker 2:You're nine.
Speaker 3:You were around the same team. Yeah, that's what I think so cool. Like you, you're in year nine, you're, you're in triple decades. I mean it's special. Yeah, that's. I mean, you know, and, and luckily I got to do games with glass, you know, yes, yes, um, you know I got here soon enough, yeah, but you know, you guys, and, and, and I know our audience the same way, I don't care if you're 25, 5 or 125.
Speaker 3:You love baseball and you love everything. You know the history of the game, whether you lived it or not. And so just the stories with Steve and he's so good at telling stories and that's you know, and that, and I just wanted to tap into that. I was so eager from day one. You know, tell, tell us about this or that or that, and he would, you know, very, you know, very obliging with that stuff, whether it was on or off the air, you know, um, and so I was just a sponge working with him, because sometimes I just forget we were on the air too. Know, that means it's really good. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Because you just get going and and I'm like wow, that's really wait. Oh, I just missed three pitches. You know, I wasn't even thinking about it, and so I can only imagine the audience, how captivated they are. So I just just treasure how I've been able to be around people because you played, your athletic skill got you to be in that select group of people that have played Major League Baseball when we're trying to do it and I'm speaking for you but I never was going to be a professional player, so I'm on the outside looking in. The only way I'm going to get in is if I can ever announce games and yes, it's an exclusive club because there's only so many jobs and that kind of thing. But, like you know, what right do I have to be with all these people who have played? You know it's a skill that's so difficult to achieve, so I've always felt that way that I've just been so fortunate I'm just hanging out here. You played Major League Baseball. I think that's great.
Speaker 3:So Steve Blass he went all nine innings A lot Twice in a World Series One World Series.
Speaker 1:We were talking about that earlier. He went all nine innings, uh, you know uh a lot twice in the world series.
Speaker 3:one world series I mean, we're talking about that early.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's an off factor for me because of what he's done in his storytelling. But I'll say the same thing about you guys and what makes, I think, our family and our group different than a lot is that you guys are my teammates. I don't see you as a broadcaster. She's a teammate. I don't see you as someone that didn't play. I don't see you as a broadcaster. I see you as a teammate. I don't see you as someone that didn't play the game. I see you as a guy that I want to know hey, what's your opinion, what's your thoughts? And you both have very strong opinions and I love it. And we'll debate, we'll talk and we always come to a conclusion that, like man, we really love this city, we really love this team. That's, in my opinion, the greatest gift Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh audience has. That you know, I don't think everyone has.
Speaker 2:I've been a part of a bunch of different teams. I think I played for 11 and it's a special breed here and I think it's funny. You married a girl from here. You end up here. Everybody we've had on this podcast has had a full circle event to bring them back to Pittsburgh, and it's because it's a special place and it's because of the special people, because it's a special place and it's because of the special people. You two are two special people and you guys have taught me a lot and I've really enjoyed listening to all the stories, because it is a grind.
Speaker 1:It is an absolute grind. Well, joe and I feel the same way about former players, but I have a special affinity to former Pirate players. I have great respect for them. They play one game for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They're in a special club for me. Miguel Del Pozo or Danny Ortiz, who was one of the ten catchers that year, rod Barajas no they played one game for the Pirates and parts of two years Wyatt Wyatt. Wyatt Torreyes.
Speaker 2:What a great human being. Too, he ended up working for the Pirates. They did a little bit of scouting for the Pirates after that, yeah absolutely, cole Figueroa.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys can go all day with this. Go recall.
Speaker 2:Now do the Korean baseball team. Oh yeah, as soon as it's a Pirate. Oh, I got it, hey, brownie. Now do the Korean baseball team. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:What are your?
Speaker 2:first calls with the Dodgers yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, it was really that seven of the nine in the lineup that day. Their last name was Lee. Good for you. So I just I don't know. That was easy, they were all related of course, yeah, no.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very easy. So how did the pirate job come about? Because you were fine in Milwaukee.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean. So obviously I marry a woman from the South Hills. We got married in Scott Township and we were about to have our first child and you know we wanted to have her here and we did so. Now it's just we're locked in here and our buddy, tim Nevrick, was doing the games here, but he grew up in New England and so it was his dream to call games for the Boston Red Sox and they had a job open and they offered him the job and he took it. So this was right before Christmas, in 15, that I saw that the Pirates job has opened up. Well, we're here because we just had our daughter and we wanted to visit with family and I said, wait a minute. So I called Mark Garda who's our boss, you know and said, hey, can I apply? I'm here if you want to interview me.
Speaker 2:I'll be there in 10 minutes.
Speaker 3:It's like Christmas, you know it's like. So we had to get through the holidays and then the process began, but I was able to request and get an interview and so that was great and I know, brownie, you were integral in giving your two cents, which carried a lot of weight, and luckily I had a lot of support from the guys and that was cool to be in the division. We'd already had lunch and talked and, you know, once in a while you know if they wanted to come in and have a coffee or something whatever. Bob Euchre had a big coffee chest. I forget it was Milwaukee coffee.
Speaker 2:Not this, not this coffee. No, not this coffee. We've been enjoying it. Great coffee. How many? Not this, not this?
Speaker 3:coffee. We've been enjoying great coffee. Yep, how many hours have we been here? It's good coffee.
Speaker 1:Just good, just good, it's good.
Speaker 3:Decaf yeah, so yeah, but yeah, it just it opens up and then I end up getting the job. We just stuck around town too. We were going to go back to Milwaukee and it's like, well, you know, you might need to interview, you might, you know, like so. So we had all our stuff.
Speaker 3:Another sacrifice, so we have all our stuff here and I got a baby, you know, and I'm just we're just hanging out and then it's like, oh my gosh, this is really, uh, really great. So I just go back to milwaukee pick up our stuff and come on back and start a season. It's like, well wait, well, wait a minute, we get to live here forever. So my three kids, all born here, we got married here. Wife grew up here.
Speaker 1:What did Beth and the family think when you landed this job?
Speaker 3:Well, this is a personal story but I'll share it. So we talked earlier about when we started this episode, about we're going out to LA, so baseball season ended. We got married late October.
Speaker 3:And then a few days later we're going to drive out to LA newly, you know, just married a few days prior and she's crying, she's on her childhood bed in her childhood room and her parents uh house and it's her dad consoling her and I'm, I'm there and uh like we're going to leave at like five in the morning and you know it's uh and he's just like rubbing her back and saying it's going to be okay, she's scared. You know, it's like I just got married. We're going to move 3000 miles.
Speaker 3:She was home six. That's why she moved back. That's why she had moved back to, you know, back from new Orleans to Pittsburgh to begin with. But she was going to do it because you know we're a team and we're going to, we're going to go for it, you know. But clearly it was just a very difficult sacrifice for her and I told her dad, I said I'll be, I'll bring her back in four years.
Speaker 2:Come on.
Speaker 3:I swear to God, I said that and it was. It was four years later.
Speaker 2:You know, I had a month or so, you know, or whatever, and then we're back. That's power in the spoken word, right?
Speaker 3:there. Yeah, that's powerful. Yeah, it was unbelievable because it was 2011,. And at the end of the 2015 season, you know, I guess that's when it would have been. And then 2016 started with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Speaker 1:I can imagine you saying to your father-in-law I told you I told you I did say that to him.
Speaker 3:You need to like me more now. I could not believe it. I don't know what came over me. Talk about a bat flip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a Joe Brock mic drop.
Speaker 3:But why did I say that in that moment? And it came true. I don't know how or when or why I even said that, but it did come true and I just thank God for that because that was the most powerful experience I've ever had. That's incredible Career-wise obviously is to be able to be here, and then you know we're here forever. It's great. So, yeah, we were talking about funeral plots or burial plots the other day. So we're like, yeah, oh, that's nice.
Speaker 1:Way to bring it down again. Yeah, too soon. Yes, where do you want to?
Speaker 3:go.
Speaker 2:Jefferson, yeah, jefferson, yeah, I got a couple extra plots. No big deal, we're not going anywhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, obviously you're not going anywhere. Yeah, you've got this.
Speaker 3:I'm Leave you until the last cup of coffee. Is that's another pun? That's right, we're pirates.
Speaker 2:That's called rooted Bradford. These are beautiful, by the way. That's rooted. That's rooted. That's a different way.
Speaker 3:Michael, I didn't realize you knew engraving. This is beautiful.
Speaker 2:This is really nice. It's my Viking background.
Speaker 1:McKenry's really good at that. Yeah yeah, are there any similarities that you see between uh, uke and blast beside the obvious great sense of humor, I'd love to hear that they're different people, I'm sure. On the air, uker seems to me to be well. First of all, he's a play-by-play guy blast never was that. That's a huge difference, yeah, and so blast had that platform. Yeah, comedy and making people laugh, oh my gosh, enjoying, just enjoying yourself and just enjoying life and just baseball.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, Don't take it too serious. Yeah, so I was privy to and enjoyed, and you would love this to have been a fly on the wall. So you were talking before about when we started the previous episode about Ernie Harwell would come in and talk to you. That's a common thing. Broadcast would come in. We'll have a little chat with the opposing team, be friendly. And so Blast would always come in and talk to Euchre, but Blast is armed with a joke or two, or three or four.
Speaker 1:He's always ready. He's always got a new one.
Speaker 3:He called me this winter. I'm sure he does.
Speaker 3:He called me this winter just to tell me a joke. He didn't say anything other than the joke and that was the end of the conversation. Hang on, that's that. And I was like that was a good joke. That was a good joke. I laughed, it was very heartily. But that's what he'd do. He'd come in and he'd test a few out on Euchre and he'd land two or three and Euchre would give him them some back and then they go and I'm just like, oh my gosh, this is great, this is you know this is like classic yeah, this is, people would pay top dollar to be sitting there watching these two exchange jokes 100 it was great and it wasn't a one-upping thing.
Speaker 3:It was just like, hey, it's 4 30 on a wednesday and I got one you can use. Let's have fun yeah yeah, let's enjoy our life right at this second and just make each other laugh and it was wonderful to see. So that's the similarities that come to mind right away.
Speaker 1:Now, how about working with all these different personalities? So basically, in Milwaukee you're pretty much just you and you, yes, right, yeah. And then last year I worked with Jeff Levering. Yeah, okay, it was a play-by-play guy, but now we've got this including the guy next to you.
Speaker 3:All these different personalities. Is that fun for you or challenging? I'm curious, I'm a curious person, and so getting to know your personality, what are your strengths? What are things you like to stay away from in your career? Okay, you're a catcher. You know what are you proud of. You know what are the things that? Okay, it's all said and done. Now what did you really feel proud about in your you know? Let's, let's kind of get to those things, sometimes not as a boastful thing, but if you achieve something like that to be be able to play Major League Baseball that's a huge accomplishment. So, all right, let's. And then the audience wants to know about that, you know. And then, what are some stories? A lot of times we ask questions of our analysts. It doesn't go anywhere. You know. We're just, we don't know. Okay, we'll try this. Okay, nothing. But sometimes, you know, you really tap into something and the audience benefits because they hear a great adage or some insight, that. And then we learn too right.
Speaker 2:It's like oh I never thought about that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, oh, wow, you know, because you were behind the plate, you know, and you saw that cutter. Just well, you know, late, late movement on a melanson cutter or what you know. It's like, well, what is late movement? Like what do you? What do you what? What do you really mean by that? Holy crap, like you, really you can't perceive it. No, you know, you can't see it from. The hitter cannot see it. I can see it because I'm behind the plate, but the hitter can't see what I never said. You know you don't think of that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:Well done with the cutter. By the way, yeah, well done. I see that plug. Hold my cutter.
Speaker 2:Hold my cutter.
Speaker 1:Wait, that's the name of the podcast. Yes, the podcast he just did that for us. Thank you. It's the cutter of the cigars and the cutter of the pitch.
Speaker 2:So I don't normally. Yes, you guys probably don't know this about me, but I just spoke recently and I said the one regret I have in my career is I didn't enjoy the moment, I didn't embrace what was happening. And because of you guys and because of some of the cool questions and because of just the entertainment factor of it all, I've been able to kind of reflect and I've gone back and I don't like writing. I'm not good at writing and I've written things of what I remember and it's been remarkable. I've been able to touch lives because of it, whether it was a really cool moment or someone that's come up to me like hey, do you remember this moment during this game? I was with my dad and that's why I'm a Pirates fan.
Speaker 2:It's been mind blowing, cause I didn't, I didn't think it really mattered. In the moment I'm trying to think about the next thing. We get so focused on that. But you guys have unlocked a part of that I didn't know existed and I have to say thank you because I've looked into it in that way. But I've always been a catcher and I'm always looking at it as like, how can I make my teammate better? But then I'm seeing it from vice versa. That's all you guys are really trying to do. So it's a perfect combo for me to learn and grow, and I've learned so much from you guys just seeing how you kind of play those different personalities, because I enjoy you guys for different reasons for the same reasons, and it's been a joy. And I don't think if you're not in this game maybe you don't realize how good it is, but it's, it's incredible well.
Speaker 1:I also think goes back to what you're saying earlier. We're and it's not luck, because I think the Pirates and Mark Garda and the people at the radio station and Sportsnet Pittsburgh it's it's intentional that you get not only good analysts but good people who like each other, because I think that's a. People have asked me about what makes a good broadcast, and it's the technical stuff. You've got to get it right. We've talked to others about that how you present a broadcast and your styles and so on.
Speaker 1:But I grew up listening to guys like Harry Callis and Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies. They were a team for decades and people would tune into the games. You have to listen to the Phillies but some bad Philly teams but they just loved hearing two buddies talk about the game of baseball. It was, they were a part of, they were sitting down with them and that's what I think has been created with. Again, it was Blass and Walk full time for about that. Then Wainer starts joining the team on the road and then when Blass retires, they start bringing McHenry, they bring Caps, kevin Young, now Neil Walker and boy, that's hard to do when you get all these guys, that combination, that like each other and have fun on the air, and everybody offers something different and unique.
Speaker 3:It's pretty cool. Yeah, it is really cool, and I was trying to think of an analogy here. So you ever go out and let's say, there's a dinner party and you're with another couple and you can tell they don't like each other and they're gritting teeth and they're throwing barbs at each other. How much fun are you having? And then you go out with another couple and they're into each other and they're into what you're saying. They're laughing and you're laughing and there's good energy. I liken it to that because it's like if you and I are sitting there and we're gritting our teeth at each other, like, just get me through this inning, it's going to show, it's going to carry over the air and no one's going to have a good time. What's the point?
Speaker 1:And there are teams, by the way, that we won't necessarily name names, but I know them, you know them. Who are like that, you can hear it, you can hear it. Who are like that? You can hear it, you can hear it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's some. I mean there's a reason. I mean, obviously, especially myself and Matt Capps, we played other places and there's reasons why Pittsburgh was the low and behold place we both wanted to come back to, because it felt like home. I mean, I was drawn here. I was like, yeah, pittsburgh, that's my second place, that's my home, yeah. Yeah, Pittsburgh, that's my second place, that's my home, yeah, and I live here now, but that's the other thing.
Speaker 1:That's cool, that's common. About the Pirates yeah, and you would know better than I, because the Pirates are it for me. I don't know that anybody else has this Again, going back to anybody that's ever played even a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates near and dear to our hearts, pittsburgh Pirates near and dear to our hearts. But think about the guys, despite the losing, the guys that still love the Pittsburgh Pirates, that would do anything to win when they come back. They love going to the games, seeing what things are like now at PNC Park. Jack Wilson, but all the guys that come back, craig.
Speaker 2:Wilson AJ Burnett.
Speaker 1:Yeah, AJ Burnett, I mean name them, all of them, even if they played a short time. There's a true love for the Pittsburgh Pirates from all these former Pirate players.
Speaker 3:Yeah, aj is a great example, because he's so accomplished and played a lot of places and had great team success in other places too. Still really identifies with the Pirates, yeah.
Speaker 2:I saw something the other day he wrote and we keep in touch. He said it's my Gotham, it's his second home and that's the feeling he has and I always go back to a Roberto Clemente quote is it captured my heart. I was born somewhere else, but this became my home, and that's how I feel, and I know a lot of guys feel that way. Yeah, we do.
Speaker 3:Obviously you guys do. No one's trying to pretend that we grew up here, but I think it means something when somebody is not from here and then they want to live here. Exactly, and you live here year round. I mean it's like a lot of ex-players don't live in the north year round, I live at the hottest place in the world in tennessee.
Speaker 2:People are moving there. I mean, our house sold for incredible amount of money because of how hot it was and I moved to pittsburgh and I mean this is a god thing. I literally moved from one place to the other in the exact same price house in the perfect location at the perfect timing it was. It was remarkable. Just kind of like what you said. It's just like this is where we're supposed to be great place great team.
Speaker 1:We're very lucky. Michael was curious uh, before we even started recording this about your preparation I was heard you're deep into your preparation.
Speaker 3:I've seen it I just had a colonoscopy this week.
Speaker 1:That's too deep. That's too deep.
Speaker 2:That's too deep. Okay, I'm like.
Speaker 3:I mean I saw the cameras, I got a little nervous. Well done by the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was well done Well done I liked it.
Speaker 3:Being a guy. Traumatic pause when I retired.
Speaker 2:People often ask what do you miss the most? And I say I miss the off-season by this much and you guys have two completely different styles. You're very technical. You've built a website. You even wrote some of your own code to get some of the things you need during the game. Brownie's got the old school look and it's kind of remarkable. He's like rain man, flipping the pages to get to the thing he needs. It's so cool. To me it's been the maybe the I guess the coolest part of this job is watching you guys prepare for me. Honestly, like I love it and I want you to share a little bit of how you go about it. You come up with some of the coolest stats. You still send me the emails you know just about every series and it's neat. And the same thing with Brownie. Brownie sends something completely different. But you combine the stats, the stories, the anchoring that you've learned and you kind of put it all in one. Just talk about that a little bit.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, I was saying earlier, but I'm just curious, you know, I think that's where it lies for me. Yeah, I mean, you know the Pirates sign a player, bring him, you know, bring him to minor leagues or spring training or trade for a guy, and I don't know them all that well or whatever. I just well, let me think about this, let me look into this. I'd like to know about this. What's this? I thought I heard something about this before, but then you talk to the player and I like to talk to the opposing players as well, cross-reference sometimes ask them about the Pirates players and get a feel for maybe what they think and maybe that doesn't come out on the air. I don't say, you know, I talked to Joey Votto about Carlos Santana's defensive ability or something you know, but, and I just bring that up as an example defensive ability or something you know, but, um, and I just bring that up as an example, but, but I might, or you know what's it like to face, you know, a Pirates pitcher, for instance, things like that. So that kind of stuff leaks in and, as you know, um, when, when you do that, or if you, let's say, you find a statistic, whatever. Well, sometimes stats can lie to you, but I try to again cross-reference or validate it by asking the player you know, hey, I noticed this in you know a stat, or I won't even bring up the stat, I'll say you know what's your?
Speaker 3:There's a pirate player in recent times that would take a lot of pitches right down the chute and I said, well, what's your approach with two strikes, you know, and things like that, and I noticed that, wow, he's taking a lot of third strikes. You know big power type hitter too, and I was surprised by that. So you know. But I want to know, like, okay, well, so he's looking to walk. Okay, so you know I. But I want to know, like, okay, well, so he's looking to walk. Okay, so you know, I can't be in a big situation. You need a big hit, you need a double, you need a home run right here to win the game. I'm not going to kind of set us up for that, because he's probably not going to do that. He's going to draw a walk and set up the next guy. You know the middle infielder.
Speaker 3:That's the kind of insight that I hope benefits the audience, because when we are talking to guys and you're always down there and talking to everybody and or if we're looking up stats or if we're looking through, you know, someone wrote a feature piece on a guy. You know we're trying to glue all that together and bring you the picture, and you know we don't always get fully right. But we're trying to be fair and we're trying to get into, you know, the, the player's heads a little bit, set it up and then and amalgamate that for the audience. So that's that's kind of what I do, is I go from a bunch of different sources, try to squeeze it into, like you said, sometimes I have a little cheat sheet for the day or whatever on my little OneNote or whatever, and then that's what I'm going off of. But a lot of it's in here from the day and then almost none of it is relevant for that particular game.
Speaker 1:As you know, he's one of the smartest guys in the world.
Speaker 3:No, I'm not. I have to prepare so that it sounds like.
Speaker 1:I am he's one of the smartest guys. No, I'm not. I have to prepare so that it sounds like I am. He's very, very intelligent. That's why I have to prepare so much. Yeah, and it's very jealous of that intellect. He's a sharp cookie and got a great great sense of humor.
Speaker 3:You notice that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're very round. That's a good problem.
Speaker 2:I've had some really sharp cookies in my day. That's true round that's, that's good.
Speaker 1:I've had some really a I've had some really short cookies in my day. That's true. I've thought about that way. Yeah, I'll just say it. Um, I wanted to ask you about your website. You mentioned that call the game that you founded. Yeah, it's been going for a long time but what was the purpose of that?
Speaker 3:okay, so me and this guy, jim toko. Uh, jim toko worked in charleston, south carolina, the year before me calling pre and post game, and then he got a job doing the games in Charleston, west Virginia. So he's in Charlie West, I'm in Charlie South, and we stayed in touch. He left me a beer in the fridge and said go get him. And I'm like I like this guy. I don't know him, but I like this guy. I don't know who he is, but we got in touch. I don't know him, but I like this guy. I don't know who he is, but we got in touch. And then at the end of that first season in 2000 in Charleston, I drove up to the other Charleston and met him and we went to Shoney's and had a few pops Shoney's, shoney's that's all I could afford. I ate liver and onions. That day I remember that it was the cheapest thing on the market.
Speaker 2:First time.
Speaker 3:Oh, no, no, no, no Big liver and onion guy Grew up eating that stuff. It's cheap, I love it, that's why. Oh, okay, fair enough, so yeah. So he had the idea really to do this. I kind of like I thought about it sort of, and so we married our ideas and we put it to work and so for I don't know about seven years, we had a website that, if a team it could be like a CBA team or you know G League nowadays, I guess, or it could be like a major league, you know NFL team or whatever it could be anything. If you get a play-by-play job open, we're all ears, let us know, we'll post it on there for you. We had a message board that I thought that people in time kind of grew to know about and participated, and we manicured it pretty well.
Speaker 3:So we tried to keep keep it like. This is a professional place to be, you know. You know if you're crazy, you know and do just, you know getting after people and being real negative, you know, and this is before social media, so you know. So there was some of that and we curtailed that and we got it out of there. So it ended up being a pretty okay place to gather. And then we kind of expanded into like we'd interview, you know, prominent people in the business. Hey, ian eagle, aaron andrews, whatever you know, how did you get here, you know, and that kind of thing. And it was cool because you know we're working games in the minor leagues. We're just naturally excited to talk with these people. And I couldn't believe, you know, I just reach out to people, strangers, so accommodating and, you know, genuinely wanted help, and so many times they say, well, hey, you know you keep in touch with me and let me know how you're doing aim. But I ended up and and jim did too, um, expanding our own networks, um, and getting opportunities for ourselves because of that website, and that was really never the aim, it was really just further the industry.
Speaker 3:Our big thing was when I, when I, got into the business, you had back in those days again, the internet's still really limited. You had you had to fly out to wherever the winter meetings were, and my year was 99 in Anaheim and I'm living in Michigan. You've got to get a plane ticket. You've got to get a hotel for three days. You've got to buy at least one suit and three different shirts and three different ties, you know, and three different shirts and three different ties, and, um, you know, interview with all these people and then fly back and then cross your fingers that hope somebody calls you, and I said there's got to be a better way than this. So, you know, the internet's really starting to come up in the early 2000s and so that's why we're like, hey, look, now all the jobs are right here. We'll put on our website.
Speaker 2:it's all free, everything was free.
Speaker 3:You know there's no to make money well, we saw it ads um, but it wasn't like, uh, you know this massage parlor or something you know, or whatever.
Speaker 1:It was like legit stuff yeah, it was like bob carpenter scorebook.
Speaker 3:All right, yeah, like bob carpenter and then I got to know bob carpenter. It was great, you know. It's like, oh, what awesome guy and, um, he gives us a few bucks and we sell a whole bunch of his scorebooks for him. It was, you know, because it's a what a dedicated audience this is, you know. So that kind of stuff, you know, and we talk to young guys all the time hey, you know, gals, guys, you want to get started in this business. You got to work hard, you got to be relentless, the whole bit.
Speaker 3:I was very fortunate that I met somebody that had a similar kind of dream and it was right at the right time. It was just that the Internet really started to take off. So there wasn't this anywhere, or at least it wasn't good anywhere. I didn't know of it. So we were able to do that. Now, in 2024, you can't come up with things on the Internet Everything's been done probably. You can't come up with things on the internet Everything's been done probably. But there are always ways to figure out something that's a little bit different or maybe unique and can get you separated from the pack, I guess, and inadvertently, that was for us Does.
Speaker 1:Joe Block have a favorite pirate moment right away that comes out to your mind Favorite call and least favorite, yeah, okay favorite call.
Speaker 3:So at least favorite, yeah, so okay favorite, I've only done eight seasons.
Speaker 3:Um, the, the comeback game, september 23rd of 23. Um, you know, you're down nine, nothing. In third inning I'm working with Rock, john Wainer, and it's nine to three. It's nine to three, it's the sixth inning and rock says you know if, if Reynolds pops one right here, this is nine, six and and and, and you know they're going to win this game. You know, and and I was like I started getting chills. I'm like yeah. I was like kind of like, yeah, they're going to win, they're going to win this game tonight. He's good, but he's got to hit one out, though you know, to win this game tonight, he's good, but he's got to hit one out, though you know. And then, like a couple pitches later, he gets one out. Now it's nine, six and the sixth, and and so we're.
Speaker 3:We're just you know it's the end of the season, they're not gonna. They're not gonna make the playoffs. They've had a better year. They're not gonna make the playoffs, but so this is gonna be kind of a big moment in this particular season and so we're just like all right, well, let's just go for it. We're going to just say they're going to win this game and we just kept they're going to win tonight and they're going to win and it's going to be the greatest comeback, and you know, and here they come. You know, and they did, they came back and it was by the. You know, you went bonkers, oh I did?
Speaker 2:I started crying. It was unbelievable.
Speaker 3:The Pirates are good, again, I watched it.
Speaker 2:That's the only moment I watched. If you have not seen it, then you're watching this right now. You've got to go back and find it. I watched games.
Speaker 3:I watched bits and pieces.
Speaker 2:We're going to put it in. We're going to put it in.
Speaker 3:I go, the Pirates are good again. I started crying. I was like it's just so great Because it's just like we were talking previous episode about. I grew up a Detroit Lions fan. I'm still a big Detroit Lions fan and it mirrors a little bit of the Pirates fan plight, right, you're like, oh my god, if we, if we could just come on, come on, we got a bunch of young players. Sky's the limit. Right, can we, can we just be, can we just be good? And it was. It was just like that glimmer of hope because it was like majinsky's got to come out, you know, he's got to come on and get the save and he nails it down, you know, by a single run runner, a third, you know, but he does it, yeah, and it was just like 12, 11, final. They come back from nine runs down. You know how easy could it have been. He throws a wild pitch games tie, they lose some extra innings and you just go. Well, he's young, you know.
Speaker 2:And what a moment for him. But he got over that, you know, and this team got over the hump and it was like.
Speaker 3:I hope it's a precursor to 24 being a great year, and I hope that everybody enjoyed that half as much as we did, because it time to be a pirate. I said that that night too, because it was, it was incredible.
Speaker 1:We'll save the worst moment for a later episode, because that's too good a finish.
Speaker 2:That was a great finish.
Speaker 1:There are no worse moments, no bad moments. It's all been good, it's all been great Joe Block, who is as sharp as a knife, sharp as a. He's one sharp knife, Sharp as a rubber ball. I won't say sharp cookie again. Only Joe thinks about cookie being round and it crumbles. You're a sharp knife, thank you so much.
Speaker 3:I want another toast, you want another coffee?
Speaker 2:Hey another coffee.
Speaker 1:Decaf after hours. Another episode of Hold my Cutter.