Hold My Cutter
Former Big League Catcher, Michael Mckenry & long-time broadcaster, Greg Brown team up for a one-of-a-kind podcast centered around baseball & stogies. Fascinating in-person guests include present & former players, managers, broadcasters, writers & other personalities, from politics to pop culture. Laugh, learn & live a little! with "Hold My Cutter"
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Email: Holdmycutter@gmail.com
Hold My Cutter
Tales of Baseball and Regattas with Mike Fetchko
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What happens when Pittsburgh icon Mike Fetchko relocates the famed Pittsburgh Regatta to sunny Bradenton, Florida? Join us on "Hold My Cutter" as we light up some fine cigars at Lee Com Park and embark on a journey through Mike's fascinating story. From the complexities of closing a state bridge to drawing 100,000 attendees, Mike shares the intricate tapestry of persistence, creativity, and community support that brought the Bradenton Regatta to life. Plus, you'll get a glimpse into Mike's vibrant family life, including tales of his 99-year-old mother and their cherished traditions.
Our episode takes a heartfelt turn as we explore the personal and professional milestones in Mike's career, from his time in sports broadcasting to his innovative contributions to the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. Hear unforgettable anecdotes from his career, such as the camaraderie shared with legendary players like Willie Stargell and the humorous saga involving Len Barker and a Mercedes-Benz in Munich. Each story is a testament to the determination and passion that have fueled Mike's incredible journey.
We also capture the colorful and eccentric spirit of baseball legend Tug McGraw, diving into his unexpected journey of fatherhood with Tim McGraw and his unforgettable memorial service. Learn about Tug's adventurous final days, his involvement in uplifting troops during Operation Desert Storm, and the touching inspiration behind Tim McGraw's hit song "Live Like You Were Dying." From humorous moments to heartwarming tales, this episode is packed with compelling narratives that showcase the extraordinary lives and legacies of our guests. Don't miss this special edition of "Hold My Cutter.
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Welcome to Hold my Cutter. This is a special edition coming your way from Bradenton Florida, but still Hold my Cutter. Of course we feature cigars and this Rocky Patel is a really good one for you. You got this for us, a special Connecticut wrap, and our guest has the white label, which is our favorite, and so we've decided to bring it down to Bradenton Florida and it's appropriate, hold my cutter, of course. By the way, the cutter we cut the cigar and of course, a cutter is involved. It's a pitch in baseball, but this is so appropriate here at Lee Com Park in Bradenton Florida. I think he's either Mr Bradenton or Mr Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2Mr Regatta, but Mike Fetchko, calm down, brown, okay yeah, there's a lot of names going on right there Mike Fetchko is a Pittsburgh icon who brought the regatta from Pittsburgh to Bradenton.
Speaker 1about what? 10 years ago? I think Right, am I right? 12, but we'll go with 10. Okay, thanks. Thanks for playing along you don't look that old it took two years to get it permitted.
Speaker 3That's what it was. There's a story with that. Well, let's get right to the story.
Speaker 1Let's get right to the story, because you're a Pittsburgh native Pittsburgh native You've only got like two siblings. I think. How many kids in the Fetchgo family there's 11. 11 kids. You're one of 11.
Speaker 211? Where are you in that mix?
Speaker 3I'm right, five above and five below. So I got to eat at both dinner settings because my mother first five would come in and I was not well behaved sit there. Next group would come in. That's why I'm short and pregnant. I got a lot of good meals. I got two a day at dinner.
Speaker 1We're going to get back to it. Mom's 99.
Speaker 3She listens to the Pirates and watches you for it every night 99. What a blessing Still has a very short mind Oliver Witts about her has a walker on every floor and that's about it.
Speaker 1So great, so great and you guys all you try to all get together at her birthday. I know that's right. As many kids as you can, yeah my one brother heard.
Speaker 3You may put. You may put it on the telecast. He's going to dress up like abe lincoln that's right.
Speaker 1We talked about that, yeah, yeah yeah, nice he's a psychiatrist. We'll need psychiatrist. We're done with this show.
Speaker 2So who's going to dress up as Abe Lincoln, my?
Speaker 3youngest brother is a psychiatrist. His name is Joe For the VA, and he is a little nuttier than his patients. I mean he needs a lot of attention.
Speaker 2I'm sure that's what you need over there.
Speaker 3Nutter than you. So he said this year, when she turns 100, he's going to dress up like Abe Lincoln.
Speaker 1So we might actually do some kind of a remote during a telecast. We'll see how it goes. We'll see how it goes. So we're going to talk about how the regatta came to Bradenton and how big the regatta is for this town and also your ties to Pittsburgh and baseball. You're a Pittsburgher but you live part-time here, florida residence Six months and one day. To be clear, you're Florida residents, no state income tax.
Speaker 4Just say it Just tell the IRS Give me some love there, that's right.
Speaker 2No state income tax. I was the IRS. Hey, my man, give me some love there. Boom, that's right. No state income tax, you down here.
Speaker 3No, I was in Tennessee, I left. Okay, he's in Pittsburgh, but I love it.
Speaker 2I love every minute of it.
Speaker 3Pennsylvania's a bad tax state. Just ask this guy.
Speaker 1Thank you, but it's where we're originating.
Speaker 3Yes.
Speaker 1It originating it? Yes, it's, hold my cutter, it's where it originates, right? Yeah, somebody's got to be yeah. So tell us now how the regatta and how big it was in pittsburgh, how it came to bradenton, florida, and how big it is in bradenton oh my god, okay, we'll make it quick. Uh, well, again you make the mistake of every guest every way. Everyone says that the point of this podcast stretch it out.
Speaker 3No, no, no, no, don't stretch it out, but talk it.
Speaker 1That's the great thing about a podcast.
Speaker 3There's no rush, so here you go, hurry up with this story.
Speaker 2You done yet yeah.
Speaker 3So you're familiar with PNC Park and the regatta always took place over the July 4th holiday. It was three days and the Pirates every other year would have a homestand and you guys were in extra innings on a July 4th because you always started like at 4.05, and then we'd do this $250,000 firework show. But you were going into extra innings. You were probably there and Dennis Dupre, dennis D depray of the pittsburgh pirates.
Speaker 1He's got some massive title evp of everything. Everything. The park, pnc park, leak, um right.
Speaker 3The dominican republic, yeah he's in charge of it all, but dennis is the guy. Bradenton officials were up there visiting Manatee County were up there visiting in discussions about this place. You know McKechnie at the time and Pirate City and how Bradenton was such a big asset for them and the Pirates and what they could do to help the Pirates in their winter home. Anyway, I get a panic call from Dennis saying you've got to come over here for two reasons. One, delay your fireworks because we're still playing ball and it's 8.30 and our fireworks go off at night.
Speaker 1They go off at 9.30.
Speaker 3He said Dennis man, I can't control this. It's the city of Pittsburgh, we own Pittsburgh. I said, okay, you own Pittsburgh. What about Bradenton? Get over and meet Bradenton. They want to know about this event you do across our three rivers, the regatta. And I said, like I'm in the middle of like 15 boats going 120 miles an hour, Firework barges coming into place, About 500,000 people at the point Did you say 120 miles an hour.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's how fast they go. That's how fast they go down here. Anyway, I go over and for the first time I meet in a beautiful Pirates executive suite up there people from Manatee County and Bradenton officials who said we just built a river walk and we want to bring something like this down there and create an economic impact and really get, you know, some, some spotlight on the urban core of Bradenton, and I'm like thinking about the boats and I'm thinking about the fireworks. And I just and I'm looking at the pirates who said thanks for coming over, you know, because you met the people that do a lot for us. Okay, great, I'm out of here.
Speaker 3So about geez, about two weeks later, dennis Dupre calls me and says you've got to go down to Bradenton to meet those people Because you said you would look it over. So I said, okay, do do diligence, and I had been down here to see some pirate spring training. But I come down, I meet all the big officials, politicians, on the river walk. You've been there, right, the river walk, and I'm walking with them and I'm talking with them and I'm talking with them and I immediately in my mind was like, well, they screwed up. It's only 15 feet wide. They didn't have electric outlets all over.
Speaker 2Are you doing all this in real time, thinking through this? Yeah, while they're talking to you.
Speaker 3Yeah, I said it's never going to work. It's never going to work. But I'm down here for the pirates, to be a good partner to the pirates and say I didn't tell them no yet.
Speaker 1But you're thinking no, I'm thinking, there's no way.
Speaker 3There's no way. There's no way. So I do my 90 minutes or so and I say this is great, I'm going to be able to fly back to Pittsburgh and get the 7 o'clock flight.
Speaker 3I'm out of here and the mayor grabs me Wayne Poston. Wayne Poston, the postman, great mayor, and his vice mayor, gene Brown, who's the current mayor downtown. Gene Brown, uncle Gene, uncle Gene. And they grab me and all the other city council people were about 20 yards away and they go. Well, what do you think? And I said I already knew the answer. But I said I've got to think about it, I'll get back to you. I've got to talk to my guys in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3Why'd you do that I didn't want to say no to their face.
Speaker 2Gotcha, yeah, gotcha, and you could have made that flight.
Speaker 3And I wanted to get that goddamn flight. So I'm in a rental car and I'm going across the skyway pushing it. I pull into Tampa International, dump the car. Speaking of, by the way that was like stupid time Brought to you by, yes, southwest air, get there, get to the gate and I'm home free. Until my phone rings and I'm just getting ready to board and I'm trying to get upgraded and everything it's like, uh it was you just working it?
Speaker 3it's us yeah phone rings and it's Wayne Post, the mayor. He was a good guy, right, and he was like seriously, what do you think? And I said well, you know, I'm calling a Mr Mayor. And he says please, wayne, and he's like an uncle, like a nice old uncle. I said you know, wayne, all I could think about now is, unless you could close that state bridge, it could never happen, because we'll draw 50 to 75,000.
Speaker 1Now, this is a bridge between Bradenton and Palmetto.
Speaker 3It's called the Green.
Speaker 1Bridge.
Speaker 4It's a massive bridge.
Speaker 1That's the bridge.
Speaker 3In the Manatee River, everyone should know, is a mile wide, so it's a mile long bridge.
Speaker 2I didn't realize that either. A mile wide.
Speaker 3A mile, Greg. Can you believe it?
Speaker 1No, I don't. That's incredible.
Building the Bradenton Regatta
Speaker 3Perhaps we'll get down and hit golf balls over it. Yeah, let's try that we can do it. You hit it a quarter mile, you hit it a quarter mile, four shots guys, and I already did my research. You can't close a state of Florida bridge in Florida, just can't do it. And you can't do it at high season down here, forget it. Double no.
Speaker 2You didn't know, uncle Wayne, I guess.
Speaker 3So Wayne goes really. So if we can get that bridge, he goes. But no one's ever got a state bridge closed. We could do it. And I said well, yeah, yeah, yeah, like 17, 18.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're about to take over. Yeah, go ahead, Try and get that closed. Last call.
Speaker 3Yeah Well, unfortunately the goddamn plane was hung up for 30 minutes because a thunderstorm was coming in and I'm like, ok, phone rings again 20 minutes later it's the postman, the mayor brain posted. Hey, mike, I just talked to the governor. We can close that bridge?
Speaker 1No yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, I felt like I was like in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. I was pulled right into the right, was it?
Speaker 1going to. Then who was the governor? Oh, I'm not sure. All right, I cursed. Whoever it was Governor then who was the governor? Oh, I'm not sure. All right, I cursed whoever it was.
Speaker 3And you know, a month later I came down, backed down and I was put into a big city hall, bradenton City Hall meeting, and in the meeting were like 40 people. It looked like a congressional hearing, just like your microphone. Yes, yeah, yeah, one was put in front of me.
Speaker 1Mr Fetchko, are you saying that if we close the bridge, we could have the regatta.
Speaker 3That's really good, that's very good, but sitting where you are is you know, mayor Poston. Now the first question was this you know they wanted a five-minute PowerPoint. Remember PowerPoints yeah, they're probably too young, but PowerPoint. So I said this is what we do in Pittsburgh, and we actually did it at a time in other cities and I said this is how it works. You know, blah, blah, blah. Well, the first question came from they're all wearing uniforms down here, all of them Florida Fish and Wildlife Coast Guard. Wow, all of them Florida.
Speaker 3Fish and Wildlife Coast Guard Wow Army.
Speaker 1Corps and Army Corps. They're all in uniforms and they're all looking not to have this. By the way, I'm sure they're all not going to happen, that is correct Right.
Speaker 3I felt that thick air when I walked in. But again, I was here, dennis, for the Pittsburgh Pirates to be a good guy, but anyway, the first question was Mr Fetchko, what do you do to protect the wildlife in the waters of the three rivers of Pittsburgh? And I leaned in and said we don't have to do anything. Nothing lives in the three rivers of Pittsburgh. They didn't like that answer at all, they didn't laugh at all.
Speaker 3We're laughing, they weren't laughing, yeah, and Wayne hits me right in the ribs. What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? That's why it took two years to permit. Really, we had to go through every agency and save the manatees, save the dolphins, save the turtles, fish and wildlife of Florida, who are all now friends. And if you ever come to the regatta I know you come Friday nights and you're our great emcee.
Speaker 1I will be there. I've been to the regatta.
Speaker 3I've been there after. Well you see the helicopters in the air, yeah.
Speaker 1I've been there, have you yeah.
Speaker 3I don't announce it.
Speaker 1I walk around.
Speaker 3Oh, do you? Yeah, okay, all right, thank, we just wonder if he's on.
Speaker 2This time we'll get him a marching band. That's good. So you know he's there. I usually get a bunch.
Speaker 4Well, we actually have done that actually.
Speaker 3He enters the VIP party with a drum.
Speaker 1Blas and I walk in with a marching band. Let's go.
Speaker 2Yes, I'm on my bucket list, bro. That's fun. He's in, I'm in, you're out.
Speaker 3I, my baton Hold, my Cutter, will be a special sponsor of that night. Yes, right, yeah, we could use the smoke. Anyway, that took us down the line to get it all permitted and sold. And the next thing, I know my wife's like where are you going? And had a pretty big not pretty big for Pittsburgh. We were a tenant at PNC Park. That's where our agency was, so we had about 20 people there. We had offices around the US.
Speaker 3And she's like where are you going? Chicago, new York? I go, no, I got to go back down to Braithead. Oh my God, what are you doing down there? I said I'm trying to get this thing off the ground, this thing off the ground. Well, we got it off the ground and then my wife's like you know, you're going down like every two weeks. This is nuts. And I said you know what? Let's sell the big house in Gibsonia where we were, and I'll buy a little house near my mom in the Trona Heights and I'll buy a house down here. And so that's, that's 10 years ago now. So next year, february 21, 22, will be the 10th regatta. We got knocked out with COVID one year but and people go. Now all these people are friends, wayne Post and Gene Brown. It's an amazing story.
Speaker 1It's an amazing story when you think about it and how much in terms of the number of people that come in for this.
Speaker 3We're going to get serious here on the cutter Just for a second 100,000 people attend In Bradenton, in Bradenton, wow.
Speaker 3In Palmetto, the bridge is closed so there's programming concerts on both sides. Boats come out of wet pits and dry pits. In Palmetto, pirates are involved. Big kid zones on both rivers. The lightning's involved, the Tampa Bay Bucks are involved with kids zones. It's all free and it's all free, and what pays for it are our sponsors and the economic impact is $10 million. $10 million, yeah, done by not me, but by an independent economist out of Tampa.
Speaker 2And I never thought we'd go there.
Speaker 3That's a weekend, that's a weekend.
Speaker 2It's a good weekend.
Speaker 3So it opens up now. Brownie experienced it In Pittsburgh. You should all come down, if you've never been to Bradenton, manatee County, to put the little tourism hat on. It's a great area. It's still kind of old Florida they're trying to change that, aren't they? I think so. You know, I think so, and I've been here now and seen what you guys have seen the traffic's increasing. But hopefully Bradenton doesn't become like Sarasota. Yeah, right, right, right, and it keeps its charm, and it keeps these guys, yeah, and it keeps these guys, the Pirates, here for a long, long time.
Speaker 3And we have to say something about Elliot Valchione. Elliot Valchione, he was a Pittsburgher. Yep, he was there with all his Bradenton and Manatee County, no better ambassador. Yeah, great guy. I met him in that suite where Dupre was and he was like, hey, I used to work for the Pirates and I went really.
Speaker 3What I said really Really, just like that, really no no, no, he would say I worked for Dennis and Dennis was like, yeah, just talk to him. But Elliot's been a big steward of what we do here. Gene Brown's the one this year, brownie, that extended it to say would you do concerts and drones Friday night and open it up so we get more people on Main Street. So we did that and we'll continue that next year and my wife always goes and I'm the only guy down here. I bring all my brothers, people from point park, point park, and I bring about 15 other. Mostly they're all high school, former high school players who are high school teachers. Oh cool, they're the execution now, they're the activation staff and they come down like five days and I give them two days in the sun and then sober up and then they get to work. You don't do that after the fact. Well, they do it after too. And today this year was President's weekend, so they even stayed Sunday night and tore up the town.
Speaker 1This is an amazing story, what it's created. It's like a great kickoff for spring training, I think. Perfect the regatta and you just saw, it's an extension of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3And you just saw a little while ago the guy that runs the GM of the Marauders, craig Craig Roseca yeah, yeah, and great, great partner yeah, and Jeff Padomic yes, jeff, you do a lot, he's incredible, yeah, fantastic. I think next year we're going to coincide with the Pirates will open up their spring training on Main Street. Oh, yeah, and that will happen Saturday night.
Speaker 1The.
Speaker 3Regattas Racing is over at 5. Our concert is over at 6.30. Then we're going to pour and direct everybody to the Pirates spring training opener and the drone show, which happens in Pittsburgh too, already has the software where they do Clemente and Star Trek.
Speaker 1So we'll do that. That's so underrated, by the way, yeah, so underrated.
Speaker 3And Gene Brown. We love you. Gene. If he's watching, gene, he's watching, yeah yeah, yeah. Well he grabs my arm after this year's and says, hey, the drones are fantastic. I said, yeah, they just came in from the Academy Awards in LA. I said they're real, they're real, they're big. But he's like we've got to have some boom, boom, boom for the kids and I'm like how about audio. We do boom, boom, boom Because, well, with the cutter, past the cutter, if you have fireworks, smoke and you've got drones.
Speaker 2Probably not a good idea.
Speaker 3Not a good idea but we're working on it. I said, all right, gene, we'll do the fireworks from palm meadow and we'll do the drones in pittsburgh. It'll be so in it. But you know what we love about it, seriously, brownie and fort, it's, it's, it's come to be somebody says and you, you're too young for this.
Speaker 3He isn't, but it's like. It's like, uh, it's like a bob hope bean. Crosbyrosby Clambake is what it is. Yes, it's just like a party. It's a great party. As long as people are smiling and happy and we dodge the weather, it's a big success.
Speaker 1Mike Fetchko take us back to KDK Radio days 1020.
Speaker 2Yeah, I want to know how it got to Ricotta Waves KDK Radio 1020.
Speaker 1You were doing some interning right. I was an intern at Point Park College at the time and who were the broadcasters for the Pirates? Because you worked with the broadcasters Harry O'Toole was the executive producer of Pirates Baseball.
Speaker 2He's got that voice, brian, and, and you were his assistant.
From Pittsburgh to Temple to Cleveland
Speaker 3So I went in there as an intern and Harry O'Toole who you and I both loved, the great late, great you know said well, you're going to answer phones for our talk shows Roy Fox and Johnny Cigna from 6 to midnight. I did that and I didn't screw it up, and then that was in the fall. And then here comes the spring and in walks, milo Hamilton, your predecessor, and Lanny Fitzgerald hey pal.
Speaker 1Hey Pally, hey Pally, Would you like to go?
Speaker 4to Pole.
Speaker 1Eyes. Hey, pally. How about Pole Eyes, pole Eyes and Squirrel Hill brother? Boy oh boy there's nothing better than Pole Eyes. I've got a gift card for you. Do you get a gift card for you? Do you get a gift card for this show here?
Speaker 4no, we get nothing, brother this will be the last time I do this show anyway.
Speaker 3So I get hooked up for it with. I did so well in the fall and didn't screw up. That's going well, I didn't screw up. They said you could do all the pirate games home and away and you'll line up the commercials and you'll time everything out and make sure we stay on cue. So you were wearing a lot of hats. Well, I was still going to class a little bit, but, yeah, wearing a lot of hats. But home games is great, right. So you know what it's like. You get over there at 4 o'clock at Three River Stadium. At the time you just walk across Fort Pitt Bridge Back then.
Speaker 1KDK Radio was a gateway center.
Speaker 3Yeah, so you're over there for the games and the way games you're in the studio. I did that. My freshman no, my sophomore, junior, senior years and I actually he knows this thought I was going to go do some play by play, because when you have the equipment at KDKA, I actually did like a couple games and then edited down to a couple winnings and I sent it out across the country. And at the same time I was applying for law school and Pitt said no, thank you, and Duquesne said no thank you. Also. Even their night school said. And then this place called Temple University in Philadelphia said we'll take you and you got to go day and I got one big bite from the minor leagues, which was the Tucson Toros. Okay, in July, right as I'm thinking about, oh, I better send my application I mean my deposit in to Temple.
Speaker 3And I remember sitting with Harry O'Toole and Bill Richards. I don't know if you remember Bill Richards. He was under Dave Graves at GK and Dave Graves popped in and says why don't you join Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting Management? Don't go to law school and you can work in one of our eight TV or radio markets school and you can work in one of our eight tv or radio markets, and harry o'toole very colorful, as as brownie knows was like oh, don't do that, michael, don't do that.
Speaker 1It was a little more expressive, I mean, that's that's something.
Speaker 2I didn't know how good you were at impressions. Ooh-wee Baby.
Speaker 1That was hairy. He's hitting his head. No, no, don't do that.
Speaker 3Yeah, Right in front of Dave Graves he's saying don't do that, Don't do that.
Speaker 1I hate this place. That was hairy Right.
Speaker 3And then this old gentleman not old, but he was ready to retire, bill Richards, who was like assistant program director, pulled me in his office and said Harry's right, number one, don't go that course. Number two what's the offer from the Tucson Tauros baseball team? Oh, wow, wow. I said. The offer is you know, I would do they had a play-by-play guy, but I'd do three innings and then I'd do six innings of color and yeah, well, what are they going to pay you? I said nothing. I would sell and I'd get a commission on everything I sold.
Speaker 2That's weird. You work to make money. Yeah, that's weird.
Speaker 3But they were going to help you out with housing wherever they put the minor league guys up and I went home saying, yeah, I'm going to go to Tucson, right. This dream lasted about 45 minutes. My father, I walk in.
Speaker 2Have you ever been to Tucson at this point?
Speaker 3Yes, I flew in about a year before that into Phoenix, okay.
Speaker 2So that's where I got drafted, did you like it? Certain parts of it are beautiful, yeah, but where that park is, that was spring training for the Rockies Terrible, that hit me like a I mean just two by four in the face. You said what?
Speaker 1a boy yeah.
Speaker 2They were trying to get out of there. They weren't taking care of it. We yeah, they were trying to get out of there, they weren't taking care of it. We were in a tent to work out, oh my God so. I never saw the ballpark yeah, it's where they film Major League Okay.
Speaker 3That's where the spring training scene is in Major League. Which was the next story here in the journey of my life was Cleveland, so it was basically a quick conversation.
Speaker 2I meant to do that.
Speaker 3Yeah, segway Did you. You want to go to law school?
Speaker 2No, oh, no, no, no, no, set you up for the.
Speaker 3Cleveland.
Speaker 1He meant to set you up. Yeah, you're welcome.
Speaker 3Well, you're a catcher.
Speaker 1Yeah, that's right, that's right, that's what you do.
Speaker 3I got your signal going to law school. I'm like, oh, okay, uh, what about? No, you're going to law school, so done, deal. The pirates were so nice or katie k in particular that they let me join a west coast trip. Before I flew into philadelphia, I had never been to temple university, wow. And so so I'm on the West Coast, san Francisco, la, and we end up in San Diego, and we're in San Diego and Stargell is the captain, and you know we got to know each other pretty well over those three years because he'd always get me post-game pirate. I'd walk into the clubhouse, win or lose. The pirate had to come out to the dugout. Yeah, post the clubhouse, win or lose. The Pirate had to come out to the dugout.
Speaker 2Yeah, post-game interview Win or lose, you had to have a player, and it was always a player, oh yeah.
Speaker 1Always a player, a Pirate player, win or lose.
Speaker 3Always a player, I love that. And Willie On radio, on radio no less, I love it. And the the dugout. And so willie would always instruct the players. Uh, because I'd go into, I'd go right to the clubhouse door and I'd say, willie, I need somebody. And he'd grab somebody and get out there. I said, can I have one of the guys that could speak english?
Speaker 2no, because you probably didn't have a translator at the time.
Speaker 3So my last day of glory with your former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, for it was we're in San Diego. They're all having like late breakfast and Stargills walking around. They're all like you know. They got a conference room with all their bacon and scrambled eggs but he's eating off everybody's plate and you knowiver and all that and he's having me walk with him and basically saying mike's leaving and you know, some of the guys were cool, some of them didn't give me, give a crap, but my and I'm on a red eye that night after the pirates beat san diego. They're on a red eye. They're on a charter back to pittsburgh. I're on a red eye. They're on a charter back to Pittsburgh. I'm on a red eye to Philadelphia. Get there, get out.
Speaker 3If you've never been to North Philadelphia, it's a concrete jungle and it's not a campus, it's just bunkers, bunkers, bunkers, bunkers. And I contemplated taking a car and going back to Pittsburgh, but I stuck it through Temple, really, in some ways gave me my wife, I met her there and then set me out on a whole different life. But Aryans, right, no, wait a minute. So then I go to Cleveland Indians, cleveland Indians from Temple Law School. I leave, and a gentleman by the name of Gabe Paul who ran the Yankees, president of the Yankees, before that president of the Reds. He was president of the Indians. And what I did when I graduated law school I was like I'm not Perry Mason, I'm not going to a courtroom, I'm not doing any of that. I mean, he has a son, very successful right now. You know it Harvard. Oh, hey, right, ryan.
Speaker 2He named this podcast, Sidney Browning.
Speaker 3Well yeah, he named it. Yeah, yeah, I love it the cutter and the cutter. We were trying to decide and he called and boom, he's, brilliant, Smart kid. So what they do at law school when he's experiencing it, they teach you to think a sporadic way. I mean very different. So I was coming out of there very different and I wrote all the clubs in National League and the Major League or American and National League, all of them the day where you could write a letter and it's not an email or anything. That means something. Yes, I wrote a letter and if any kid's watching this, you should still use this. That's right. No doubt I wrote and sent. Did you hear that? Use it? Use it Free, Except send $10 bills to Greg Brown here at the Cutter.
Speaker 1It won't arrive here. I'll tell you that right now.
Speaker 3Pirate City. Pirate City. I'll send you a check.
Speaker 1I'll send you a check to Pirate City.
Speaker 3You'll never see it. The end of that was the key paragraph, students is I'm going to be in your area and I forecast it out.
Speaker 2All teams, all teams.
Speaker 3I'm going to be in your area. I'm going to be in your area between August 1 and August 21. What a great idea. Do you have availability? I wrote just the presidents and the GMs. Great idea Because I would do baseball operations on a legal side or I would do something else on the front office side.
Speaker 2Did I tell you you're a smart man?
Speaker 3Well, three clubs responded. I don't know how smart I was, because the first one that responded was Cleveland, Of course, two-hour ride from Pittsburgh, and they said, yep, if you're here. The secretary of Gabe Paul wrote back. If you're here on this date, you can meet Mr Paul at 11 am.
Speaker 1Gabe Paul was the general manager.
Speaker 3No president, oh president.
Speaker 1Wow, he was also pretty much. He must have wrote a, really good letter.
Speaker 3It was two, three paragraphs, that's it. I said I had worked with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with KDK Radio. I told him I worked with the Philadelphia Phillies, with KYW News Radio at the time, with KYW Newsradio at the time. I covered them actually in my second and third year with KYW Newsradio and then KYW Newsradio 1060.
Speaker 3Give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world. And also 19 commercials, yeah, and also 19 commercials, yeah, so, so, gabe Paul, so Gabe. The White Sox, eddie Einhorn big Eddie Einhorn Broadcast, oh yeah. Pioneer. And Cable Cable, where you are now. And then San Francisco Giants I can't think of the president's name right now. What did I do for it? I mean, I hopped in the car and I said you know, I'm just gonna go to cleveland. And then it was like a week later I would see I'll fly out to San Fran. Got to Cleveland, chief Wahoo's, there right Stadium is at this time bankrupt, the city's bankrupt, so the landlords aren't going to tell oh my gosh. And the Indians are like the movie shot in Tucson Major League yeah, major League Okay.
Speaker 3And Gabe, you know, doesn't have the kind of money that he certainly enjoyed with Steinbrenner, but I go in and I meet Gabe and Gabe. Basically Brownie said baseball's changing broadcast rights are changing. I was interested in what you did with your radio days at KDK because you know KDK as an intern. You know, by the time I was a senior I was also selling some radio and I was also exposed to going out and getting broadcast clips for 90 to 6. 90 to 6 was 90 minutes of news 4. 30 to 6 90-6 was 90 minutes of news 430-6. Milo would anchor Milo Hamilton, the play-by-play Greg's predecessor. Well, lanny, you were also watching, you were in there. So I'd go to Penguin's locker room and get stuff and Milo would always give me on-air credits.
Speaker 1It was cool. Hey, we want to thank all of our producers and boy Mike Fetchko, you did one heck of a job tonight, Thank you for talking to Yager.
Speaker 3How do you say his name, milo? Thanks, yager, yager, but Gabe had the foresight and he said I want to bring everything in house, just like this. Just like this is no bullshit. Just like Eddie Einhorn is in the White.
Career Path in Baseball Broadcasting
Speaker 3Sox who I was hoping to see next week and he goes. So I want radio TV and Ted Stepien is a guy that owns the Cavaliers and he's going to start a pay network regional sports cable and I want you to look into that business and understand it and tell us if we should sell rights or should we bring it into us and we'll control our own cable games inventory and we'll make the revenue. So all that was great. For three years I did all that with the Indians, but we were very bad on the field. You know, very bad.
Speaker 2So you never made it to Chicago.
Speaker 3No, so thank you for listening. I'm glad you brought it up.
Speaker 1He's just confirming. He's confirming.
Speaker 3So here comes my father.
Speaker 2You said he was going next week. That's right Three years later so comes my father.
Speaker 3So Gabe Paul. So, gabe Paul, it became a three-hour meeting because I had ideas, he had ideas, we got along in those ideas and he said I'm going to offer you you'll become our director of broadcasting right now and also our house counsel to the board. He goes, but on the house counsel, you're going to just vote the way I tell you.
Speaker 1Oh, we really don't need you.
Speaker 3So it's real politics. Yeah, yeah, we have some bad Board guys. He didn't say bad at the time. We have some difficult board guys and I could use another vote on the board. I said you just tell me whatever you want. And here's another thing for all our young people out there you know, laid out this job and you're going to have trade. You're a single guy. You can eat at these four restaurants and you can do this. We'll help you with an apartment and we're going to pay you. This is 1981, we're going to pay you $14,000. Wow, wow. Well, I didn't even think of the money. I was still on the restaurants. He had me at the restaurants.
Speaker 4You had me at restaurants, so I go down and there's Chief Wahoo and there's a pay phone me at the restaurant.
Speaker 3You had me at restaurants. So I go down and there's Chief Wahoo and there's a pay phone and I call back and I talk to my dad and my dad's like how'd it go? I said they offered me a job and he said okay, all right, what are they paying you? Always the next question oh yeah, yep, and I said $14,000. He said what are they paying you? Always the next question oh yeah, yep, and I said $14,000. He said what are they paying you?
Speaker 2the rest of the year, because you're a lawyer, I'm a lawyer.
Speaker 3I just spent all this money, but I decided to sign up, joined on with the Indians Because of restaurants, restaurants.
Speaker 2Which one was your favorite? Do you remember?
Speaker 3It was at the stouffer's hotel, which was the number one hotel at the time. Wow, so I mean I get it really good yeah, but yeah, and there were great guys in the front office. Some were married, some weren't, some were married. You wouldn't know they were married uh it's a whole other story.
Speaker 3It's another story for another time we even had a tailor that made suits for us in the front office, free, really, yeah. Anyway, she had a lot of perks, a lot of perks, had great 50,000 watts, 3we and radio and Herb Scores, herb Score, of course, nev Chandler, nev Chandler, bob Well, herb, herb and you guys are in the broadcast business.
Speaker 3Herb Score did play by play former player pitcher, yeah who got hit with a long drive gil mcdougall wasn't, yeah and knocked him out and really ended his career. But herb gabe loved him and put him in to do radio and tv. So I'm there now like two months. So I'm there now like two months and it's end of September. I'm there a month and I thought part of my job was to help the announcers, not critique them. So Herb is doing a play-by-play of a tight game against the Orioles and all I could tell you is and I always tell you this you're one of the best play-by-play guys Couldn't agree more.
Speaker 1I mean, it's unbelievable. It really is unbelievable. That's why he's a guest here. Yeah, that's why I'm a guest.
Speaker 2Send that right to Parrot City, that check, yeah, that's right, yeah, which they never can find.
Speaker 3Haven't seen it. Yeah, yeah, right, hold my cutter, hold my cutter. Yeah, hold that. Check, herb score. It's a 2-2 pitch. It's in the and they're in Baltimore and it's the bottom of the ninth 2-2. Indians. Rick Waits is on the mound. Here's the 2-2. Here's Herb's score.
Speaker 1Here's the 2-2.
Speaker 3Here's the 2-2 pitch From Ricky Waits on the mound. Here's Herb's quote. Here's the tip-toe from Ricky Waits. There's a long drive down the right field line. Is it fair? Is it foul? It is.
Speaker 1And about two minutes go by oh my gosh, two minutes go by. Everybody listening to the radio. What happened?
Speaker 3Finally says it was foul. So I went in the next day and said to Gabe Herb, just a thought, oh. I went to Gabe first and said what are you going to do about Herb? It's not the first time. I heard like eight games and I was like you don't touch Herb, you don't touch Bob Fowler. Let me tell you something.
Speaker 1You don't touch Bob Feller, let me tell you something. You don't touch him. You don't touch Bob Feller. Let me tell you something kid, and you'll keep your 14 grand.
Speaker 4That's right, and your gift cards.
Speaker 1So, stop her, so where?
Speaker 3are you? And then I came up with an idea the following spring because the Indians trained at Tucson. It's like full circle, right Circle of life, yeah, and I don't know. I came up with the idea that I learned from the Phillies. They had Chris Wheeler as a front office guy in the broadcast where he would just always be hawking the front office side. So I went to Gabe Paul he's 82, gabe I said Gabe, listen, I'm doing yeah, you're doing a good job. Just keep your head down and keep going.
Speaker 2Keep voting the way you're voting, just do what you're vote the way I tell you and keep your mouth shut.
Speaker 3And go eat, yeah, and get a new suit. You've grown out of your old suits, no, but Maybe that's why you got free suits here's another gift certificate kid, enjoy yourself, oh my God.
Speaker 3So I said Gabe, I gave him the whole rationale of Philadelphia Phillies broadcast, where they have a front office guy in there helping. He does color largely, but he's able to. And Gabe looks at me and he's sitting in his chair where he was. A great man, great guy, I told you. He falls asleep at 3.30 in the afternoon. If you're in his office you're stuck until he wakes up, and all the other guys. He needed a bullhorn, yeah, oh my God. So he's looking at me and I really thought he was saying that's a good idea, right, he looked at me and he took a shoe off and I thought he was going to throw it at me. And he said and he's going like this with his shoe and I go what game?
Speaker 1What with the shoe? Exactly Now that you're awake. What with the shoe? Yeah, exactly Now that you're awake what with the shoe?
Speaker 3He said. I want you to take your shoes off and get that broadcast dust out of your shoes, Because you're not going into the booth. You're going to keep the other initiatives going oh, my gosh, so that ended that.
Speaker 2So then our owner, what a way to get moved on from that's great.
Speaker 3So our next year became Is that technically getting booted? Oh?
Speaker 1a literal boot, a literal boot.
Speaker 3Pass the cutter, hold my cutter, hold my cutter. Well, next, you know the Indians are so bad. I mean, we would sit there in the booth after we got our work done by the third inning and just bet the next pitch is going to be a strike, the next pitch is going to be a ball.
Speaker 1And this is an old Cleveland stadium. Yeah, Cleveland Municipal. How many people? 80,000. And 5,000 would show up every night and Modell, so it looked like it was packed.
Speaker 3And Art Modell, the owner of the Browns, cleveland Browns. Cleveland Browns Is the landlord Because the city again went bankrupt on the stadium, municipal stadium. So our last year and this brings you then back to Temple and Bruce Arians and John Chaney we decided our owner was just as old as Gabe. He was in his early 80s. His name was Steve O'Neill, good Irishman like you, and he ran Leaseway Transportation. He owned 99%. Early 80s. His name was Steve O'Neill, good Irishman like you, and he ran Leaseway Transportation. He owned 99% of the club and he began inviting us out to his mansion in Chagrin Falls, me and like two other guys we called ourselves the Young Turks. With Gabe's blessing, he would say go out and just keep Steve happy. Well, steve had blackboards put in one of his mansion rooms and would write things down like we need our own stadium, we need our own destiny Ideas, we need our own.
Speaker 2He had an idea room. I love that.
Speaker 3He had an idea room and he then looked at me and he said we're going to sue Art Modell. I've had it with this prick. I mean this guy.
Speaker 2That's his nickname, right.
Speaker 3You know what'd he do In the middle of the night? A few years later, he took the Browns to Baltimore.
Speaker 1Middle of the night.
Speaker 3Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.
Speaker 1What they left.
Speaker 3He was a bad guy. He would come across. The Browns were gone. He was the saint of Cleveland, but he was a bad guy.
Speaker 2That could never happen now in social media.
Speaker 3No, no, no, no, you're right, just poof. So Steve was like we're going to get our own stadium. We're going to get out of this lease. We're going to really invest in our farm system. We're going to really invest in our farm system. I had one of the young Turks, a guy named Tom Polchinski, who was great. He played minor league ball and he ran them. He was a GM at a double-A club. Anyway, he ran a lot of business ops with the Indians. He then became the executive director of the LA Open out in Riviera. Wow, and a brilliant guy just retired. But we would go out there with O'Neal. And you're right, ford, he had a vision. He was the owner of the Cleveland Indians everybody stay with me and Art Modell was the landlord where we played. You know 81 games and he played 10 at the time, and so we would have.
Speaker 3Always makes sense, doesn't it? Yeah, we would have the toilets back up down into the dugout and go all the way to the locker room. It was just, you know, he controlled all the revenues, advertising, scoreboard, concessions, everything. So Steve was like Mike you're getting on a plane and for the next two months you go to every major league team and you study their leases and do an analysis of all the leases. Even if they own it, the Red Sox, even if it's their stadium, I want everything, wow. So that's what I did.
Tales of Baseball Legends and Rivalries
Speaker 3And when I came back, steve's big attorney, general counsel of Leaseway, was a, was a tough guy named Bunny Bernard, bunny Goldford, teamster, right, and he said, ok, let's go, let's go. Sue Hartmodel, the owner of the Browns, wow. And so we. We did that. We challenged them on a, on the, on the, on the lease, and how adhesionary it was, how bad it was. And we won. And Gabe Paul's like going along with all this, and Bunny Goldfarb's like let's keep going. We got to get the governor involved, we need land, we need the mayor involved, we're going to build our own stadium. End of the story. We had everything rolling for about two months and then Steve O'Neill goes to his younger brother's funeral. He was 79. And Steve has a massive heart attack and dies at his brother's funeral. Oh, no way, yep, and I'm at the funeral and all the royalty of Cleveland's there, including Art Modell. No kidding, and Art Modell is no kidding, yeah. And Art Modell is like I've won, they're done Right. And we always had baseballs in our trunk, like the cutter here, you know, to give people on sales meetings or whatever. I go to my trunk, art Modell, they're all there smiling, they all. Leave All the big brass of Cleveland, leave the mayor's governor, everybody. And I go to my trunk and my buddy who ran the la open goes what are you doing? And I walked over to steve steve's grave and I tossed the ball in going it's over, man, it was.
Speaker 3It was literally the rise and the fall of the cleveland jesus, because we went into catholic charities and a state and all Catholic Charities was going to do was find the biggest profitable purchaser for the club. And they called us in and they said stop all the litigation, stop all the movement with the state that's going to be a new owner to do all that. I walk into Gabe's office. Gabe says I'm taking a golden parachute, I'm done and I go well, gabe, I never got a golden parachute. I didn't say that. I said what's going to happen? And he says well, you and a couple guys, they're not going to support anything you've done. You've done great in broadcasting, but all this other stuff about a new stadium, about beating the Browns, it's not happening. And I said what's that mean? He goes, you got to take your chances with new ownership. I'll be in Tampa and I'm like, wow, the dean of law school, yeah, the dean of law school at Temple becomes the president, yeah, the dean of law school at Temple becomes the president.
Speaker 3His right-hand man was my contract professor, a great guy named Joe Marshall. He calls me up at that time and says we just hired this young 30-year-old guy to be our football coach named Bruce Arians. Paul Bear, bryant's staff from Alabama, he's from York, pa, and we just hired John Chaney. He's 57, basketball coach. And we just hired John Chaney. He's 57, basketball coach, it's his first D1 job. And Peter, the dean now president, wanted me to ask you if you'd come back and work with these guys. And you know Philadelphia, and it was the right time. Right, because I had nothing but dark skies. So I went to Temple, met Coach Arians, who just won the Super Bowl a couple years ago at Tampa Bay, and John Chaney, you know, who took the basketball program two years later to number one in the country. And we went to war. The new war there wasn't Art Modell, but it was like getting enough budget to beat Penn State and do things. And I hung there for five years, four years, and I left when they fired Bruce. And they fired Bruce because he was on IVs at Temple Hospital, because he was the head coach, the offensive coordinator, the recruiting coordinator. He was just burned out. Man, we would go to war with budgets, our arms races. We would go play Penn State with bows and arrows. They would have bazookas and machine guns. Yeah, we would have 22 starters that could compete. They would have 66 guys of all equal power. You know so, and it was a mercy that they did that to Bruce. You know so, leah Corris, who was the Dean and now president. I walked into his office and said Bruce was the guy I get it and you could. You never got any money for the football program. I said I'm gone.
Speaker 3Green tree, pennsylvania, just outside the tunnels Fort Pitt tunnels there was a entrepreneur group, a venture capital group that was was starting the Major League Baseball Players alumni Nellie Briles was the executive director of it. That's why it was in Pittsburgh. They were nothing more than a nonprofit 501C3, a bunch of former players with chapters in a lot of cities that did golf tournaments. Players didn't get anything, but they got together, had a cigar, had a beer and played golf. We came in and said these guys, these guys are baseball, not just Hall of Famers. So you saw something. Not just MVPs, but you, anybody that gets up and plays Major League Baseball. So we said we love this brand. We told Nellie, let us run with it. We're going to develop revenue streams and licensing events, appearances Licensing was the big money and you guys would still be a nonprofit. We'll run your revenue arm. And that's what we did for 10 years out of Pittsburgh and then we moved the last couple years into PNC Park.
Speaker 2So you literally bolstered up the MLB alumni group.
Speaker 3Well, we did, and Greg and I were.
Speaker 2Out of Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3Well, it was Nellie Browles, right, and Nellie and his guys, and Brooks Robinson was the president. Harmon Killebrew was vice president, tug McGraw, which I do have one thing to tell you about. Tug was the chairman of marketing Brilliant guy, I don't know, greg, if you know this or Fort. So you had all these great big names that ran the Major League Baseball alumni. So it was just a solid move. All we had to do was go out there and we did programs all over the world. What took us around the world were people like AT&T with the military and Campbell Soup, believe it or not, with the military, and we would take players as an example to Europe bases and they would go and they would do clinics, they'd play softball with the command At the military bases.
Speaker 3Yeah, and we did it all. We did it over the world and one quick one with. So Tug always had a million ideas, tug McGraw, he had, you know children.
Speaker 2What a great name, by the way.
Speaker 3Yeah, you know, I got it. I Well, his real name's Frank Tug McGraw and he was a pain in the ass because he would call me every week and you know we're rocking and rolling and trying to do real good things in all the licensing and program Danbury Mint and all this stuff. I had a great assistant and she would go Tug's online too and I'd I'd go god damn it here's two hours with me and it was the day where your phone would light up and I could, okay line two and I'd hit it speakerphone and he'd come on and he would go is that right?
Speaker 1he would call me the pillsbury dough boy.
Speaker 3That's how he would call me, the Pillsbury Doughboy.
Speaker 1No, and that's how he would greet me. Oh, it goes back to Cleveland, doesn't it? Oh my gosh Pillsbury.
Speaker 3Doughboy Wow.
Speaker 2Can you do that one more time?
Speaker 3No, I can't do it as well as he. Woo-hoo, Woo-hoo and I'd go. I just put my head back you got the tugger ideas. Anyway, you remember one time he played there were rivalries between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Speaker 1Huge.
Speaker 3Phillies and Pirates were the biggest rivalry and this is how we first did it. Love to see that again. Yeah, it was cross state, it was real. But this is how, when I first met him this is before the weekly phone calls which usually became bi weekly phone calls because usually became bi-weekly phone calls Because he was full of ideas he sits me down, he goes did you follow my career at all? I go no, I pretty much followed the Pirates growing up, Really, you, mother. And then I hit it. He goes one time you, mother cutter.
Speaker 2Mother cutter.
Speaker 3One time I pitched a doubleheader against the Pirates in Three Rivers Stadium. I said, yeah, what do you mean? You pitched both games. God damn it, I'm a relief pitcher. I said, yeah, I know you're a relief pitcher, left-handed, I get it, he goes. Well, I lost both games and he goes. I was so distraught I went to a bar, being Irish, I had to have my Jamesons and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 4And I went and I found a cop and said lock me up. I can't take it. I don't want to go out anymore.
Speaker 3I don't want to get a third loss in this town. Lock me up until the team leaves Sunday night. Oh my gosh, but that's how we formally got to know each other. But he would call, I would listen to his ideas. He called me Pillsbury and when Greg Brownie said, hey, you want to come on the podcast, it was St Paddy's Day and I was having my beverage thinking of my good friend Tug McGraw, and I was, you know, having my beverage thinking of my good friend Tug McGraw, because he got ill in Clearwater at the Phillies training camp in March.
Speaker 3Down there is a guest instructor with the team, very brilliant guy, very energetic, very funny, but, you know, full of life, and you know full of life and the. You know I got to say this every time I was with him in public and we'd go have dinner or he'd want to get a drink at a bar. He would find the best looking lady and he was single at the time. I mean, he was married twice but he was at that time. But he would go up to a lady and he'd go my name's McGraw, do you have any Irish in you? And she would go, no, would you to a lady? And he'd go. Uh, my name's mcgraw. Do you have any irish in you? And she would go. No, would you like, lady, does that get on this podcast?
Speaker 1hold my cutter, hold my cutter. He meant, he meant irish blood of course I know that okay, welcome to hold my. We're here at Lee Com Park having a cigar with Mike Fetchko, who is a Pittsburgh icon yes, he is A long time Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1He brought the regatta to Bradenton, florida and he's had a great career. And the last podcast we talked with him about his time with the Alumni Association which he kind of started in Pittsburgh and he was talking about Tug McGraw, the longtime Phillies reliever who was involved with many pirate Philly confrontations. Yeah, and you got to know Tug, got to know him very well. Did you know Tim? At the time he was estranged from Tim he was estranged from Tim.
Speaker 3He was estranged from Tim and Tug would tell you Fort and Brownie the story that he reunited and met him.
Speaker 1Toward the end of his life.
Speaker 3Well, no, he was 11. I'm talking about Tug. Yes, I'm going to tell you that. Yeah, okay, that's the thing I wanted to tell you that I was thinking about on St Patrick's Day. So that's the thing I wanted to tell you that I was thinking about with St Patrick's Day.
Speaker 1So you know Tug had some great teammates you know Schmidt, All-timer Bob Walk. Yeah, bob.
Tug McGraw's Family Reunion in Norfolk
Speaker 3Walk and Boa Whirly Bird, yeah, boa, who's a pain in the ass, but Boa. So I got to know all those guys. Great Philly teams, yeah, but Tug you. Great Philly teams, yeah, but Todd, when somebody asked him because the son became famous, he'd go when did you get reacquainted, or acquainted with your son? And he'll start the story with. Well, his mother I met. We had sex once when I was in AA in Jacksonville. Florida Mets farm team never knew she had him. Her parents lived in Jacksonville. They sent her when she became pregnant to Louisiana with relatives and that's where she raised him. And when he was 11 or 12, she contacted. She contacted tug. She didn't want anything. She didn't want child support, she didn't want it, she just wanted to know you have a son.
Speaker 3Well, by the time boa gets a hold of this story, they're playing and tugs agreed to meet them in houston before an astros game and they're all at the hotel now. Now, schmidt knows it and Boone knows it and all his teammates know it and they're all in the lobby and Tug's like, just telling the truth going. I don't know if he's my son or not, you know, but she doesn't want anything, she just wants me to meet him and Bo's like well, you're going to get a blood test to find out right. He goes yeah, Tug was just a good guy. Well, tim McGraw no, he's not Tim McGraw right now. Tim shows up with his mother. He's around 11 or 12. They enter the lobby. Bo is there and he's the big clubhouse barker right and he's at the door and he goes Tug, he looks just like you.
Speaker 4He screamed it, he screamed it and the whole lobby breaks up.
Speaker 2What a great baseball moment.
Speaker 3So he stays involved for the next seven years and now really gets involved with Tim McGraw, or Tim's life. Tim wants to go to Nashville and Tug will support him if he goes to college. So he's playing gigs right, and he's bartending more bartending than playing any kind of music and Tug's paying him to go to community college. And now the Major League Baseball players and alumni are rolling and we're doing a big program called Heroes to Heroes, which was all the 10 largest bases that deployed troops to Operation Desert Storm. Wow, we were bringing in just big events fireworks, gatlins, the Gatlin brothers for concerts oh man, for concerts. You know picnic for 10,000 and you know the enlisted guys and their families and baseball games and clinics. We'd bring in about 40 baseball players, alumni.
Speaker 2You want to recreate that anytime soon? Just let me know we should. We should. You would love it.
Speaker 3We'll talk separately about some of the crazy. We went to the 7th Fleet in the Mediterranean helicopter, to aircraft carriers to wow battleships and yeah, they would play wiffle ball on deck and if you hit a home run, you just keep going today. Today there's some kid in sicily holding and I think they went undefeated.
Speaker 2The baseball alumni wiffle ball in the med Sea. I'm sure they did. Yeah, I would end up in the water.
Speaker 3So we're in Norfolk and everything is Department of Defense, but Tug calls me twice a week and I'm getting ready to go down to Norfolk. You know, this is like our third base out of ten we're doing. And he says and he's going to all of them because he loved it, he loved the, the military guys, me too, amen, amen. And heroes to heroes. Tug calls me, that's it. And I said yeah, tug, and he got his name, tug, I I regress for a second. Do you know why? Why I don't? You don't? I don't think so. And his brother, hank, was a great catcher, okay, who was blackballed by all the major league organizations in the minor leagues.
Speaker 2because Hank liked to smoke, not cigars. Woo-hoo Smoke, and it's okay now. Now it's everything, isn't?
Speaker 3that crazy.
Speaker 1It's on the ballot man I have this time.
Speaker 3Yeah, but Hank Tug would always tell you he was a major league catcher. You know, yeah, and when I met Hank, his hair is down to here, oh sure, and he's smoking in the parking lot. Probably made him better. Yeah, I don't know, man, but he was quite a guy. So I asked Hank one day innocently. I said what's with the tug? Why does everybody call him tug? He never answers me. He goes really, mike Smokes, it's as big as a bat, he's smoking a joint.
Speaker 3And he goes, he goes. My mother gave him that because she breastfed him and he was always tugging at the other one. No, way.
Speaker 1Yeah, he was hungry, he was hungry.
Speaker 2He was hungry Frank.
Speaker 3Tug McGraw.
Speaker 1You've got to believe. You've got to believe Could have been worse, yeah.
Speaker 3Could have been worse. New York match you've got to believe Could have been boobie.
Speaker 4Could have been Boobie Could have been Boobie, boobie McGraw.
Speaker 3You wouldn't really get along with them because you have all these crazy ideas. Hey, I'm going to get in the podcast and spend a lot of money. Yeah yeah, bring these guys on air.
Speaker 2Talk about Tug McGraw.
Speaker 3Yeah, right, but you know Philly and a Met World Series at both, wow.
Speaker 3But you know, Philly and a Met World Series at both Wow and the song Live. Like you Were Dying, right, it's all about him. It's all about Tug. Wow, I had no clue when Tug was dying. I and Hank was with him. They went across country in an RV and one of my guys that worked for me out of Pittsburgh became their companion on this trip across country. Tug had six months to live and he wanted to do everything that he never did because he was always in the major leagues or minor leagues. So he went Rocky Mountain climbing, he went to a rodeo. He did all that stuff. How cool is that? I had no clue.
Speaker 1I grew up in.
Speaker 3Tennessee so that song is just playing in my head and that's where Tim lives today and that's where Tug died was in Tennessee, at Tug's, I mean at Tim's estate. But go back to Norfolk. Tug calls me and he's on that line too and he says I have a son, he's in Nashville and he's going to drive over from Norfolk and he wants to meet the Gatlin brothers you know who are a big country. And I'm like I got 30 things on my mind. I said what are you talking about? And he goes I want him on that base. Pillsbury.
Speaker 3He called you Pillsbury, yeah, you don't quite hear me and I said well, you know everything's credentials Tug. Two weeks in advance, I needed all this documentation your driver's license and this and this yeah, this is a military thing. Ain't going to let you roll in. Yeah, and he goes Pillsbury. Get it done. Click.
Speaker 4And you got it done.
Speaker 3I forgot about it until I got to Norfolk and who's waiting for me is Tug Pillsbury. My son's showing up on the bus tomorrow and he's getting a cab and he's coming out here. Where does he go? I said shit. I went to the lieutenant commander of the base. Norfolk is a big, big naval base and a Navy Air Force base too, and the lieutenant commander is like number two in charge and we're doing this big thing again with 10,000 people. And I said, hey, one of the players' son's coming. The guy goes what do you want us to do? I said I need you to let him on the base. You don't understand this guy, tug McGraw. I got to do it. He's like on the board of the Major League Baseball alumni and I'm pleading with him. He finally says, okay, all right. I said okay, I go to Tug. You know what? He should go to gate 14. And what time will he be there, tug? I don't know what time he's going to be there.
Speaker 2Thanks for the help.
Speaker 3He's on a bus Next day. It's 10 o'clock in the morning, mps or wherever I was MPs and Lieutenant Commander like in six Jeeps come pulling up to me and they go. There's a guy at the gate who has his clothes and a grocery bag and a beat up guitar on his shoulder and his hair is down to his ass and he says he's the son of Tug McGraw. I go yeah, that's him.
Speaker 1You got to get him on the scene.
Speaker 3So he comes on the base. They get him on the base, I bring him Sound check's going on with the Gatlins, the picnic's going on, sound check's going on Food, all this baseball, softball games, clinics. He's backstage, mike. This is my son, tim. Tim nice to meet you. He's no one. I'm like okay, right.
Speaker 1I got.
Speaker 3Brooks over here who wants some chicken Fried?
Speaker 1chicken.
Speaker 3I got to take care of Brooks. Here's the very end of the story. All the people who know me you guys know me but don't know this. So he makes an impression on the gatlins two months, two months later. Tug and I, as chairman of marketing for the major league baseball alumni, I always took players into meetings because they could tell the story much better than me that's. That's a beautiful idea, and I'd always find out if the ceo where he was from.
Speaker 2So we're meeting with you pulling the heart strings right?
Speaker 3yeah, I would I'd bring their hero right into it. Oh yeah, oh yeah. So we're meeting with You're pulling the heartstrings right.
Speaker 4Yeah, I'd bring their hero right into it. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 3So we're meeting the president of Hardee's and, by great luck, he grew up in the suburbs of Philly, so I'm bringing in Tug McGraw, All right, so I meet Tug at Tampa International. It's the days still of cassette players and rental cars. We get in the car, Tug goes hey, he pulls out a cassette. He goes you know where you're going? I go yeah, I just got to get on I-4 and we just drive. He goes okay, I want you to hear his demo. I go whose demo?
Speaker 3He's like Tim, my boy, my boy, my boy, the Gatlin, set him up in their studio and I went okay.
Speaker 1And you're thinking okay, I got to listen to this, I got to listen, I listened to it.
Speaker 3You hadn't heard it play yet, have you? No, yeah, and you'll know the song Probably. I listened to it for the next 75 minutes, over and, over and over again. Cherokee Outlaw 100%.
Speaker 3That was his first hit. We go to the meeting Meeting's good, hardy's gonna do Coca-Cola, whatever collector cups of players. And then we're gonna do clinics for Hardy's in the Southeast Great. And we're even gonna do an Hispanic thing for some of their Hispanic markets Great, right. And we're even going to do an Hispanic thing for some of their Hispanic markets Great. We get in the car. Now there's 75 minutes of Cherokee Outlaw.
Speaker 2It was so catchy. It's such a great song. Do you know it?
Speaker 3Yeah, of course I do. Cherokee Outlaw Rip Raw.
Speaker 4Rip, rip Talk Call yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, there you go. One of a kind. The only thing missing from it was woo, woo, woo, or it would have been a gold platinum. But so we get out, we do a remix. Yeah, we get out. In the last five minutes of the car pulling into the rental, he goes. Now you're going to represent him, and I'm like we don't do this. Tug says this to you, to me You're going to represent him and I'm like we don't do this. Tug says this to you, to me, you're going to represent Tim. You're going to represent Tim. Oh my gosh, and I'm like me. But we had seven other offices who had specialties with consumer promotions and trade promotions and advertising. We were part of a group of North American.
Speaker 2I got to know how that got set up at some point too. Wow, american, I got to know how that got set up at some point too, wow, wow, I don't want you to digress, because this is very good.
Speaker 3I'm not digressing. So you got the great reliever, Tug McGraw, saying you're going to represent him and I'm trying to tell him, as chairman of marketing for the Major League Baseball alumni, we don't do that. These offices all do this stuff. There's no music division in any of these offices and he he's like doesn't matter he doesn't take.
Speaker 2No, we.
Speaker 3I don't want to hear it, nope I don't want to hear it and I'm like, okay, you know. So I do call the chairman of north america, who's a good buddy who ran the chicago operations out of there. I said he listens to about two minutes of me talking about this and he goes why don't you get back to work now and just placate that guy and tell him We'll take care of it, tell him you spoke to me and we'll look into it, you know, you know that's not going to work. No, the next day, line two. I hit line two, woo-hoo, tug goes. What are you doing? What are you going to do? You've talked to them now, right?
Speaker 3I said Tug, I don't want to hear it. I said, well, here's my suggestion. The Gatlins were kind enough to give him time in the studio and he cut this See who the Glins use. I can call the gatlins because I booked them in 10 bases, right, and I paid him a lot of money. I said you want me to call the gatlins? He goes. I know the gatlins better than you do. Okay, so he goes and he gets. You know, he gets a representative from the gatlins. And then every four months I would get the call online too and I'd get the whoo-hoo and it'd be Tug playing a new hit.
Speaker 1No more Cherokee.
Speaker 3Outlaw.
Speaker 4No, these are all legitimate hits now.
Speaker 3And then you know, about a year later, their hits are coming in and he would just laugh and then hang up. And then he called you know, he'd always call about ideas, but he calls this online too, Woo-hoo. I pick it up and he goes Faith Hill. And I go Faith Hill and he goes he's marrying Faith Hill, woo-hoo.
Speaker 4Woo-hoo.
Speaker 1Wow, wow, that's incredible.
Tug McGraw's Spectacular Memorial Service
Speaker 3So we wouldn't be sitting here right now if I had oh, no, you would not be.
Speaker 1on, hold my Cutter, I wouldn't be on.
Speaker 3Hold my Cutter, I'd be on. Hold Back the Waves.
Speaker 4I'm on a wide beach.
Speaker 3And my mansion's on a cliff up there. Hold my Surfboard, yeah, hold my Surf waves. I'm on a wide beach and my mansion's on a cliff up there.
Speaker 1Hold my surfboard. Yeah, hold my surfboard.
Speaker 2Wow, hold my surfboard, oh my gosh.
Speaker 3But here's when he called me or sent me a text or email on St Patty's Day. As I said earlier, everybody about Tug McGraw, great relief pitcher, mets and Phillies, dynamic outgoing person. I think about him on St Patrick's Day because he was all about.
Speaker 1St Paddy's. Yeah, you said he got sick in Clearwater.
Speaker 3Got sick in Clearwater and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Yeah, and Tim McGraw immediately flew him on a charter to Duke University. We had the leading.
Speaker 2Talk about full circle yeah.
Speaker 3He gets him a bus ride. Yeah, they have a charter plane that way Wow yeah. Well, he had a charter, took him to Duke and you know, duke worked, you know, for a week with all their national international specialists and it was inoperable. So that's when the RV then came into play. But what I wanted to tell you that really no one really knows about and I think your folks watching pass the cutter or hold my cutter or hold my cutter or both, and you want to keep changing the name.
Speaker 3Holding brings up a whole other connotation. Nothing against Ryan, hold the cutter.
Speaker 1It's hold my cutter, it's a pitch. You don't pass a pitch. Okay, I got you. I got you. Ryan, you are correct. Like hold my cutter, hold it, what's.
Speaker 3Ryan going to do? Is he going to be a Supreme Court judge? Probably.
Speaker 2A governor he needs to represent. Hold my cutter, I guess too right Might be so we'll me in Fortwood Maybe. I really want to play wiffle ball on the White House lawn.
Speaker 1Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4There you go.
Speaker 3That was my first job oh, my wiffle ball, my first job. In eighth grade I was commissioner of the Wiffle Ball League in Matrona Heights.
Speaker 1You keep digressing.
Speaker 3So, anyway, here you go. So Tug is sick and he's on the RV and he's seeing all the things he wanted to see, including elvis's house, and he would still call me on this journey of his with hank, this is his last hurrah, wow, and he's in.
Speaker 1He's. What was his attitude, by the way, at that time?
Speaker 2still up, oh can I tell you something crazy. We sold our rv to a couple, the. The husband had a terminal cancer, brain cancer Like Tug, just like Tug, and he spent his last year driving around doing the same thing, it's wild.
Speaker 3He would call me and say we're here or we're there, and Mike Mahoney, who used to work for me, is on the RV and they had a driver and they had a chef and it was all planned out. And Tug calls me this one time and I'll just share this. And then I want to really tell your audience what he did. He loved Elvis, Loved Elvis, and he calls me up, you know, and the whole thing, Pillsbury, and the sound effects, and his voice is getting raw now but he's still up, still energetic, and he said I'm in, I'm at Graceland. I said you're at Graceland, it's really, it's like. It's like 630 at night, you know, and he goes well, it's 530 here, Pillsbury.
Speaker 1You don't understand time zones and I laugh and he goes well.
Speaker 3It's 530 here in Pillsbury.
Speaker 4You don't understand time zones and I laugh and he goes.
Speaker 3I got a private tour no kidding, and I go. Great, in fact, I'm in the King's bathroom. I said what no? And he goes. Yeah, they had these little red ropes that you couldn't go into the bedroom, but I ignored the ropes.
Speaker 2He had his own private tour.
Speaker 3Oh my God, but I'm sitting on the king's throne.
Speaker 1Come on. Wow, he called you from Elvis' bathroom. You ask?
Speaker 3about how he is right.
Speaker 2Wow, this is too much. We would get along Great. That's amazing On the throne.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, anyway. So he did his business on the king's throne. I said, was there plumbing? And he just laughed and hung up, oh my God. So here's what I wanted to tell you when I sent you the note and I think people will go wow when they hear this. So Mike Mahoney, who worked for me, is now taking a lot of direction from Tug for his funeral, and it would be a private funeral and it was going to be in Chester County, which is kind of like horse country outside of Philadelphia toward the southeast. And he's telling me I'm working on this Tug's outlining everything. I'm like unbelievable, incredible, incredible. So about a couple weeks later, mike Mahoney who, just to give you a picture, everybody should have a picture. I was so privileged that he worked with me for years. He looked like a Viking, he was 6'4", he had the blonde ponytail before anybody thought it was fashionable.
Speaker 3He had the blonde ponytail before anybody thought it was fashionable. And you know, tim McGraw hired him after all this to become his road manager and he still is. He's living in Hawaii with a surfboard, but he was hosting.
Speaker 1Hold my Surfboard.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3Very successful. Woo, I know this is coming. Yeah, it's going to, this will get there. I said okay, mo. His nickname was Mo Mike Mahoney. I said okay, mo, he called me and he said it's going to hit the AP and the UPI Tugs passed away.
Speaker 3But this was days of fax. Machines were used much more. He says you're going to get a fax and it's going to explain where the service is in four days, on this coming Saturday, chester County. And you've got to get past. You've got to go through two police blockades with colored paper red in this first one and then yellow in the second one and you're going to be escorted in and then you'll see like a revolutionary era church up on a hill and there's going to be valet parking. So just pull all the way up and you'll have a map. But just do what the checkpoints say at the police.
Speaker 3I said okay, so I fly in, I get in the rental car, I go out, I got my colored paper boom, number one. I get through Number two. I get through A mile later I see the Revolutionary Church but it has two big adjacent tents next to it and I get further up the hill and I see like a major circus tent behind those behind the church and the two auxiliary tents, and I get up there and there's the big circle for Valley Parking and there's my man, mike Mahoney, who I was fortunate enough to bring into the business, so to speak, and he's in the black sunglasses and black suit and black tie and he's on a headset and he sees me get out of the rental car and he goes over to some other staff people. He goes Fetch over here, I go, what's up? I?
Speaker 1said what is this? What is this?
Speaker 3I know I was like I'm blown away. You got these two massive tents next to this little colonial church. Church holds 75 people. The auxiliary tents are televising. Oh, the alder, wow to those. And I said what's that? Back there he goes that's the wake tent. It's going to be a big Irish wake after this. Wow, and and Tim's paid for it all, Tim and Faith Hill, and you know, and you know it starts at 11 sharp and I'm there like at 1030, and I go, is it assigned seating? Or what do I do here? You know, which tent do you want me in? I just go. He goes, Fetch, you made the church. And I'm like, wow, Gee many crickets.
Speaker 3I said who's in the church, One of 75 people. Who's in the church, my 75.
Speaker 1Who's in?
Speaker 3the church, his teammates, gee money crickets, phillies, wow. And then behind them are New York Mets Jerry Kuzman, jerry Grody, his catcher, his old Mets teammates, yeah, don Clendenin, wow. And then Schmidt and Boa and Dallas Green and all these other guys You're kidding me, wait a minute. And so I go, and I go. Where am I? Wait a minute. And so I go, and I go. Where am I? He goes, you're next last row here, you know, just sit here on the end, you know, cause I'll be in and out. I went, okay, so he goes out and he's doing some stuff. Now it's about a quarter to 11.
Tug McGraw's Eccentric Memorial Service
Speaker 3The thing starts at 11. Church is pretty, pretty full now. And Mike Mahoney, the big Viking, I go, yeah, I want to ask him something. I'm on the end and I go. I get the Phillies and the Mets. That's cool man, you know. And there's other friends here from Philly, I guess. First two, three pews are his first wives and he had a couple kids and they had a couple stepkids. I said I get that. I said who are the other four rows? Who are all those people? They're all women.
Speaker 1And he goes well that's Tug's tomato patch, so what?
Speaker 3So all his acquaintances over the years.
Speaker 4No, all the girlfriends over the years. A tomato, I know.
Speaker 2Yeah, maybe. Yeah, his tomato patch, are you kidding me? No, no, that had to be drawn up in A tomato?
Speaker 1I know, yeah, maybe, yeah, his tomato patch. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 2No, no, that had to be drawn up in his will, I guess.
Speaker 3He drew up all this. Are you kidding me? And you know substantial expense. Tim paid for all of it. I assume he paid for all of it because Tug was you know, he wasn't flush with this kind of stuff, Wow, and I just kind of leaned back and smiled and go, that's him, man, you know.
Speaker 3And then he had you know he had other people he had done the children's book with. They're there and all that Anyway. So it was a Protestant church. Maybe it wasn't a Catholic church, but for this it became a Catholic church. Cross went up, alder went up and this Irish priest comes out. It's 11 o'clock. I'm like, okay, we're rolling, right, we're rolling. And Mahoney looks at me and smiles and I go what? And he goes back behind in the back of the church and I'm sitting and the priest comes out and goes ladies and gentlemen, you know I can't do an Irish, do an Irish for me.
Speaker 2I can't do an Irish, can you do?
Speaker 1Irish, irish brogue, can you do it? Ladies and gentlemen, we're here to celebrate. We're here to celebrate the life of Tim McGraw. Tim.
Speaker 3McGraw.
Speaker 1However, Ah Tim.
Speaker 3McGraw. However, his best friend is not here yet. His best friend is not here yet, so we will have to wait a moment. We will have to wait just a moment to celebrate his life.
Speaker 1To celebrate his life.
Speaker 3Okay, so now you've got all his old teammates looking around. The Mets are going who isn't here? Yeah, the Phillies are like who isn't here? Who's his goddamn best friend? The tomato patch is chatting.
Speaker 2They're chirping, I'm sure.
Speaker 3The wives are looking around.
Speaker 4Wow.
Speaker 3Yeah, wow, I'm looking around. What a scene. Who's his best friend? I'm trying to think. All the phone calls, who's his best friend? Five minutes go by, the Irish priest comes back to the middle of the altar and goes. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, we can now start the celebration of Frank Tug McGraw.
Speaker 1We could now start the celebration of Frank Tug McGraw.
Speaker 3Because his best friend has now shown up. Because his best friend has now shown up.
Speaker 1And now I'll be the priest, and now I'll be the priest.
Speaker 3The priest ducks down under the altar and says we can now begin, we can now begin.
Speaker 1And pulls out a bottle of Jameson's and says no, his best friend, His best friend showed up. And at that moment, oh my goodness, you've got to be kidding me.
Speaker 3In a little balcony that was extended was Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. You never saw them. And they're there with like a six-piece band and they start singing like a very up-tempo of Amazing Grace, amazing, but it's fast, grace, how sweet. Oh, are you kidding me? So the ballplayers get out and bring him in.
Speaker 1They're the pallbearers, matt's on one side, billy's on others Comes in, wasn't really?
Speaker 3abearers, mets on one side, phillies on others Comes in. Wasn't really a Catholic mass. I mean, I served a lot as an older boy, it wasn't what I recalled, and the Mets you know. Jerry Grody got up and said a few things because he was battery mate and all this they didn't get into crazy stories. And then the Phillies I think Dallas Green got up. I think Okay stories. And then the Phillies I think Dallas Green got up. I think Okay, here's the end of the story.
Speaker 2I don't want it to end.
Speaker 3Here's the end and what you need to know about Tug, who orchestrated and wrote this all out. At one point Tug was in the. So it ends. Tug was also during his career. He was a corporal in the Marine Corps Reserve. So, fellas, they wheel them back out the two auxiliary tents, they come out the little church, we all come out and we walk about 100 yards and there's the plot. Horses are way in the background, there's about six cannons and then there's 21 Marines with 21 guns for a 21-gun salute and that's going off. Boom, boom, boom, and everybody's feeling the spirit of tug. But there's my man, the big Viking, mike Mahoney, with the headset, the black glasses, the whole thing, and I go this is unbelievable. And he goes yeah, it's Tug's wishes and I went. So. So, mo, mike Mahoney, when I'm in Philly and I want to come out and spend some moments with Tug, this is where I'll come. He'll be right there Because they're getting ready to put the casket down, and he goes, sort of.
Speaker 1Sort of Sort of, and I go what's that mean?
Speaker 3He goes see that limo over there, tug's in the front seat of that limo. No, the majority of his ashes were in the front seat of the limo. And I'm going are you kidding me, what? No, from here I've got to go to Shea Stadium, where Shea was, yeah, and I've got to go to Veterans Stadium, where it still was, and I've got to scatter ashes there with.
Speaker 4Hank.
Speaker 3Wow. And then Hank and I are getting on a plane and we're taking the remaining ashes to San Francisco. And I'm talking to him and the guns are going off and the cannons are going off. You know, women are crying, the tomato patch, the whole thing. And I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute. Okay. So a little bit of him here. And then he's in the front seat of that big white limo and you're going to Philly and New York and then you're going. That don't make sense to me.
Speaker 3San Francisco he hated San Francisco because his father was on the police force there and there was a political scandal and he lost his job Really and he hated them Really and he also wanted to play for the Giants and they never had an interest in him. He was born in Napa Valley, okay. So I said I don't get the Philadelphia thing. Mike, are you sure you're not going to Napa Valley where you know Tug grew up with his brother Hank? He goes no, we're going to San Francisco. I said what, what Right? The guns are going off and women are crying. And I'm like, and I look right at him, I go what are you doing in San Francisco? For I don't get it. Candlestick. He hated them and he goes. Mike, I got to go to Union Square and I got to get a loaf of sourdough bread and I got to put his remaining ashes in that loaf, break it all up, throw it and feed it to the pigeons so they could fly all over the city and S-H-I-T over San Francisco. He's leaving his remains in the
Speaker 4open. That's what I wanted to tell you man. That is unbelievable, that's incredible.
Speaker 1What a story Frank Tugbegraw. That is unbelievable, that's incredible. What a story Frank Tugna-Graw.
Speaker 3That is incredible.
Speaker 1Frank Tugna-Graw. Oh my gosh, yeah, that is an absolute classic. Wow, I want to make sure I got the quote right. You know, after he signed a big contract in like the mid-'70s, they asked him you know what are you going to?
Speaker 3you've heard that. You've heard that.
Speaker 1No, go ahead 90% I'll spend on Good Times, women and Irish whiskey. The other 10% I'll probably waste. That's perfect.
Speaker 3There's another broadcast quote of his that you guys would enjoy, since you're in the business and doing such a great job with Pirates television and, of course, pirates radio and TV. He was asked by Tony Kubik, who used to work with kirk gowdy and they do a game of the week and you know tug was in his heyday with the mats as a world series winner and uh, now he's with phillies and they they were one of the first to have artificial turf. Yeah, and you know before they would, they would do a half hour pre-game before the game of the first to have artificial turf. Yeah, and you know before they would do a half-hour pregame for the game of the week. And Kubek's down there who was a shortstop for who? The Yankees, the Yankees, yeah, and he got hit in the throat.
Speaker 1Yeah for the 60 World Series Became a broadcaster later. Yeah.
Speaker 2Deepened his voice probably.
Speaker 3I don't know, but he's asking Tug before the game. You know, here, we're here with Tug McGraw, World Series winner with the Mets, blah, blah, blah. And you know, Tug, you're one of the most accomplished in the game today relief pitchers, what do you prefer? Artificial turf or grass? And of course, you know the answer. Tug looked right at him and said I don't know. I've never smoked artificial turf.
Speaker 1Later somebody said if I can't smoke it, I don't want to play on it.
Speaker 3Anyway, great stuff, man, daggone it. We could talk all night about Tug things. I'll give you I can't do it with this audience, sorry, but great players with the Major League Baseball alumni, great guys, they love the military stuff we did all over the world. You had a pitcher who you both know he was winning his all-time left-hander and we're doing a military base tour in Germany and it was Warren Spahn and Warren's now in his like mid to late 70s, but still in decent shape and very humble guy. And everything was orchestrated. You're on military schedules, everything's base command, officer's club, this, that. And Warren absolutely loved the military because he was a World War II veteran, wow.
Speaker 3And he came up to me after our day was done, like at 4 o'clock, and most of the guys wanted to go, you know, play pool with the guys or go to the officer's club and screw around and have drinks. He said, mike, you think you can get some transportation and we could go to this small little town it's about, you know, 50 miles from here. And I said, yeah, let me just ask. You know one of the command guys. Next thing, you know, we get a vehicle and we get an escort of US Army Jeep guys in front of it and they know exactly where it is.
Speaker 3And I said does anybody else want to go to any of the other players? And Feller was tight with them. Bob Feller was over there. Feller says I'd want to go to any of the other players and Feller was tight with him. Bob Feller was over there. Feller says I'd like to go with Warren. Yeah, what are we doing? He thought we were going to get cuckoo clocks or something. Bob Feller, do I need to grab my wallet, mike? I said I don't know where we're going. I didn't know where we were going. I said if there's something you need to buy, he was always thinking about his wife, just like you earlier. And I said if there's souvenirs, bob, I'll buy it, because he wanted to go back. You know it would take 20 minutes to go get his wallet, but Warren's like I don't want to make this a field trip.
Speaker 1I said OK, Warren spawned and Bob fell, or like yeah, the greatest pitchers in the history of the game.
Speaker 3So I'm sitting there in the van with Mike Mahoney's in the van, the big Viking. We go to this little town and you know, you would think, if you've never been to Germany, I love Germany it was. It was built by Walt Disney because everything is, you know, flower carts and you know everything's clean.
Speaker 3No, it's like, it's like disney world it's. It's like clean, it's like pristine. And you know we get out of the van and and, and warren says, uh, I'm just gonna take a little walk in the town, and bob's like they got cuckoo clocks, mike and the military guys are like what is going on? And.
Speaker 1I'm like.
Speaker 3I said, you know what I said, the military guy goes. Well, we'll take Bob into a couple shops. And I said, well, I'm just going to hang and keep my eye on Warren, because you know, he said we're only going to be here 15, 20 minutes. We'll meet back here, okay, Well, I'm following Warren and Warren goes to the river's edge and there's a bridge, a metal bridge that goes about maybe 40 yards across it, and he's just standing there.
Speaker 3It's a beautiful fall day foliage, just like we have back here, right With a very Walt Disney type town. And I'm going this is one of the most beautiful settings I've ever seen. And here's the winningest all-time left-hander and he ain't moving Right. So I come walking up. Warren Spahn is crying Wow, tears are coming down and I. He sees me in his corner of his eye and I just was like I gotta back out of here, you know. And he and he said mike waves me over. And that's when he said served here. Wow, lost four buddies on this bridge. Oh, my God, unbelievable. I just wanted to come and remember them. Gee money crickets.
Speaker 4Wow.
Speaker 3And he goes nobody knows what it was like here, man. And then we, yeah, anyway, very moving, very real and I back off it's take as much time as you want, you know and he goes. No, I'll just tell you One guy, mike was from Ohio, another couple guys were from somewhere else. I couldn't even listen to him, I was just like, and he's like, wow. So then I back off and you know he spends another five minutes there. And then we come back to the cobble streets where we left Feller off, with a couple US Army guys, rangers guys. It was a Rangers base and they're the real thing, right? I mean not that the other, I mean they're really highly trained. And I told one of them, I said he goes, I'm going up there to him and you know, both of them go, one's standing to his right, one's standing to his left, and they stayed there with him until he composed and I said who comes out of the shop of Feller with a coupe?
Speaker 4He got him.
Speaker 1He got him, he got him.
Speaker 3He goes, Mike, you got to pay back that one army, that one rager. He fronted me and I said he goes, where is Warren at? And now I tell him. I said Warren, I tell him quickly about Warren, and he hands me the cuckoo clock and the last thing you see is Feller with his arm around Warren Spahn and two Army Rangers, Two.
Speaker 1Army heroes, two heroes, two heroes Bob and Bob's serving in World. War II. Bob Feller and Warren Spahn are two of the great.
Baseball Diplomacy in Europe
Speaker 3Yeah, so I mean, how do you ever experience that? That's incredible, Right, so it's like there's other Europe stories about Tug for another day. But do you remember Len Barker? Oh yeah, Perfect game for the Cleveland Indians. Yeah, Len Barker, Perfect game. Baseball was becoming on the ballot with the IOC the International Olympic Committee to be an Olympic sport. I see you have something.
Speaker 2Yeah, I just started doing stuff with USA Baseball a couple years ago.
Speaker 3So Citibank was really interested in doing something with their branches and their expatriates, their big investors in Europe, and at the same time they were interested in trying to get baseball to become an Olympic sport. They were interested in trying to get baseball to become an Olympic sport and with Tug it was hatched that we would go play the British Baseball Federation, the Dutch Federation, the Belgium Federation and the German Federation over an eight-day span and we had to get players that could still play right.
Speaker 2Man, I would eat this stuff up. This is amazing.
Speaker 3So and those guys, you know, so Tug helped put the roster together. Brooks Robbins, who was the honorary manager, you know, harmon came and he first based coach, you know, but like we took 30 players, the goal was really just popular, you know, just make it popular in Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball didn't care, the Major League Baseball players didn't care. Why all those countries? Those countries? Because in World War II our GIs brought baseball to England, to the Netherlands, to Belgium, and because of the POW camps, the Stalags, they had baseball in Germany. So it took its roots. The most accomplished players were in the Netherlands, anyway they had federation.
Speaker 3They were amateurs so we played a four-game set. Len Barker, my old, and I got to know him at the Cleveland Indians. I said, tug, you got to take Len. Lenny could still throw. You got to take Lenny. Ah, he's an American League guy. I said you got to take him and Brooks was like you had a problem with the American League.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah. What's wrong with the American League?
Speaker 3So Lenny comes and Lenny's eating it up and every player could bring a significant other, their wife or girlfriend. Tug's position was I'm not bringing anybody because there's a lot of talent over there.
Speaker 2He was recruiting. I don't know what he was doing. That's a tomato patch.
Speaker 3The wives got a stipend and Tug said do I still get a stipend?
Speaker 4if.
Speaker 3I don't bring anybody. I said, sure, but the end of this whole one is I took Len Barker aside because we had this big meeting as soon as we got into London and we played the game. We did all kind of press stuff in London, but we played the game in Manchester in a big cricket field that was converted to baseball. What that means is if you could hit the ball about 275 feet, there's a big glass tower where these people drink, you know, gin or tea and watch cricket, and when you had guys like George Foster and Bobby Bonds, you can still hit. Their eyes lit up like does that glass break? I go, no, it's back plexiglass.
Speaker 3But Len Barker, len Barker, yeah, citibank was like we got to win all four of these games. I go, no one's going to touch these guys, but it comes down, as you know, to pitching. Yeah, I pull Len Barker aside, he goes. I could go four innings every game and it ain't going to touch me. I said, hey, if you go 4-0 in Europe when we get to Germany, if you're 4-0, this team's 4-0, I'll get you a Mercedes At the Mercedes plant. I did it like as a joke and Tug heard it and he's like okay, Okay, pillsbury, good luck.
Speaker 1He witnessed it.
Lenny Barker and the Mercedes-Benz
Speaker 3Many stories in all those countries about these great players. But Lenny, he pitches his four or five innings, no hit, no one's touching him. And then we had enough relievers that could just close it up and they're 3-0, and we're going into Germany, oh boy, oh boy. Well, who comes up to me right before and says you promised Len Barker Talk. You promised Lenny Barker a Mercedes. You better get that fucking car.
Speaker 1You better get that Mercedes.
Speaker 3I said okay, All right, Whatever I go up to Lenny before the game. I said Lenny, you know, that was all kind of like a bullshit.
Speaker 1It was fun, right? We're kidding.
Speaker 3Well, spahn was on this trip too. He loved Europe. What did Feller say. He was always bitching about the food. Where was the?
Speaker 3cuckoo clock yeah that was a different trip but he gets the win and and they have two days off in Munich, right, and outside of Munich is a Mercedes-Benz thing and I get Lenny in the car and I said you remember our days together in the Cleveland Indians? And I'm trying to jump up. He goes Mike, you're not going to get me that, are you? He goes, just get me a first class tour, all right, I said I can do that. And you know, lenny, you could pick your car out here and you'll get a big discount if you like one, because you know the German government has set it up for this tour and I heard Americans or anybody can buy one and have it shipped to wherever they live at a substantial discount. He goes, ok, yeah, so that's what he did. But I had always promised him over those three or four days he would joke to me, be taken the mound. He'd look at me goes red one, like he was a rapper. You know we get the Belgium. He goes blue one. I want the blue one instead.
Speaker 1I want a blue one, so did he end up getting the Mercedes.
Speaker 3He bought it. He bought a Mercedes. But what I did was you know, they have a beautiful, you know gift shop I bought him a die cast one in blue. So when we came back to the hotel and there's Tug in the bar, tug goes hey, lenny, did you get your Mercedes? Lenny holds up this metal cast thing, but Lenny bought one and it was shipped to Texas.
Speaker 2Wow, you did get him a Mercedes, I did get it he got it for like a third off which was fantastic, that's amazing, and we're not even going to talk.
Speaker 3There's no time for it. What happened to Tug in the Netherlands?
Speaker 1That is for the next episode of Hold my Cutter and make sure you like and subscribe it right Fort.
Speaker 2That's exactly right. If you don't, you're weird yeah you're weird. You're just weird, I'm subscribing.
