September 2, 2025 • 38 mins
After Escobar: Taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers and the Biggest Drug Cartel in History – Telling of This Story
Guest: Jessica Balboni – Co-Author of the book – also a writer and editor
Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season
Guest: Thomas Wolf - Author
9/11 Day National Day of Service and Remembrance - volunteers will pack almost 400,000 healthy, non-perishable meals for people experiencing food insecurity in the community. This event is the largest annual event benefiting The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).
Guest: Jay Winuk - co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day, the nonprofit organization that annually organizes the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Which Are the Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars?
Guest: Paul Glastris – Editor-In-Chief of Washington Monthly
Guest: Jessica Balboni – Co-Author of the book – also a writer and editor
Baseball in the Roaring Twenties: The Yankees, the Cardinals, and the Captivating 1926 Season
Guest: Thomas Wolf - Author
9/11 Day National Day of Service and Remembrance - volunteers will pack almost 400,000 healthy, non-perishable meals for people experiencing food insecurity in the community. This event is the largest annual event benefiting The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB).
Guest: Jay Winuk - co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day, the nonprofit organization that annually organizes the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
Which Are the Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars?
Guest: Paul Glastris – Editor-In-Chief of Washington Monthly
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going easy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you very much, Sherry Small. My name is Dan Ray.
I may you may remember me. I have been the
host of this show for now going just about finishing.
What year are we finished here? We're going into our
nineteenth year on October first. However, for the last two
and a half weeks, well the last two weeks in
Labor Day, I was on vacation. So I want to
(00:28):
thank both Bradley Jay and my great friend Morgan White
for filling in during those eleven days and keeping all
of you company. And I have returned tonight, so I'm
delighted to be back. I missed all of you. I
had a great time. Probably later on tonight i'll tell
you a little bit about what I did. Kind of
(00:48):
just did sort of a regular vacation. Nothing particularly fancy,
that's for sure. But we got a lot to talk
about tonight, and there happens to be a breaking news
story that is a little bit connected with our first guest,
and we're going to get to that right away again.
This first hour, we have four guests going to talk
about baseball in the roaring twenties with a Thomas Wolfe.
(01:12):
He has written a book entitled The Same. We're going
to talk about the nine to eleven National Day of
Service with the founder and executive vice president of the
nine to eleven Day nonprofit organization that annually organized the
Central eleventh National Day of Service and Remembrance. And also
we're going to tell you we're going to speak with
the editor of the Washington Monthly, Paul Clastris, about which
of the best colleges for your tuition and your text dollars.
(01:37):
Which colleges are producing graduates who can go out in
the world and actually get a job is compensated well.
But first we're going to talk with Jessica Scribner Brett Balboni.
That is a quite a hand on, Jessica.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But I recognize that name, No, I said, you tried
typing that out all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, we'll just go by Jessica. But I see the
name story there, and that's a great publishing name. Are
you involved with that publishing family.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Or sadly, I'm no relation to the publishing family and
also no relation to Bye Bye Balboni, which is good
since I'm a Sox fan. But I was wondering if
the breaking news story.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Maybe you could be a relation. You know, George Brett
played for the Royals, but is rather Ken Brett lesser
known pitch for the Red Sox.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
See, I knew that you were hardcore baseball fan, which
is going to be a whole other show, because I
worked at ESPN for quite a long time, and I
oh I did, and I actually I grew up in Boston.
So it's a real honor to be on your show
because I spent the past couple decades plus in New
York City and I just finally moved back about a
(02:51):
year and a half two years ago. So it's been
such a trip, kind of going down Boston media lane
because I kind of grew up running around the halls
of Channel five. Actually, so it's been this is an
honor to be on your show.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, right back at you, of course, General five the enemy.
I worked at Channel four, as.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
I know, I know exactly who was the enemy? How
I remember all the rivalries? Are you kidding?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely? Well, let's talk about this book. First of all,
As I'm sure you know that US military forces today
conducted what I think is an unprecedented what's called the
kinetic strike against a group of eleven members that they
say are positively identified as members of the Tronde Arguad
narco terrorists. They were in a boat looked like it
(03:36):
was loaded with narcotics and they got they got hit
by They don't know what hit them.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, I mean, every day there's a new story like that.
It's kind of amazing. My co author Chris Feistel, who's
just a powerhouse in himself. Every time I hear him
talking about the drug Wars, he likes to say, it's
really more of a skirmish, you know, And people often
will say to him, do you ever feel did you
ever feel when you're in the DA like it was
(04:05):
just pointless? And he said, no, you know, that was
our job.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
What are you supposed to do? Just give up?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
But it does oftimes seem depressing, doesn't it. Because if
it's not one thing, it's it's a new drug, it's
s fentanyl, you know, if it's not if it's not Columbia,
it's Mexico. If it's not this you know channel figuring
out this way to export drugs, it's this one. But
I mean the thing you have to remember too, is
that you know, when Columbia went through those insanely terrible
(04:33):
years and really nobody's suffered more, you know, during the
drug quote unquote wars than the people of Columbia, you know,
and the armed forces of Columbia. You have to remember,
they wouldn't be doing it if there wasn't a demand here,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
No, No, there was a story of I think it
was happening when I was watching ABC World News tonight
as a Channel five alumnus, and there was a story
on there that night about a new drug that has
hit the market, which is more powerful sentinel people. Yeah, yeah,
terrifying absolutely, and so people will learn more about that.
(05:08):
We'll do something more about that. But let's talk about
Pablo Escobar in doing a little research on your book,
and I look, I look forward to reading it. How
the heck did this guy get his picture taken in
front of the White House in nineteen eighty one holding
his son's hand, looking like a tourist. You've seen that culture,
I assume.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, I mean Pablo, the thing about these men and
women of you know, because there was just a great
another show on Netflix in addition to Narcos chronicling the
Black Widow of Cocaine, I mean there were women dealers
as well. People's fascination with Pablo, with the colleague cartel,
(05:49):
I don't think it will ever go away. And people
often ask what is it, what is that fascination with
those people? And I think, and Chris was talking about
this as well, I think the fascination is like, how
do you go from being somebody who is dirt poor
to being somebody who literally Pablo literally could pay off
Columbia's national debt if you wanted to. That is how
(06:12):
much money he had. And he was a hero at
one point. He was a man of the people. He
was beloved. I mean, it was just one of those Yeah,
he was a Robin Hood type. Meanwhile, he was blowing
up planes, he was assassinating, he was trying to assassinate presidents,
he was putting the people through hell whereas you know, so, yeah,
(06:32):
he was like this beloved figure.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
But people are fascinated because.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You can't just be greedy to become, you know, the
most famous cartel leader in the world. You have to
be an amazing manager. You have to be an amazing businessman,
you have to be incredibly people savvy. It's all of
those things, like you have to be this one of
the kind unbelievable person. And the thing about that differentiated
(06:57):
Pablo from the colleague cartel. And the book is about
taking down the four Godfathers of Calli. The reason why
they were called the godfathers because their whole mo o
was completely different from Pablo. You know, they saw the
way things ended for Pablo was that he was on
the run for many many years from the government. You know,
he from the people of Colombia, from Calli, and you know,
(07:20):
he died running shoeless, barefoot on the top of a roof,
gunned down by cops. Caali wanted nothing to do with that.
They always conducted themselves under the radar. You know, while
the US government was basically going after Medeine, pouring all
the resources into that tally was kind of in the background,
(07:41):
building legitimate businesses, being very quiet. They weren't riding around
in rolls voces, they weren't buying up a billion soccer teams.
They weren't you know, they didn't have Pablo's hippos. You know,
they didn't have big, huge private zoos and throw lavish parties.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
They were super.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Under the raidar. And they're instead of blowing things up
and having their weapon of choice be violence. Their weapon
of choice was the bribe. So by the time my
co authors you know, landed in Colombia, do you know,
the systemic corruption that they had to deal has made
it basically impossible for them to complete their mission, let
(08:18):
alone the fact that they were like the two you know,
there was zero American presence in Colombia at that time,
like most Columbias had never even seen in America. And
Chris and Dave both looked like I stepped out of
like point break. They're both like they're both like Travis
Kelcey basically like you couldn't get like two whiter, blonder, big,
huge guys, like they basically should like just wear an
(08:39):
American flag and be like, hey guys, here we are.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Yes, we're the DA.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
What do you want to you know, let's have copy.
So you know, it's an incredibly different setup, but you know.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And it sounds like a great book. It's entitled After
Escobar taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers in the Biggest
drug cart hell in History. Yes, and you're the co author,
editor and co author as well. I love your enthusiasm.
I have lots of friends who are the e A guys?
(09:14):
And do you yes, they do out of Boston.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
This is my third d A book. Who I never
saw that coming, but that's just how it happened.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Well no, I mean, you know, Dan Daugherty here in
the Boston office was a great d the e A guy.
He was on Whey Belger's tale for a long time
along with Oh Wow and others. And I got very
much involved in all of that through the through the
Salvadi Lamoney case, uh, et cetera, which hopefully I'm not
going to go into now. But it was funny, you
(09:45):
know when you mentioned Escobars being sort of like the
Robin Hood. That was Whitey Bulger. He was the guy
who has even drunk out of South Boston, but in
fact it was importing them in. But you drop, you know,
one thousand dollars at the local parish or you right,
you give five hundred bucks to the local Little League,
and all of a sudden you're a great guy.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
So yeah, I mean, what are the people what are
the people supposed to do? I mean, for the Colombian people,
it's like, okay, well the Americans are going to Studio
fifty four every night and they need their cocaine. So
either you know, you've got Pablo who is blowing everything up,
or you've got these lovely gentlemen, the Cali Cartel. It
just seems like such sweethearts. And they've owned radio stations,
(10:24):
and they own this and that and or they did
they own a huge I mean, they're legitimate businesses. You know,
you wouldn't have believed they owned banks.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I mean, it doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I mean, I got to tell you, I'm looking forward
to reading the book, and you certainly know so much
more about it than I do. But Jessica, I got
to let you go from now. Next time we got
to talk baseball. Jessica Valboni, you love to Well, that's
the first time anyone has referred to Steve Balboni on
this program in a aren't a.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Lot of us running around? A lot of us Balbonis?
Speaker 5 (10:55):
So y, I got it.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I got it Jessica again. The book after as Bar
taking down the notorious call calli Godfathers and the biggest
drug cuttail in history. Love it. We'll have you back
and when you get back to Boston. When I get
back to Boston, I mean, I'm in summer residents. We'll
have to get together for coffee. Okay, mean, I.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Would love it.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
This was such a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Back a, Jessica, thank you so much. All Right, we
get back on and talk about baseball in the Roaring twenties,
the Yankees, the Cardinals, and the captivating nineteen twenty six season.
We'll be talking with author Tom Wolfe right after this
on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w BZ,
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, as I mentioned with our last guest, Jessica Balboni,
when she invoked the name Steve Balboni, I knew who
she was talking about. We're going to take you back
a little further in time to the nineteen twenty six
World Series. The Yankees played a seven game series with
the then Saint Louis Cardinals. There was no such thing
as bush Stadium. Stan Musil wasn't in Major League Baseball.
(12:03):
The Yankees and a outfielder named Bob Musl different spelling
and with us is Thomas wolf He is the author
of this new book that we're going to talk about,
which is basically Baseball and the Roaring twenties, The Yankees,
the Cardinals, and the captivating twenty six season. Thomas Wolf,
Welcome to Knights. What made the twenty six twenty six
(12:24):
seasons so captivating? We have our special seasons in Boston,
as I'm sure you knew, as I'm sure you know
two thousand and four, twenty thirteen, two thousand and eighteen,
two thousand and seven, four of this century. Go right ahead,
tell us about nineteen twenty six.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Well, every season in baseball is special in some way.
What grew me to write about nineteen twenty six really
was their two featured teams are the Cardinals and the Yankees.
The Cardinals ascending that's the first time they had won
the next pennant and their first trip to the World Series,
the Yankees coming back from the seventh place sinner nineteen
(13:08):
twenty five meeting in the World Series. And in addition
to the two featured teams, the featured player on each
team where Rogers Hornsby for the Cardinals and By Blues
for the Yankees in direct competition, and both of them
also coming off very unusual nineteen twenty five seasons. Hornsby
(13:30):
hit over four hundred it became the manager at age
twenty nine, playing manager of the Cardinals. Ruth had a
terrible season in nineteen twenty five, so nineteen twenty six
was kind of his year to bounce bounce back.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So I had And of course Ruth had the great
season in nineteen twenty seven. We can't forget that one.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Right, right, He was on He was on his upward
swing in a way. Absolutely, yes, I mean Ruth from
nineteen twenty through nineteen twenty five. If you look at
his statistics for those six seasons and compare them to
his statistics from nineteen twenty six through thirty two, from
ages thirty one to thirty eight, he was actually more
(14:13):
productive as he got older, and from age thirty one
to thirty eight he actually averaged more home runs and
more RBIs per year than he did when he was
a younger player.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So this was a baseball season. There were no planes
in flights at that point, or they were just occurring.
So were they traveling on the same train back and
forth between the cities or did they have their separate
trains going back and forth from New York to Saint Louis.
Speaker 6 (14:42):
It was separate trains, that's exactly right. And they played
a two three to two format, so two games. First
two games of the series were in Yankee Stadium, then
three in Saint Louis, and then the last two games
back in Yankee Stadium. A really dramatic seven game series.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, the Yankees were hit three games to two at
one point.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
If I'm not mistaken, that is that is correct.
Speaker 6 (15:08):
Yeah, the Yankees won the first game in the Yankee Stadium,
Cardinals came back and won the second, and then they
moved to Saint Louis for three games. Cardinals won Game three.
The Yankees won games four and five. So the Yankees
were one one game away going into Game six at
the Yankee Stadium, and they got signed by a thirty
(15:28):
nine year old right hander named Grover Cleveland Alexander, who
sent the series to a seventh game.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yeah. I mean, you gotta love you gotta love that, Yeah,
the Yankees. You know, look up, I just was looking
at it briefly. All these games. I think the longest
game was two hours in thirty eight minutes. For those
of us who were baby boomers, we remember getting home
from school early and watching World Series in the nineteen
fifties on black and white television. Obviously, there was no
(15:57):
television in those days. For anybody to watch. But I'm
sure that those games will listened. Radios were tuned into
those games across America in millions of locations.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
Yeah, that's absolutely right. You know, radio really helped foster
a growth in baseball in the nineteen twenties as more
and more people had radios because the major leagues, Saint
Louis was the farthest team west, Washington d C. Was
the Washington Centers were the farthest team south. So for
the white major leagues of all, the games were played
(16:29):
in that sort of quadrant in the north Northeast, and.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Radio only became radio stations. And I can say this
as a as a Westinghouse Broadcast alumnus from WBZ Television
here in Boston. Radio stations only came came to be
in the early nineteen twenties.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
Yeah right, that was it.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You had to get through World War World War One
before you got the radio stations. And so how long
is this book an available? Look some of the names
as you go through her, if you're a real baseball fan,
I mean Earl Coomes, Bob Musluh, what do we got
herb Pennock, Jesse Haynes, Philly Southworth. These were great names.
(17:14):
H Miller Huggins was the Yankees manager. I'm just looking
at some of the uh you know, some of these
box scores right now. I'm sure it's a great read.
Uh easy, easy to find. Joe Dugan, Yankee third baseman
who eventually ended up being a baseball coach at at
Dartmouth College, so there's some local connections. And of course
lou Gerrig as well. Earl Coomes, Mark Koning. When was
(17:37):
this book came out? And how how can folks get it?
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Most importantly, Tom, the book came out yesterday.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
Yesterday was the official publication date, So it's nice and
Stretch should be available at independent bookstores. If they don't
have it on the shelves, they can order it, and
of course all the online retailers will carry the book,
so it's easy to find. It's available both in hardcover
and in kindle.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Baseball in the roaring twenties the Yankees, the Cardinals, and
the captivating nineteen twenty six season for those of you
who are baseball historians. A few years later in the
nineteen thirties, you had the Gas House Gang and the
Joe DiMaggio Yankees, and then on into the nineteen sixties,
you had, you know, Mantle and Maris and Musil and
ken Boyer. So this rivalry he gets got renewed every
(18:26):
decade or so. It hasn't been renewed in a while,
but maybe this well. I don't know how the Cardinals
are doing this year. I don't know the Yankees are
going to make it either, But this is a great,
great book esthetic in the background of the Roaring twenties,
which the Roaring twenties are not the twenties of the
two thousands, but the twenties of the nineteen hundred. Tom,
(18:49):
I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much for
your interest in being on the show, and hopefully we
can sell some books for you.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I appreciate it. But he's been great talking to you
anytime you Yeah, I can talk about baseball in the
nineteen twenties or thirties, I'm happy to do it.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Yeah, I'm a little later. I'm more of a fifties
and sixties guys, but that's okay. We can always talk.
I think we can cross Paul and that conversation. I'm sure.
Thank Tom.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
Sixty too, So.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah, well those you know, those are the days when
you would you'd get home for we had transistor radios
and you're trying to sneak listen in the back of
the classrooms and hopefully the nuns weren't going to catch you.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Those.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Thomas Wolfe, author of Baseball in the Roaring twenties. Thomas,
thank you so much. Appreciate it, Thank thank you.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
It's been great.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Right back at you. All right, we're going to talk
about something much more serious than that, is the national
the nine to eleven day National Day of Service and
Remembrance with a Jay Warnick, co founder and executive vice president.
He lost a brother on that day as well. We
will talk with him right after the news at the
bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w b Z,
Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Back from vacation and happy to be here. And of
course we now have come into the month of September,
which has probably one of the most important days in
the history of this country, September eleventh, that will be
what not on nine days from now two week a
week from this coming Thursday, with us is jayant Winnock.
First of all, Jay, let me make sure I pronounced
(20:27):
the name correctly.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Is it Winnock at MIT Swinnock. Yeah, yeah, okay, great God.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Co founder executive vice president of the Nine to Eleven Day,
the nonprofit organization that annually organizes the September eleventh National
Day of Service and Remembrance. You have a personal connection
because on that horrible day that I think everyone you
know who's over the age of twenty remembers or remembers sadly,
(20:55):
your brother Glenn Winnock, who was an attorney of volunteer
fire fighter and EMT was killed on the line of
duty at the World Trade Center. You joined a fellow
bet him with David Payne back in two thousand and
two to co found this organization. It has to be
difficult for you as we approach this day we're talking,
(21:21):
we're coming up on the twenty fourth anniversary of this day.
The memory never goes away.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
I'm sure correct, that's for certain, Dan, And thanks for
having me. It's a pleasure to talk with you. Yeah.
Glenn was a remarkable young man at the time, really
forty years old, you know, and I think each nine
to eleven about what his life would be like now.
And that's the case for all the families you know,
so many lost so many and it's difficult, but we're
(21:47):
gratified that the nation spends a part of its day
each year on this National Day of Service doing good
deeds for people, so that you know that's something good
that has grown out of such a terrific.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Tell us a little bit about your brother. It says
he was an attorney of volunteer firefighter and E M. T.
Was he working that day? What?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
What?
Speaker 2 (22:11):
What took him?
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
To the World Trade Center that day?
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Glenn? Glenn lived and worked in Manhattan. He had lived
in a Midtown apartment UH and was made aware that
the towers were hit and he raced downtown. His law
offices at the Holland and Knight law firm, where he
was a partner, were located just two blocks from the
(22:36):
World Trade Center.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Holland and Knight, as you know, has an office in Boston.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
I do know that, I certainly know that. Yeah, And
they're a terrific firm.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
And they were incredibly supportive of the Winnick family at
the most difficult of times. They just they were tremendous
friends to our family and continued to be up great support.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
He went there, He was not there when the planes hit.
He went there and tried to help.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
Is that he did?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Damn?
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Yeah. He first went up to his law offices, which
were one under five Broadway for those of you New Manhattan,
very close to the World Trade Center, helped evacuate the
Holland and Night law offices, and then headed on foot
into the South Tower to safe lives. For twenty years,
Glenn was a volunteer firefighter and an EMT in our hometown.
(23:30):
He was specially certified in building collapse. He you know,
he he knew what to do, and he had the
guts and he did respond to ninety three when the
Trade Center was attacked too, because again about his proximity.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, yeah, I remember that as well. So tell us
about the national day nine to eleven day of National
Day of Service and Remembrance. I know that you're doing
something in conjunction with the Great of Boston Food Bank
here in Boston, but this is going on across the country.
(24:06):
You founded this group. Tell us how it has grown
over the years.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
It's grown remarkably well, and it's now you know, the
anniversary of nine to eleven is one of only two
National days of Service recognized under federal law, along with
MLK Day and it's by far the largest annual day
of charitable engagement in the United States now with tens
of millions of people doing good deeds each nine to
(24:31):
eleven And when David and I and some other folks
started this initiative back in two thousand and two, we
just wanted to do something that captured the way the
nation responded in the days and weeks after nine to eleven.
We all came together. We focused on our common humanity.
We were all Americans. Everybody wanted to pitch in in
(24:52):
one way or another and lift each other up, and
so we thought that was too valuable to waste, and
so we thought we would try to create a you know,
a nice grassroots initiative. Who knew it would grow into
what it has with tens of millions of people participating
in Importantly, Dan, there's been one hundred million people born
in this country since nine to eleven happened. These people,
(25:14):
of course, have no direct memories of the way people
came together, and so we wanted to create something that
could be handed off from generation to generation.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
And we think we have well, you know, it's funny.
We we just passed the anniversary of the the the
well in effect the eightieth, the eightieth anniversary, eighty first
anniversary of D Day. And you know, I'm sure that
(25:45):
I'm older than you, but I remember when, you know,
the remembrances of D Day were bigger. But as time
goes on, we as a nation tend to forget it.
We forget, you know, Pearl Harbor, the day of infamy.
I fear very much that as time goes on, the
memories and the pain of nine to eleven will subside
(26:09):
in this country. And I remember vividly where I was
that day. I remember that day more than probably any
day of the last, you know, twenty five years of
my life. And I wasn't touched by it as you
folks were. I was doing a live shot for television
congressional race to fill the seat of the late Joe
(26:31):
Molkley out in Debt, and when when the first plane
hit and everybody thought it was a small plane, and
then the second plane hit and everybody said, this is
this is something big. We had no concept of how
big this was and what it meant all the way
till till the horror of Kabul a couple of years ago,
and the numbers of families like yours that were affected
(26:54):
by it. How can we not lose that memory? Because
I think that that it would be such a tragedy
if we allow our collective memory to fade on what
happened on that day. And I don't want to sound
modeling because I wasn't impacted by it directly, but God,
(27:15):
we have a responsibility that to these people who died
that day, in to their families, what.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Can we do, What can we do to make you
some very important points because we don't want it to fade.
And the nation of course made a promise to never forget,
and that's part of what drove the creation of this
annual ritual of people doing good deeds on nine to eleven.
And you know, Dan, I think what really resonates with
people is the combination of service and remembrance. This is
(27:43):
a national day of service and remembrance, and so we
look back, we remember, we try to teach the next generation,
but we also give people an opportunity to act. The
service component is really key to the success and the
growth of this initiative. And I'll tell you I have
a front row seat to the most amazing outpouring of
(28:04):
service all over the country. People in all fifty states participated,
and so I say tens of millions of people, and
it's young people, a lot of young people. And the
education program in schools that we do and that other
people do. I think there's a real focus. There's a
lot of people who share your concern that we really
(28:25):
should do something actively to make sure that it's not
forgotten about as we move forward.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Okay, so the most important thing that we can do
right now is tell us how people who are listening,
whether they're in a condominium in the seaport or they're
in a farm in central Massachusetts, in New Hampshire. You know,
we get into thirty eight states. People all over the
country are listening right now. How can they contact you
or how can they contact What is the message the
(28:55):
marching orders that they that they could take from this conversation.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Well, you know, the the best place for starting point
information is our website nine to one to one day
dot org nine to eleven day dot org. It's loaded
with great information. But we are as an organization, and
let's remember next year is the twenty fifth anniversary, so
there's going to be a real spotlight on this historic milestone.
What have we learned? Where do we go from here?
(29:20):
What was the real impact of nine to eleven? How
can people serve as a way to properly mark the day?
But even this year, I mean we started these meal packs.
You know, this is like the fifth year. We're doing
this big meal pack in Boston and thousands, thousands of
Bostonians will come together and pack hundreds of thousands of
meals that as you mentioned earlier, we'll go to the
(29:41):
Greater Boston Food Bank. We're doing that in twenty four
cities on nine to eleven all over the country.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Next year we expect to be doing that in many
more cities all over the country for the twenty fifth anniversary.
That's just one program. There's so much else going on. Municipalities,
sports leagues, corporations, faith based groups, educational institutions. So many
different entities plan nine to eleven related events. It's really
(30:11):
very heartwarming for me.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
I have to tell you, Okay, I don't want to
use the word clearinghouse, but I'm going to use the
word clearinghouse. So if anybody need some information, if you
feel motivated to do something on nine to eleven this year,
it's on a Thursday, next year, I guess it'll be
in a Friday for the twenty fifth anniversary. I hope
the country makes a huge big deal out of it
(30:33):
and gives people days off from work, you know, to
make it a long weekend if you will. But it's
nine to one one, just the numerals nine day Day
dot org and wherever you're listening tonight, you can go
to that website and you can connect with some group
or organization or coalition and do something positive on nine
(30:54):
to eleven in memory of all who passed, including Glenn,
Jay's brother, or maybe people you know this is this
is a great way to funnel people towards something that's positive. Jay,
thanks so much for your time tonight. Thank you for
what you're doing. And I'm sure your brother is looking
down very proudly at all you've done to keep his
(31:17):
memory and the memory of nine to eleven alive.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
It's kind of you to say thank you. It's it's
you know, aside from spending time with my family, it's
working on this initiative is the best thing I get
to do. I feel like, you know, I'm doing something meaningful,
as does everybody on our team.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
So no question, Jay, thank you for what you've done,
and thank you for what you'll do nine to eleven
days dot org, nine to one to one day dot org.
Thanks Jay, appreciate it. When we get back, we're going
to be talking with Paul Glastris, he's the editor in
chief of Washington Monthly, about what are the best colleges
for your tuition or your children's tuition or your grandchildren's tuition,
(31:55):
and also considering your tax dollars as well. The twenty
twenty five best Bang the Buck ratings here from the
Northeast will have it for you right after the quick
break here at Nightside.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Night Side with Dan ray I WBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Delighted to be joined by Paul glastrous He's the editor
in chief of Washington Monthly. Paul, I guess every year
you folks at Nashal, at Washington at Washington Monthly, excuse me,
editor in chief of Washington Monthly, do what's called the
twenty twenty five best Bang for the Buck ratings Northeast.
Tell us what the what the standards are that you
(32:36):
use to figure this situation out.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Good evening, Welcome, thanks for having me on. Look, we
are very different from the other rankings. Like the US News,
they basically rank schools based on how many students they
don't let in, how much money they spend, and their
prestige with other colleges. We rank schools best based on
(33:03):
whether the student the schools recruit and graduate students average students,
students of modest means students may not have the top
one percent SAT scores, but are looking for a good
college that offers a reasonable tuition, succeeds in graduating those students,
(33:28):
so they walk away with a diploma, and then the
diploma earns something in the marketplace bring them in a
decent income. So the schools that do best on our
rankings are our schools that that really are right for
the average student.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Okay, So I'm looking at the rankings right now for
the Northeast. So you got two very well known schools
number one and two, M I. T And Princeton. But
your third is a school Frankly, I've never heard of
bore Aqua College in New York.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Interesting school. Berqua College was started about forty years ago
by Puerto Ricans in New York who felt that the
existing university didn't make college easy for the working people
who needed a college degree. They couldn't stop working and
(34:30):
just kind of go move into a campus. They had
families to provide for, and so a lot of their
students are adults, a lot of them are the first
in their families to go to college. They don't charge
very much. Students graduated a higher percentage than you would
think giving their democratics, and they knew okay in the workplace.
(34:54):
So yeah, just sort of we didn't know much about
them too, but their numbers just in our formula.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
And we were quite And then and then you have
a bunch of the Cooney colleges, you know, the City
University of New York, Brew College, John Jay College of Chronology, Uh,
the uh Cuney, uh Lehman College, Hunter College, Amhurst and
Williams are eight to nine from Massachusetts. Then you have
Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Columbia University, and
(35:26):
then Yale and Harvard and John Hopkins. So it's a
really interesting mix. A couple more ivs after that, Cornell
and Brown. Are these these findings available?
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Do you have to be a subscriber to Washington Monthly?
How can my listeners get these and go through the
entire list?
Speaker 4 (35:47):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Not.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
You can go straight to our website Washington Monthly dot com.
Look for the tabs as college Guide. We don't have
any baywalls. You can look at that best bet for
the Buck for the Northeast. You can also look we
have a ranking called the Best Colleges for your Tuition
and Tax Dollars where you can compare any school in
(36:11):
Boston or anywhere else you might live to any other
college in the country and yet, and you can sign
up for our newsletter at Washington mostly dot com too.
There's really nothing like it, and you're right, it's both.
It's both elite schools, but a lot of schools your
listeners you know, they're hitting gems your listeners have probably
(36:33):
never never heard of or don't know a lot about.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
There's one school that I do not see in the
top fifty here. I think it should be, and I'll
recommend it. Give a look. Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
It's a really interesting school and I think that it
might very well fit higher than some of these schools.
It's Babson College, which I think does very very well
(37:00):
and not as not one of the most not a
nationally ranked school, but check it out. For me if
you would, and we can talk about that one some
some other time.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Okay, be happy to do so. I'll I'll look on
our ranks and see how it does.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
All right, Paul Glasters, editor in chief of Washington Monthly. Paul,
appreciate your time tonight. Really interesting topic. A lot of
people are interested. Love to have you back.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
Thank you, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Thanks Paul. We sure changed a little bit on time.
I owe you more time next time. Trust me on that.
This morning, you bet you. Paul Glasters of Washington Monthly.
We get back. We're going to talk about the new
well these one year in the job, the new colonel
of the Massachusetts State Police. His name is Jeffrey Noble.
(37:45):
He's been in the job about eleven months. It's quite
a job that faces him. But I think you're going
to be interested in hearing what he has to say,
and he'll also take some phone calls from any of
you out there who are listening. We'll be back right
after the night of CLO News with Massachusetts State Police
Colonel Jeffrey Noble.
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going easy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you very much, Sherry Small. My name is Dan Ray.
I may you may remember me. I have been the
host of this show for now going just about finishing.
What year are we finished here? We're going into our
nineteenth year on October first. However, for the last two
and a half weeks, well the last two weeks in
Labor Day, I was on vacation. So I want to
(00:28):
thank both Bradley Jay and my great friend Morgan White
for filling in during those eleven days and keeping all
of you company. And I have returned tonight, so I'm
delighted to be back. I missed all of you. I
had a great time. Probably later on tonight i'll tell
you a little bit about what I did. Kind of
(00:48):
just did sort of a regular vacation. Nothing particularly fancy,
that's for sure. But we got a lot to talk
about tonight, and there happens to be a breaking news
story that is a little bit connected with our first guest,
and we're going to get to that right away again.
This first hour, we have four guests going to talk
about baseball in the roaring twenties with a Thomas Wolfe.
(01:12):
He has written a book entitled The Same. We're going
to talk about the nine to eleven National Day of
Service with the founder and executive vice president of the
nine to eleven Day nonprofit organization that annually organized the
Central eleventh National Day of Service and Remembrance. And also
we're going to tell you we're going to speak with
the editor of the Washington Monthly, Paul Clastris, about which
of the best colleges for your tuition and your text dollars.
(01:37):
Which colleges are producing graduates who can go out in
the world and actually get a job is compensated well.
But first we're going to talk with Jessica Scribner Brett Balboni.
That is a quite a hand on, Jessica.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But I recognize that name, No, I said, you tried
typing that out all the time.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, we'll just go by Jessica. But I see the
name story there, and that's a great publishing name. Are
you involved with that publishing family.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Or sadly, I'm no relation to the publishing family and
also no relation to Bye Bye Balboni, which is good
since I'm a Sox fan. But I was wondering if
the breaking news story.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Maybe you could be a relation. You know, George Brett
played for the Royals, but is rather Ken Brett lesser
known pitch for the Red Sox.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
See, I knew that you were hardcore baseball fan, which
is going to be a whole other show, because I
worked at ESPN for quite a long time, and I
oh I did, and I actually I grew up in Boston.
So it's a real honor to be on your show
because I spent the past couple decades plus in New
York City and I just finally moved back about a
(02:51):
year and a half two years ago. So it's been
such a trip, kind of going down Boston media lane
because I kind of grew up running around the halls
of Channel five. Actually, so it's been this is an
honor to be on your show.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, right back at you, of course, General five the enemy.
I worked at Channel four, as.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
I know, I know exactly who was the enemy? How
I remember all the rivalries? Are you kidding?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely? Well, let's talk about this book. First of all,
As I'm sure you know that US military forces today
conducted what I think is an unprecedented what's called the
kinetic strike against a group of eleven members that they
say are positively identified as members of the Tronde Arguad
narco terrorists. They were in a boat looked like it
(03:36):
was loaded with narcotics and they got they got hit
by They don't know what hit them.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Yeah, I mean, every day there's a new story like that.
It's kind of amazing. My co author Chris Feistel, who's
just a powerhouse in himself. Every time I hear him
talking about the drug Wars, he likes to say, it's
really more of a skirmish, you know, And people often
will say to him, do you ever feel did you
ever feel when you're in the DA like it was
(04:05):
just pointless? And he said, no, you know, that was
our job.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
What are you supposed to do? Just give up?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
But it does oftimes seem depressing, doesn't it. Because if
it's not one thing, it's it's a new drug, it's
s fentanyl, you know, if it's not if it's not Columbia,
it's Mexico. If it's not this you know channel figuring
out this way to export drugs, it's this one. But
I mean the thing you have to remember too, is
that you know, when Columbia went through those insanely terrible
(04:33):
years and really nobody's suffered more, you know, during the
drug quote unquote wars than the people of Columbia, you know,
and the armed forces of Columbia. You have to remember,
they wouldn't be doing it if there wasn't a demand here,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
No, No, there was a story of I think it
was happening when I was watching ABC World News tonight
as a Channel five alumnus, and there was a story
on there that night about a new drug that has
hit the market, which is more powerful sentinel people. Yeah, yeah,
terrifying absolutely, and so people will learn more about that.
(05:08):
We'll do something more about that. But let's talk about
Pablo Escobar in doing a little research on your book,
and I look, I look forward to reading it. How
the heck did this guy get his picture taken in
front of the White House in nineteen eighty one holding
his son's hand, looking like a tourist. You've seen that culture,
I assume.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, I mean Pablo, the thing about these men and
women of you know, because there was just a great
another show on Netflix in addition to Narcos chronicling the
Black Widow of Cocaine, I mean there were women dealers
as well. People's fascination with Pablo, with the colleague cartel,
(05:49):
I don't think it will ever go away. And people
often ask what is it, what is that fascination with
those people? And I think, and Chris was talking about
this as well, I think the fascination is like, how
do you go from being somebody who is dirt poor
to being somebody who literally Pablo literally could pay off
Columbia's national debt if you wanted to. That is how
(06:12):
much money he had. And he was a hero at
one point. He was a man of the people. He
was beloved. I mean, it was just one of those Yeah,
he was a Robin Hood type. Meanwhile, he was blowing
up planes, he was assassinating, he was trying to assassinate presidents,
he was putting the people through hell whereas you know, so, yeah,
(06:32):
he was like this beloved figure.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
But people are fascinated because.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
You can't just be greedy to become, you know, the
most famous cartel leader in the world. You have to
be an amazing manager. You have to be an amazing businessman,
you have to be incredibly people savvy. It's all of
those things, like you have to be this one of
the kind unbelievable person. And the thing about that differentiated
(06:57):
Pablo from the colleague cartel. And the book is about
taking down the four Godfathers of Calli. The reason why
they were called the godfathers because their whole mo o
was completely different from Pablo. You know, they saw the
way things ended for Pablo was that he was on
the run for many many years from the government. You know,
he from the people of Colombia, from Calli, and you know,
(07:20):
he died running shoeless, barefoot on the top of a roof,
gunned down by cops. Caali wanted nothing to do with that.
They always conducted themselves under the radar. You know, while
the US government was basically going after Medeine, pouring all
the resources into that tally was kind of in the background,
(07:41):
building legitimate businesses, being very quiet. They weren't riding around
in rolls voces, they weren't buying up a billion soccer teams.
They weren't you know, they didn't have Pablo's hippos. You know,
they didn't have big, huge private zoos and throw lavish parties.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
They were super.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Under the raidar. And they're instead of blowing things up
and having their weapon of choice be violence. Their weapon
of choice was the bribe. So by the time my
co authors you know, landed in Colombia, do you know,
the systemic corruption that they had to deal has made
it basically impossible for them to complete their mission, let
(08:18):
alone the fact that they were like the two you know,
there was zero American presence in Colombia at that time,
like most Columbias had never even seen in America. And
Chris and Dave both looked like I stepped out of
like point break. They're both like they're both like Travis
Kelcey basically like you couldn't get like two whiter, blonder, big,
huge guys, like they basically should like just wear an
(08:39):
American flag and be like, hey guys, here we are.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
Yes, we're the DA.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
What do you want to you know, let's have copy.
So you know, it's an incredibly different setup, but you know.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And it sounds like a great book. It's entitled After
Escobar taking Down the Notorious Cali Godfathers in the Biggest
drug cart hell in History. Yes, and you're the co author,
editor and co author as well. I love your enthusiasm.
I have lots of friends who are the e A guys?
(09:14):
And do you yes, they do out of Boston.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
This is my third d A book. Who I never
saw that coming, but that's just how it happened.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Well no, I mean, you know, Dan Daugherty here in
the Boston office was a great d the e A guy.
He was on Whey Belger's tale for a long time
along with Oh Wow and others. And I got very
much involved in all of that through the through the
Salvadi Lamoney case, uh, et cetera, which hopefully I'm not
going to go into now. But it was funny, you
(09:45):
know when you mentioned Escobars being sort of like the
Robin Hood. That was Whitey Bulger. He was the guy
who has even drunk out of South Boston, but in
fact it was importing them in. But you drop, you know,
one thousand dollars at the local parish or you right,
you give five hundred bucks to the local Little League,
and all of a sudden you're a great guy.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
So yeah, I mean, what are the people what are
the people supposed to do? I mean, for the Colombian people,
it's like, okay, well the Americans are going to Studio
fifty four every night and they need their cocaine. So
either you know, you've got Pablo who is blowing everything up,
or you've got these lovely gentlemen, the Cali Cartel. It
just seems like such sweethearts. And they've owned radio stations,
(10:24):
and they own this and that and or they did
they own a huge I mean, they're legitimate businesses. You know,
you wouldn't have believed they owned banks.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I mean, it doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I mean, I got to tell you, I'm looking forward
to reading the book, and you certainly know so much
more about it than I do. But Jessica, I got
to let you go from now. Next time we got
to talk baseball. Jessica Valboni, you love to Well, that's
the first time anyone has referred to Steve Balboni on
this program in a aren't a.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Lot of us running around? A lot of us Balbonis?
Speaker 5 (10:55):
So y, I got it.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I got it Jessica again. The book after as Bar
taking down the notorious call calli Godfathers and the biggest
drug cuttail in history. Love it. We'll have you back
and when you get back to Boston. When I get
back to Boston, I mean, I'm in summer residents. We'll
have to get together for coffee. Okay, mean, I.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
Would love it.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
This was such a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Back a, Jessica, thank you so much. All Right, we
get back on and talk about baseball in the Roaring twenties,
the Yankees, the Cardinals, and the captivating nineteen twenty six season.
We'll be talking with author Tom Wolfe right after this
on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w BZ,
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, as I mentioned with our last guest, Jessica Balboni,
when she invoked the name Steve Balboni, I knew who
she was talking about. We're going to take you back
a little further in time to the nineteen twenty six
World Series. The Yankees played a seven game series with
the then Saint Louis Cardinals. There was no such thing
as bush Stadium. Stan Musil wasn't in Major League Baseball.
(12:03):
The Yankees and a outfielder named Bob Musl different spelling
and with us is Thomas wolf He is the author
of this new book that we're going to talk about,
which is basically Baseball and the Roaring twenties, The Yankees,
the Cardinals, and the captivating twenty six season. Thomas Wolf,
Welcome to Knights. What made the twenty six twenty six
(12:24):
seasons so captivating? We have our special seasons in Boston,
as I'm sure you knew, as I'm sure you know
two thousand and four, twenty thirteen, two thousand and eighteen,
two thousand and seven, four of this century. Go right ahead,
tell us about nineteen twenty six.
Speaker 6 (12:44):
Well, every season in baseball is special in some way.
What grew me to write about nineteen twenty six really
was their two featured teams are the Cardinals and the Yankees.
The Cardinals ascending that's the first time they had won
the next pennant and their first trip to the World Series,
the Yankees coming back from the seventh place sinner nineteen
(13:08):
twenty five meeting in the World Series. And in addition
to the two featured teams, the featured player on each
team where Rogers Hornsby for the Cardinals and By Blues
for the Yankees in direct competition, and both of them
also coming off very unusual nineteen twenty five seasons. Hornsby
(13:30):
hit over four hundred it became the manager at age
twenty nine, playing manager of the Cardinals. Ruth had a
terrible season in nineteen twenty five, so nineteen twenty six
was kind of his year to bounce bounce back.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So I had And of course Ruth had the great
season in nineteen twenty seven. We can't forget that one.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Right, right, He was on He was on his upward
swing in a way. Absolutely, yes, I mean Ruth from
nineteen twenty through nineteen twenty five. If you look at
his statistics for those six seasons and compare them to
his statistics from nineteen twenty six through thirty two, from
ages thirty one to thirty eight, he was actually more
(14:13):
productive as he got older, and from age thirty one
to thirty eight he actually averaged more home runs and
more RBIs per year than he did when he was
a younger player.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So this was a baseball season. There were no planes
in flights at that point, or they were just occurring.
So were they traveling on the same train back and
forth between the cities or did they have their separate
trains going back and forth from New York to Saint Louis.
Speaker 6 (14:42):
It was separate trains, that's exactly right. And they played
a two three to two format, so two games. First
two games of the series were in Yankee Stadium, then
three in Saint Louis, and then the last two games
back in Yankee Stadium. A really dramatic seven game series.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, the Yankees were hit three games to two at
one point.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
If I'm not mistaken, that is that is correct.
Speaker 6 (15:08):
Yeah, the Yankees won the first game in the Yankee Stadium,
Cardinals came back and won the second, and then they
moved to Saint Louis for three games. Cardinals won Game three.
The Yankees won games four and five. So the Yankees
were one one game away going into Game six at
the Yankee Stadium, and they got signed by a thirty
(15:28):
nine year old right hander named Grover Cleveland Alexander, who
sent the series to a seventh game.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yeah. I mean, you gotta love you gotta love that, Yeah,
the Yankees. You know, look up, I just was looking
at it briefly. All these games. I think the longest
game was two hours in thirty eight minutes. For those
of us who were baby boomers, we remember getting home
from school early and watching World Series in the nineteen
fifties on black and white television. Obviously, there was no
(15:57):
television in those days. For anybody to watch. But I'm
sure that those games will listened. Radios were tuned into
those games across America in millions of locations.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
Yeah, that's absolutely right. You know, radio really helped foster
a growth in baseball in the nineteen twenties as more
and more people had radios because the major leagues, Saint
Louis was the farthest team west, Washington d C. Was
the Washington Centers were the farthest team south. So for
the white major leagues of all, the games were played
(16:29):
in that sort of quadrant in the north Northeast, and.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Radio only became radio stations. And I can say this
as a as a Westinghouse Broadcast alumnus from WBZ Television
here in Boston. Radio stations only came came to be
in the early nineteen twenties.
Speaker 6 (16:51):
Yeah right, that was it.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
You had to get through World War World War One
before you got the radio stations. And so how long
is this book an available? Look some of the names
as you go through her, if you're a real baseball fan,
I mean Earl Coomes, Bob Musluh, what do we got
herb Pennock, Jesse Haynes, Philly Southworth. These were great names.
(17:14):
H Miller Huggins was the Yankees manager. I'm just looking
at some of the uh you know, some of these
box scores right now. I'm sure it's a great read.
Uh easy, easy to find. Joe Dugan, Yankee third baseman
who eventually ended up being a baseball coach at at
Dartmouth College, so there's some local connections. And of course
lou Gerrig as well. Earl Coomes, Mark Koning. When was
(17:37):
this book came out? And how how can folks get it?
Speaker 4 (17:39):
Most importantly, Tom, the book came out yesterday.
Speaker 6 (17:44):
Yesterday was the official publication date, So it's nice and
Stretch should be available at independent bookstores. If they don't
have it on the shelves, they can order it, and
of course all the online retailers will carry the book,
so it's easy to find. It's available both in hardcover
and in kindle.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Baseball in the roaring twenties the Yankees, the Cardinals, and
the captivating nineteen twenty six season for those of you
who are baseball historians. A few years later in the
nineteen thirties, you had the Gas House Gang and the
Joe DiMaggio Yankees, and then on into the nineteen sixties,
you had, you know, Mantle and Maris and Musil and
ken Boyer. So this rivalry he gets got renewed every
(18:26):
decade or so. It hasn't been renewed in a while,
but maybe this well. I don't know how the Cardinals
are doing this year. I don't know the Yankees are
going to make it either, But this is a great,
great book esthetic in the background of the Roaring twenties,
which the Roaring twenties are not the twenties of the
two thousands, but the twenties of the nineteen hundred. Tom,
(18:49):
I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much for
your interest in being on the show, and hopefully we
can sell some books for you.
Speaker 6 (18:56):
I appreciate it. But he's been great talking to you
anytime you Yeah, I can talk about baseball in the
nineteen twenties or thirties, I'm happy to do it.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
Yeah, I'm a little later. I'm more of a fifties
and sixties guys, but that's okay. We can always talk.
I think we can cross Paul and that conversation. I'm sure.
Thank Tom.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
Sixty too, So.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Yeah, well those you know, those are the days when
you would you'd get home for we had transistor radios
and you're trying to sneak listen in the back of
the classrooms and hopefully the nuns weren't going to catch you.
Speaker 5 (19:30):
Those.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Thomas Wolfe, author of Baseball in the Roaring twenties. Thomas,
thank you so much. Appreciate it, Thank thank you.
Speaker 6 (19:38):
It's been great.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Right back at you. All right, we're going to talk
about something much more serious than that, is the national
the nine to eleven day National Day of Service and
Remembrance with a Jay Warnick, co founder and executive vice president.
He lost a brother on that day as well. We
will talk with him right after the news at the
bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w b Z,
Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Back from vacation and happy to be here. And of
course we now have come into the month of September,
which has probably one of the most important days in
the history of this country, September eleventh, that will be
what not on nine days from now two week a
week from this coming Thursday, with us is jayant Winnock.
First of all, Jay, let me make sure I pronounced
(20:27):
the name correctly.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Is it Winnock at MIT Swinnock. Yeah, yeah, okay, great God.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
Co founder executive vice president of the Nine to Eleven Day,
the nonprofit organization that annually organizes the September eleventh National
Day of Service and Remembrance. You have a personal connection
because on that horrible day that I think everyone you
know who's over the age of twenty remembers or remembers sadly,
(20:55):
your brother Glenn Winnock, who was an attorney of volunteer
fire fighter and EMT was killed on the line of
duty at the World Trade Center. You joined a fellow
bet him with David Payne back in two thousand and
two to co found this organization. It has to be
difficult for you as we approach this day we're talking,
(21:21):
we're coming up on the twenty fourth anniversary of this day.
The memory never goes away.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
I'm sure correct, that's for certain, Dan, And thanks for
having me. It's a pleasure to talk with you. Yeah.
Glenn was a remarkable young man at the time, really
forty years old, you know, and I think each nine
to eleven about what his life would be like now.
And that's the case for all the families you know,
so many lost so many and it's difficult, but we're
(21:47):
gratified that the nation spends a part of its day
each year on this National Day of Service doing good
deeds for people, so that you know that's something good
that has grown out of such a terrific.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Tell us a little bit about your brother. It says
he was an attorney of volunteer firefighter and E M. T.
Was he working that day? What?
Speaker 3 (22:10):
What?
Speaker 2 (22:11):
What took him?
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (22:13):
To the World Trade Center that day?
Speaker 5 (22:15):
Glenn? Glenn lived and worked in Manhattan. He had lived
in a Midtown apartment UH and was made aware that
the towers were hit and he raced downtown. His law
offices at the Holland and Knight law firm, where he
was a partner, were located just two blocks from the
(22:36):
World Trade Center.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Holland and Knight, as you know, has an office in Boston.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
I do know that, I certainly know that. Yeah, And
they're a terrific firm.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Uh.
Speaker 5 (22:45):
And they were incredibly supportive of the Winnick family at
the most difficult of times. They just they were tremendous
friends to our family and continued to be up great support.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
He went there, He was not there when the planes hit.
He went there and tried to help.
Speaker 5 (23:06):
Is that he did?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Damn?
Speaker 5 (23:08):
Yeah. He first went up to his law offices, which
were one under five Broadway for those of you New Manhattan,
very close to the World Trade Center, helped evacuate the
Holland and Night law offices, and then headed on foot
into the South Tower to safe lives. For twenty years,
Glenn was a volunteer firefighter and an EMT in our hometown.
(23:30):
He was specially certified in building collapse. He you know,
he he knew what to do, and he had the
guts and he did respond to ninety three when the
Trade Center was attacked too, because again about his proximity.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, yeah, I remember that as well. So tell us
about the national day nine to eleven day of National
Day of Service and Remembrance. I know that you're doing
something in conjunction with the Great of Boston Food Bank
here in Boston, but this is going on across the country.
(24:06):
You founded this group. Tell us how it has grown
over the years.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
It's grown remarkably well, and it's now you know, the
anniversary of nine to eleven is one of only two
National days of Service recognized under federal law, along with
MLK Day and it's by far the largest annual day
of charitable engagement in the United States now with tens
of millions of people doing good deeds each nine to
(24:31):
eleven And when David and I and some other folks
started this initiative back in two thousand and two, we
just wanted to do something that captured the way the
nation responded in the days and weeks after nine to eleven.
We all came together. We focused on our common humanity.
We were all Americans. Everybody wanted to pitch in in
(24:52):
one way or another and lift each other up, and
so we thought that was too valuable to waste, and
so we thought we would try to create a you know,
a nice grassroots initiative. Who knew it would grow into
what it has with tens of millions of people participating
in Importantly, Dan, there's been one hundred million people born
in this country since nine to eleven happened. These people,
(25:14):
of course, have no direct memories of the way people
came together, and so we wanted to create something that
could be handed off from generation to generation.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
And we think we have well, you know, it's funny.
We we just passed the anniversary of the the the
well in effect the eightieth, the eightieth anniversary, eighty first
anniversary of D Day. And you know, I'm sure that
(25:45):
I'm older than you, but I remember when, you know,
the remembrances of D Day were bigger. But as time
goes on, we as a nation tend to forget it.
We forget, you know, Pearl Harbor, the day of infamy.
I fear very much that as time goes on, the
memories and the pain of nine to eleven will subside
(26:09):
in this country. And I remember vividly where I was
that day. I remember that day more than probably any
day of the last, you know, twenty five years of
my life. And I wasn't touched by it as you
folks were. I was doing a live shot for television
congressional race to fill the seat of the late Joe
(26:31):
Molkley out in Debt, and when when the first plane
hit and everybody thought it was a small plane, and
then the second plane hit and everybody said, this is
this is something big. We had no concept of how
big this was and what it meant all the way
till till the horror of Kabul a couple of years ago,
and the numbers of families like yours that were affected
(26:54):
by it. How can we not lose that memory? Because
I think that that it would be such a tragedy
if we allow our collective memory to fade on what
happened on that day. And I don't want to sound
modeling because I wasn't impacted by it directly, but God,
(27:15):
we have a responsibility that to these people who died
that day, in to their families, what.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Can we do, What can we do to make you
some very important points because we don't want it to fade.
And the nation of course made a promise to never forget,
and that's part of what drove the creation of this
annual ritual of people doing good deeds on nine to eleven.
And you know, Dan, I think what really resonates with
people is the combination of service and remembrance. This is
(27:43):
a national day of service and remembrance, and so we
look back, we remember, we try to teach the next generation,
but we also give people an opportunity to act. The
service component is really key to the success and the
growth of this initiative. And I'll tell you I have
a front row seat to the most amazing outpouring of
(28:04):
service all over the country. People in all fifty states participated,
and so I say tens of millions of people, and
it's young people, a lot of young people. And the
education program in schools that we do and that other
people do. I think there's a real focus. There's a
lot of people who share your concern that we really
(28:25):
should do something actively to make sure that it's not
forgotten about as we move forward.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Okay, so the most important thing that we can do
right now is tell us how people who are listening,
whether they're in a condominium in the seaport or they're
in a farm in central Massachusetts, in New Hampshire. You know,
we get into thirty eight states. People all over the
country are listening right now. How can they contact you
or how can they contact What is the message the
(28:55):
marching orders that they that they could take from this conversation.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Well, you know, the the best place for starting point
information is our website nine to one to one day
dot org nine to eleven day dot org. It's loaded
with great information. But we are as an organization, and
let's remember next year is the twenty fifth anniversary, so
there's going to be a real spotlight on this historic milestone.
What have we learned? Where do we go from here?
(29:20):
What was the real impact of nine to eleven? How
can people serve as a way to properly mark the day?
But even this year, I mean we started these meal packs.
You know, this is like the fifth year. We're doing
this big meal pack in Boston and thousands, thousands of
Bostonians will come together and pack hundreds of thousands of
meals that as you mentioned earlier, we'll go to the
(29:41):
Greater Boston Food Bank. We're doing that in twenty four
cities on nine to eleven all over the country.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
Next year we expect to be doing that in many
more cities all over the country for the twenty fifth anniversary.
That's just one program. There's so much else going on. Municipalities,
sports leagues, corporations, faith based groups, educational institutions. So many
different entities plan nine to eleven related events. It's really
(30:11):
very heartwarming for me.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
I have to tell you, Okay, I don't want to
use the word clearinghouse, but I'm going to use the
word clearinghouse. So if anybody need some information, if you
feel motivated to do something on nine to eleven this year,
it's on a Thursday, next year, I guess it'll be
in a Friday for the twenty fifth anniversary. I hope
the country makes a huge big deal out of it
(30:33):
and gives people days off from work, you know, to
make it a long weekend if you will. But it's
nine to one one, just the numerals nine day Day
dot org and wherever you're listening tonight, you can go
to that website and you can connect with some group
or organization or coalition and do something positive on nine
(30:54):
to eleven in memory of all who passed, including Glenn,
Jay's brother, or maybe people you know this is this
is a great way to funnel people towards something that's positive. Jay,
thanks so much for your time tonight. Thank you for
what you're doing. And I'm sure your brother is looking
down very proudly at all you've done to keep his
(31:17):
memory and the memory of nine to eleven alive.
Speaker 5 (31:20):
It's kind of you to say thank you. It's it's
you know, aside from spending time with my family, it's
working on this initiative is the best thing I get
to do. I feel like, you know, I'm doing something meaningful,
as does everybody on our team.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
So no question, Jay, thank you for what you've done,
and thank you for what you'll do nine to eleven
days dot org, nine to one to one day dot org.
Thanks Jay, appreciate it. When we get back, we're going
to be talking with Paul Glastris, he's the editor in
chief of Washington Monthly, about what are the best colleges
for your tuition or your children's tuition or your grandchildren's tuition,
(31:55):
and also considering your tax dollars as well. The twenty
twenty five best Bang the Buck ratings here from the
Northeast will have it for you right after the quick
break here at Nightside.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Night Side with Dan ray I WBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Delighted to be joined by Paul glastrous He's the editor
in chief of Washington Monthly. Paul, I guess every year
you folks at Nashal, at Washington at Washington Monthly, excuse me,
editor in chief of Washington Monthly, do what's called the
twenty twenty five best Bang for the Buck ratings Northeast.
Tell us what the what the standards are that you
(32:36):
use to figure this situation out.
Speaker 4 (32:39):
Good evening, Welcome, thanks for having me on. Look, we
are very different from the other rankings. Like the US News,
they basically rank schools based on how many students they
don't let in, how much money they spend, and their
prestige with other colleges. We rank schools best based on
(33:03):
whether the student the schools recruit and graduate students average students,
students of modest means students may not have the top
one percent SAT scores, but are looking for a good
college that offers a reasonable tuition, succeeds in graduating those students,
(33:28):
so they walk away with a diploma, and then the
diploma earns something in the marketplace bring them in a
decent income. So the schools that do best on our
rankings are our schools that that really are right for
the average student.
Speaker 2 (33:46):
Okay, So I'm looking at the rankings right now for
the Northeast. So you got two very well known schools
number one and two, M I. T And Princeton. But
your third is a school Frankly, I've never heard of
bore Aqua College in New York.
Speaker 4 (34:05):
Interesting school. Berqua College was started about forty years ago
by Puerto Ricans in New York who felt that the
existing university didn't make college easy for the working people
who needed a college degree. They couldn't stop working and
(34:30):
just kind of go move into a campus. They had
families to provide for, and so a lot of their
students are adults, a lot of them are the first
in their families to go to college. They don't charge
very much. Students graduated a higher percentage than you would
think giving their democratics, and they knew okay in the workplace.
(34:54):
So yeah, just sort of we didn't know much about
them too, but their numbers just in our formula.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
And we were quite And then and then you have
a bunch of the Cooney colleges, you know, the City
University of New York, Brew College, John Jay College of Chronology, Uh,
the uh Cuney, uh Lehman College, Hunter College, Amhurst and
Williams are eight to nine from Massachusetts. Then you have
Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Columbia University, and
(35:26):
then Yale and Harvard and John Hopkins. So it's a
really interesting mix. A couple more ivs after that, Cornell
and Brown. Are these these findings available?
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Do you have to be a subscriber to Washington Monthly?
How can my listeners get these and go through the
entire list?
Speaker 4 (35:47):
Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Not.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
You can go straight to our website Washington Monthly dot com.
Look for the tabs as college Guide. We don't have
any baywalls. You can look at that best bet for
the Buck for the Northeast. You can also look we
have a ranking called the Best Colleges for your Tuition
and Tax Dollars where you can compare any school in
(36:11):
Boston or anywhere else you might live to any other
college in the country and yet, and you can sign
up for our newsletter at Washington mostly dot com too.
There's really nothing like it, and you're right, it's both.
It's both elite schools, but a lot of schools your
listeners you know, they're hitting gems your listeners have probably
(36:33):
never never heard of or don't know a lot about.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
There's one school that I do not see in the
top fifty here. I think it should be, and I'll
recommend it. Give a look. Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
It's a really interesting school and I think that it
might very well fit higher than some of these schools.
It's Babson College, which I think does very very well
(37:00):
and not as not one of the most not a
nationally ranked school, but check it out. For me if
you would, and we can talk about that one some
some other time.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Okay, be happy to do so. I'll I'll look on
our ranks and see how it does.
Speaker 2 (37:12):
All right, Paul Glasters, editor in chief of Washington Monthly. Paul,
appreciate your time tonight. Really interesting topic. A lot of
people are interested. Love to have you back.
Speaker 4 (37:21):
Thank you, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Thanks Paul. We sure changed a little bit on time.
I owe you more time next time. Trust me on that.
This morning, you bet you. Paul Glasters of Washington Monthly.
We get back. We're going to talk about the new
well these one year in the job, the new colonel
of the Massachusetts State Police. His name is Jeffrey Noble.
(37:45):
He's been in the job about eleven months. It's quite
a job that faces him. But I think you're going
to be interested in hearing what he has to say,
and he'll also take some phone calls from any of
you out there who are listening. We'll be back right
after the night of CLO News with Massachusetts State Police
Colonel Jeffrey Noble.
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