December 9, 2024 • 46 mins
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the voice of a baseball stadium? Join us as we sit down with the charismatic Tim Debacco former public address announcer and master organist for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tim takes us on a journey through his unique career, sharing how he went from a budding young musician to stepping into the shoes of the legendary Vince Lashide. Listen in as Tim recounts the amusing tales of life behind the scenes, including a particularly cheeky organ tune played during Bobby Bonilla’s return to Pittsburgh that had the whole stadium buzzing.
Take a trip down memory lane as we switch gears to the world of vinyl records and pop culture nostalgia. Growing up with a dad who was an early YouTuber in spirit, I found my passion for music in the family’s rich collection of vinyl. We savor the tactile joy of spinning records and contrast it with today’s digital streaming convenience. Plus, hear about the playful nod to pop culture with a humorous suggestion about being a "Swifty," and discover why "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family holds a special place in my heart.
To wrap things up, we dive into the nostalgia of collecting, from the iconic radio stories of Casey Kasem to rare Pittsburgh edition TV Guides. Celebrate the simple joys of classic TV shows, radio jingles, and vintage board games like Stratomatic Baseball. We even share a few laughs over a mishap with a Chuck Berry concert that went hilariously off-script. This episode promises a warm, entertaining tribute to the enduring charm of sports, music, and the joy of collecting cherished memories.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
here coming your way, burned by rocky patel.
We've got another edition ofhold my cutter and our guest,
another episode with the greattim tobacco, longtime public
address announcer at both riverstadium and pnc park.
We talked a lot in the episodewith Timmy D about his start as
a PA announcer.
We're going to go get into someother aspects of his career.
(00:29):
We're now enjoying the whitelabel by Rocky Patel.
That's our featured smoke hereon this edition of Hold my
Cutter.
Timmy D, we've talked to youabout public address announcing,
but that's not all you did atPNC Park, at Three River Stadium
and, I think, early at PNC Parkand PNC Park opened in 2001,.
(00:53):
The Pirates had a long time.
Art McKinnon was a long timepublic address announcer, going
back to Forbes Field, but alsoat Three River Stadium, a long
time organist, vince Lashide,who again went on to PNC Park.
You and I both share our loveand fondness of the late great
(01:15):
Art McKinnon and Vince Lashide,and now you, in addition to
doing PA, were an organist atPNC Park in addition to doing PA
, were an organist at PNC Park.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, how that came about was Vince was the longtime
Penguins organist and longtimePirates organist.
And because the Penguinsweren't good for a while, the
two seasons never overlapped.
Suddenly they get good andthere is overlap, and now vince
(01:48):
is needed at the civic arena andhe's needed at three river
stadium and, uh, I just rememberthe talk around the control
room was well, vince'sallegiance is going to be with
the team that's in the playoffs.
We're going to lose him.
Who can we get to fill in?
And you know, I had as a kid Ihad.
(02:11):
Well, I started taking organlessons when I was four and I
was always paying attention towhat Vince was doing on the
organ and I could play hislittle rally things by ear.
But just because I've I'dlistened to them so many times
and I spoke up and I said youknow, I think I I could maybe
(02:34):
pinch it, I could fill in maybe.
You know, I knew I I couldn'thold a candle to what he was
doing, but I could get you overthe hump.
And I said, okay.
So I did the PA and played theorgan.
At the same time I had themicrophone stand on the side of
(02:56):
the organ.
I don't even know how I died.
All I can tell you is I sleptreally well on those nights
after the game was over.
It was crazy, but I was honored,honored, to fill in for the
legendary Vince Leshae.
He was gosh.
(03:17):
He was so good, you know, histechnique was unrivaled.
He could play jazz.
He could play jazz.
He could play blues, he couldplay.
I took lessons from him for twodifferent stints and I so love
those moments, so love that Ishould have taken longer now in
(03:38):
retrospect, but he had thisinstant recall of I swear it had
to be at least 10,000 songs.
He could play a littlesomething from at least 10,000
songs.
That is no exaggeration.
He was phenomenal.
I was so blessed, my wife Susieand I, when we were married.
(04:01):
He played the piano and organat our wedding.
And, gosh, I miss him so much.
I'm thinking of a.
Do you know the story aboutwhen Bobby Bonilla came back
into town?
Should I tell that story?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, tell it, is that an?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
appropriate question.
Yeah, tell it, is that anappropriate question?
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah, of course, yeah , absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
So, vince and I, we would collaborate a little bit,
like, hey, how do you play thishook, how do you do this little
part of this song?
And so Bobby Bonilla leaves asa free agent.
After what?
The 91 season, right?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Goes to the Mets.
Now it's 92.
He's coming back for the firsttime, first game at.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Pittsburgh A gigantic free agent contract Still
getting paid, still getting paidyeah.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Bobby Bonilla Day, July 5th.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, July.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Is it 3rd?
Whatever, yes, it's rightaround that area.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
First week of July.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, it's a good day around that area first week of
july.
Yeah, it's a good day.
Yeah, I get to the ballpark andvince says, hey, do you know
how to play?
Take the money and run.
And I said, yeah, I, I do, andI just here's the chorus and I
played it for him and who's btowho?
(05:22):
is that Steve Miller, steveMiller band, and so he plays it.
When Bobby comes up and fastforward, I'm home and my phone
rings and it's my boss andVince's boss, rick Cerrone, one
of your guests, and he saidTimmy, I've got a fire.
(05:43):
Vince said what, what?
And he said, timmy, I've got tofire Vince.
I said what what?
And he said oh, I'm drivinghome, I'm listening to WFAN in
New York and they are outragedtalking about how you know, bush
League, what the Pirates did,what their organists did,
(06:03):
playing, take the money and run.
And here I go, being stupid, Isaid.
I said, oh, that's kind offunny, because I I taught him
how to play.
He goes you what then?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
you're both fired.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
That's what he said I've got to fire you too.
And he was very angry because Ithought he was very serious.
And now I'm thinking, oh, Igotta go into damage control
mode here.
And I said, no, no, look, look,think about it, this is going
to blow over.
You're talking about VinceLashide, and it's funny.
So the kicker to the story isI'm talking to Rick about this
(06:40):
not so long ago and he says, tim, what you don't know is, before
the game started, I had aconversation with vince and I
asked him what is he going toplay for, bobby bonilla, like I
wouldn't play your, he usuallyplayed the money and run,
(07:21):
unbeknownst to you.
He's telling Vince that doesn'tsound like him at all to to be
defiant and just play it anyway.
But uh, some, that some signalgot crossed somehow, that that
he asked me how to play it.
But that's, that's a memoryI'll never forget.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I don't know whether he got thrown out if you were
around, but when he played threeblind mice for the umps, I
don't know whether he got thrownout.
I don't know if you were around, but when he played three blind
mice for the umps, they'd stopthe game, they'd turn around.
I think they tried to eject him.
I don't know if they did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well I think that happened at a Penguins game, if
I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
They tried to eject him.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
He did it at Thriver Stadium, also Speaking of
sensitive, so he was doing it ata Penguins game, he did it at
River Stadium too.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
So it doesn't surprise me.
It doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I don't think signals got crossed, vince would go
ahead and say that the fact youguys are talking about it says
it all.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
It means it had some type of Moments.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Moments Stories, steve Blas stories sometimes
said that when we take away,when we make the game sterile,
where are the stories going tobe like?
The stories are the greatestthing about the game and sports
yeah, vince was.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Did you hear about the one?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
in la there's a car that caught on fire.
Who started?
It's like started the fire wedidn't start the fire.
We didn't start the fire.
Who did that?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
they're doing the organ.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
There's a car on fire outside the stadium.
Nobody can see it, but now theyhave the drones and they're
playing.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That's very quick very clever.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Do you know some of the names of the other organists
around?
Was it Nancy B Heftley?
Was she one in Chicago?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I'm going to embarrass myself here.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I don't know Okay, I don't know.
When did they retire the Oregonat PNC?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was when Vince left.
So Vince became, I think, kindof ill and I might not have this
exactly correct Somewherearound 2007,.
We had him come in and we hadhim record a lot of his stuff
just to have in the can becausehe was missing some games, and I
(09:28):
think it wasn't more than ayear later that he passed, and
you know it was my job.
After that we had game tapes,michael.
Of these tapes that had fouraudio channels On one channel
was Pir home radio, then it waspirates home tv, I think the
(09:49):
third channel was crowd noiseand the fourth channel was like
the, the, the line in on thebowl, like the pa announcer and
the organist, like a direct line.
And so I went through all thesegame tapes from 2001, 2002, and
digitized all of actual gameperformances from Vince and
(10:13):
labeled them and categorizedthem and then that's what has
been played at PNC Park sincehis passing.
It's a great tribute to him.
He's gone on to be the Pirates'organist posthumously.
It's incredible.
Maybe not so incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Maybe not so incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Although I think that's, Some ballparks are
bringing back the organ.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
That's great news Baseball.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I miss more of it.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
I love the tradition of it.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Like you can mix and match.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yep, I like the tradition.
You can do both.
Yep, you can do both.
So now, at what point do thePenguins come calling?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
It was the first year at what would have been Consol
Energy Center at the time, so Inever played at.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Melon Arena.
You were never at the Melon no.
No, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
That's okay.
I got a call that would I wantto come in to audition and I
just, you know, I had a nine tofive job and doing this PA job
for the Pirates.
I had a nine to five job anddoing this PA job for the
(11:26):
pirates and I'm thinking, gosh,I don't know, should I, am I
slicing myself too?
I couldn't pass up theopportunity to audition so I
checked with the pirates first.
Would they mind if I, if Itried out and how did they know?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
How did someone at Penguins know that you were even
doing?
It was Oregon it was BillyWareham.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
It was the longtime in-game producer and he had.
You know who you know KatieO'Malley.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
OK, yeah, she Katie Ackman.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Absolutely she.
She called me, I think onbehalf of Billy, and said, hey,
you want to come in and justJust play for 15 minutes?
We might fire some songs at you.
And I said okay, and kind ofthe same thing happened and I
think the Penguins said to mehey, we're not sure what we're
going to do next year.
(12:16):
We might go to a cannedorganist, we might go to a live
organist, but we know we'regoing to make a change and
you're our guy if, if, you wantthe gig.
So this is my 15th season nowdoing that and it's so much fun
well, you brought up your nineto five.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
You told me a little bit off air.
Explain what you do outside ofbeing a pa announcer, playing
the organ, I mean it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
there's a guy in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, mark
Mulwaney.
He owns three audio-relatedbusinesses.
One is, I mean, can I give hima plug Please?
One is Northern Audio.
It's a home theaterhigh-performance audio design
and installation company.
(13:02):
Also in that building is thisis downstairs.
This is downstairs at 3003babcock there's music to my ear
which is a super record store,uh, hi-fi shop, new and used
vinyl, used cds, um.
And then there's a thirdcompany that he owns called spin
(13:24):
clean.
It's a record washer, it's a.
It's a, uh, a kit, a bath unitthat you can clean your vinyl
records, and that's been aroundsince 1975.
It was actually, uh, the, theum, the patent had been owned by
his, his father, uh, and hisfather retired and gave it to to
Mark, and so I work overseeingmarketing communication for his
(13:49):
three businesses.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
How cool is that.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Oh, it's the greatest of his speaking of collections.
So you, you, you we talked inthe first episode about your
love of of what really radio uhand and and how you.
Your first memory really ofrecording something important
was when your dad called youinto the garage and said let's
(14:12):
change a tire or change the oilor whatnot.
You want to record it?
Yeah, he was just ahead of histime.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
That's all it is.
He was ahead of his time.
He was the first YouTuber, ifyou think about it.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I was thinking the same thing.
He was going to put it out onYouTube.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
It's just his dad said no that's not going to
happen.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But that's not the only thing you collected.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
I was a record collector from early on.
I cut my teeth on my parents'records.
I'm listening to Elvis you meanlike gnawing on them.
Well, close to it.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
I was entrenched into the record collection.
That's what I would have doneas a kid.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That's why I had to ask yeah, you know I was playing
Elvis and all my mom's recordsfrom the 50s and I started
getting 45s when I was probablyaround seven years old.
And that love for records andpop music when you say 45s, what
(15:08):
does that mean?
Yeah, well, it's a goodquestion.
So it was a single.
So a single has changed overthe decades.
Back in the 40s it was a 78 RPM.
There was a 10-inch record thatspun at 78 revolutions per
minute and record companieswould release one song on one.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
song on one side, one side of the other spin rate.
So that's right.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Spin rate's been around for a long time.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
You guys are way behind analytics, uh, but, but
those are the big albums, sowe're 10 inch you know what I
mean.
The big, you know the, the mywife is really getting into it.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
So, okay, we're gonna have to come visit you.
Oh yeah, they were made of mywife.
My wife is really getting intoit so okay, we're gonna have to
come visit you.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Oh yeah, they were made of you're welcome anytime.
They were made of shellac, likea shellac resin, they would
break very easily, okay.
And then around 1948, 49, camethe introduction of the 45 and
it was a seven inch record,still one song on each side.
You had the hit on one side andyou know they called the B side
(16:06):
another song and that reallycaught on with the buying public
and that was like the go toformat for a hit record until
you know, sometime in the late80s when CDs took over.
Then you had the cassettesingle for a while, then you had
a CD single and then, of ofcourse, you got to digital
(16:27):
downloads and streaming.
So there's your quick butvinyl's coming back, oh, since
2010.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
It's been on the rise every year.
Yeah, why do you think that is?
Why did vinyl come back?
The texture, the richness ismissing from Right.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, I think it's something physically tangible,
palpable, about holding this bigartwork.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
It's the same reason.
I think textbooks like I thinkactual books, are going to come
back.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, we've talked about it with newspapers.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I mean that's a little bit tougher, but I do
think, but there's somethingtangible about holding it, but
there's also.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Don't you also feel I thought you've told me this
that, for example, could you, ifyou sat in your home studio,
your theater, if somebody put ona vinyl record the exact same
song, then on a digital, couldyou tell the difference?
You could, I know you could.
(17:26):
It depends on the pressing andthe equipment okay, sometimes
you'd be hard get your point.
Sometimes you're hard-pressedto you can't to find it, but
there's a, isn't there's a?
There's a, there's a richness,a war, there's, yeah, the analog
yeah, many argue that.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Pardon me, I'm sorry no, I think it's the intention
that is so cool the intention,yeah, yeah.
I could go right now and findany song on the planet on my
phone.
That's the intention.
That is so cool, the intention.
Yeah, I mean I could go rightnow and find any song on the
planet on my phone.
That's not really thatintentional, that's just normal
day.
But to grab a record, be verygentle with it, put it on.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's the experience .
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yeah, the experience of it all.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, and Michael, you're right, it brings the
music to the forefront insteadof the background.
You know you could be at thegym or you could be driving in
your car and you're, you'restreaming and and it's fine.
I'm not against streaming it's,but it's sort of like it.
It becomes not as much, I think, in the forefront as if you
make the choice to sit down andput on a physical piece of media
(18:19):
yeah so so his collection ofmusic is one thing, and
literally the vinyl records andso on, but you were kind of a
pop culture aficionado as well.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Is he a Swifty?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
No, no, no, no, Come on, you can admit it?
No, you're not.
Who isn't?
Come on?
Speaker 1 (18:38):
She's nothing compared to the Partridge family
.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
I was going to say if you had to pick a genre, which
one would you pick?
I'm sure you like them all.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I always love pop rock.
Pop rock, classic rock, youknow whatever crossed over to
the top 40.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
You had to pick three records, three Singles, three
songs, whatever crossed over tothe top 40, I was listening to
you, had to pick three recordsWow Three, that's it Three
singles three songs your recordcollection is going to be taken
away.
You have to pick three records.
What are you picking?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Well, a lot of people are going to be posting in the
comments on this.
I'm going to get really madefun of what's your record.
I think my favorite song of alltime is I Think I Love you by
the Partridge Family.
Do you know who the PartridgeFamily?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
is I do.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
I do.
I love music.
Okay Boy Probably number two isis probably Lonely Boy by
Andrew Gold.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
And probably number three is If I Can Dream, by
Elvis Presley.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Some classics I knew Elvis was going to be up there.
So Elvis holds a special placein your heart, in your life.
I mean, how did you get hookedon Elvis?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, like I alluded to just a little bit ago, I just
it was in my parents' recordcollection and I'm playing my
mom's 45s and I just got hooked.
I just thought this soundedgreat.
I had these kids' records thatI was listening to.
And then suddenly I'm listeningto Elvis and I'm thinking well,
this is much better, this isamazing.
(20:22):
And I just always gravitated tohis music and was always a fan
all through my childhood andadult life.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But you've taken it to the next level.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Take me there, let's go.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So my parents took me to graceland in 1985, and since
then I've probably made nine,nine or ten trips there too,
cool.
Yeah, I, I really I really loveit.
It's like this sort of sort ofan escape, sort of my sort of a
happy place for me, um and uh,there's.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
There's a quick story no, no, don't you have to be
quick.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
So I have a cousin.
She's like an adopted sisterbecause we I'm an only child and
I hung out with her all thetime.
She's a few years older than Iam and we started here a few
years ago just doing tripstogether and, uh, we went to
chicago, we went to wrigleyfield.
(21:26):
She's where we're going to gonext year.
I said have you ever been tomemphis?
You want to go to graceland, doyou like elvis?
She says oh yeah, I like.
I like those.
I like you know that jailhouserock and you know blue suede
shoes she wasn't terribly intoelvis, yeah, and I said, well,
okay with the trip.
I said there's much more to.
Elvis than just those 50 songs.
(21:48):
She was okay.
So we drove to Memphis and wedid a full-blown tour.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
That's a 12-hour drive.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Exactly.
We went to Tupelo the first day, elvis' birthplace.
We went all over Memphis.
The second day it was like anElvis-centric tour.
And then the third day, wetoured the mansion.
And we're touring the mansionand we're in the racquetball
court this is something thatElvis built in like 1975, and he
(22:22):
played a game of racquetball onthe day before he passed and
we're in the racquetball courtand I look over at her and she
is just tears are streaming downher.
She's like a faucet.
And I said what's going on?
She goes, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And after that long story somewhat short, she's
immers nursing herself in everybook she can get her hands on.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
She's she and this is no.
This is no joke.
She has read easily over 700books on Elvis.
I'm like holy man, I created amonster.
You did again Fast forward.
She has become a VIP there atGraceland.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Did she move there?
She's the founder and she justmoved.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
last June she moved to Memphis.
What'd?
Speaker 1 (23:10):
you do?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You broke her.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
She's in, she's deep in.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
She needs to write her own book now.
Now she's part of the VIP.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
She introduced me, so I introduce her, and she goes
off and and the ironic part theironic part, michael, is she's
this vip and she introduces meto priscilla presley what a full
circle she's holy, is thatincredible?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
wow, such a great story.
So, when are you going back?
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Yeah, I don't know.
I was thinking about going backin January for the celebration
of Elvis's what would have beenhis 90th birthday, but I've got
some Penguins games that are aconflict, so I'm staying put.
I don't know, I'll get there.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Okay, so I don't know .
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Do you want to come.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Absolutely, I would love to come.
Absolutely, I would love tocome.
I guess we could publicize.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Is there any more room on the Friday Night Wi-Fi
guest list?
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Or are you maxed out no Of?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
course.
Well, I'm not just talkingabout Fort Leonard Lee, our
producer director, but our hugelistening audience.
Now we can't open up toeveryone, but maybe you can
explain about the Friday night.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
What is?
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Friday night Wi-Fi.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
We call it Friday night Hi-Fi.
Hi-fi.
It started about 10 years ago.
A group of musician friends andI.
We meet about once a month atmy place and we just talk about
or watch or listen to music.
We could watch a documentary,we could watch a concert, we
(24:50):
could um.
One night everybody picked hisfavorite um album, side one, and
we we played cool.
We played each of those um.
We could maybe have a guest, wecould um play music trivia.
It doesn't matter, but it's allmusic centric and we've been
doing this for about 10 years.
(25:11):
So love, love to have you loveto come.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Well, because sometimes he'll do a guest that
you're not aware of.
But so the one elvis night andyou've done this a couple times
where, yeah, we have ahead andwe have an Elvis night once.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
That's like that's the bone they throw me.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Okay, yeah, once a year I get to do it.
They let you do your own.
Oh, no, no, you go, yeah, butyou also a special guest, a
surprise guest.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
You'll have a surprise guest on on the phone
yeah, uh, one year I had Elvis'sboyhood chum, guy Harris.
He's since passed.
He called in and spent an houror so with us on the phone, had
Elvis's nurse phone in.
So yeah, we're serious, we'rehardcore with our love for music
(25:59):
.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So I don't believe that there's anybody that knows
music trivia around here as wellas Tim Tobacco.
My brother's strong Charlie andBlast loves it, yeah, but the
music trivia is through the roof, and a lot of it comes from
(26:21):
Casey Kasem, right.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
I'm a big fan of American Top 40.
I grew up on that.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Timmy D, you've listened to just about every one
of those, haven't you, Timmy D?
Yeah, I'm working on it oh comeon, you're working on a second
go-round.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Pretty much, yeah.
Yeah, I have all the episodes.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
How many episodes of American top 40 were there?
Speaker 2 (26:43):
well, it started in on july 4th of 1970 and it it
went, it went.
I mean, it's still going.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Uh, ryan seacrest is the host now okay, but but I'm
sorry, no disrespect, come on,casey, did it until 1988 and
then he broke off and startedhis own version on the westwood.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
one radio networks called Casey's Top 40.
American Top 40 kept going withShadow Stevens until about 1995
and then stopped and then therights reverted back to Casey
and he resumed American Top 40in 1998 and then did it through
2004 when he gave it to RyanSeacrest.
(27:23):
So yeah, it's been aninstitution right.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What made Casey Kasem so good Do?
Speaker 2 (27:30):
you think, Friendly folksy, just so good at telling
the stories about the titles andthe artists?
Speaker 3 (27:38):
It's like he brought you into his living room, just
so to speak.
I think he brought you into hisliving room just so to speak
it's the best way to put itBecause I was in high school
from 98 through 2004.
I used to listen to it.
I think it was every Sunday.
Yeah, Saturday or Sunday,depending on what it usually
carried over and I would hear itand I would sit there and
listen to it all the time.
(27:58):
That's awesome, yeah, yeah soit's really cool.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
That's tremendous, yeah, that's tremendous, yeah.
But you know, like, aren't youamazed at how good the
production was at that show andhow good he was at it?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Absolutely.
The writing was great, Greatwriters, great production.
Casey was just.
There's nothing like that thesedays is there.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Admittedly, I'm not as dialed in as maybe I should
be, so I'll say no Back to thePartridge family.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
You're losing everybody.
Your collection, no, they'reeating this up.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
The people that you have met, the things that you
have done because of your loveof whatever it might be albus,
pop culture, the partridgefamily, uh, is there any one
thing?
One person, one moment?
We talked about your, your pamoments with the pirates, but
what about when it comes to this?
Speaker 2 (28:58):
well, I'd have to say um, I'm such a nerd and I'm
pulling'm putting it out on fulldisplay now.
Do you watch Seinfeld?
Do you remember the Seinfeldepisode about George Costanza's
father collected TV guides?
Do you remember that episodeVaguely?
That's me you collect TV guidesI collect TV guides, but it's
(29:20):
not just any TV guide.
I had to have the Pittsburghedition of the TV guide to
collect because I wanted ahistory of Pittsburgh television
.
So the moment came when I gotthe one that completed the
collection I do have when TVguide first became a franchise
(29:45):
in Pittsburgh in 1953 and thenin October of 2005 it switched
from TV Guide, stopped itsdigest small format and went to
a full-size magazine and itstopped putting in local
listings, it just put innational listings.
And it stopped putting in locallistings, it just put in
national listings and it becamesort of like a gossip magazine.
(30:05):
So from 53 to 2005, I can saynow with great pride that I have
every Pittsburgh edition of TVGuide.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
How many would you say?
How many is that?
Speaker 2 (30:18):
It's over 2,000, because what we do Wow.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Every TV Guide Pittsburgh edition.
He's got it downstairs in thisincredible theater of his and
his wife.
Susie is as proud as anybodyover this, by the way she loves
this.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Everybody that knows me is just beaming with pride.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
It is unbelievable.
And they're all practicallymint condition.
They're in sleeves.
Well, yeah, if you're going todo it, you've got to do it right
.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
What else do you collect?
It's unbelievable, because Icollect sign balls.
I have some other things Icollect.
What else do you collect?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Radio jingles Did you digitize?
Speaker 3 (30:59):
them.
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (31:02):
There are some CD collections that came out some
time ago, so I was a customer ofthose TV shows.
I don't know why I do.
You could find them onstreaming services, but I have a
lot of the box sets, dvd andBlu-ray.
It's TV, radio, pop music.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
It always goes back to childhood.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Favorite TV series, was it Brady, bunch or Partridge
Family?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
You know, it's a great question.
I think it's Bewitched, or IDream of Jeannie.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Oh, I'm sorry.
Yeah, yeah, didn't you go tothe set?
Speaker 3 (31:39):
of one of those.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I did.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Which one was.
It Isn't the Jeannie the onethat goes?
Speaker 1 (31:43):
No, it's Bewitched, that's Bewitched.
Yeah, I think.
What did she do, barbara Edenthere?
Speaker 3 (31:50):
you go.
She did a thing when she wantedto disappear, or whatever.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Yeah, yeah, so anyway , were you on the set of?
Speaker 2 (31:56):
one of those shows what a turn this has taken.
Huh, I went to the Columbia lot.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Where there was the Partridge family house, the I
Dream of Jeannie house, theBewitched house.
It's all on that same street.
The lot's now closed and Ithink they're they've dismantled
, or beginning to dismantle, alot of it.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
But yeah, I went did one of those sets uh did they
share?
Did you tell me that was it?
Uh, was there one?
Was it wasn't brian's song, amovie or something that shared
the brady bunch.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Well, these are just exteriors.
Yeah, I know, I know they didthe show on the soundstage for
the interiors.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
But they weren't all the very same type set.
I thought there was one exactset.
Anyway, I thought you had toldme.
Maybe not, I'm dreaming.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I'm dreaming of Genie .
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You're dreaming of Genie, that's right.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
How about Stratomatic ?
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Baseball, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
So one of the things, so the two great board games.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Well, when I got this love for baseball as a
nine-year-old, sure I was goingto the games, but I had to play
the tabletop dice baseball games.
Do you still have it?
Yeah, I started playing.
I don't know you remember theSports Illustrated?
I know you didn't play that.
No, that's what I first startedplaying and then from there I
(33:19):
played a little bit of that APBA.
That's what you like Okay, andthen Stratomatic started to play
that and we started a littleleague.
Right, it was Waukee and youand our friends Dave and Fuzz
(33:41):
and I, should we bring thatleague back?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
We're trying to resurrect it, but he's too busy.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
We've got to clean that up.
It was fun.
That sounds fun.
I have no idea what that gamewould look like but it sounds
like a blast.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's an absolute blast.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
I remember being in a game against Waukee and all I
wanted to do was beat him and Itried to do all these maneuvers
and outmanage him and he left mein the dust.
There was no outmanaging BobWaukee.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Did he win?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
I don't know if he won the tournament, but the
games that I played when Ithought I was going to.
He can't outmanage him.
No, no, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
How about the time he thought at the house.
He thought that he was goinginto the coffee creamer.
And he's just about ready toput it into the coffee and he
stops.
He goes what kind of creamer isthis?
I said that's my dog.
The ashes of the dog was on thecounter.
His name didn't have to becreamer.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Come here, creamer.
Come on, come on, Sit creamer.
How was that coffee?
Do you remember that?
I forgot, oh my gosh, that wasa classic.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
He just he smelled you what kind of creamer is this
?
It's?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
actually my dog, yeah , uh is that?
Speaker 3 (34:57):
is that a new brand?
Speaker 1 (34:59):
yeah, I like that.
It's a great name for a dog.
From now on, anybody want tothink about that creamer here
creamer.
How about, um, in terms of youknow, growing up fan a
aficionado of music, your dadintroducing you to baseball,
your love of the fact that youwanted Pittsburgh TV guys what
(35:23):
about that?
We oftentimes try and tie Holdmy Cutter into baseball sports
Pirates specifically, but alsoabout how unique this area is.
Timmy D you grew up in EastBrady, went to Clarion.
You ever thought about whatmakes this?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
area, this region so unique.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Why you love it so much.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Gosh, I think it's just, there's just so many good
people.
It's just such a it's.
It's.
It's an area full ofneighborhoods, of of wonderful
people.
And you know, I looked at onepoint I thought about moving to.
I thought, oh, you know, thearizona diamondbacks are going
(36:09):
to start up, get their PA joband my wife and I will move to
Phoenix.
But what was all said and done,I don't know.
You drop anchors over time andthen you look back and you say
that was for good reason.
There are so many wonderfulpeople in this region who care
(36:32):
and are kind and, as I thinkabout it now, as a 60-year-old,
I can't imagine ever livinganywhere else.
It's just such a great region.
To you name it, I think theclimate, the surroundings, the
(36:52):
change of seasons, but again,especially the people, and you
know, with the Pirates too, justlike you.
Michael McHenry, greg Brown,lanny Frateri, john Wayner,
steve Blass, bob Wach, these areall great guys.
And all the people, the men andwomen that I work with in the
(37:16):
control room I won't even beginto name them because I'll forget
somebody and that'll be theworst thing, but I work with so
many wonderful sound engineers,producers, that was really the
hardest part to leave the jobfor me was the relationships and
to step away knowing that Iwouldn't see many of these
(37:39):
people on a regular basis.
So, yeah, we're blessed in thisarea?
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Do you miss the PA announcing with the Pirates and
do you pay attention to it atall?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Well, Guy.
Junkers is doing a great,fabulous job and I'm honored
that he's my successor.
I mean that's.
He's an icon here in the city.
It's wonderful and I loved whenhe was a guest on your show.
I was glued um.
Do I pay attention?
Yeah, you can't.
You can't help but payattention.
(38:13):
Um, but I'm okay being a fan II really relish that, the time
opportunity to do that summer'soff.
Right, summer's off all thosesummer's off it's so great it's
so great I've discovered,discovered places at pnc park
like that, that, the landing outin the outfield and then the
(38:34):
one behind the bullpen.
I never knew that existed.
Well, I mean, some of those arenewer, but just to roam around
I found corridors and nooks andcrannies that I would never have
discovered.
And I'm like a kid in a candystore.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
It's funny you say that when I first took this job
I'd never been around PNC so I'dask my wife where to go.
I had no clue where to go.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Outside the clubhouse .
Outside the clubhouse.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
I mean, you're kind of tunnel vision when you're
playing.
I knew where the press box was,but other than that I knew
where nothing was.
They go meet us, so-and-so I'mlike, hey, uh, jacklyn, um, I
have no idea where this is.
So you're so right.
And she took me to her favoritespot to watch a game I'll never
forget.
When neil cruz had a homer, Ihad a day off and it looked like
(39:21):
the shortstop jumped and itwent and hit the back of the
bullpen, I was just like whatjust happened, whole different
perspective yeah, just aperspective you never see.
so I always encourage guys thatare playing or that look to play
, one day go to a game and lookat it from every perspective you
can, because it gives you thisincredible view that you never
(39:42):
thought of and it gives you thisunderstanding of the game that
you never could have, becausethere's really not a bad seed
over there.
You're so right Except maybe onebehind a pole or something like
that.
I'm sure there's really not abad seat over there You're so
right Except maybe one behind apole or something like that.
I'm sure there's one or twothat are pretty bad but most of
the time there's none, andthere's somebody actually that
does that on social media, ifyou haven't seen it.
They go to every ballpark andfind the worst seat.
They did PNC this year.
It was pretty funny.
I can't imagine there's a wordyeah, that scenery.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
I've gone to games now since I've retired that I'll
just get a single ticket andI'll sometimes go up to the very
last row and just sit up topand just take in that bird's-eye
view.
It's so much fun.
I'm a kid again now you alwayswere a kid.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
What was the?
Speaker 1 (40:28):
difference.
By the way, in your location,PA at River Stadium, PA PNC Park
, A lot further away.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
It's more difficult at.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
PNC Park.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
You're not as close.
You get used to it.
When you're there a lot, youcan pick up the ball off the bat
.
But yeah, we've never, never,ever had a foul ball come into
the booth at pnc park.
It's just too far away.
If anybody could do it on nocurse yeah, yeah probably about
it, yeah thank you.
Far back and too too far awaythanks for thanks for doing this
(41:04):
.
Hold my cutter you guys havesomething great going on here
and I'm just so thrilled to be apart of it.
Thanks a million.
I am so grateful to be a partof the Pirates organization.
If there's anything that I felt, and still do, is gratitude to
be able to do a dream job and todo it for 35 years.
(41:26):
So I love the Pirates, I lovewhat you're doing and I'm
honored that you asked me to sitand chat about it.
Thank you, I hope you come back.
Will you come back?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Yes, and hey, Brown, you know what we got to do Now
that we kind of talked throughall this.
If we ever can have anold-timers game, an old-timers
game, we need to bring him backon the megaphone.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Well, no, we talked about this on a previous episode
.
There was at least one gamethey had a throwback game where
they had no PA system, noscoreboard and they had Timmy D
on the dugout roof with amegaphone right.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
So that's already happened so we've got to do it
again.
I've got a funny story aboutyes, yeah, please.
So the game was it was misty,it was in the hands of the
umpires and it never reallyrained hard, but it was misty
and eventually got postponed,but it was in this long delay.
So I'm in this 1903, get upwith the knickers and the, the
(42:29):
hat, the whole thing, and I'm ontop of the dugout with a
megaphone.
It was a lavalier mic tapedinto it so I was amplified.
But we had no in-gameentertainment.
We had a barbershop quartet.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Because you know you couldn't, you couldn't, that's
all you could do, so great sothis.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
This rain delay prevented the start of the game
and the barbershop quartet, Ithink, went through their
repertoire about four or fivetimes and my boss at the time,
my producer eric wolf, said tim,you're going to have to, uh, do
something.
We, we're running out, can you?
(43:06):
Can you tap?
Can you sing?
Can you read the poem casey atthe bat on top of the dugout and
I said, okay, from memory.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
No, they had it for me.
Well, he's so good, it wouldn'thave surprised me I got this.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
He said now, you know you're taking one for the team
here, you're probably going toget booed.
And I said, okay, so I get ontop of the dugout.
And I could hear this is likenow 45 minutes to an hour, rain
delay.
I could hear smattering of whatpeople you know.
There's no music going, so youcould hear whatever.
And they said, oh, he's got aweather update for us, so he's
going to tell us something aboutthe game.
(43:41):
The weather Hold on and I, youknow, in Mudville, they oh God
you know all these cuss wordsTrying to draw it out he's
looking to do Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
And.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
I'm like, oh my gosh.
So the delay went on and then,finally, my producer said the
game's been called, so you'regoing to have to read that
announcement.
I said, look, I'm not doing iton top of the dugout.
I'm going in the runway by thedugout.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
That's great, we we did another one, though we did,
yeah the next night, we did it.
I didn't recall that.
Well, that's hilarious, that'sgreat.
That's what I told you.
Steve greenberg had me get upon stage that big.
They had a double headerbetween games.
The double header, uh, no, it'sa post game.
Sund afternoon they had the FourTops and Chuck Berry, oh, yeah,
(44:35):
right, chuck Berry didn't wantto stay.
Well, it went to extra innings.
So Chuck Berry's out behindThruber Stadium, where the
grounds crew was, behind Gate C,behind the wall, we had the
equipment and his limo was there.
Uh, we had the equipment, yeah,and, and, and his limo was
(44:56):
there.
And, uh, he says to, to, tosteve greenberg, the marketing
vp, you know, uh, I get a flighthere and he goes.
Well, no, no, the game's extrainnings.
So he, he says I'll wait oneextra inning, but then I'm out
of here.
He's.
Well, you can't, you, yousigned a contract.
You're gonna sing after thefour tops.
So the game, I think, went 11.
And like after the third out ofthe, the game, I think, went 11
.
And like after the third out ofthe bottom of the 10th, he goes
(45:17):
, tells his driver we're out ofhere.
So he, unbeknownst to the crowd, and Greenberg says to me you
go up on stage and you tell thecrowd that Chuck Berry is not
here.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I mean, there are 50,000 people.
Oh my gosh, so that went wellgosh, oh yeah, they love that
one.
But anyway, thank you again.
And how do people tune in tohold my cutter?
Well, if you're like Timmy,you're going to watch it on
YouTube.
You can go to Apple andsubscribe and go to any place
you find yeah, all platforms doyou find or subscribe to your
(45:46):
fun, friendly podcast, us beingobviously your favorite.
Please go check it out.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Timmy D.
When the when the pirate gamewould end, what would you tell
everyone?
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Please remember to drive home safely.
Thank you and good day.
here coming your way, burned by rocky patel.
We've got another edition ofhold my cutter and our guest,
another episode with the greattim tobacco, longtime public
address announcer at both riverstadium and pnc park.
We talked a lot in the episodewith Timmy D about his start as
a PA announcer.
We're going to go get into someother aspects of his career.
(00:29):
We're now enjoying the whitelabel by Rocky Patel.
That's our featured smoke hereon this edition of Hold my
Cutter.
Timmy D, we've talked to youabout public address announcing,
but that's not all you did atPNC Park, at Three River Stadium
and, I think, early at PNC Parkand PNC Park opened in 2001,.
(00:53):
The Pirates had a long time.
Art McKinnon was a long timepublic address announcer, going
back to Forbes Field, but alsoat Three River Stadium, a long
time organist, vince Lashide,who again went on to PNC Park.
You and I both share our loveand fondness of the late great
(01:15):
Art McKinnon and Vince Lashide,and now you, in addition to
doing PA, were an organist atPNC Park in addition to doing PA
, were an organist at PNC Park.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, how that came about was Vince was the longtime
Penguins organist and longtimePirates organist.
And because the Penguinsweren't good for a while, the
two seasons never overlapped.
Suddenly they get good andthere is overlap, and now vince
(01:48):
is needed at the civic arena andhe's needed at three river
stadium and, uh, I just rememberthe talk around the control
room was well, vince'sallegiance is going to be with
the team that's in the playoffs.
We're going to lose him.
Who can we get to fill in?
And you know, I had as a kid Ihad.
(02:11):
Well, I started taking organlessons when I was four and I
was always paying attention towhat Vince was doing on the
organ and I could play hislittle rally things by ear.
But just because I've I'dlistened to them so many times
and I spoke up and I said youknow, I think I I could maybe
(02:34):
pinch it, I could fill in maybe.
You know, I knew I I couldn'thold a candle to what he was
doing, but I could get you overthe hump.
And I said, okay.
So I did the PA and played theorgan.
At the same time I had themicrophone stand on the side of
(02:56):
the organ.
I don't even know how I died.
All I can tell you is I sleptreally well on those nights
after the game was over.
It was crazy, but I was honored,honored, to fill in for the
legendary Vince Leshae.
He was gosh.
(03:17):
He was so good, you know, histechnique was unrivaled.
He could play jazz.
He could play jazz.
He could play blues, he couldplay.
I took lessons from him for twodifferent stints and I so love
those moments, so love that Ishould have taken longer now in
(03:38):
retrospect, but he had thisinstant recall of I swear it had
to be at least 10,000 songs.
He could play a littlesomething from at least 10,000
songs.
That is no exaggeration.
He was phenomenal.
I was so blessed, my wife Susieand I, when we were married.
(04:01):
He played the piano and organat our wedding.
And, gosh, I miss him so much.
I'm thinking of a.
Do you know the story aboutwhen Bobby Bonilla came back
into town?
Should I tell that story?
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, tell it, is that an?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
appropriate question.
Yeah, tell it, is that anappropriate question?
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah, of course, yeah , absolutely.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
So, vince and I, we would collaborate a little bit,
like, hey, how do you play thishook, how do you do this little
part of this song?
And so Bobby Bonilla leaves asa free agent.
After what?
The 91 season, right?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Goes to the Mets.
Now it's 92.
He's coming back for the firsttime, first game at.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Pittsburgh A gigantic free agent contract Still
getting paid, still getting paidyeah.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Bobby Bonilla Day, July 5th.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, July.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
Is it 3rd?
Whatever, yes, it's rightaround that area.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
First week of July.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, it's a good day around that area first week of
july.
Yeah, it's a good day.
Yeah, I get to the ballpark andvince says, hey, do you know
how to play?
Take the money and run.
And I said, yeah, I, I do, andI just here's the chorus and I
played it for him and who's btowho?
(05:22):
is that Steve Miller, steveMiller band, and so he plays it.
When Bobby comes up and fastforward, I'm home and my phone
rings and it's my boss andVince's boss, rick Cerrone, one
of your guests, and he saidTimmy, I've got a fire.
(05:43):
Vince said what, what?
And he said, timmy, I've got tofire Vince.
I said what what?
And he said oh, I'm drivinghome, I'm listening to WFAN in
New York and they are outragedtalking about how you know, bush
League, what the Pirates did,what their organists did,
(06:03):
playing, take the money and run.
And here I go, being stupid, Isaid.
I said, oh, that's kind offunny, because I I taught him
how to play.
He goes you what then?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
you're both fired.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
That's what he said I've got to fire you too.
And he was very angry because Ithought he was very serious.
And now I'm thinking, oh, Igotta go into damage control
mode here.
And I said, no, no, look, look,think about it, this is going
to blow over.
You're talking about VinceLashide, and it's funny.
So the kicker to the story isI'm talking to Rick about this
(06:40):
not so long ago and he says, tim, what you don't know is, before
the game started, I had aconversation with vince and I
asked him what is he going toplay for, bobby bonilla, like I
wouldn't play your, he usuallyplayed the money and run,
(07:21):
unbeknownst to you.
He's telling Vince that doesn'tsound like him at all to to be
defiant and just play it anyway.
But uh, some, that some signalgot crossed somehow, that that
he asked me how to play it.
But that's, that's a memoryI'll never forget.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I don't know whether he got thrown out if you were
around, but when he played threeblind mice for the umps, I
don't know whether he got thrownout.
I don't know if you were around, but when he played three blind
mice for the umps, they'd stopthe game, they'd turn around.
I think they tried to eject him.
I don't know if they did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Well I think that happened at a Penguins game, if
I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
They tried to eject him.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
He did it at Thriver Stadium, also Speaking of
sensitive, so he was doing it ata Penguins game, he did it at
River Stadium too.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
So it doesn't surprise me.
It doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
I don't think signals got crossed, vince would go
ahead and say that the fact youguys are talking about it says
it all.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
It means it had some type of Moments.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Moments Stories, steve Blas stories sometimes
said that when we take away,when we make the game sterile,
where are the stories going tobe like?
The stories are the greatestthing about the game and sports
yeah, vince was.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Did you hear about the one?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
in la there's a car that caught on fire.
Who started?
It's like started the fire wedidn't start the fire.
We didn't start the fire.
Who did that?
Speaker 2 (08:43):
they're doing the organ.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
There's a car on fire outside the stadium.
Nobody can see it, but now theyhave the drones and they're
playing.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
That's very quick very clever.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Do you know some of the names of the other organists
around?
Was it Nancy B Heftley?
Was she one in Chicago?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
I'm going to embarrass myself here.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I don't know Okay, I don't know.
When did they retire the Oregonat PNC?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
It was when Vince left.
So Vince became, I think, kindof ill and I might not have this
exactly correct Somewherearound 2007,.
We had him come in and we hadhim record a lot of his stuff
just to have in the can becausehe was missing some games, and I
(09:28):
think it wasn't more than ayear later that he passed, and
you know it was my job.
After that we had game tapes,michael.
Of these tapes that had fouraudio channels On one channel
was Pir home radio, then it waspirates home tv, I think the
(09:49):
third channel was crowd noiseand the fourth channel was like
the, the, the line in on thebowl, like the pa announcer and
the organist, like a direct line.
And so I went through all thesegame tapes from 2001, 2002, and
digitized all of actual gameperformances from Vince and
(10:13):
labeled them and categorizedthem and then that's what has
been played at PNC Park sincehis passing.
It's a great tribute to him.
He's gone on to be the Pirates'organist posthumously.
It's incredible.
Maybe not so incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Maybe not so incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Although I think that's, Some ballparks are
bringing back the organ.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
That's great news Baseball.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
I miss more of it.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
I love the tradition of it.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Like you can mix and match.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yep, I like the tradition.
You can do both.
Yep, you can do both.
So now, at what point do thePenguins come calling?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
It was the first year at what would have been Consol
Energy Center at the time, so Inever played at.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Melon Arena.
You were never at the Melon no.
No, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
That's okay.
I got a call that would I wantto come in to audition and I
just, you know, I had a nine tofive job and doing this PA job
for the Pirates.
I had a nine to five job anddoing this PA job for the
(11:26):
pirates and I'm thinking, gosh,I don't know, should I, am I
slicing myself too?
I couldn't pass up theopportunity to audition so I
checked with the pirates first.
Would they mind if I, if Itried out and how did they know?
Speaker 1 (11:41):
How did someone at Penguins know that you were even
doing?
It was Oregon it was BillyWareham.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
It was the longtime in-game producer and he had.
You know who you know KatieO'Malley.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
OK, yeah, she Katie Ackman.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Absolutely she.
She called me, I think onbehalf of Billy, and said, hey,
you want to come in and justJust play for 15 minutes?
We might fire some songs at you.
And I said okay, and kind ofthe same thing happened and I
think the Penguins said to mehey, we're not sure what we're
going to do next year.
(12:16):
We might go to a cannedorganist, we might go to a live
organist, but we know we'regoing to make a change and
you're our guy if, if, you wantthe gig.
So this is my 15th season nowdoing that and it's so much fun
well, you brought up your nineto five.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
You told me a little bit off air.
Explain what you do outside ofbeing a pa announcer, playing
the organ, I mean it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
there's a guy in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, mark
Mulwaney.
He owns three audio-relatedbusinesses.
One is, I mean, can I give hima plug Please?
One is Northern Audio.
It's a home theaterhigh-performance audio design
and installation company.
(13:02):
Also in that building is thisis downstairs.
This is downstairs at 3003babcock there's music to my ear
which is a super record store,uh, hi-fi shop, new and used
vinyl, used cds, um.
And then there's a thirdcompany that he owns called spin
(13:24):
clean.
It's a record washer, it's a.
It's a, uh, a kit, a bath unitthat you can clean your vinyl
records, and that's been aroundsince 1975.
It was actually, uh, the, theum, the patent had been owned by
his, his father, uh, and hisfather retired and gave it to to
Mark, and so I work overseeingmarketing communication for his
(13:49):
three businesses.
Speaker 3 (13:51):
How cool is that.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Oh, it's the greatest of his speaking of collections.
So you, you, you we talked inthe first episode about your
love of of what really radio uhand and and how you.
Your first memory really ofrecording something important
was when your dad called youinto the garage and said let's
(14:12):
change a tire or change the oilor whatnot.
You want to record it?
Yeah, he was just ahead of histime.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
That's all it is.
He was ahead of his time.
He was the first YouTuber, ifyou think about it.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
I was thinking the same thing.
He was going to put it out onYouTube.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
It's just his dad said no that's not going to
happen.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But that's not the only thing you collected.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
I was a record collector from early on.
I cut my teeth on my parents'records.
I'm listening to Elvis you meanlike gnawing on them.
Well, close to it.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
I was entrenched into the record collection.
That's what I would have doneas a kid.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That's why I had to ask yeah, you know I was playing
Elvis and all my mom's recordsfrom the 50s and I started
getting 45s when I was probablyaround seven years old.
And that love for records andpop music when you say 45s, what
(15:08):
does that mean?
Yeah, well, it's a goodquestion.
So it was a single.
So a single has changed overthe decades.
Back in the 40s it was a 78 RPM.
There was a 10-inch record thatspun at 78 revolutions per
minute and record companieswould release one song on one.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
song on one side, one side of the other spin rate.
So that's right.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Spin rate's been around for a long time.
That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
You guys are way behind analytics, uh, but, but
those are the big albums, sowe're 10 inch you know what I
mean.
The big, you know the, the mywife is really getting into it.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
So, okay, we're gonna have to come visit you.
Oh yeah, they were made of mywife.
My wife is really getting intoit so okay, we're gonna have to
come visit you.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Oh yeah, they were made of you're welcome anytime.
They were made of shellac, likea shellac resin, they would
break very easily, okay.
And then around 1948, 49, camethe introduction of the 45 and
it was a seven inch record,still one song on each side.
You had the hit on one side andyou know they called the B side
(16:06):
another song and that reallycaught on with the buying public
and that was like the go toformat for a hit record until
you know, sometime in the late80s when CDs took over.
Then you had the cassettesingle for a while, then you had
a CD single and then, of ofcourse, you got to digital
(16:27):
downloads and streaming.
So there's your quick butvinyl's coming back, oh, since
2010.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
It's been on the rise every year.
Yeah, why do you think that is?
Why did vinyl come back?
The texture, the richness ismissing from Right.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
Yeah, I think it's something physically tangible,
palpable, about holding this bigartwork.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
It's the same reason.
I think textbooks like I thinkactual books, are going to come
back.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Well, we've talked about it with newspapers.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
I mean that's a little bit tougher, but I do
think, but there's somethingtangible about holding it, but
there's also.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Don't you also feel I thought you've told me this
that, for example, could you, ifyou sat in your home studio,
your theater, if somebody put ona vinyl record the exact same
song, then on a digital, couldyou tell the difference?
You could, I know you could.
(17:26):
It depends on the pressing andthe equipment okay, sometimes
you'd be hard get your point.
Sometimes you're hard-pressedto you can't to find it, but
there's a, isn't there's a?
There's a, there's a richness,a war, there's, yeah, the analog
yeah, many argue that.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
Pardon me, I'm sorry no, I think it's the intention
that is so cool the intention,yeah, yeah.
I could go right now and findany song on the planet on my
phone.
That's the intention.
That is so cool, the intention.
Yeah, I mean I could go rightnow and find any song on the
planet on my phone.
That's not really thatintentional, that's just normal
day.
But to grab a record, be verygentle with it, put it on.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's the experience .
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Yeah, the experience of it all.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, and Michael, you're right, it brings the
music to the forefront insteadof the background.
You know you could be at thegym or you could be driving in
your car and you're, you'restreaming and and it's fine.
I'm not against streaming it's,but it's sort of like it.
It becomes not as much, I think, in the forefront as if you
make the choice to sit down andput on a physical piece of media
(18:19):
yeah so so his collection ofmusic is one thing, and
literally the vinyl records andso on, but you were kind of a
pop culture aficionado as well.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Is he a Swifty?
Speaker 3 (18:33):
No, no, no, no, Come on, you can admit it?
No, you're not.
Who isn't?
Come on?
Speaker 1 (18:38):
She's nothing compared to the Partridge family
.
Speaker 3 (18:44):
I was going to say if you had to pick a genre, which
one would you pick?
I'm sure you like them all.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I always love pop rock.
Pop rock, classic rock, youknow whatever crossed over to
the top 40.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
You had to pick three records, three Singles, three
songs, whatever crossed over tothe top 40, I was listening to
you, had to pick three recordsWow Three, that's it Three
singles three songs your recordcollection is going to be taken
away.
You have to pick three records.
What are you picking?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Well, a lot of people are going to be posting in the
comments on this.
I'm going to get really madefun of what's your record.
I think my favorite song of alltime is I Think I Love you by
the Partridge Family.
Do you know who the PartridgeFamily?
Speaker 1 (19:28):
is I do.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
I do.
I love music.
Okay Boy Probably number two isis probably Lonely Boy by
Andrew Gold.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
And probably number three is If I Can Dream, by
Elvis Presley.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
I like it.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Some classics I knew Elvis was going to be up there.
So Elvis holds a special placein your heart, in your life.
I mean, how did you get hookedon Elvis?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, like I alluded to just a little bit ago, I just
it was in my parents' recordcollection and I'm playing my
mom's 45s and I just got hooked.
I just thought this soundedgreat.
I had these kids' records thatI was listening to.
And then suddenly I'm listeningto Elvis and I'm thinking well,
this is much better, this isamazing.
(20:22):
And I just always gravitated tohis music and was always a fan
all through my childhood andadult life.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
But you've taken it to the next level.
Speaker 2 (20:37):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
Take me there, let's go.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
So my parents took me to graceland in 1985, and since
then I've probably made nine,nine or ten trips there too,
cool.
Yeah, I, I really I really loveit.
It's like this sort of sort ofan escape, sort of my sort of a
happy place for me, um and uh,there's.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
There's a quick story no, no, don't you have to be
quick.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
So I have a cousin.
She's like an adopted sisterbecause we I'm an only child and
I hung out with her all thetime.
She's a few years older than Iam and we started here a few
years ago just doing tripstogether and, uh, we went to
chicago, we went to wrigleyfield.
(21:26):
She's where we're going to gonext year.
I said have you ever been tomemphis?
You want to go to graceland, doyou like elvis?
She says oh yeah, I like.
I like those.
I like you know that jailhouserock and you know blue suede
shoes she wasn't terribly intoelvis, yeah, and I said, well,
okay with the trip.
I said there's much more to.
Elvis than just those 50 songs.
(21:48):
She was okay.
So we drove to Memphis and wedid a full-blown tour.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
That's a 12-hour drive.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Exactly.
We went to Tupelo the first day, elvis' birthplace.
We went all over Memphis.
The second day it was like anElvis-centric tour.
And then the third day, wetoured the mansion.
And we're touring the mansionand we're in the racquetball
court this is something thatElvis built in like 1975, and he
(22:22):
played a game of racquetball onthe day before he passed and
we're in the racquetball courtand I look over at her and she
is just tears are streaming downher.
She's like a faucet.
And I said what's going on?
She goes, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
And after that long story somewhat short, she's
immers nursing herself in everybook she can get her hands on.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
She's she and this is no.
This is no joke.
She has read easily over 700books on Elvis.
I'm like holy man, I created amonster.
You did again Fast forward.
She has become a VIP there atGraceland.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Did she move there?
She's the founder and she justmoved.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
last June she moved to Memphis.
What'd?
Speaker 1 (23:10):
you do?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You broke her.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
She's in, she's deep in.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
She needs to write her own book now.
Now she's part of the VIP.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
She introduced me, so I introduce her, and she goes
off and and the ironic part theironic part, michael, is she's
this vip and she introduces meto priscilla presley what a full
circle she's holy, is thatincredible?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
wow, such a great story.
So, when are you going back?
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Yeah, I don't know.
I was thinking about going backin January for the celebration
of Elvis's what would have beenhis 90th birthday, but I've got
some Penguins games that are aconflict, so I'm staying put.
I don't know, I'll get there.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Okay, so I don't know .
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Do you want to come.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Absolutely, I would love to come.
Absolutely, I would love tocome.
I guess we could publicize.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Is there any more room on the Friday Night Wi-Fi
guest list?
Speaker 2 (24:06):
Or are you maxed out no Of?
Speaker 1 (24:08):
course.
Well, I'm not just talkingabout Fort Leonard Lee, our
producer director, but our hugelistening audience.
Now we can't open up toeveryone, but maybe you can
explain about the Friday night.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
What is?
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Friday night Wi-Fi.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
We call it Friday night Hi-Fi.
Hi-fi.
It started about 10 years ago.
A group of musician friends andI.
We meet about once a month atmy place and we just talk about
or watch or listen to music.
We could watch a documentary,we could watch a concert, we
(24:50):
could um.
One night everybody picked hisfavorite um album, side one, and
we we played cool.
We played each of those um.
We could maybe have a guest, wecould um play music trivia.
It doesn't matter, but it's allmusic centric and we've been
doing this for about 10 years.
(25:11):
So love, love to have you loveto come.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Well, because sometimes he'll do a guest that
you're not aware of.
But so the one elvis night andyou've done this a couple times
where, yeah, we have ahead andwe have an Elvis night once.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
That's like that's the bone they throw me.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Okay, yeah, once a year I get to do it.
They let you do your own.
Oh, no, no, you go, yeah, butyou also a special guest, a
surprise guest.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
You'll have a surprise guest on on the phone
yeah, uh, one year I had Elvis'sboyhood chum, guy Harris.
He's since passed.
He called in and spent an houror so with us on the phone, had
Elvis's nurse phone in.
So yeah, we're serious, we'rehardcore with our love for music
(25:59):
.
Speaker 1 (26:00):
So I don't believe that there's anybody that knows
music trivia around here as wellas Tim Tobacco.
My brother's strong Charlie andBlast loves it, yeah, but the
music trivia is through the roof, and a lot of it comes from
(26:21):
Casey Kasem, right.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
I'm a big fan of American Top 40.
I grew up on that.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Timmy D, you've listened to just about every one
of those, haven't you, Timmy D?
Yeah, I'm working on it oh comeon, you're working on a second
go-round.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Pretty much, yeah.
Yeah, I have all the episodes.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
How many episodes of American top 40 were there?
Speaker 2 (26:43):
well, it started in on july 4th of 1970 and it it
went, it went.
I mean, it's still going.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Uh, ryan seacrest is the host now okay, but but I'm
sorry, no disrespect, come on,casey, did it until 1988 and
then he broke off and startedhis own version on the westwood.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
one radio networks called Casey's Top 40.
American Top 40 kept going withShadow Stevens until about 1995
and then stopped and then therights reverted back to Casey
and he resumed American Top 40in 1998 and then did it through
2004 when he gave it to RyanSeacrest.
(27:23):
So yeah, it's been aninstitution right.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What made Casey Kasem so good Do?
Speaker 2 (27:30):
you think, Friendly folksy, just so good at telling
the stories about the titles andthe artists?
Speaker 3 (27:38):
It's like he brought you into his living room, just
so to speak.
I think he brought you into hisliving room just so to speak
it's the best way to put itBecause I was in high school
from 98 through 2004.
I used to listen to it.
I think it was every Sunday.
Yeah, Saturday or Sunday,depending on what it usually
carried over and I would hear itand I would sit there and
listen to it all the time.
(27:58):
That's awesome, yeah, yeah soit's really cool.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
That's tremendous, yeah, that's tremendous, yeah.
But you know, like, aren't youamazed at how good the
production was at that show andhow good he was at it?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Absolutely.
The writing was great, Greatwriters, great production.
Casey was just.
There's nothing like that thesedays is there.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Admittedly, I'm not as dialed in as maybe I should
be, so I'll say no Back to thePartridge family.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
You're losing everybody.
Your collection, no, they'reeating this up.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
The people that you have met, the things that you
have done because of your loveof whatever it might be albus,
pop culture, the partridgefamily, uh, is there any one
thing?
One person, one moment?
We talked about your, your pamoments with the pirates, but
what about when it comes to this?
Speaker 2 (28:58):
well, I'd have to say um, I'm such a nerd and I'm
pulling'm putting it out on fulldisplay now.
Do you watch Seinfeld?
Do you remember the Seinfeldepisode about George Costanza's
father collected TV guides?
Do you remember that episodeVaguely?
That's me you collect TV guidesI collect TV guides, but it's
(29:20):
not just any TV guide.
I had to have the Pittsburghedition of the TV guide to
collect because I wanted ahistory of Pittsburgh television
.
So the moment came when I gotthe one that completed the
collection I do have when TVguide first became a franchise
(29:45):
in Pittsburgh in 1953 and thenin October of 2005 it switched
from TV Guide, stopped itsdigest small format and went to
a full-size magazine and itstopped putting in local
listings, it just put innational listings.
And it stopped putting in locallistings, it just put in
national listings and it becamesort of like a gossip magazine.
(30:05):
So from 53 to 2005, I can saynow with great pride that I have
every Pittsburgh edition of TVGuide.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
How many would you say?
How many is that?
Speaker 2 (30:18):
It's over 2,000, because what we do Wow.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Every TV Guide Pittsburgh edition.
He's got it downstairs in thisincredible theater of his and
his wife.
Susie is as proud as anybodyover this, by the way she loves
this.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Everybody that knows me is just beaming with pride.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
It is unbelievable.
And they're all practicallymint condition.
They're in sleeves.
Well, yeah, if you're going todo it, you've got to do it right
.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
What else do you collect?
It's unbelievable, because Icollect sign balls.
I have some other things Icollect.
What else do you collect?
Speaker 2 (30:56):
Radio jingles Did you digitize?
Speaker 3 (30:59):
them.
How does that work?
Speaker 2 (31:02):
There are some CD collections that came out some
time ago, so I was a customer ofthose TV shows.
I don't know why I do.
You could find them onstreaming services, but I have a
lot of the box sets, dvd andBlu-ray.
It's TV, radio, pop music.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
It always goes back to childhood.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Favorite TV series, was it Brady, bunch or Partridge
Family?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
You know, it's a great question.
I think it's Bewitched, or IDream of Jeannie.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Oh, I'm sorry.
Yeah, yeah, didn't you go tothe set?
Speaker 3 (31:39):
of one of those.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I did.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Which one was.
It Isn't the Jeannie the onethat goes?
Speaker 1 (31:43):
No, it's Bewitched, that's Bewitched.
Yeah, I think.
What did she do, barbara Edenthere?
Speaker 3 (31:50):
you go.
She did a thing when she wantedto disappear, or whatever.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Yeah, yeah, so anyway , were you on the set of?
Speaker 2 (31:56):
one of those shows what a turn this has taken.
Huh, I went to the Columbia lot.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
Where there was the Partridge family house, the I
Dream of Jeannie house, theBewitched house.
It's all on that same street.
The lot's now closed and Ithink they're they've dismantled
, or beginning to dismantle, alot of it.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
But yeah, I went did one of those sets uh did they
share?
Did you tell me that was it?
Uh, was there one?
Was it wasn't brian's song, amovie or something that shared
the brady bunch.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Well, these are just exteriors.
Yeah, I know, I know they didthe show on the soundstage for
the interiors.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
But they weren't all the very same type set.
I thought there was one exactset.
Anyway, I thought you had toldme.
Maybe not, I'm dreaming.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
I'm dreaming of Genie .
Speaker 3 (32:47):
You're dreaming of Genie, that's right.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
How about Stratomatic ?
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Baseball, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
So one of the things, so the two great board games.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
Well, when I got this love for baseball as a
nine-year-old, sure I was goingto the games, but I had to play
the tabletop dice baseball games.
Do you still have it?
Yeah, I started playing.
I don't know you remember theSports Illustrated?
I know you didn't play that.
No, that's what I first startedplaying and then from there I
(33:19):
played a little bit of that APBA.
That's what you like Okay, andthen Stratomatic started to play
that and we started a littleleague.
Right, it was Waukee and youand our friends Dave and Fuzz
(33:41):
and I, should we bring thatleague back?
Speaker 1 (33:43):
We're trying to resurrect it, but he's too busy.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
We've got to clean that up.
It was fun.
That sounds fun.
I have no idea what that gamewould look like but it sounds
like a blast.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
It's an absolute blast.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
I remember being in a game against Waukee and all I
wanted to do was beat him and Itried to do all these maneuvers
and outmanage him and he left mein the dust.
There was no outmanaging BobWaukee.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Did he win?
Speaker 2 (34:11):
I don't know if he won the tournament, but the
games that I played when Ithought I was going to.
He can't outmanage him.
No, no, absolutely not.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
How about the time he thought at the house.
He thought that he was goinginto the coffee creamer.
And he's just about ready toput it into the coffee and he
stops.
He goes what kind of creamer isthis?
I said that's my dog.
The ashes of the dog was on thecounter.
His name didn't have to becreamer.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Come here, creamer.
Come on, come on, Sit creamer.
How was that coffee?
Do you remember that?
I forgot, oh my gosh, that wasa classic.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
He just he smelled you what kind of creamer is this
?
It's?
Speaker 1 (34:55):
actually my dog, yeah , uh is that?
Speaker 3 (34:57):
is that a new brand?
Speaker 1 (34:59):
yeah, I like that.
It's a great name for a dog.
From now on, anybody want tothink about that creamer here
creamer.
How about, um, in terms of youknow, growing up fan a
aficionado of music, your dadintroducing you to baseball,
your love of the fact that youwanted Pittsburgh TV guys what
(35:23):
about that?
We oftentimes try and tie Holdmy Cutter into baseball sports
Pirates specifically, but alsoabout how unique this area is.
Timmy D you grew up in EastBrady, went to Clarion.
You ever thought about whatmakes this?
Speaker 3 (35:41):
area, this region so unique.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
Why you love it so much.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Gosh, I think it's just, there's just so many good
people.
It's just such a it's.
It's.
It's an area full ofneighborhoods, of of wonderful
people.
And you know, I looked at onepoint I thought about moving to.
I thought, oh, you know, thearizona diamondbacks are going
(36:09):
to start up, get their PA joband my wife and I will move to
Phoenix.
But what was all said and done,I don't know.
You drop anchors over time andthen you look back and you say
that was for good reason.
There are so many wonderfulpeople in this region who care
(36:32):
and are kind and, as I thinkabout it now, as a 60-year-old,
I can't imagine ever livinganywhere else.
It's just such a great region.
To you name it, I think theclimate, the surroundings, the
(36:52):
change of seasons, but again,especially the people, and you
know, with the Pirates too, justlike you.
Michael McHenry, greg Brown,lanny Frateri, john Wayner,
steve Blass, bob Wach, these areall great guys.
And all the people, the men andwomen that I work with in the
(37:16):
control room I won't even beginto name them because I'll forget
somebody and that'll be theworst thing, but I work with so
many wonderful sound engineers,producers, that was really the
hardest part to leave the jobfor me was the relationships and
to step away knowing that Iwouldn't see many of these
(37:39):
people on a regular basis.
So, yeah, we're blessed in thisarea?
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Do you miss the PA announcing with the Pirates and
do you pay attention to it atall?
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Well, Guy.
Junkers is doing a great,fabulous job and I'm honored
that he's my successor.
I mean that's.
He's an icon here in the city.
It's wonderful and I loved whenhe was a guest on your show.
I was glued um.
Do I pay attention?
Yeah, you can't.
You can't help but payattention.
(38:13):
Um, but I'm okay being a fan II really relish that, the time
opportunity to do that summer'soff.
Right, summer's off all thosesummer's off it's so great it's
so great I've discovered,discovered places at pnc park
like that, that, the landing outin the outfield and then the
(38:34):
one behind the bullpen.
I never knew that existed.
Well, I mean, some of those arenewer, but just to roam around
I found corridors and nooks andcrannies that I would never have
discovered.
And I'm like a kid in a candystore.
Speaker 3 (38:47):
It's funny you say that when I first took this job
I'd never been around PNC so I'dask my wife where to go.
I had no clue where to go.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Outside the clubhouse .
Outside the clubhouse.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
I mean, you're kind of tunnel vision when you're
playing.
I knew where the press box was,but other than that I knew
where nothing was.
They go meet us, so-and-so I'mlike, hey, uh, jacklyn, um, I
have no idea where this is.
So you're so right.
And she took me to her favoritespot to watch a game I'll never
forget.
When neil cruz had a homer, Ihad a day off and it looked like
(39:21):
the shortstop jumped and itwent and hit the back of the
bullpen, I was just like whatjust happened, whole different
perspective yeah, just aperspective you never see.
so I always encourage guys thatare playing or that look to play
, one day go to a game and lookat it from every perspective you
can, because it gives you thisincredible view that you never
(39:42):
thought of and it gives you thisunderstanding of the game that
you never could have, becausethere's really not a bad seed
over there.
You're so right Except maybe onebehind a pole or something like
that.
I'm sure there's really not abad seat over there You're so
right Except maybe one behind apole or something like that.
I'm sure there's one or twothat are pretty bad but most of
the time there's none, andthere's somebody actually that
does that on social media, ifyou haven't seen it.
They go to every ballpark andfind the worst seat.
They did PNC this year.
It was pretty funny.
I can't imagine there's a wordyeah, that scenery.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
I've gone to games now since I've retired that I'll
just get a single ticket andI'll sometimes go up to the very
last row and just sit up topand just take in that bird's-eye
view.
It's so much fun.
I'm a kid again now you alwayswere a kid.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
What was the?
Speaker 1 (40:28):
difference.
By the way, in your location,PA at River Stadium, PA PNC Park
, A lot further away.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
It's more difficult at.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
PNC Park.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
You're not as close.
You get used to it.
When you're there a lot, youcan pick up the ball off the bat
.
But yeah, we've never, never,ever had a foul ball come into
the booth at pnc park.
It's just too far away.
If anybody could do it on nocurse yeah, yeah probably about
it, yeah thank you.
Far back and too too far awaythanks for thanks for doing this
(41:04):
.
Hold my cutter you guys havesomething great going on here
and I'm just so thrilled to be apart of it.
Thanks a million.
I am so grateful to be a partof the Pirates organization.
If there's anything that I felt, and still do, is gratitude to
be able to do a dream job and todo it for 35 years.
(41:26):
So I love the Pirates, I lovewhat you're doing and I'm
honored that you asked me to sitand chat about it.
Thank you, I hope you come back.
Will you come back?
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Yes, and hey, Brown, you know what we got to do Now
that we kind of talked throughall this.
If we ever can have anold-timers game, an old-timers
game, we need to bring him backon the megaphone.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
Well, no, we talked about this on a previous episode
.
There was at least one gamethey had a throwback game where
they had no PA system, noscoreboard and they had Timmy D
on the dugout roof with amegaphone right.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
So that's already happened so we've got to do it
again.
I've got a funny story aboutyes, yeah, please.
So the game was it was misty,it was in the hands of the
umpires and it never reallyrained hard, but it was misty
and eventually got postponed,but it was in this long delay.
So I'm in this 1903, get upwith the knickers and the, the
(42:29):
hat, the whole thing, and I'm ontop of the dugout with a
megaphone.
It was a lavalier mic tapedinto it so I was amplified.
But we had no in-gameentertainment.
We had a barbershop quartet.
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Because you know you couldn't, you couldn't, that's
all you could do, so great sothis.
Speaker 2 (42:44):
This rain delay prevented the start of the game
and the barbershop quartet, Ithink, went through their
repertoire about four or fivetimes and my boss at the time,
my producer eric wolf, said tim,you're going to have to, uh, do
something.
We, we're running out, can you?
(43:06):
Can you tap?
Can you sing?
Can you read the poem casey atthe bat on top of the dugout and
I said, okay, from memory.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
No, they had it for me.
Well, he's so good, it wouldn'thave surprised me I got this.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
He said now, you know you're taking one for the team
here, you're probably going toget booed.
And I said, okay, so I get ontop of the dugout.
And I could hear this is likenow 45 minutes to an hour, rain
delay.
I could hear smattering of whatpeople you know.
There's no music going, so youcould hear whatever.
And they said, oh, he's got aweather update for us, so he's
going to tell us something aboutthe game.
(43:41):
The weather Hold on and I, youknow, in Mudville, they oh God
you know all these cuss wordsTrying to draw it out he's
looking to do Get out of here.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
And.
Speaker 2 (43:52):
I'm like, oh my gosh.
So the delay went on and then,finally, my producer said the
game's been called, so you'regoing to have to read that
announcement.
I said, look, I'm not doing iton top of the dugout.
I'm going in the runway by thedugout.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
That's great, we we did another one, though we did,
yeah the next night, we did it.
I didn't recall that.
Well, that's hilarious, that'sgreat.
That's what I told you.
Steve greenberg had me get upon stage that big.
They had a double headerbetween games.
The double header, uh, no, it'sa post game.
Sund afternoon they had the FourTops and Chuck Berry, oh, yeah,
(44:35):
right, chuck Berry didn't wantto stay.
Well, it went to extra innings.
So Chuck Berry's out behindThruber Stadium, where the
grounds crew was, behind Gate C,behind the wall, we had the
equipment and his limo was there.
Uh, we had the equipment, yeah,and, and, and his limo was
(44:56):
there.
And, uh, he says to, to, tosteve greenberg, the marketing
vp, you know, uh, I get a flighthere and he goes.
Well, no, no, the game's extrainnings.
So he, he says I'll wait oneextra inning, but then I'm out
of here.
He's.
Well, you can't, you, yousigned a contract.
You're gonna sing after thefour tops.
So the game, I think, went 11.
And like after the third out ofthe, the game, I think, went 11
.
And like after the third out ofthe bottom of the 10th, he goes
(45:17):
, tells his driver we're out ofhere.
So he, unbeknownst to the crowd, and Greenberg says to me you
go up on stage and you tell thecrowd that Chuck Berry is not
here.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
I mean, there are 50,000 people.
Oh my gosh, so that went wellgosh, oh yeah, they love that
one.
But anyway, thank you again.
And how do people tune in tohold my cutter?
Well, if you're like Timmy,you're going to watch it on
YouTube.
You can go to Apple andsubscribe and go to any place
you find yeah, all platforms doyou find or subscribe to your
(45:46):
fun, friendly podcast, us beingobviously your favorite.
Please go check it out.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Timmy D.
When the when the pirate gamewould end, what would you tell
everyone?
Speaker 2 (45:55):
Please remember to drive home safely.
Thank you and good day.
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