Hold My Cutter
Lanny Frattare on Passion, Broadcasting, and Baseball Memories
Ever wondered what it takes to become a legendary sports broadcaster? Lanny Frattare joins us for an intimate conversation at Burn by Rocky Patel, sharing the highs and lows of his illustrious career. From his early days bonding over cigars with colleagues to his candid stories about battling alcoholism and his emotional departure from broadcasting, Lanny's journey is filled with heartfelt anecdotes and crucial life lessons. This episode is a treasure trove of sports history and personal reflections that showcase the camaraderie and connections formed through shared passions.
Discover the secrets behind Lanny's successful career with the Pittsburgh Pirates as we discuss the essence of genuine passion in broadcasting and the meticulous preparation that made him a fan favorite. We delve into the evolving landscape of sports broadcasting, balancing traditional storytelling with modern metrics, and the importance of connecting with the audience through engaging content. Lanny's insights provide invaluable advice for aspiring broadcasters, underscoring the importance of thorough research and relatable storytelling.
Travel back in time with us as we revisit Lanny's cherished broadcasting memories, from the humorous challenges of team dynamics to the special relationships that defined his career, like his bond with baseball manager Jim Leland. We explore the art of radio play-by-play, the intricacies of professional integrity, and even dive into a lively debate on Hall of Fame criteria. This episode is packed with laughter, nostalgia, and profound insights into the world of sports broadcasting, making it a must-listen for any sports enthusiast.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Ever wondered what it takes to become a legendary sports broadcaster? Lanny Frattare joins us for an intimate conversation at Burn by Rocky Patel, sharing the highs and lows of his illustrious career. From his early days bonding over cigars with colleagues to his candid stories about battling alcoholism and his emotional departure from broadcasting, Lanny's journey is filled with heartfelt anecdotes and crucial life lessons. This episode is a treasure trove of sports history and personal reflections that showcase the camaraderie and connections formed through shared passions.
Discover the secrets behind Lanny's successful career with the Pittsburgh Pirates as we discuss the essence of genuine passion in broadcasting and the meticulous preparation that made him a fan favorite. We delve into the evolving landscape of sports broadcasting, balancing traditional storytelling with modern metrics, and the importance of connecting with the audience through engaging content. Lanny's insights provide invaluable advice for aspiring broadcasters, underscoring the importance of thorough research and relatable storytelling.
Travel back in time with us as we revisit Lanny's cherished broadcasting memories, from the humorous challenges of team dynamics to the special relationships that defined his career, like his bond with baseball manager Jim Leland. We explore the art of radio play-by-play, the intricacies of professional integrity, and even dive into a lively debate on Hall of Fame criteria. This episode is packed with laughter, nostalgia, and profound insights into the world of sports broadcasting, making it a must-listen for any sports enthusiast.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!!
www.holdmycutter.com
Well, we welcome you to another episode of Hold my Cutter here at Byrne by Rocky Patel, just a few blocks away from PNC Park on the North Shore, we always talk about our featured smoke. This week it's the 1865 Project, the inaugural edition from Rocky very full-bodied and very appropriate on this day. And our episode is brought to you by Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and Era Cats. She's our MVP in real estate and a top producing realtor at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. If you're thinking about buying or selling, you need to call Era Cats. She's been knocking it out of the park for over a decade. She handles your home like she would handle her own. You're in good company. She's good people. So do me a favor and check out her website at askerracatscom. Ask Era with an H at the end K-A-T-Zcom. That's Era Cats with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
Speaker 1:When it comes to real estate sales, remember to ask Era, because she knows, and we know, michael McHenry and I that we have been excited to have our special guest on this episode. He is, without question, one of the all-time great broadcasters in sports history, an iconic figure in Pittsburgh, 33 years voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a mentor of mine it is Lanny Frateri and Lanny Michael and I have been talking about this for a while. We're thrilled that you could be with us and we've got a lot to get to. And first of all, thanks for the suggestion on this smoke. This is a real good one. You've become a real cigar aficionado.
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know about that. I'm smoking. This cost me 90 cents, by the way.
Speaker 1:They don't sell these here at Burned by Rocky. That's a legendary discount is what that is.
Speaker 2:These are Philly Blunt Strawberry.
Speaker 1:Oh, delicious.
Speaker 2:Philly.
Speaker 1:Blunt Strawberry 90 cents. By the way, this course, hold my Cutter. It combines baseball, talk sports, talk Pittsburgh, talk with cigars. How did you get into cigars?
Speaker 2:You know Well no, no, I don't. I'll tell you what you and Blast got me going, but I've never told you the story. Oh, they did that to me too. No, they got me going.
Speaker 1:That's right, I never told you the story that there was one year we were doing some winter chat on our flagship radio station. I think we went out to Iron City and I walked in and you had a bunch of cigars and you said do you want one? And I laughed. I thought you were joking and you had taken it up.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, really Not seriously I started because, remember, we had that little porch outside the press box.
Speaker 1:When we first opened at PNC Park. Oh, at PNC Park, yeah Right.
Speaker 2:And you guys had, you had lounge chairs, you had little, you know those foldable chairs, yeah, and a little table out there. And I'd go by the window and I'd see you guys out there and I said that looks like fun. Yeah, so I started, I started with you guys, that's how you started, right, that's right. But we did find some of the places Milwaukee let us smoke inside the ballpark.
Speaker 1:We found different places and sometimes, well, we ended up having to smoke outside every ballpark.
Speaker 2:And then what I did is because some of you guys said, well, I don't want to smoke. If I can't smoke inside the ballpark, I went outside the press room every night. I remember that and I would sit out there and what I really loved about it was I would be sitting there and looking at notes and all that stuff and people would walk by and they would walk and then they'd stop and they'd look and and, and I would.
Speaker 2:I would yell to them I said come on over don't be intimidated spotted me, but they they felt like they couldn't bother me because I was sitting there, you know, and I said, come on. And then I would say to them you know, uh, you know, tell me a story. And he's well, I got's a big pirate. What's her name? I'll mention her on the air tonight. I had more fun the last several years outside, smoking cigars and just meeting fans that were going by and they would give me notes about the game. I love that.
Speaker 3:It was truly wonderful.
Speaker 1:Can you believe? It's been almost 15 years or so, 16 years.
Speaker 2:I left the end of 2008.
Speaker 1:I was asked to leave it. Does it feel like that? What do you mean? You were asked to leave.
Speaker 2:No, I was asked to leave. I mean, I feel bad. I lied initially. I mean, when Frank Coonley called me and he said we have two press releases. One says that you're retiring, one me. And he said we have two press releases. Uh, one says that you're retiring, one is the other one. And stupid me. Listen to how dumb I am, michael. Okay, okay, there's two press releases, right, and one is the is the one I'm retiring and one is I don't know what it is and I didn't have. I wasn't smart enough to read. I didn't read both of them, so to this day, I don't know what the other one said. Which one you read? The one that said I'm retiring? Yeah, I read that one.
Speaker 2:And then I had people call me and I told the media that I was, I felt it was time to retire and blah, blah, blah. And. And then, years later, I you know a matter of fact the spring of 2009, joe starkey called me and said I want to come to waynesburg because I want to do a story on the former pirate broadcaster what is he doing on opening day. And that's when I told the story about the true story about being asked to leave, and also told the story about my alcoholism and how, though I never drank on the air, and you know this because we spent a lot of time together. I mean, I was drinking more than I should have and so, consequently, there were days in my life where, again, I didn't drink on the air.
Speaker 2:I never drove a car while I had been drinking. I was a house drinker, right, and I was a hotel drinker, and so you know. And I got to a point where, if I got back to the hotel and the bar was closed, I would get annoyed. So then I said, well, I'll just take booze with me on the road in my suitcase. And obviously I made a lot of bad decisions, career affecting decisions I got hard to work with. I was hard to work with at times, and, you know, if I had found sobriety sooner, you know, maybe I would still be a pirate broadcaster.
Speaker 1:Do you wish you were, or when you think about your career path, because I think about this a lot. Of course, lenny, we would make decisions we believe are bad, but life takes you different places, and what you've done at Waynesburg, and how many kids who become adults, who are now in the broadcasting business, that would never have happened.
Speaker 2:Well, you're right about that. Finding Waynesburg and having the opportunity to mentor the next generation of broadcasters has been a true treat for me. And the other thing is, you know I did. I worked for Don Rebel in the Trib Live High School Sports Network doing high school football, basketball, baseball. I've been doing Pony League World Series the last five years I've been doing West Virginia baseball.
Speaker 2:And it's funny too, because I've had people say to me do you think you should be in the Hall of Fame as a Fort Frick recipient? And I said you know what, if I do, if I deserve to be in, I deserve more to be in now because of the time I have spent announcing baseball, high school baseball, baseball, high school baseball, pony baseball and West Virginia for very little money. But the great thing was. Great thing was is that I was overpaid as a pirate broadcaster. So when I stepped away, I had done a pretty good job of despite two divorces. I had done a pretty good job. I'd done a pretty good job of saving enough money so that when Don Rebels said I can only pay you 50 bucks a game, I said I'm in.
Speaker 3:That's true passion. What's that? That means you love it. That's true passion.
Speaker 2:You know I do West Virginia for $250 a game, and you know I mean back when I was a prior broadcaster I was probably making $250 a knitting, you know so but but you still love it, you still love it right. You can tell he's moving and shaking. I love it so.
Speaker 1:Michael, I don't know if I've told you. First of all, I've said to him he's too kind, humble, I would not be here if not for Lanny Frateri. He's never told, but I know the story just because I know him.
Speaker 2:And I wouldn't be on this show if it weren't for you there you go. Full circle boys and I wouldn't have had a chance to do Announce the Names at the 79 Celebration if it hadn't been for the classy thing you did to ask me to be a part of that.
Speaker 1:But anyway, lanny, I ran into someone recently and it's actually fun to talk to people around my generation to say they became Pirate fans not by Bob Prince, and there's no disrespect but Bob Prince didn't. I didn't connect with Bob Prince when it came to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I grew up in central Pennsylvania. I became a Pirates fanatic because of Lanny Frateri and Milo Hamilton those were my guys and I met someone recently who said the same thing Exactly and you think about the generations plural who grew up listening and becoming Pirate fans because of Lanny Frateri and his classic voice and his classic calls, and it's really neat again to watch him continue to grow, which is phenomenal and how enthusiastic he is.
Speaker 1:He's the most prepared human being I've ever met. He always said when it came to broadcasting, you've got to be prepared, and to this day, he's the most prepared broadcaster, One of my students, I said, and I told a group of them this past spring.
Speaker 2:I said you know, of all the things I can teach you, the most important thing that I want you to take away from me is the need for preparation, and I believe that 85% of the success of a broadcast is determined by preparation and unfortunately, I hear too many guys on the air that aren't prepared.
Speaker 3:Will you go a little bit deeper than that, because I absolutely love it. I believe that with my playing career, I think it's not talked about enough. I think a lot of people think they're doing enough. I never felt like I was doing enough. I think maybe the best in the world always think that, that they're never doing enough and you just keep growing.
Speaker 2:Well, when I started, you know, at one point I watched Greg with a computer, okay, and the laptop and all that, and I fought that for a long time. Okay, yeah, I didn't want to. Part of it was I didn't know how to run it. Okay Right, but I've learned that what is really wonderful is the ability to go on the computer and look for things and then find other things. You know, I do a West Virginia game and, by the way, when I do West Virginia baseball, the ESPN Plus idea is that West Virginia hires the announcers, but there's more people from the other team that are watching the games than the West Virginia fans, and so I wanted to make sure that I was doing a good job covering the other team.
Speaker 2:Talking to the head coaches, you know, tell me about your wife, tell me about your kids, tell me about your parents. You know, was your dad a coach? And I had this one kid and I went through all the bios. When you work sports, you know, was your dad a coach? And I had this one kid and I went through all the bios. Because when you work sports, you know sports information provides you with all the bios on the player. And I'm a big Beatles fan, right. And I saw this story that said this kid, college kid, is a big Beatles fan, right, oh boy, right. So I went to him and I said you got to give me your top five Beatles songs, okay. And I told my partner. I said I have this, I told the director and the producer and I gave it to the producer to make a graphic out of it. I said but here's the deal. I want to save this until we get to a point where maybe the game you know, it's lopsided and then I'm going to use it.
Speaker 2:I don't want to use it until I feel the need for something. The other thing is I was going we had a West Virginia TCU game and I typed in TCU and famous graduate from TCU, right, John Denver.
Speaker 1:Oh, Right, Right up your alley again Wait a minute.
Speaker 2:You know, john Denver, tcu, west Virginia, almost heaven, country roads, right, okay. So then I said to myself, wonder if, I wonder if, if take me home, country roads was ever a number one. Hit and I and no, the highest it ever got was number two. So then the next logical question is what was number one?
Speaker 3:it was a how do you?
Speaker 2:amend a broken heart by the b Gees. No, you see, that's the kind of stuff I love.
Speaker 1:That's the fun.
Speaker 2:You can take your launch angles and your home run distances and your velocity off the bat. As a matter of fact, I work with a guy in West Virginia who is into all that launch angle stuff and every time he brings it up I yawn. Every time he mentions it and he does it just to annoy me. I said, you know, talk to somebody who cares.
Speaker 1:Talk to somebody who cares.
Speaker 2:It's so funny because we have to walk that fine line, that fence, because enough people here's the thing you have to understand that when you're an announcer, there has to be a priority list created in your mind as to because if you and. I teach my students. There's a priority list, you know, for a play-by-play announcer call the play, score, time and period, recap, storyline nuggets about the players, and if you're doing things that are at the bottom of the list, that means that you're taking away from something at the top of the list.
Speaker 1:Well said.
Speaker 2:I'm saying that if I'm worried about launch angle and all that other stuff, then I'm taking away from what is my strength and that is telling stories and relating information. And I believe, you know, on Mother's Day, I want to go to the players and say tell me about your mother. Okay, on Mother's Day, I want to go to the players and say, tell me about your mother, okay, you know, father's Day, I didn't have Father's Day, but Mother's Day we had a game tell me about your mother, tell me, you know, that's what I want to do.
Speaker 1:I love that. But how nice is it, lanny, that, honestly, that you have the freedom to do that. Isn't that liberating?
Speaker 2:that you could do that nowadays. Well, you know, I went to the West Virginia people that hired me and I said you know, you're telling me that you want me to be basically neutral, and so periodically I would say to them you know, I'm getting excited when the other team it's a home run. Are you okay with that Because you're hiring me? Right? I don't want you to say, lanny, we're not hiring you because you're not rooting for West Virginia. I mean, I do want West Virginia to win. I've gotten to know JJ Weatherhold and Ben Lumpston and all those guys and Randy Mazey, and I know about how Randy saved the program and he's a great guy and a wonderful guy. He tells you great stories.
Speaker 1:Talk about what it was like to come in in 1976, right, because we've talked about Bob Prince.
Speaker 3:That was his first year, yeah, but replacing.
Speaker 1:well, you know legends, we talk about people. How do you follow Vin Scully? How do you follow Ernie Harwell? How do you follow these greats? How did Lanny Frateri from Rochester, new York?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I was glad that the Pirates you know there was a lot of talk in Pittsburgh before I got hired that the guy that is number two ought to be a Pittsburgh. How can anybody that's not a Pittsburgher be a Pirate broadcaster? And the same question is coming up now with Bill Holbrook. All these guys and I understand, I don't begrudge them All these guys believe that because they're Pittsburghers, now they should move that guy. But here's the thing.
Speaker 2:What amazed me was that, first of all, bob Prince was tremendous to me. I was one of the guys that replaced Bob Prince and yet he gave me tremendous advice all the time. He told me that you had to be more than just a voice on the air. You had to go out and you had to meet people. You had to connect with people. He told me how to give the score enough. He told me every batter, every 3-2 pitch, every change of score, end of inning. He gave me all those rules. But the funny thing about it was that one of my first couple years with Milo and remember, we're only televising 25 games Wow, so that means that I'm only and how did you guys split?
Speaker 1:So Milo Hamilton was you and he came in together, yeah, and I was supposed to be his color analyst.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, right, and you did some color analyst as a non-athlete right. Okay, and so Milo, my first year. He only gave me three. I only did third inning and seventh inning.
Speaker 1:That still boggles my mind. I don't remember that he only gave you two innings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and every time I'd see Bob Prince, he'd say hey, there's Mr Number 3 and 7. There's Number 3 and 7, right Is?
Speaker 3:that because you're the rookie. Is that a little bit of hazing right there?
Speaker 2:I seven right, is that? Because you're the rookie? Is that a little bit of hazing right there? Well, I mean, that was what he gave me and he was in charge and I had to. But the other thing was that is that milo milo would. He would call a play and then he would talk about the play and he'd say everything that had to be said, and then he'd point to me like now it's your turn to talk. And and I'm sitting there thinking as a young rookie broadcaster, you, you just said it all, milo. What else am I supposed to say? Right, how long did that go on?
Speaker 2:But the good thing was, joe Brown told me. He said, lanny, you know, first of all, we hired you because you proved to us you want to learn, you're a young broadcaster who wants to learn, and that's true. And then he said to me make sure you talk to players, managers, make sure, make sure you talk to people, so that you, you know a little bit about what, what it is that you're going to fill in as milo's analyst. And then there was that, when we did television, I was all by myself on radio for three, and first three, last three, and then I'd go over to television for three innings and milo would go to radio and, and so it was pretty challenging then, as, but not not terribly bad, because in the minor leagues I was by myself too, and I was smart enough to know when I'm working alone, I can't be the play-by-play guy and the analyst, I can only be the play-by-play guy, and I was smart enough to realize that.
Speaker 1:Did you have color analysts on TV when you went to TV In?
Speaker 2:79, they brought Nellie Bryles in to do a couple games and then in 1980, when Dave Martin was here what a tragic year that was Nellie did as a third man but through much of it, no, there was not a color analyst. Hey, by the way, speaking about my early years, you know who my biggest. You know who my big, our big Milo and Lanny. You know who my biggest? You know who my big, our big milo and lanny are biggest critics were our. The one guy that was the biggest critic of us, john signa. This is a guy that's doing talk radio on the flagship station.
Speaker 2:On the flagship station he's from nine to midnight nine to midnight and I'd get in my car and I'd turn him on and he'd be ripping us. And I said to management one day again, I'm a rookie announcer, right, I said we're all part of the same family, you're the people that hired us. And they said, well, that's John. And John had this thing where if the pirates had a night with low attendance, he would get into this thing. Oh, let's talk about what's wrong with pirate attendants. Okay, and he had these five things. He went to right the roads in Pittsburgh, the parking, too many black players and the announcers. I mean, he just and the announcers and the announcers. It was our fault that nobody was coming to the ballpark.
Speaker 1:It's funny because Tim Neverett, who did some pirate games, went to Boston and the same thing happened. His some pirate games went to Boston and the same thing happened His first year. He said he would listen to the morning show and they would just be ripping him every day on the flagship station.
Speaker 2:It makes no sense. For what? Well, you know again, for kicks, just for kicks. What I know now is that, as it relates to Pittsburgh, is that when you're a new broadcaster okay, and they've heard Bob Prince, and they heard how Bob did a game, or Jim Woods how Jim Woods did a game, and now they hear you do the game, they're going to be critical. You're not doing it like Bob did it. You're not doing it like Jim Woods did it, okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because you don't have the same size shoes.
Speaker 2:They always say you don't know what it's like to walk in my shoes.
Speaker 3:Exactly, I like to walk in my shoes.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I don't have the same size, but the problem, mike, is that when you're a young broadcaster, like I am, and you're trying to learn, okay, you're not trying to sort out the constructive criticism and even from people that say to you, I want to give you a constructive criticism, and you find out in the final analysis they really don't mean it to be constructive. They're trying to poke you and uh and and and affect the way you, you, you live your life. And I mean there are a lot of nights. My first couple years I'd go home and almost cry to my wife because it's like well, how many years was that with you?
Speaker 1:and milo? Four years, so four years. And then, uh, milo moved on. Yeah, milo went to chicago and they, they hired, I think, this guy from like abc sports they hired dave martin.
Speaker 2:The problem with the hiring of dave martin was they waited. They wanted dave van horn, fred white or marty brenneman. Those were the three announcers they wanted and they and all three of them, when they talked to him used the pirates interest to negotiate better deals for themselves in their current cities. And then they got down to a point like in January, february, they didn't have anybody and they hired Dave and Dave was not ready to, and you know. And then you know, and they told Dave and me you guys are no one, no, there's no voice of the team, you're like one and one, ok. So how'd that go? Well, I knew I was in trouble. I went to St Louis with Dave and the team one time and I had dinner with Dave and his daughter and his daughter looked over at me and said oh so you're my dad's assistant. Huh, oh, I knew I was in trouble.
Speaker 1:I knew there was going to be trouble. God rest his soul. Dave Martin, I'm sure, was a nice man, but listening to those games was a struggle so much so. I'll never forget. And our buddy, tim DeBacco, I think, has the tape, the audio tape radio. One day we're listening one afternoon game. I think it might have been Montreal, but, lanny, I'll never forget, there's a pop-up.
Speaker 2:No no Know what it was. Help me out, Lenny. No, I wasn't with him. Nelly Brown was with him.
Speaker 1:Oh, help me out, nelly then.
Speaker 2:Montreal had that open stadium, right, okay, yeah, and it was a day game and the sun was coming down and it was really tough to see the ball, okay, anyways, guy was running from first to second, the batted ball hit the runner. Dave called a double play, ground ball to second throw to short for one. The ball hit the bat hit the runner and he's calling a double play. And then Nelly's going like this and that's when he said help me out, help me out, nelly.
Speaker 2:So then from there, dave Martin has gone then what Jim Rooker comes in, and Jim and I had many wonderful times together. I love Rook.
Speaker 3:Jim and I had many wonderful times together.
Speaker 2:I love Rook. Yeah, Jim and. I had a lot of wonderful times together.
Speaker 1:Was that radio and TV.
Speaker 2:No, it was well.
Speaker 1:Initially it was but again, we're not doing much television.
Speaker 2:Then later it got to be when they sold to the public-private coalition. Mac Pryde had lunch with me in the Allegheny Club and he said I want three announcing teams I want you and Rook to do radio, I want John Sanders and Steve Blass to do KDKA and I want Mike Lang and Steve Blass to do the cable. And I said to him I think you're barking up a bad tree, and he's why. And I said because you're going to create competition between the announcers. You know what Vince Scully told me. Vince Scully told me once that when they moved to Los Angeles initially the people in LA said we're going to hire Scully and we're going to hire an LA announcer. And Scully said don't do that, you're going to create competition between the Brooklyn guy and the LA guy. And he convinced them to keep Jerry Doggett as his partner so he wouldn't have that competition.
Speaker 1:And so that went on for a while. Well, they didn't. They had then three separate teams. They did that for a couple years. For a year, for a year and eventually.
Speaker 3:So they figured it out ultimately.
Speaker 1:But eventually it was you, rooker Blass.
Speaker 2:And John Sanders, and John Sanders.
Speaker 1:But then John moved on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then Bob Walk joined us after Rook left Kent.
Speaker 1:Dertavanis was there for a few years. Dertavanis was there.
Speaker 2:But then Kurt left and then you joined us. So it was, you know, you, me, you and I and Stephen.
Speaker 1:Blas and Walk. Who was your favorite color analyst? Uh-oh, bob Walk. Why?
Speaker 2:I think Bob Walk is one of the great color analysts of all of baseball. I never understood when we worked for Fox why Fox National didn't hire Bob Walker.
Speaker 3:I could not agree more. Obviously different generation. But been around the bend a little bit, we have the best. I think Rock and Walker are amazing, but yeah, walk has a special gift.
Speaker 1:He really does. What makes Bob so good in your mind as being the best?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, bob does something that is against the way I live life. But Bob doesn't do a lot of prep.
Speaker 1:Now he would argue with you, because sometimes he will bring a pen into the booth. That's right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and one of my favorite things would be he would not make it. I mean, if you're a baseball announcer, you've got to have a scorecard, right, not Bob? Bob just takes the printed scorecard. I don't know if he still does that. No, yeah, and then when the game got bad, he'd just rip it up. Yeah, Okay, those of us who made out our scorecards, we are never going to give up, I mean they're works of art. We spent hours on these scorecards.
Speaker 2:We're not giving them up and Blass would keep them for a series. And then if somebody did something really great and understand too that the great thing about when we had Bob and Steve is that they both like to do different things Bob would analyze, steve didn't like to do that. If you said to Bob, what's this guy's lifetime record of pirate against the pirates? Bob wouldn't read a note sheet. Okay, he didn't read. Okay.
Speaker 2:But I knew Steve at some point was going to give you the lifetime record of this pitcher against the pirates. I knew he was going to do that, I knew it was on his scorecard and I would wait. And when he did, then I would jump in with an ancillary note Okay, steve does this, I follow suit. Okay. And the other thing, too that Greg knows is that I once created a four by six card file system. Okay, I watched Scully one day work the network and the guy was handing him notes and I said, wow, that's great. So I had this purple box with all these four by six cards in it, right, okay. And they were divvied up by odd occurrences low hit games, grand slams, I mean, okay, right. And every now and then Walkie would bring up a question and say you know, I wonder about that game back in. And he and he would do it just to see me go to my box, just to see me go to my box.
Speaker 1:He'd love to see him rifle through his car Just to see me go, and then I'd look over and he'd go ha-ha gotcha. But that's Lanny's preparation. That was the computer back then, before computers, lanny had it all researched on his own over the winter and he'd have this file system. He's so organized. Absolutely remarkable, lanny, for Terry.
Speaker 3:Going back to Bob, because you guys have both worked with Bob. Yeah, he's got an eye for it. I feel like Brock has the eye for it, and really good timing. They're just watching the game. I think that's what makes them so good. They're not trying to overdo it, they're not trying to overanalyze it. They watch the game and say what is happening.
Speaker 2:And if you're a fan at home, what are watching the game, wondering what happened, mike? The other thing is that I was fortunate that Steve and Bob both understood, particularly when I was on radio. Okay, they understood that there were always those magical moments and if they didn't, you know, bob at times would say when he works radio, he's got a day off. Okay, yeah, because they understood that 80% of the radio broadcast has to be me, all right, and if the color guy doesn't give me room, so when I call a great call, then I'm fortunate that I don't have a partner screaming in the background. Okay, that I don't have a partner screaming in the background, okay, if you listen to sometimes Google Pete Rose's record-breaking hit of the Ty Cobb record and if you listen to it, you cannot understand what Marty Brenneman is saying because Joe Nuxall is screaming in the background. And that's a shame because Tony Romo did that to Jim Nance in the Super Bowl when Nance called the winning touchdown for Kansas City, tony Romo jumped in too quickly and ruined the whole thing. Wow.
Speaker 1:It's incredible the philosophy of play-by-play.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean I loved radio when I got to do it and it's because Bob and Rock both told me like it's not your time, and you see that immediately you let the crowd come in. But like the dynamic there is so cool because I get to see you guys in your element.
Speaker 2:Well, but the two problems with former athletes being in the radio booth. I maintain that a lot of former athletes have not listened to good radio play-by-play. Okay, they have been schooled and they start believing that they can do the radio color analyst like they do television. And you can't, okay. And the other problem is that you know, like with Hill Group doing football, there are times when Craig Wolfley and Pat Bostic are yelling and cheering and jumping in and poor Bill, he's got to set the offense, he's got to give you down and distance, he's got to give you the score, time and period. You know play ends, he's got to give you down and distance and the color guy doing radio has to understand that that's. You know Bill is driving the bus and you've got to wait and see where your opportunity is.
Speaker 1:That's another reason why Bob is so good because, as you know Bob, when we have our computers out for the live reads and so on, he knows there's so much business to get through. For the first couple of innings On radio he doesn't say a word. The first couple of innings he's just letting you go ahead, let it breathe and I'll get to it when I get to it.
Speaker 2:But he just knows there's so much business, I'm just going to back off and let you Well, and I maintain that there are things that, if you know, when I worked radio, okay, I moved the monitor. I didn't want to see the monitor. Okay, because I didn't want the monitor to dictate my timing. Okay, I knew instinctively what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. By the way, one of the problems is that when you use TV audio, I'd be doing a radio game and all of a sudden I'd hear the catcher's glove being pounded by the baseball, because now they've got TV audio and TV showing the bullpen.
Speaker 2:Or the pop of the mitt and you're doing a radio broadcast and you don't think going to the bullpen now is all that big a deal, right? Or they show you something in the dugout and they give you audio in the dugout and I'm on radio. I'm not dealing with you know, I've got other things to worry about On radio.
Speaker 1:All of a sudden you hear the donut come off the bat onto the on-deck circle here, clink, clink, clink. You're on radio and you just hear this crazy noise. We're with the great Lanny Frateri on Hold my Cutter and brought to you by Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and Era Cats. Era's Battle Cry is exceptional service, bulldog at negotiating and relentless in your pursuit of happiness. If you're buying or selling real estate, you need to call Aira Katz. She's strategic, smart and aggressive in her approach. She's no joke and when it comes to that bulldog claim, she goes after it. You're the fort Brownie, she's the bulldog. She's in it for you. Check out her online reviews. Aira, like Sarah, without the S Katz Boy. She's got a tough name. She said growing up, but she was not joking.
Speaker 1:Home inventory is scarce, interest rates are high, multiple offers it's enough to make your head spin. Now more than ever, you need a knowledgeable real estate agent. You need a closer. You don't want to win the game, but you want to finish it with the least amount of stress on you and your family. Call Eric Katzatz, realtor at berkshire hathaway home services, at 814-758-8623 for guidance. Lanny, how about your favorite? We talked about favorite color analyst how about this is a softball.
Speaker 2:I think favorite manager you worked with that seems like a softball there's nobody better than jim leland thereeland and you know I'm prejudiced because he's a rare breed, you're not prejudiced, but here's the thing, michael the first two years Leland was here.
Speaker 2:I didn't think he liked me. Okay, why is that? By the way, what made you think that He'd be in the dugout by himself and I'd walk towards him and I'd get within five feet and he'd get up and walk away, okay? So one day in chicago, at wrigley field, I got in a cab early and I went down and I and I said that you know, and I met with jimmy to find out if he didn't like me or not. Okay, right, I learned later that, basically, jimmy was testing me. It was all part of his. I love it was all part of his master plan, I love it. So, anyway, so, so, so that same trip we go to new y. We're coming back from Shea Stadium. What a dump. You ever been to Shea Stadium?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:Oh, what a dump. Dump with a capital D, yeah, dump. And we're coming up to the hotel and I'm in the third row and I hear Jimmy yell Lenny, I go. Yes, skip, he goes. I want you to come to my room tonight. So I go to Greg Johnson, the traveling secretary, and I say where's Jimmy's room? And I go up there and he's in there with his coaches and they're talking about players in a suite. And I said to Jimmy, I said I shouldn't be here, he goes, I trust you. Oh, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:And I got some of the most remarkable information from Jimmy. And sometimes he would, he would tell me something, and and. And then the next day I would say you know what of that can I use or not? And sometimes he'd say, well, you can say this, but don't say I said so, you can say it, but it's true, okay, like, this player is blah, blah, blah. So so one day I mean I get. So then I got really cocky about it, right, okay? And one day Jimmy had a team meeting and I walked into his office and I said Skip, what was the team meeting about? He said Lanny, if I wanted you to know, I would have invited you.
Speaker 3:It's the way it should be, though, right? Oh yeah, Just straightforward.
Speaker 1:But imagine that there's a manager of a Major League Baseball team having the trust to tell him, knowing full well, well, he's not going to go on the air and say something he shouldn't, right? I mean, it's just fantastic. And then, of course, this friendship has lasted a lifetime. Essentially, you're Patrick's godfather, I am Patrick's godfather.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, yes, I am. That's amazing Jimmy said at the time when he asked me. He said I asked 12 other people. They said no, but you do this. There's a lot of great Jimmy Leland stories.
Speaker 2:And also how good he was to you, lanny, when you were going through some really tough times. Yeah, when I got divorced the first time and I told Jimmy, he said where are you going to live? And I said I'm going to get an apartment and live in a. Jimmy had an apartment above his garage. Jim and Katie had an apartment above their garage.
Speaker 3:That's good people, so I lived up there. It was perfect. A little sitting room a little kitchenette, Because that had to be a hard time in your life.
Speaker 2:And then they'd call me at 5 o'clock and say come on down to dinner. And so for six months, when I was trying to deal with that challenge of my life, they were right there and I said well, how much do you want me to pay you per month for the apartment? He said you only have to take the garbage out on Monday, that's your job.
Speaker 1:And Monday morning you have to take the garbage out. And that was it. That was it. Did you ever have to concern yourself with being objective when it came to his decisions?
Speaker 2:No, I made up my mind that if anybody asked me about that, I would just I would. Matter of fact, I'll tell you a story. I was the same way with Gene Lamont. Okay, gene Lamont and I became good buddies as well, and that was a spinoff of the Leland thing. Okay, so one night after the game, management tells me I've got to go on a talk show. Okay, and I know you were on with the guys yesterday.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 2:Bob, okay, and I never like doing it because it's an opinion-based thing and we're play-by-play announcers, okay, and so our lives are not necessarily opinion. We want to be known as good announcers. That can call the game, okay. I'm not worried about whether people think I have the right opinions about things, okay, but so I'm with a guy, John Corby.
Speaker 2:Remember John Corby? I'm on with John Corby and he gets on Lamont, about a decision Lamont made. And I said to him John, I'm going to be honest with you and your audience, I'm a big fan of Gene Lamont. I believe that if Gene Lamont made that decision, he felt it was the right one. There's your answer. He came back and asked me the question again. I said, John, I just told you I'm a big fan of Gene Lamont. I think he's a great manager, blah, blah blah.
Speaker 2:He asked me a third time and I hung up on him Good for you yeah but, guess who got in trouble.
Speaker 3:You did.
Speaker 1:Of course you did. You got in trouble. Management called me the next day. You got in trouble for doing that. Management called me the next day. What?
Speaker 2:are you doing? Hanging up on him?
Speaker 1:Well, what do they want you to do? Who knows? That's always the question. Yeah, that's another episode of Hold my Cutter. How about the other managers then? After Leland, after Lamont? You obviously weren't necessarily as close, and you were here for some of that. Yeah.
Speaker 2:See, my problem was is that I got spoiled, and so now, when the new guys came in, it had to be tough, it had to be really tough.
Speaker 2:And, as a matter of fact, I know now that when new management took over, Dave Littlefield and his crew came in. Okay, and his crew came in. I know that Littlefield knew about my relationship before and said this is not going to happen with Lanny. This is not going to happen with Lanny and the manager same thing. It was not going to happen. One of my favorite Littlefield stories is we're in Houston, we're in what we're in Houston, right.
Speaker 2:And one of the visiting Astro announcers comes over and says to me he said I hear a rumor that Kip Wells is taking Viagra because he's having trouble with his fingertips.
Speaker 1:And it stimulates your extremities right. He had numbness in his fingertips.
Speaker 2:So he said to me is that real?
Speaker 1:That's a true story. He said he was taking Viagra New pill for your fingertips.
Speaker 2:So listen to this. So I said, well, I don't know, so I'll go downstairs. So I go downstairs and, sure enough, kip Wells is out in the center field. So I wait for about 10 minutes and I can't talk to him. I have to go back upstairs. So I go to Brad Henderson, who was the trainer at the time, and I said what can you tell me about this? He goes oh my God, you should know this, you should not know this. He said you can't use this on the air. I mean, the astro announcers are telling me about it, right? So I said you can't use this. I said okay, brad, I won't use it. I go upstairs. Pr director comes to me and says Dave Littlefield just called me and told me to tell you you are not to use women. I said I already told Brad. Okay, right. So this is the best part of it. I'm on television that night, right? You know how the ads are behind home plate. Guess what the first inning ad was. No, couldn't be, yep.
Speaker 1:Yep, just whoop. Did you make any reference?
Speaker 2:I made some snide crack. Yeah, you did. I made some snide crack. Of course you did and got in trouble for it.
Speaker 3:But to you guys. That's tough for me, because if you're on the same team, you have the opposing team that has this information. They have no regard to not say it, they're going to bring it out, right. Why can't you beat it to the punch and think about this?
Speaker 2:What if I had talked to Kip Wells? And what if he had told me about it and I didn't run it by Brad Henderson and he didn't run it by Dave?
Speaker 1:Lowe, I would have used it on the air right.
Speaker 2:Right, of course. Kip Wells tells me right Of course. So my argument always was is that it doesn't serve us well as team announcers if you don't. I mean we're accepting of the fact. If you come to us and say this is what Jimmy did, jimmy said look, lanny, here's the deal. I don't want you to use it. Okay, then we won't use it, right. But if we find out something on our own, I mean we've got to run everything by you. You know, we found out, you know this story about the player. We've got to run everything by you.
Speaker 3:Well, that's why that relationship is so important right, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And then the trust.
Speaker 3:Absolutely the trust.
Speaker 1:Lenny, I've got a trivia question for you. Michael McHenry, Do you recall the late Bobby Knight coaching Indiana?
Speaker 3:Who doesn't know Bobby Knight? Do you?
Speaker 1:remember the chair game where he threw the chair across the floor.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, good distance Go on YouTube.
Speaker 1:You know who announced that game that night.
Speaker 3:I'm guessing he's sitting right here. Lanny Frateri Come on, so you dealt with Bobby Knight consistently.
Speaker 2:And every anniversary of the chair game. I get all these phone calls from people.
Speaker 3:I bet you do yeah.
Speaker 2:But the amazing thing is, everybody I announced he threw a chair.
Speaker 1:What am I supposed to say? You didn't have an opinion.
Speaker 3:Hey, what was the lawn tango on that chair?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there you go. What was the exit? Velo on this throw.
Speaker 2:But the best line of all was the game was in Bloomington, purdue, indiana, 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Bobby Knight came out with this golf sweater on and I said Coach Knight looks like he's going to play golf today. He threw the chair and my partner, bill Hoskett, said I think his tee time is earlier than we thought it was going to be.
Speaker 1:How were you doing those games? By the way, how'd that come about? Jack Shrum, oh, good friend of ours.
Speaker 2:He was at Ohio State, I haven't talked to Jack in a long time. Yeah, hoskett and I did Ohio State basketball for five years and then the company that Jack was working with took over Big Ten basketball and Bill and I were the lead announcers. And then the second year we go to Ann Arbor for a game and the Big Ten sports information guy comes to us and says you're not doing the game tonight. And I said why? Because they haven't paid us a check in a month. We're not letting you do a game. We flew all the way to Ann Arbor to do the game and prepared to do the game, and we weren't allowed to do it because they said your company didn't pay the check. You're not doing the game.
Speaker 1:Did you eventually do games again?
Speaker 2:No, that was it. The end of it, literally pulled the plug.
Speaker 1:Yeah lenny, what's your favorite all-time broadcast moment and is it the same as your all-time would you believe to be your best call?
Speaker 2:my favorite moment is is the 1990 clincher um, when doug drabeck beat joe mcgrane final out with the ground ball to jose lean uh out at first base. And and the reason it meant so much to me is because I had developed this relationship with Jimmy. I'd seen Jimmy take, you know that first year when Leland was managing the Pirates were 1-17 against the Mets and Leland said the Mets can't be that good because we beat them once. So to see Jimmy celebrate, I mean, and to see the rewards of all his hard work, and I purposely, by the way, that night I stayed in the press box for like an hour and a half because I didn't belong in the clubhouse. It wasn't my celebration, it was their celebration, hey that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I said I'm not going to the clubhouse until I don't want to miss the bus.
Speaker 1:That's great.
Speaker 2:And then when we got back to Pittsburgh, we all went to the Clark Bar afterwards to celebrate.
Speaker 1:That was in St Louis, obviously. So, how do you think you did with the call?
Speaker 2:Well, that was the first. National League East time I don't remember what I said, and I don't necessarily think it was all that monumental, but all that. But Waukee used to kid me too, because he pitched the game before. That was the game that clinched the tie for the division title. You know, waukee says you're always talking about the Drabeck game. What about?
Speaker 1:my game, I told him.
Speaker 2:I said Doug Drabeck's my all-time favorite pitcher. And why is that? Well, number one, because he worked quickly. Number two, he was a winner. And number two, he was a winner. And number three, he had a hot wife. That's why. So Bob gets two Christy.
Speaker 1:Drabeck. Bob has two or three of those. He's got the hot wife. He does not work quickly, does not work quickly, but he was a winner.
Speaker 2:He was a winner. Yeah, he was a winner, but he did not work quickly. No, and Walkie even said to me a couple times watching the, the jumbotron. He said you know, I really was a slow pitcher, wasn't? He admitted it later. Have you ever told, uh, michael, the montreal story? About what?
Speaker 1:I think bob actually was here and told the story about the chickens. About the chicken, yeah yeah, outstanding, he wanted to see how many goes out.
Speaker 2:So what are you doing? How many chickens they could put on the scoreboard every time they threw.
Speaker 1:He threw the first base. They put another chicken on the scoreboard he wouldn't do that, that anymore.
Speaker 3:Nope, nope, nope. They've got to run out eventually.
Speaker 1:How about, in your mind, your best call? Do you have one?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, you and I agree about this. I mean, what a baseball announcer and I think any play-by-play announcer wants to do, is you hope that when you get to that moment your mind is working in the correct way so that you call the moment clearly and concisely okay, Because then it's after you call it, it's about the crowd cheering okay. And it was the Mark Smith home run. Because what happened was, as you know, Cordova nine no-hit innings and Major League Baseball had just changed the rule that if you didn't complete the game it was not a no-hitter. So when he picked nine no-hit innings, major league baseball had just changed the rule that if you didn't complete the game it was not a no-hitter. So when he picked nine no-hit innings it wasn't a no-hitter. And then when rincon fits the 10th inning, it still was not a no-hitter. But then when mark smith, at the home run, I said home run, no hitter, you got it all I think that was it was.
Speaker 1:It was concise, explained it all. Yeah, how about your minor leagues? How important was was it for you to announce in the minor leagues?
Speaker 2:Extremely important.
Speaker 3:And how long was it?
Speaker 2:I was fortunate it was only two years for me Wow, I mean, there are guys that are there, ok. But when you do one hundred and thirty games a year, you start feeling what it is about being a baseball announcer and your rhythm and your timing. And that's why I argue that when it comes to replacing Bill Hillgrove, just because somebody's in Pittsburgh, if they've not done a lot of play-by-play football, that's why I was saying Tony Caridi ought to have the job, jack Fleming had it, west Virginia announcer Caridi ought to have the job. And Tony, by the way, has said publicly he doesn't think he can do it with with college football being what it is now, etc. Etc.
Speaker 2:But it doesn't mean that just because you have done some play-by-play and that you're a good sportscaster means you're automatically going to be good enough to do football play-by-play and be descriptive and call the play and paint the picture and all of that. And and um, you know, it's like. It's like. It's like believing that a family doctor can now be do surgery. Yeah, okay, it's like the guy that works at eaton park and now work for an expensive, high-class restaurant. Okay, it just doesn't it doesn't relate.
Speaker 1:Yeah uh, how about what you think of? I heard you on a talk show recently about what you think of the Baseball Hall of Fame and the people that vote for the Hall of.
Speaker 3:Fame.
Speaker 2:Oh, I can't wait to hear this one oh well, first of all, when it comes to Rose and Bonds and Sosa and McGuire and Clemens, all those guys, okay, they were never suspended. Okay, they were never suspended from baseball, thank you, okay were never suspended, they were never suspended from baseball, thank you, thank you. As a matter of fact, baseball promoted their chases for the records. Baseball never said, hey, we think we're going to give you your money back, we're going to give you your money back.
Speaker 3:We're going to pull back all those ads, so why shouldn't they be in the Hall of Fame?
Speaker 2:They were never suspended. Baseball jumped on the bandwagon for them. I mean, the thing with Rose is absurd. I mean, pete Rose did nothing gambling-related that affected the fact that he collected more hits than anybody else in baseball. Okay, yeah, ban him from the game. I understand that. Ban him from the game, but not put him in the Hall of Fame. Ban him from the game but not put him in the Hall of Fame. And then in the old days, the baseball writers who voted for the Hall of Fame were guys that covered 162 games. Charlie Feeney okay, he covered 162 games. Right Now, the guys that are voting. If they see 30 games, 20 of them are on television.
Speaker 2:Right, I would say I don't know the numbers. Plus name me a sports writer that has a moral compass in his pocket.
Speaker 1:They're determining morality of who should go in.
Speaker 3:They've got this high moral standard right Numbers don't lie.
Speaker 1:Numbers don't lie.
Speaker 3:It's a great call, great point If you're going to do merit, you have to go both sides, and they will do both sides.
Speaker 2:I understand the thing with Bonds was great to me. Okay, as a matter of fact, I know a story. One day Bonds is in town with the Giants. I went up to Barry and I said will you do a TV interview with me? He said yes. Greg went up to him and said will you do a radio interview? I mean, greg didn't know, we didn't tell each other.
Speaker 2:Greg went up and asked him and he said no to greg, okay. So if the tables had been reversed, I'd probably be annoyed that he said no to me, okay, and greg would be happy that he said yes. Yeah, of course. So I understand that, yeah, but the fact of the matter is, is that you know there were players that you knew just want to be left alone? Okay, george hendrick, right, oh, one of my you know top five worst pirates george Enrichs.
Speaker 1:He's on mine. He's on mine, who else? Let's get at it. Let's go.
Speaker 2:You were here in 79, but John Milner wanted to be left alone. He'd sit in the corner of the clubhouse with a robe on. He just wanted to be bothered. Leave him alone.
Speaker 1:Which is okay, is your point.
Speaker 3:He's probably an introvert. A lot of these guys I don't think people can understand. Being around Andrew a lot, especially during his MVP seasons. We'd have to run back from dinner in Cincinnati because there'd be 25 people out there waiting outside the restaurant. We'd have to sneak into places just so this guy gets a break. I mean, people don't understand the whole picture sometimes.
Speaker 2:Well, but, Michael, I got to tell you I don't think pro athletes do enough for fans. I don't think they do enough for fans.
Speaker 3:You're speaking to the choir and Andrew does a great job.
Speaker 2:The ironic thing is a lot of players, after they're done with the game, they're looking for announcing jobs.
Speaker 3:All of a sudden, now they're willing to be good guys.
Speaker 3:Listen, I completely agree. I'm just saying there is a reality that everybody has. Whether they're a player or not a player, we don't know what they've gone through, we don't know where they're at that day. You may meet them on their very, very worst day and that's your opinion of them because of that day, and I always say, like they have a collective group of stats that tells you they played really well for a long time. Don't judge them on a day or three years of their career based on something you don't know. But you know this much. Like you just said, 20 games means nothing watching on TV, but that's what they say, or it's the opinions of everybody else.
Speaker 2:But, michael, you know I was not a big Andy Vance-like fan okay. And of the three of them, bonds, bonilla, vance-like, bobby was my favorite. I liked Bobby and Bobby okay, but I mean Andy used to talk about his Christianity and all that stuff. I watched him walk out of Three River Stadium one day and blow by four or five kids and just ran by them and I'm saying to him I said wait a minute. If you're a Christian you know, come on now. Is it that tough for you?
Speaker 2:And when I hear players say well, they're selling my autographs, well, so what? Okay, you're making millions of dollars. What's the big deal with that? Okay, and especially, as I mean, I maintain, and you know, this happened Maybe it's changed, I don't know but guys would sit in the clubhouse and play cards and they'd run out for infield practice. Then they run back in and then what does it take to come out of the locker room, out on the clubhouse and sign Autographs along the fence once in a while?
Speaker 1:I don't understand it and I'll tell you why, Lanny.
Speaker 1:I say this because one of our great friends was at the top of the baseball world, an All-star cover of Sports Illustrated, World Series hero, and then he was at the bottom. He never changed Steve Blass. He always had time to this day for everyone. So if he could do what he did to me, there's no excuse for why you can't do it. I don't want to hear about bad days and the early hurry and all that stuff. You can be polite, you can sign some autographs. I just don't. I'll never understand.
Speaker 3:And let me tell you this hey, I need to tell you guys, I agree with that. I'm saying for the Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame's a different story.
Speaker 1:Well, that's where it's two different stories.
Speaker 3:If you're going to go on mayor, you've got to go on mayor on both sides. But yeah, I completely agree.
Speaker 2:We have a pedestal, it up, we're on a platform. I don't care who you are. You have time period, period, period period. Well, and, and if you're having a bad day, you still do it. Then just avoid.
Speaker 2:Okay, then avoid this situation like, but I mean I used to be the first guy on the team bus when we're going out to the airport, okay, and I would watch guys come out of the locker room and come out of that little tunnel way by pnc park, right, and what they would do is they would is they were come out of the locker room and come out of that little tunnel way by PNC Park, right, and what they would do is they would is they were coming out of the tunnel way, they would do this. They weren't on the phone and the fans would yell for autographs and they'd go. I'm on the phone.
Speaker 1:They weren't on the phone, okay.
Speaker 2:They just you know, and so you're going to go on the bus and sit there and wait for 15 minutes. Why couldn't you, by the way, back to Blasphemy A couple years ago? A?
Speaker 3:number of years ago.
Speaker 2:Dodger fans announced that the most valuable person in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the most valuable person in the history of Los Angeles Dodgers was Vin Scully and, I maintain, the most dominant, most important person in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates is Steve Bloss. I agree with you, steve Bloss, I completely agree. Okay, on the field World Series hero Okay, winner, good guy, left baseball and started selling rings. Going to high schools Okay, he's a Major League World Series hero and it's not beneath him to go to high schools and sell rings, okay.
Speaker 2:And then all he's done for the Pirates. Nobody's done more for the Pirates than Steve. Lowe, Greatest ambassador ever and that's why I think his number should be retired. Frankly, without question, I think his number should be retired. I would agree with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I completely agree. I would agree with that. Yeah, I completely agree. I think he should be retired.
Speaker 1:I completely agree, I mean you can't find another human like him. I don't know about that.
Speaker 2:When his career is over?
Speaker 1:you don't think so. You know he's in the top five in just about every offensive category in the team's history.
Speaker 2:I don't think so.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:I think that is an honor that he's far away from. I mean Dave Parker's going to get me. If I had a choice between Dave Parker and Andrew McCutcheon, I'm taking Dave Parker.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I mean, you know how close I am to him. That's a tough fight.
Speaker 1:That's our next episode.
Speaker 3:That's a tough fight.
Speaker 1:Now, on our final moments, I want to ask you how quickly can you name every president? Have you timed it? Oh, I haven't timed it. No, but I mean, can you look at it in a minute?
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know, I'm 76. Sometimes I get you know. There's no way that brain is sharper than anything. Yeah right, washington Adams, jefferson, madison Monroe, john Quincy Adams, jackson Van Buren, harrison, tyler Polk, taylor Fillmore, millard Fillmore, franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, abraham Lincoln, johnson, grant, ok, ok, keep going as we serenade us.
Speaker 1:Go on, serenade us.
Speaker 2:By the way, they consider see if I get this right they consider Joe Biden number 46. But he's only the 45th president of the United States Right. Because we count Grover Cleveland twice.
Speaker 1:What do you think of that? Do you agree with that?
Speaker 2:Officially. You know, sometimes you just go. I mean, there are great men and women who are great historians. They should make that decision, Not some 76-year-old baseball over-the-hill baseball announcer on a podcast.
Speaker 1:What an absolute treat. But that's what we do here right. That is for them.
Speaker 2:I can give you a lot of opinions now, but that's not one of them that I think I should take away from them.
Speaker 1:Now, if you don't think this man belongs in the Ford Frick wing of the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2:Oh, don't get me started about that. Here's the thing about the Ford Frick Award. Okay, first of all, most recipients of the Ford Frick Award are guys that have the team PR organization trumpeting them, true, okay, and that's not going to happen for me. The pirate PR department is not going to, okay. The other thing is is that the Ford Frick Award has been there for 40 years, okay, and there's only been one pirate broadcaster, bob Prince. Okay, so in the next 40 years there's only going to be one more.
Speaker 2:So it's either going to be you or me or blast. Okay, it's not going to be both of us, it's going to be one. And why not? Because, I mean, but first of all, there are 30 teams, all politics, looking for their guy. Then you got the national guys. I mean, al Michaels is a Ford trick recipient, okay, does a lot of. Did national baseball with the giants for a while, the reds for a while, the Reds for a while, okay, all these other guys that are national guys that you know they're going to because they're in this national spotlight, they're going to every several years. There's going to be one non-team announcer that's now going to push that 30 back to 35 or so I mean, would I, would you accept? Yeah, but um, I mean, and have I at times said I'm deserving of it? Yes, but unfortunately that when I have stopped to think about that, I start getting a little upset and start getting depressed. Because here's the reality, greg if I had stayed 40 years with the Pirates, I'd be in Cooperstown.
Speaker 1:You think just because of 40 is the magic number.
Speaker 2:Well, and not only that, but some people in baseball are forgotten about once they're out of the game. Me that.
Speaker 2:But some people in baseball are forgotten about once they're out of the game, and so I'm not you know I'm not there to to have the flavor of elbows with I mean, the guys that vote are the guys that are in okay, yeah, brenneman and, and dave van horn, and you know, the guys that are in that are so alive and and you know it's not, it's not surprising that some announcers would be forgotten about, because, you know, and then again there is the politicking there is, there are people that are, as I say, team PR directors, that are either told to or encouraged to, you know, send out bios and encourage those people to vote for their announcers.
Speaker 1:Well, we need to do a better job ourselves than of doing that.
Speaker 2:But I'm not going to go back to drinking just because of that?
Speaker 1:Oh then, forget it. Well, how about your first foray into Hold my Cutter? How was it?
Speaker 2:I'm worried now about will I get invited back or not?
Speaker 3:Would you?
Speaker 1:like to be invited back? Oh, I would certainly.
Speaker 2:You have a standing invitation sir. Matter of fact, I will not schedule any more Pirate Day games at home, hoping that you'll call me.
Speaker 1:Hold my cut I will tell my secretary.
Speaker 2:I don't have a secretary, I will say don't schedule any games when the Pirates are home and not traveling that day.
Speaker 1:In case Bronny and Michael call me well, I can guarantee you we're going to invite lanny for terry back, and so will era cats from berkshire hathaway home services. Finding a home is much like selecting the perfect cigar it takes time, expertise and a discerning eye to ensure it suits your taste and budget. So before you think of anyone else, remember to check out, ask era cats. That's ask era. Era ends with an h katzcom and Ask Era. Era ends with an H K-A-T-Z dot com. And ask Era because she knows.
Speaker 1:Era Katz with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services is your real estate aficionado. Call her for unparalleled guidance and expertise, whether you're buying or selling Era. You know the only era that we could remember in sports was, of course, Era Parsegian, the old Notre Dame head coach. And just like Era, our Era is a winner too. Remember to ask Era because she knows. Ask for Era Cats with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services for all your real estate needs Askeracatscom and tell her the Fort and Greg and Lanny sent you Curious what your home is worth. If you don't ask, at least ask Era Cats. You'll regret it and you'll regret not tuning into the next or listening to the next. Hold my Cutter. Thanks to Burn by Rocky Patel.