September 1, 2023 • 44 mins
Ben Maller talks about the exciting launch of "Benny vs. the Penny," as a stand-alone television show on NBC Sports for 2023. Ben's former FSR partner in crime Tomm Looney stops by to talk about his role as keeper of the penny. Tomm and Ben co-hosted the critically acclaimed "Blitz," on Fox Sports Radio for 7 years, and now they are reuniting! "Benny vs. the Penny," will be distributed nationally by NBC, available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and a bunch of other great American cities. You can follow Looney on Twitter/X @LooneyonFox. Follow Danny G Radio on Twitter/X @DannyGradio, Follow Big Ben on Twitter/X @BenMaller, and listen to the original "Ben Maller Show," Monday-Friday on 450+ terrestrial Fox Sports Radio affiliates, iHeart stream, and SiriusXM Radio channel 83, 2a-6a ET, 11p-3a PT!
#BenMaller
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Kabbooms.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
If you thought four hours a day, twelve hundred minutes
a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants
of the old Republic, a soul fashion of fairness. He
treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the
rich pill poppers in the penthouse.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The clearing House of Hot takes break free for something special.
The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
In the air everywhere.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Back at it on another edition of The Fifth Hour
with Ben Mahler and Danny g Radio. It is a Friday,
but a day that is unlike any other. As we
do this radio show five nights a week and on
the weekends we have some fun with the podcast. But
(00:54):
if you were not listening earlier this week, if you
missed the big announcement after months of speculation by people
like Alf the Alien, Opiner and others who have sent
emails very concerned that I was leaving Fox Sports Radio
to get a job somewhere else, many convinced that I
was taking a radio gig in Boston when I went
(01:16):
back to Boston, if you missed the announcement, I was
in Boston for work, but I am very excited to
announce if you've not heard yet, that after many years
of doing Benny Versus the Penny on radio on this podcast,
we did one season on YouTube that we're now heading
(01:37):
up to the big leagues. If you will as Benny
Versus the Penny picked up by NBC and you'll be
able to watch it on a bunch of regional cable channels.
The hub will be in Boston on NBC Sports Boston.
I went back to Boston a couple of weeks ago,
met with all the executives at NBC. Had a great
(01:58):
time there and a very nice new experience, something that I'm.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Not comfortable with normally.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I don't normally do that kind of stuff being on
late at night, I don't normally have to deal with
executives and things along those lines.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
But everything's been great.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Everything's been wonderful, and it will be on NBC Sports Boston,
but distributed by NBC across the country and is scheduled
if everything goes right here to be broadcast in New
York on the SNY the home of the Mets, in
LA on the Home of the Dodgers on their cable channel.
Beyond all the NBC cable channels around the country and
(02:37):
should be available on the stream as well on the Peacock,
So we'll be everywhere.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Will Tom Looney be on the show?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Well, that's right, that's right, the voice representing the penny
you talk about going out of my realm here radio
and television's Tom Looney.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Here's Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
They wanted someone to challenge your comfort level, now Looney,
they brought it me.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Yeah, I'm gonna be the Vana White of the show.
I will I will expose which side of the coin
has been flipped.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yes, yes, you will be the keeper of the coin,
which is a very nice job, Tom, the keeper.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Of the coin. Yeah, so it is.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Yes, I realized that we're doing God's work and I'm
happy to be part of it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You Jesus.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
So we are reunited, Tom. After how many years did
we do the blizz? I've known you forever.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Since nineteen nights this last century.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, since the nineties.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, you were barely alive, right, There was Green Day
on the radio when you live.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yes, the Green Day was on the radio and I
was I was there. I used to do my homework
and listen to you on the radio and send you factes.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The facts of the day, the huge facts of the day.
But you're gonna be with me every show. Tom will
be sitting in a TV studio across the way from
me there, and it will.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Be very exciting. It'll be cameras and makeup or have
you been canning? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
As you know, I'm very self conscious, Tom, I don't
look at all. That's why I've always done radio and
avoided television. I am such a radio loser.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I'm very excited because I love the way I look.
I can't wait for people to see me. I look
just like my voice.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
So when we've met with the people at NBC, I
was like, yeah, can I Can I wear a burka?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Is that possible?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
My Tom's like, can I go in there and like
like a tank top or whatever? And uh So we
have the complete opposite approach. And this is also Tom.
Now you're you've done some TV in the past. You
were with the best damn.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Yes, That's why at the meetings you you never talked
because we TV people do all the talking.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah. Yeah, no, I just sit back.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And there are a lot of meetings, a lot of
a lot of production meetings.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I've kidded around for years Tom on the radio show
about production meetings, right, Yes, very hard to do on
my show because a lot of the guys don't show up,
sometimes till after the show starts, so it can be
difficult to have a meeting off no one's.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Actually there, especially such if you don't do the preparation, Yeah,
it might not get done.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, so this has kind of been you know, I've
been hoping something like this would happen. I didn't say
anything to anybody, though, I think you've told more people
than I have time.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
I have, but I would tell you anytime I told anybuddy,
because I gave you your word. I would just tell
close relatives and a smattering of others.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
So I told my wife has known about this, obviously
she was locked in. But other than that, I told
my brothers and that's that's about it. I didn't want
to jinx it because you've known me a long time.
Tom and I have been close to some very exciting jobs. Yes, yeah,
(05:55):
I have been a finalist for big time media jobs
and every single times up until this point. Not that
I don't have a great job doing the radio show,
but every time I've had something else.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That's like major like career.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Change, right they went with the skinny girl.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yes, sometimes it was always at the last minute. Like
I had.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I had a job at TMZ lined up years ago,
and I told people because they called me said they
were going to hire me, uh like the next the
next day, and I'm still waiting.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
It's been there.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'm still waiting for that return folk call from the
people at TMC.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
So that's strange.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
You know.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Right after they canceled the show with j T and May,
I went, I got a call from them right away,
went straight down there to the Pla del Rey and
uh so they took me, took me around, was really
uh you know, asked me what I wanted to do.
Did I want to develop shows? I came up with
an idea like ten different shows and put a lot
of hard work into it. And then crickets just like
(06:55):
what happened to you.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Just yes, no, no.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
So I mean this was years ago when the Tiger
Woods story, the scandal broke about Tiger Woods, and they
were they were going to really put some money into
TMC Sports and all that and try.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
To get that going. So met they were very nice people.
They were great, Yes, they are.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I do have to say that. And you know, earlier
before you pushed record, we were talking about Andy Warhol
first time for my first interview over there. I went
and down and there was on that sunset first time
I interviewed with them. And I'm sitting in in uh
in the office of the big head hot show there.
What's his name, Harvey Levin I believe would be the
(07:32):
Harvey's office. Yes, and so if I knew, I didn't
watch it on television very much, and so Harvey was
often in the people's court. So I was interviewed by
two other people, the black guy with the dreads you
don't watch it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yes, I remember.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
We're painting. Yeah, it's it's a podcast. We're painting pictures,
and somebody else. And so they came. I sat down,
they sat down, and I looked up and I said
to them, is that an original Warhol? Because Harvey's got
money apparently, because there's an original Warhol on the wall.
And Charles said, I was going to ask you some
(08:06):
of your other interests, but now I know, yeah, because
it could be a serio graph. A seria graph would
still be worth ten thousand dollars. But if it's you know,
I'm started going over what it's worth, very excited about
the Warhol on the wall. And then after that second
interview down in Plia Delray, beautiful Plian del Ray. Yeah,
nothing happened after that. So they are wonderful, but sometimes
(08:26):
they they're very California and flaking.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
And I've had some other things that we don't need
to get into here, but this nbfing NBC thing is great.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I yeah, we were worried, and I was I was more.
Optimism is my oxygen. That can't just that does not
describe you.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
No, no, no, I am a pessimist. I think we're
going to die one hundred times over and over again
and right to Dante's Inferno. So this has been an
ongoing process just to kind of get people into the loop.
It's not, uh, it's not something that happens overnight where
(09:04):
you get a television show.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
You're all right, you're right, yeah, yeah, there's a lot,
there's a lot of pilot, the other pilot.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
So but the entire time we were doing a pilot
and then a second pilot, et cetera. You know, they
all they had all these ideas and they put in
all this production, all this time, and they even you know,
we got a word at one point that it was
more likely than not, but they wouldn't give us Vegas odds.
(09:33):
And so it was all these vagaries that were always
on the side of that it was going to happen.
But we were always too we didn't want to jinx anything.
We were always way too worried to say anything which
is which is fair.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
And then we also had we were given a date
back in July that because you know, do a TV
show or radio show, you have to have the most important.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
We were given a date in the spring of July
first as a deadline for a yes or a no.
In July first came and went yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
So as John Sterling, the voice of the Yankees, I'll
drop a name here. He was on this podcast and
John Sterling reminded me that the most important part of
all these jobs is you've got to sell the soap.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You have to sell the soap.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Right, yes, h Larry King used to always say, and
Tom likes as well, you're in the advertising business, yeah,
one hundred percent. You're selling at you know, you're the
you're the filler between the soap. Commercials.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You're the liaison is the product.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
You're the filler between five Hour Energy and body Shape.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh there's some great uh.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So, So, as you said, there was a date that
was given and we were I was even optimistic at
the beginning time.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I was like, well, I think this is you know,
gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And then the date came and went, and then the
days kept adding up after that he did, and we
would occasionally exchange messages like a you know, you would
say have you heard anything, because I think you were
planning a vacation.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
And I said, right, yeah, no, I've not heard anything.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
And then the other problem is you don't want to
seem too eager or you're pestering the executives at NBC.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Oh yeah, that's yeah, that's I had a RoadMate in
college that studied industrial psychology, and it's very important not
to look too eager, but for them to want you
and not you to look too much like you want them.
Do not show up a half hour before an interview,
show up on time or five minutes ahead of time,
and so yeah, they're not looking too eager is very
(11:35):
important in the world of industrial psychology.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, so we didn't do that, and it was actually
the day that I had the Samurai sword accident, was
the th that was kind of the day that this
all became somewhat official. But then I still didn't want
I still even when we got the green light that
(11:59):
it was no longer a yellow light or a red light,
it was a green light. Still, tom part of me
was like, well, I haven't signed the deal yet, and
until I got the deal, it could fall apart.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
And then I got one of those emails about okay,
you know, putting the contract together and it'll be an
emails shortly, and then it wasn't shortly.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Yeah, So that was a little nerve wracking too. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
So that so that was an interesting part.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
And then once once the everything was agreed upon and
we we went back and forth. Uh I believe they
call that haggling, Yes, a little haggling, And that went
pretty well. And then I flew back to Boston to
tape some promos and things for the TV show and
meet with everyone back there and had a great time.
(12:45):
Went out to a to a power power dinner, like
a power dinner type thing, which was kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
I met Nice at NBC.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Did you did you stop fasting it to power dinner
and order something good.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Well I did, but I can tell the story now
that I didn't tell before. So I flew back on
a late Tuesday night. By the time I got to Boston,
it was after midnight and we had a production shoot
that was scheduled for the following afternoon, but on my
body clock, it was the time I'm normally sleeping because
(13:18):
you know, yeah, weird hours doing so. But the big
problem that I had was that my bag that had
my wardrobe for the TV shoot was lost by American Airlines.
So so I didn't have my bag with all my
clothes on it.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You know, I assume they didn't want me to wear
my my.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
T shirt and my shirt radio clothes exactly. So now,
like the clock is ticking right, So I get to
the hotel.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Around one in the morning, and I'm like, hey, I
emailed the guys.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I'm like, you know, sorry, and American Airlines is like, well,
we'll get your bag back, but we don't A we
don't know where it is, and B we won't get
it for about three days up to three days up
to weasel terminology. So I'm freaking out. I'm like, holy crap.
Uh So then so then what happened was my wife
came with me on the trip. So my wife was there,
(14:15):
and then one of the executives, Shohn in NBC, we
went out shopping. As you know, Tom, I cannot just
go down to the to the regular store.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I'm a tall guy.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Oh no, yeah, you shop were Doc Rivers shops the
big and tall men.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
In fact, I had before I turned on Doc Rivers.
I famously ran into Doc Rivers at a clothing store
in New York years ago.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
And well, the reason why I love that story is
because you're in New York. He was. He the coach
of the Clippers at the time.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
No, this was actually before he was coaching the Clippers.
He had played with the Knicks, but he was a
broadcaster at the time.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And I knew how did he know your name that?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Well?
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I knew him when I covered him when he played
at the end of his career in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Wow. So I guess because of your part of your
brand as your eyes. He walked in, he said, Hi, Ben, Yeah,
it was really cool.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
I mean, and Doc, listen, I think he's a terrible
coach and he'll never coach again.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
But he's a great guy. He's a debonair guy and
all that.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So I did run into him in a clothing store
in Manhattan and he he remembered me. And as you know, Tom,
that's the most important thing when somebody who's famous remembers
you that, oh.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
The famous people say your name, Pat O'Brien is to
name my name. I used to get so excited. I
used to you know, drink beer in high school with
my friends and watch sup Portland Trailblazers of the NBA Finals.
Who was who did Portland playing in the NBA Finals?
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Was?
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Yeah, Oh my god, I just remember back and then
it just just you know, as a kid late night,
and Padd O'Brien was probably when it was on a delay,
right eleven thirty at nine, unchilled two.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Oh no, my memory.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And I'm not a Laker guy, but those Lakers Celtics
NBA Finals, Yes.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
All that too.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Yeah, Patt O'Brien at the top of the old Boss
with the progressive at the half giving like tennis scores
or something.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
He just the voice of our childhood said our names.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Yeah, it was great, And I also loved the life
lessons that Pat would give out randomly, and he did
not even uh they weren't even like really life lessons.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
He didn't know.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
He just was tossing out random thoughts about the business
and certain things you should ask for and things like that,
like little Mukets.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Well, boy, could he have a chip on his shore?
I remember he used to refer to me as JT's
spare tire. Well the first time, even even his insults,
just I just loved that he knew who I was,
it would insult me. It was fucking great.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
The first time I met Pat, He's still he was
still drinking, he was you know, he was Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Oh the fun Pat, Yes, yeah, it was the party Pat. Yeah.
Was it Actuity Hollywood or whatever? Show?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
So we were at Dults in Burbank. Who and I
missed that place to this day. And that was my
bar in my twenties, was Dults in Burbank and it's
it was just wonderful, just just absolutely.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Great and conveniently located across the street.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yeah, it was right across from the radio station, so
we would all go there before the show and after
the show.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
And a great place to people watch too, because there
was Kiss FM was there, and there was a soap
opera that I don't know what soap. I don't remember
what soap opera was taped in our building. But boy
did we have a great cafeteria because they needed to
keep those fancy people happy.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And that was a cool building.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Well, that was the building. I was in the elevator
with Rodney Dangerfield then, uh oh wow. I didn't say anything,
but but he was.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
It's hard to not. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Usually well, and I met Ricky Martin because well we
used to. We used to see a lot of those
A list music people because they were visiting rick D's
next door.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, I was there. I was there Tom the night.
The handsome kids were there. Wow, and there was.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
The building was wrapped with teenage girls that were of
course back back in the day. And we also had
in those you know that before the interweb and all. Yes,
it was big and social media, but Warner Brothers right
across the street, and we'd see the cast of Seinfeld
sometimes would be in there, Drew Carey show, big shows
(18:13):
back in the day. I mean there was there was much.
Fritz Coleman would come in there sometimes from Channel four, who.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
By the way, who was also a This is why
you don't have to have a meteorology degree. You know
that's in l A. You do not need a meteorology degree.
You might lately.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
But when we were growing up ped.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You know, it was Sonny, here's your five day four cast,
son son son, Son's son back to you, Paul, And
so they would have stand up comedians and women with
large brestuses and yeah they still have still they still
Oh yes, k kel nine shallow five years. And Fritz
was a stand up comedian from in the improv back
(18:57):
in the heyday. And then his night job was weather matter.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, great storyteller but loved and he did that job
for like thirty something years probably he was the weather
guy at Channel four, so we we ran it to him.
So this show, Tom, is that the Benny versus the
Penny show is. It's not just like.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
A local show. This show is going to be on everywhere.
This is what it is.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Well, you just mentioned or lost in Los Angeles. That's
a good start.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah, we're gonna be on every major market.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
We're gonna be on in in Philadelphia as well, Tampa.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
I think he mentioned we don't have the list. Do
you have the list in front of you.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I mean we've just picked this up through casual conversation
at the meetings.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I don't even know where the show is gonna be on,
but it's gonna be distributed in all these regional cannons
and it will air.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
From what I was told. Maybe I'm wrong on this,
I shouldn't speak of it, but it's gonna air.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Friday, obviously that's the big day, and then Saturday it
will air.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Atilaire, right, probably he's on Friday, it's before the games start,
so on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, yeah, today, Saturday and Sunday. So do we do?
Speaker 4 (20:02):
We know what we're gonna Are we going to cover
the Thursday game on the show? I suppose this should
be done at a TV meeting on the podcast, but
you know what we're gonna even.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Well, I will pick the Thursday game, but it will
not be part of the show because the show is
not gonna air till Friday, so.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
We will we will not have to worry about that.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Okay, we pick every game, and you're the keeper of
the coin. Now, will you be wearing your referee outfit
tom as you have of course regularly on television. I
can't go a night when I walk into the building
in Sherman Oak's there to do the overnight show, and
they have all these TVs on.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Oh and you see my Boner pill commercial?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yes, well I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I see you out of the corner of my eye
and then I see you walking out on the field,
and yes, I see a cut to Doug Flutie and
Frank Thomas. Did you even did you meet those guys
or were you filming your part?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Separate separate?
Speaker 4 (20:54):
No, I didn't get to repay, so no, I did not.
We didn't film that on the same day.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
But it seems like you know them because on television
with them, Yes, all the time.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
Have you seen my Johnny Rockets commercial which is put
I didn't even know Johnny Rockets had commercials until I
until I filmed them. No, if you haven't seen it,
you can go to my Twitter page and I have
it pinned.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Well. I remember you did you were a TV dentist.
I remember that, Yes.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
L I bank, Yes, yes, And I'm doing a series
of commercials now for Native Wings. It used to be
Hurricane Grilling Wings, which is all over the Northeast and southeast. Yeah,
and so will I have a new series of those
coming out. I'm just the voice of that one. I
was the face of that one as a play, I
was playing a sportscaster. People don't realize the depth of
my talent.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Well, that is difficult for you, Tom is H. And
I love that you're doing your day job. You're doing news.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Would you consider that the day job? And I love
that you do the looney news.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yes, I am allowed to give the I have full
editorial control, and I am allowed to write it and
deliver it my style. In other words, I'm allowed to
make it all about me, which is really I have
a program director who likes what I do. Normal journalists
and news people don't inject themselves into the story. I
have a hard time not doing that. So either here
(22:16):
I am with fancy writing, or here I am, you know,
with the fancy drop. Hey it's loony. Oh did you
hear that? Oh my god, speaking of fancy, did you
hear this?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Oh? You have the NBC shows.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
I'm gonna have to go back and watch the the
Howard Stern movie.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Oh my god, private parts, b Yes, private parts. I
used to listen to that. I used to listen to
the station in the far off distance under my covers
with the transistor radio. The late night guy was named Baby.
I I am Baby six to six NUMBERBC. I thought
he was great. Howard thought he was terrible. Howard would
(22:58):
always make fun of him because Howard came in, stopped
playing records, just started talking. And then I thought that
was amazing. I just I just wanted to be a
great disc jockey. And then I heard him and I said, wait,
I just want to.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Well, the stern thing is rather wild too, because he's
done a one eighty like the way he started and
the way he operates now. You talk about changing your personically.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Yes, he has. He a lot of what he hated
he's now become. It's pretty, it's.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Interesting and apologized to all the people he used to
make fun of. And I think because your part of
being entertaining on the radio over the years, and you
maintain the immature part of your personality, and so you
mock things. You mock and you joke, and you mock
and you mock like you're in the cafeteria in high school.
(23:45):
And that's a lot of what sports talk has been
over the years, and FM morning shows like his and
then he he had he was a late bloomer. He
started to mature at about sixty, went to therapy and
then started calling people on the phone that he would
make fun of, like Robin Williams and others and try
(24:05):
to uh yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
And he made his fortune though based on what he
had been and now he's well.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
He also was always a great interviewer, and so what
he really concentrates now on is interviewing and that really
that that means a lot less mocking. And I just
follow some of his interviews on Instagram. Uh they post
him and God, he's good. I sall make that guy.
I won't say what his name was, but he's a
(24:34):
TV guy who covers the Dodgers. And then they'll the
game will be over and they'll throw to him and
they'll say, Dodger's a gun. And that's the kind of
insight we give you here the Dodger.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Now, will we be giving that kind of insight on
Bennie versus the penny? Will well you.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Well, yeah, you will break it down, shake it and
bake it, sauc and toss it. Give us why the
point why the point spread is what it is. You'll
be giving us your pick, and then I, as Vanna White,
will reveal the penny pick and then we will see
how well you do with your saddleback college partial degree
against an an animate object.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yes, So the great thing is it's it's a rivalry.
This rivalry goes.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
But you think about great rivalries like Ohio State, Michigan US.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
I want to know about this because on your little
radio show, you've had a rivalry with this penny. How
many years have you won? How many years has the
penny won?
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Well, we don't need to get into the minutia of that,
but this started. This started about twenty years ago. In fact,
we had Turk Stevens on Turk.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Was that's how old it is?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yes, that's how old is The original coin was Turk
in the early days of Fox. At some point it
was originally Ben versus the coin, and then we we
changed it and.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
So it has so it had kind of a rhyme
to it.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
I like it, Yeah, Benny versus the penny's gotten more poetic,
yesh to it.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
But in fact, I told you one of my top
five quotes before we got on here. Andy Warhol's life
is a series of images that change as they repeat themselves.
And so yeah, I mean we've done Benny versus the
Penny over the years, and but you know it's kind
of it's the same the same. The games are different
obviously every year and all that.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
This is a side card ques.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
You're a favorite quote.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
By the way, it to you, well, just as a
quick side note to that. Online you can go to
Andy Warhol's grave and it changes color every fifteen minutes
because his quote was also in the future, everybody will
be famous for fifteen minutes. And you hear that. It's
probably the most often repeated quote of anybody ever, more
(26:44):
than Shakespeare. You know, we requote a lot of Shakespeare
stuff without knowing it, and we also requote a lot
of Warholing and stuff without knowing it, including everyone will
be paid because you hear that as a shot, he
got us fifteen minutes of fame. Let's get rid of him.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
You you hear that a lot.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Now you've got to update the reference, right because now
it's like, how long is the social media life span?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Yeah, fifteen misuses less than that, maybe it's more than that.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
I don't know, but it's like you, it just depends
on which person it is. Remember that got the homeless
guy who who did voiceovers for a while for the
Today Show that would come to Ohio. Yes, and then
there was another one, how'd your kids? How'd your wife?
And how'd your husband too? They're ripping everybody around here.
Remember that guy, I don't, I don't, Oh my god.
If I send it to you, you probably will, Oh
my god. He was legendary for fifteen minutes now here.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
My favorite quote of all time, Tom, and I've given
you this over the year. My favorite quote of all
time is a quote of a guy who's street.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I think we're going to drive down to go to
work now to do.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The TV show w Fields okay, And his quote was
he's an early Hollywood he's a comedian and actor and
an alcoholic and you know old Hollywood guy. He said,
if you can't dazzle them with brilliant, it's baffle them
with bullshit. That was I think that's one of the
great quotes of all your career in Mike, there no brilliance,
(28:11):
just bullshit. And but it works either way. You can
either you dazzle them or you baffle them.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
And we've got pretty good at disguising the bullshit as
brilliance at times because we've stolen the brilliance from others
like w C and Dusty Baker's inside.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Well, of course, and that's as we are reunited, Tom.
For all those years we did the Blitz and all
these the wild interviews, the great lines, your famous four
run home run when I.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Was before goad Slam.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Nobody else, nobody has else had that content.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
By the way, I think it was Mookie that hit
that back in the day.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yeah, no, I don't.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
I think I think it was I want to say
it was Jared Salta Lamachia. No, really, it was Jared
Salta Lamachia.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
But who knows. It doesn't really matter who hit it.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Remember that and all the Fox people. We had to interview,
all the NFL people, Joe Buck, Aikman, Aaron Andrews, all those.
Speaker 4 (29:08):
Jim Mora who didn't know he was on the air,
Jim Morris, Jim Mora yeah, oh yeah, because the elder
Jim More couldn't have been kinder. We used to work
with him. He loved under Jim Mora, who was who
was not speaking too highly of us while he was
waiting to be on the air, but he was already
on the air.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yes, yes, we were getting by Jim Mora.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
Yeah, Aaron Andrews. When we interviewed Aaron Andrews, it seemed
like she may have heard my impression over the years,
at least from the attitude Andrews impressionally at Vowels.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Some of those people definitely did not want to hang
out and talk.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
And then there were others Kurt Warner who would call
in early. Yeah, yeah, Kurt was nothing but class. With
Kurt Warner and Darren Darren Sprolls, who was on too often.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
We had him on.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I think back to back, back to back weeks. That
was great, hey, and I got something off that I
pulled a looney. We had Dick Stockton on and he
was great, well, Dick.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Dick Stockton was always I liked that he laughed at
my jokes. I would say, you know, something important is happening,
except for right now. When you hear the voice of
Dick Stockton.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Well, very down to earth I've had him on this
podcast and very down to earth guy like he went
to Syracuse but as he said, he went to Syracuse
before it was Syracuse. Well, right, like a normal school
and it did you know he was in a class.
I think with Marv Albert and guys like that, wow
or before it became that was why it became what
it became.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
But he had a line.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
We we had all these guys on the blitz that
we did together to promote the Fox games.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
We had some before and some after the game.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
So the guys on were before before the game would
be trying to get you to, hey, here's why you
need to watch this game. And so Dick Stockton would
always call the worst fricking game that Fox had, right
because he.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Was getting older and thank god they captain, but they
didn't give him the best games anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
He was doing dog food games every week and everyone
knew it. And by the time you get late in
the year, I mean, it's just why are they playing
these games?
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Because they're on TV? Exactly, they are on the schedule.
One of the other Stanza was the one that SAIDs
on TV. But week one we have the Arizona Cardinals
and the Washington Commanders.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
A week one is a treaty. I do not know
that that will get a lot of TV. That might
be a mention. We might not, you know, because of timers.
This is a half an hour show. It's not going
to be an hour show. It's gonna be a half
an hour show.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Because and then there will be this voiceover, which will
probably be me. Because of time restrictions, we could not
get to the Washington Commanders and you guys, we move
ahead in the broadcast now A yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
But Dick Stocked in his line which I have used
on Benny Versus the Penny since he said it all
those years ago to us on the Blitz because he
was promoting I remember the game. I even remember the game.
I remember the game because it was such a shit game.
It was the forty nine ers, who were terrible before
this is when they were changing coaches every year. They
like Kelly one year, Jim tom Sula. It was just brutal.
(32:12):
So Mike Nolan, yeah, Nolan was. It was just a
bad era for the forty nine ers. And so they
were playing Tampa Bay, which was also lousy.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
So it was a terrible game.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
A bunch of guys were heard it was late in
the season, but Dick Stockton has called the game on Fox.
So I was like, Dick, why should anyone want to
watch this game? I gave all these numbers about how
terrible the teams were. Why would I even want to
watch this game, and he very calmly said, Ben, stats
tell you what has happened, not what's going.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
To happen, and that.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
I use that line very good all the time. It
is a wonderful line. It is a wonderful line.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
And it's great.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
That's a great politician right there too.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah, Yeah, it's wonderful because it also applies to the
gambling world, which we are part of on Benny Versus
the Penny Least kick Out and now on the games.
And I'm gonna be handicapping these games as I've been
doing for years, and oftentimes I will pick horrible teams
because you're getting value, because you're getting points. And I
can at any moment if you press me on this,
(33:13):
why are you picking that team?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
They suck? Well, stats, Tom, tell you what has happened,
not what's going to happen.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
And that is a great homage, a tribute to the and.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
As a shout out to our friend Dave Smith. There
was the Ben and Dave Show, Sporting Dave Show over
the years, the sports god. He always said, you know
he would he said, no matter what the stats tell you,
never bet on a dog bleep team. Right, right, And
so even if everything is in your favor, be very
(33:45):
careful if you're gonna put your hard marked, hard earned
money down on a dog shit team, which good advice.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
The yeah, I mean, I've gone the other way oftentimes
because to me, my one of my big criteria when
I look at a game is I want to I
factor in the the hype for certain teams, like our
teams overhype, like for example, this year, the Chicago Bears,
to me, are way over hyped that the Bears for
(34:13):
the worst team in football last year, and there's a
small chance that Justin Field is going to be great
this year. I the way that ESPN and some of
these national guys are talking about all our life.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
They get so excited if Chicago might be good, So
it's like Notre Dame all our life. They just get
so excited that this might be the when I say
they In general, there tends to still be this nostalgia
with the Chicago Bears from I don't know when, not
our life, except for a small throwout statistic one year
with Jim McMahon, right, yeah, and but yeah, I agree
(34:46):
with you. It's happened all of it, and with the
great other the far before the Green Bay Packers had
far when we were much much younger, and they were
always bad. They were always thinking hoping it was the
year because there's some kind of nostalgia connected with obviously
the oldest team in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Yeah, it's rags to riches and that whole thing. They
love that. But to me, you gotta show me. I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
I like the motto of the State of Missouri, I'm gonna.
I'm gonna show me, don't tell me.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
You got to show me.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
I generally look to teams that are overrated and get
a lot of public attention, a lot of the money
and the handle as we call it, on on a
certain game, if it's if it's flipped one way, like
of this week, here, this first week, next week, here,
the first show that we're doing. I look at that
certain teams, I say, what are we doing here?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
That's crazy?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
And now, so when you take a look at that
first week just for fun, yeah what because you're cheap.
So it's always very important to ask you where you
would put your money here. I want to ask you
about a game. First of all, Bengals at Browns. I
never trust the Browns.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah, I don't. Oh, I don't trust the Browns. But
Joe Burrow's got a bad calf.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And you look at the the comp or not the
comp but the the history and history, as Dick Docton said,
tells you what has that been not But Joe Burrow,
even when he's been healthy, has played his worst football
for some reason against the Cleveland Browns. And have a
pretty good defense, they should be able to mess around
with Burrow. The offensive line for the Bengals is not
(36:25):
the greatest. It should be a bet Okay, okay, So
that's that's why the problem though to me, Deshaun Watson's
the creepy quarterback and I don't like, you know, I
don't trust him either. But the Browns as a small
home underdog, I am going to most likely, barring some
kind of last minute change of status, I will take
the Cleveland Browns really.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Okay, okay, And you would put your money on the
Cleveland Browns in your cheap So that's important to know.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
Not Now, keep in mind on we bet we predict
every game. Now, there's certain games that the cream of
the crop. There's certain games that.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Are Okay, I got to ask you about this one though,
Jacks at Colts and it's only minus three and a
half right now or a plus three point five with
the Colts. Why so little? Aren't the Jaguars ten times
better than the Colts?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, well they're on the road and so normally on
the road.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
Factor that in, and there's some history between these two
teams where Jacksonville normally beats the Colts at home, and
in Indy they don't play they haven't played particularly well.
But yeah, but no, listen, I will be taking Jacksonville.
I hate I trying to find a way to bet
underdogs as much as I can. The main reason I'm
(37:36):
going to take Jacksonville and I don't do the whole
any versus in here.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
But we know we don't.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
I just wanted to pick those two guys. Yeah, I
guess the main reason why you're gonna take Jacksonville because
no one can name the Colts quarterback.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
Well, no, the guy his name is Anthony Richardson, and
he started I think like a dozen or so games
at Florida. He's hardly played any college football and he's
very as you would say, Tommy's a green banana.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I think that was your analogy. Yes, you would use
about players that are kind of yes, and actually.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
That's my own. By the way, I didn't even steal that,
which is you.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Know, what do you say, is there a Tomato analogy
that you can make? Also, Toma, not necessarily the agreement
that is perfect though for him. And uh, yeah, there's
some boy with Atlanta and Arizona and Washington. There are
some no name quarterbacks that are starting in week one. Yeah,
there's a pack of hungry puppies, the flotsam and jetsum
(38:38):
that will be out there.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
But all right, well, well listen, we're ended here, tom
I'm so excited.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Any other final thoughts here on this unbelievable opportunity which
we are going to begin and hopefully the beginning of
something that will last a long time, we hope. But
we've got to make it good. People actually have to
watch or else we won't be on that long. So
we need you to watch, We need you to get
all your relatives to watch. And yes, we can then
achieve the impossible. We can achieve the impost it's us
(39:03):
against the world, tom, us against the world.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
And one other thing that is really important, the reason
why you and you would want to get your real.
Not you, Ben, but you the listener, both of you
and your relatives. You'd want them to watch. Is because
we're doing God's work.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
And really, when you think about how important picking NFL
games against an inanimate object, a piece of US currency, old.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Abe, pay no attention to the hurricanes. Watch us.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
Don't worry about the cost of milk going up or
the loaf of bread or buttery.
Speaker 4 (39:42):
We're taking pictures of how much it's costing for gas.
And just watch us and stay home and stop driving.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
You'll save money because you will not be spending money
while you watch and listen. Radio is great. We love radio.
I'll forever do radio. Fill have me and you as well.
Speaker 4 (39:59):
Absolutely radio.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
But TV's just radio. But it's got pictures. So a company, thanks,
thank you. So it's just like doing the radio show, except.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
A radio show from nineteen thirty eight. I got a
lot of it's like radio.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I I brought up the story. Actually it's kind of this.
I feel like Bob Barker a little bit. Not that
I've just died, but I met Bob Barker when I
was in college. There was a college radio conference, which
I don't even think they have anymore. But it was
at Universal City Walk. They had a get together there
(40:41):
and Bob Barker was the keynote speaker. He was hosting
the Prices Right and Bob got up there and we
were like, why is Bob Barker here?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
It's a radio conference. But Bob had started in radio.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Ah see, that was great for you guys to know.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Yeah, he started in Springfield, Missouri. He think he told
the whole story about how he'd gone to Florida with
his wife at the time, and then they went to
l A and he hosted a nighttime show on kN
X in l A. And somebody that was hosting, not hosting,
one of the production people at Truth or Consequences the
(41:18):
game show heard Bob Barker's like, Hey, we think this
guy's pretty good and we want to hire him. And
so that's what led to him doing Truth or Consequences,
and then that led to Prices Right.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
And one of the advantages of doing radio in Los
Angeles was just how i you know, when the best
damned sports show period was in development, you know, a
sports show that wasn't going to take itself seriously and
George Greenberg Box heard a guy on the radio who
wasn't taking it seriously. And I think I was the
first one hired with best dam and you know, it
was one of the advantages of being in radio in
(41:52):
la is you know, they don't you know, they don't
have to pay for you to move. Yeah, you were
patient zero, was patient zero.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
All right, Well this it can be a lot of fun.
I can't wait to get started. It's going to be
a great time all season long. And again, we need
your help on this. You've been great. I really feel
Tom and maybe you'll you'll say I'm blowing smoke here.
But a lot of this is because of the people
that have followed the show and supported the show and
people that are.
Speaker 4 (42:21):
Oh yes, a matter of fact, of course, it is
because some of the producers of the show listen to
us when they were in college back east. Now they're
muckety MUCKs, and so.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
It was it was pretty cool when I went back
to NBC Boston to meet with the people there, and
a lot of them would hear the overnight show, like
the last hour because they.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Live far away.
Speaker 3 (42:44):
They'd have to drive in from out you know, Hampshire
or wherever into Boston, and so they'd have a pretty
long commute and they'd get up early and get at
you know, kind of a run on the traffic, and
the overnight show ends the last hour of the five
am hour in the Star.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Well, it's great catching up to me.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
And one quick thing I want to tell you because
you'll like it because it's a compliment. It's about you, right. Well, yeah,
when I was talking to my big muckety muck friend
at George Greenberg, who was once the big hot shot
at Fox, were in the entire sports operation, who plucked
me off the radio and put me on best him.
I you know, remember how I told you. I told
(43:22):
very very few people about what we were up to,
and George was one of that very small list of
film that began. It was getting longer and longer as
as the days were going on. But and I didn't mention,
you know, what we were doing on the show and
who I was doing it with. He said, oh, of
course I know who, Big Pat Mallory's very good. So
(43:44):
he's a big he's a big.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Fat I appreciate it because one time Eddie Garcia told
me that he was at a party with an executive
from Fox who said I was terrible. Uh, and then
I asked Eddie to name the person, and he refused
to name the person. And I was thought like, why
would you say that, Why would you pass that along?
Speaker 1 (44:04):
What kind of a douche canoe? Would you beat the pastor?
But he did and it's fine, and I.
Speaker 4 (44:07):
You and I both had very positive mothers. Yeah, my
mother Tuts used to always say, pass along nice gossip.
If somebody says something nice behind someone's back, pass that along. Yeah,
if someone says something negative behind someone's back, there's no
reason to pass.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
That all exactly. It's just Eddie. Stop Eddie.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Yeah, just a little lifelesson. Anyway, Well, listen, I will
see a lot of you this football season.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Tom.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
I'm sure we'll have you back here again. And right
good to me here all right, the great Tom Looney going.
Thanks Tom, thank you so much,
Kabbooms.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
If you thought four hours a day, twelve hundred minutes
a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants
of the old Republic, a soul fashion of fairness. He
treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the
rich pill poppers in the penthouse.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
The clearing House of Hot takes break free for something special.
The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
In the air everywhere.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Back at it on another edition of The Fifth Hour
with Ben Mahler and Danny g Radio. It is a Friday,
but a day that is unlike any other. As we
do this radio show five nights a week and on
the weekends we have some fun with the podcast. But
(00:54):
if you were not listening earlier this week, if you
missed the big announcement after months of speculation by people
like Alf the Alien, Opiner and others who have sent
emails very concerned that I was leaving Fox Sports Radio
to get a job somewhere else, many convinced that I
was taking a radio gig in Boston when I went
(01:16):
back to Boston, if you missed the announcement, I was
in Boston for work, but I am very excited to
announce if you've not heard yet, that after many years
of doing Benny Versus the Penny on radio on this podcast,
we did one season on YouTube that we're now heading
(01:37):
up to the big leagues. If you will as Benny
Versus the Penny picked up by NBC and you'll be
able to watch it on a bunch of regional cable channels.
The hub will be in Boston on NBC Sports Boston.
I went back to Boston a couple of weeks ago,
met with all the executives at NBC. Had a great
(01:58):
time there and a very nice new experience, something that I'm.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Not comfortable with normally.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I don't normally do that kind of stuff being on
late at night, I don't normally have to deal with
executives and things along those lines.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
But everything's been great.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Everything's been wonderful, and it will be on NBC Sports Boston,
but distributed by NBC across the country and is scheduled
if everything goes right here to be broadcast in New
York on the SNY the home of the Mets, in
LA on the Home of the Dodgers on their cable channel.
Beyond all the NBC cable channels around the country and
(02:37):
should be available on the stream as well on the Peacock,
So we'll be everywhere.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Will Tom Looney be on the show?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Well, that's right, that's right, the voice representing the penny
you talk about going out of my realm here radio
and television's Tom Looney.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Here's Yes.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
They wanted someone to challenge your comfort level, now Looney,
they brought it me.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Yeah, I'm gonna be the Vana White of the show.
I will I will expose which side of the coin
has been flipped.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Yes, yes, you will be the keeper of the coin,
which is a very nice job, Tom, the keeper.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Of the coin. Yeah, so it is.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Yes, I realized that we're doing God's work and I'm
happy to be part of it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You Jesus.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
So we are reunited, Tom. After how many years did
we do the blizz? I've known you forever.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Since nineteen nights this last century.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, since the nineties.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, you were barely alive, right, There was Green Day
on the radio when you live.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Yes, the Green Day was on the radio and I
was I was there. I used to do my homework
and listen to you on the radio and send you factes.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The facts of the day, the huge facts of the day.
But you're gonna be with me every show. Tom will
be sitting in a TV studio across the way from
me there, and it will.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Be very exciting. It'll be cameras and makeup or have
you been canning? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
As you know, I'm very self conscious, Tom, I don't
look at all. That's why I've always done radio and
avoided television. I am such a radio loser.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
I'm very excited because I love the way I look.
I can't wait for people to see me. I look
just like my voice.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
So when we've met with the people at NBC, I
was like, yeah, can I Can I wear a burka?
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Is that possible?
Speaker 3 (04:31):
My Tom's like, can I go in there and like
like a tank top or whatever? And uh So we
have the complete opposite approach. And this is also Tom.
Now you're you've done some TV in the past. You
were with the best damn.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Yes, That's why at the meetings you you never talked
because we TV people do all the talking.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah. Yeah, no, I just sit back.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
And there are a lot of meetings, a lot of
a lot of production meetings.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I've kidded around for years Tom on the radio show
about production meetings, right, Yes, very hard to do on
my show because a lot of the guys don't show up,
sometimes till after the show starts, so it can be
difficult to have a meeting off no one's.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Actually there, especially such if you don't do the preparation, Yeah,
it might not get done.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, so this has kind of been you know, I've
been hoping something like this would happen. I didn't say
anything to anybody, though, I think you've told more people
than I have time.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
I have, but I would tell you anytime I told anybuddy,
because I gave you your word. I would just tell
close relatives and a smattering of others.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
So I told my wife has known about this, obviously
she was locked in. But other than that, I told
my brothers and that's that's about it. I didn't want
to jinx it because you've known me a long time.
Tom and I have been close to some very exciting jobs. Yes, yeah,
(05:55):
I have been a finalist for big time media jobs
and every single times up until this point. Not that
I don't have a great job doing the radio show,
but every time I've had something else.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That's like major like career.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Change, right they went with the skinny girl.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yes, sometimes it was always at the last minute. Like
I had.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I had a job at TMZ lined up years ago,
and I told people because they called me said they
were going to hire me, uh like the next the
next day, and I'm still waiting.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
It's been there.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'm still waiting for that return folk call from the
people at TMC.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
So that's strange.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
You know.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Right after they canceled the show with j T and May,
I went, I got a call from them right away,
went straight down there to the Pla del Rey and
uh so they took me, took me around, was really
uh you know, asked me what I wanted to do.
Did I want to develop shows? I came up with
an idea like ten different shows and put a lot
of hard work into it. And then crickets just like
(06:55):
what happened to you.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Just yes, no, no.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
So I mean this was years ago when the Tiger
Woods story, the scandal broke about Tiger Woods, and they
were they were going to really put some money into
TMC Sports and all that and try.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
To get that going. So met they were very nice people.
They were great, Yes, they are.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
I do have to say that. And you know, earlier
before you pushed record, we were talking about Andy Warhol
first time for my first interview over there. I went
and down and there was on that sunset first time
I interviewed with them. And I'm sitting in in uh
in the office of the big head hot show there.
What's his name, Harvey Levin I believe would be the
(07:32):
Harvey's office. Yes, and so if I knew, I didn't
watch it on television very much, and so Harvey was
often in the people's court. So I was interviewed by
two other people, the black guy with the dreads you
don't watch it.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Yes, I remember.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
We're painting. Yeah, it's it's a podcast. We're painting pictures,
and somebody else. And so they came. I sat down,
they sat down, and I looked up and I said
to them, is that an original Warhol? Because Harvey's got
money apparently, because there's an original Warhol on the wall.
And Charles said, I was going to ask you some
(08:06):
of your other interests, but now I know, yeah, because
it could be a serio graph. A seria graph would
still be worth ten thousand dollars. But if it's you know,
I'm started going over what it's worth, very excited about
the Warhol on the wall. And then after that second
interview down in Plia Delray, beautiful Plian del Ray. Yeah,
nothing happened after that. So they are wonderful, but sometimes
(08:26):
they they're very California and flaking.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
And I've had some other things that we don't need
to get into here, but this nbfing NBC thing is great.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I yeah, we were worried, and I was I was more.
Optimism is my oxygen. That can't just that does not
describe you.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
No, no, no, I am a pessimist. I think we're
going to die one hundred times over and over again
and right to Dante's Inferno. So this has been an
ongoing process just to kind of get people into the loop.
It's not, uh, it's not something that happens overnight where
(09:04):
you get a television show.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
You're all right, you're right, yeah, yeah, there's a lot,
there's a lot of pilot, the other pilot.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
So but the entire time we were doing a pilot
and then a second pilot, et cetera. You know, they
all they had all these ideas and they put in
all this production, all this time, and they even you know,
we got a word at one point that it was
more likely than not, but they wouldn't give us Vegas odds.
(09:33):
And so it was all these vagaries that were always
on the side of that it was going to happen.
But we were always too we didn't want to jinx anything.
We were always way too worried to say anything which
is which is fair.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
And then we also had we were given a date
back in July that because you know, do a TV
show or radio show, you have to have the most important.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
We were given a date in the spring of July
first as a deadline for a yes or a no.
In July first came and went yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
So as John Sterling, the voice of the Yankees, I'll
drop a name here. He was on this podcast and
John Sterling reminded me that the most important part of
all these jobs is you've got to sell the soap.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
You have to sell the soap.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Right, yes, h Larry King used to always say, and
Tom likes as well, you're in the advertising business, yeah,
one hundred percent. You're selling at you know, you're the
you're the filler between the soap. Commercials.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
You're the liaison is the product.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
You're the filler between five Hour Energy and body Shape.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Oh there's some great uh.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
So, So, as you said, there was a date that
was given and we were I was even optimistic at
the beginning time.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I was like, well, I think this is you know,
gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And then the date came and went, and then the
days kept adding up after that he did, and we
would occasionally exchange messages like a you know, you would
say have you heard anything, because I think you were
planning a vacation.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
And I said, right, yeah, no, I've not heard anything.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
And then the other problem is you don't want to
seem too eager or you're pestering the executives at NBC.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
Oh yeah, that's yeah, that's I had a RoadMate in
college that studied industrial psychology, and it's very important not
to look too eager, but for them to want you
and not you to look too much like you want them.
Do not show up a half hour before an interview,
show up on time or five minutes ahead of time,
and so yeah, they're not looking too eager is very
(11:35):
important in the world of industrial psychology.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Yeah, so we didn't do that, and it was actually
the day that I had the Samurai sword accident, was
the th that was kind of the day that this
all became somewhat official. But then I still didn't want
I still even when we got the green light that
(11:59):
it was no longer a yellow light or a red light,
it was a green light. Still, tom part of me
was like, well, I haven't signed the deal yet, and
until I got the deal, it could fall apart.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
And then I got one of those emails about okay,
you know, putting the contract together and it'll be an
emails shortly, and then it wasn't shortly.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Yeah, So that was a little nerve wracking too. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
So that so that was an interesting part.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
And then once once the everything was agreed upon and
we we went back and forth. Uh I believe they
call that haggling, Yes, a little haggling, And that went
pretty well. And then I flew back to Boston to
tape some promos and things for the TV show and
meet with everyone back there and had a great time.
(12:45):
Went out to a to a power power dinner, like
a power dinner type thing, which was kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
I met Nice at NBC.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
Did you did you stop fasting it to power dinner
and order something good.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
Well I did, but I can tell the story now
that I didn't tell before. So I flew back on
a late Tuesday night. By the time I got to Boston,
it was after midnight and we had a production shoot
that was scheduled for the following afternoon, but on my
body clock, it was the time I'm normally sleeping because
(13:18):
you know, yeah, weird hours doing so. But the big
problem that I had was that my bag that had
my wardrobe for the TV shoot was lost by American Airlines.
So so I didn't have my bag with all my
clothes on it.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
You know, I assume they didn't want me to wear
my my.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
T shirt and my shirt radio clothes exactly. So now,
like the clock is ticking right, So I get to
the hotel.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Around one in the morning, and I'm like, hey, I
emailed the guys.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
I'm like, you know, sorry, and American Airlines is like, well,
we'll get your bag back, but we don't A we
don't know where it is, and B we won't get
it for about three days up to three days up
to weasel terminology. So I'm freaking out. I'm like, holy crap.
Uh So then so then what happened was my wife
came with me on the trip. So my wife was there,
(14:15):
and then one of the executives, Shohn in NBC, we
went out shopping. As you know, Tom, I cannot just
go down to the to the regular store.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
I'm a tall guy.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
Oh no, yeah, you shop were Doc Rivers shops the
big and tall men.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
In fact, I had before I turned on Doc Rivers.
I famously ran into Doc Rivers at a clothing store
in New York years ago.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
And well, the reason why I love that story is
because you're in New York. He was. He the coach
of the Clippers at the time.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
No, this was actually before he was coaching the Clippers.
He had played with the Knicks, but he was a
broadcaster at the time.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
And I knew how did he know your name that?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Well?
Speaker 3 (14:52):
I knew him when I covered him when he played
at the end of his career in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Wow. So I guess because of your part of your
brand as your eyes. He walked in, he said, Hi, Ben, Yeah,
it was really cool.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
I mean, and Doc, listen, I think he's a terrible
coach and he'll never coach again.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
But he's a great guy. He's a debonair guy and
all that.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So I did run into him in a clothing store
in Manhattan and he he remembered me. And as you know, Tom,
that's the most important thing when somebody who's famous remembers
you that, oh.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
The famous people say your name, Pat O'Brien is to
name my name. I used to get so excited. I
used to you know, drink beer in high school with
my friends and watch sup Portland Trailblazers of the NBA Finals.
Who was who did Portland playing in the NBA Finals?
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Was?
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Yeah, Oh my god, I just remember back and then
it just just you know, as a kid late night,
and Padd O'Brien was probably when it was on a delay,
right eleven thirty at nine, unchilled two.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Oh no, my memory.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
And I'm not a Laker guy, but those Lakers Celtics
NBA Finals, Yes.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
All that too.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Yeah, Patt O'Brien at the top of the old Boss
with the progressive at the half giving like tennis scores
or something.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
He just the voice of our childhood said our names.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Yeah, it was great, And I also loved the life
lessons that Pat would give out randomly, and he did
not even uh they weren't even like really life lessons.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
He didn't know.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
He just was tossing out random thoughts about the business
and certain things you should ask for and things like that,
like little Mukets.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Well, boy, could he have a chip on his shore?
I remember he used to refer to me as JT's
spare tire. Well the first time, even even his insults,
just I just loved that he knew who I was,
it would insult me. It was fucking great.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
The first time I met Pat, He's still he was
still drinking, he was you know, he was Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Oh the fun Pat, Yes, yeah, it was the party Pat. Yeah.
Was it Actuity Hollywood or whatever? Show?
Speaker 4 (16:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
So we were at Dults in Burbank. Who and I
missed that place to this day. And that was my
bar in my twenties, was Dults in Burbank and it's
it was just wonderful, just just absolutely.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Great and conveniently located across the street.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yeah, it was right across from the radio station, so
we would all go there before the show and after
the show.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
And a great place to people watch too, because there
was Kiss FM was there, and there was a soap
opera that I don't know what soap. I don't remember
what soap opera was taped in our building. But boy
did we have a great cafeteria because they needed to
keep those fancy people happy.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
And that was a cool building.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Well, that was the building. I was in the elevator
with Rodney Dangerfield then, uh oh wow. I didn't say anything,
but but he was.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
It's hard to not. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
Usually well, and I met Ricky Martin because well we
used to. We used to see a lot of those
A list music people because they were visiting rick D's
next door.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, I was there. I was there Tom the night.
The handsome kids were there. Wow, and there was.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
The building was wrapped with teenage girls that were of
course back back in the day. And we also had
in those you know that before the interweb and all. Yes,
it was big and social media, but Warner Brothers right
across the street, and we'd see the cast of Seinfeld
sometimes would be in there, Drew Carey show, big shows
(18:13):
back in the day. I mean there was there was much.
Fritz Coleman would come in there sometimes from Channel four, who.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
By the way, who was also a This is why
you don't have to have a meteorology degree. You know
that's in l A. You do not need a meteorology degree.
You might lately.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
But when we were growing up ped.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You know, it was Sonny, here's your five day four cast,
son son son, Son's son back to you, Paul, And
so they would have stand up comedians and women with
large brestuses and yeah they still have still they still
Oh yes, k kel nine shallow five years. And Fritz
was a stand up comedian from in the improv back
(18:57):
in the heyday. And then his night job was weather matter.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Yeah, great storyteller but loved and he did that job
for like thirty something years probably he was the weather
guy at Channel four, so we we ran it to him.
So this show, Tom, is that the Benny versus the
Penny show is. It's not just like.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
A local show. This show is going to be on everywhere.
This is what it is.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Well, you just mentioned or lost in Los Angeles. That's
a good start.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Yeah, we're gonna be on every major market.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
We're gonna be on in in Philadelphia as well, Tampa.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
I think he mentioned we don't have the list. Do
you have the list in front of you.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I mean we've just picked this up through casual conversation
at the meetings.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
I don't even know where the show is gonna be on,
but it's gonna be distributed in all these regional cannons
and it will air.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
From what I was told. Maybe I'm wrong on this,
I shouldn't speak of it, but it's gonna air.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Friday, obviously that's the big day, and then Saturday it
will air.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Atilaire, right, probably he's on Friday, it's before the games start,
so on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Yeah, yeah, today, Saturday and Sunday. So do we do?
Speaker 4 (20:02):
We know what we're gonna Are we going to cover
the Thursday game on the show? I suppose this should
be done at a TV meeting on the podcast, but
you know what we're gonna even.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Well, I will pick the Thursday game, but it will
not be part of the show because the show is
not gonna air till Friday, so.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
We will we will not have to worry about that.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Okay, we pick every game, and you're the keeper of
the coin. Now, will you be wearing your referee outfit
tom as you have of course regularly on television. I
can't go a night when I walk into the building
in Sherman Oak's there to do the overnight show, and
they have all these TVs on.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Oh and you see my Boner pill commercial?
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yes, well I don't.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I see you out of the corner of my eye
and then I see you walking out on the field,
and yes, I see a cut to Doug Flutie and
Frank Thomas. Did you even did you meet those guys
or were you filming your part?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Separate separate?
Speaker 4 (20:54):
No, I didn't get to repay, so no, I did not.
We didn't film that on the same day.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
But it seems like you know them because on television
with them, Yes, all the time.
Speaker 4 (21:06):
Have you seen my Johnny Rockets commercial which is put
I didn't even know Johnny Rockets had commercials until I
until I filmed them. No, if you haven't seen it,
you can go to my Twitter page and I have
it pinned.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Well. I remember you did you were a TV dentist.
I remember that, Yes.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
L I bank, Yes, yes, And I'm doing a series
of commercials now for Native Wings. It used to be
Hurricane Grilling Wings, which is all over the Northeast and southeast. Yeah,
and so will I have a new series of those
coming out. I'm just the voice of that one. I
was the face of that one as a play, I
was playing a sportscaster. People don't realize the depth of
my talent.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Well, that is difficult for you, Tom is H. And
I love that you're doing your day job. You're doing news.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Would you consider that the day job? And I love
that you do the looney news.
Speaker 4 (21:53):
Yes, I am allowed to give the I have full
editorial control, and I am allowed to write it and
deliver it my style. In other words, I'm allowed to
make it all about me, which is really I have
a program director who likes what I do. Normal journalists
and news people don't inject themselves into the story. I
have a hard time not doing that. So either here
(22:16):
I am with fancy writing, or here I am, you know,
with the fancy drop. Hey it's loony. Oh did you
hear that? Oh my god, speaking of fancy, did you
hear this?
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Oh? You have the NBC shows.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
I'm gonna have to go back and watch the the
Howard Stern movie.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Oh my god, private parts, b Yes, private parts. I
used to listen to that. I used to listen to
the station in the far off distance under my covers
with the transistor radio. The late night guy was named Baby.
I I am Baby six to six NUMBERBC. I thought
he was great. Howard thought he was terrible. Howard would
(22:58):
always make fun of him because Howard came in, stopped
playing records, just started talking. And then I thought that
was amazing. I just I just wanted to be a
great disc jockey. And then I heard him and I said, wait,
I just want to.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Well, the stern thing is rather wild too, because he's
done a one eighty like the way he started and
the way he operates now. You talk about changing your personically.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
Yes, he has. He a lot of what he hated
he's now become. It's pretty, it's.
Speaker 4 (23:25):
Interesting and apologized to all the people he used to
make fun of. And I think because your part of
being entertaining on the radio over the years, and you
maintain the immature part of your personality, and so you
mock things. You mock and you joke, and you mock
and you mock like you're in the cafeteria in high school.
(23:45):
And that's a lot of what sports talk has been
over the years, and FM morning shows like his and
then he he had he was a late bloomer. He
started to mature at about sixty, went to therapy and
then started calling people on the phone that he would
make fun of, like Robin Williams and others and try
(24:05):
to uh yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
And he made his fortune though based on what he
had been and now he's well.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
He also was always a great interviewer, and so what
he really concentrates now on is interviewing and that really
that that means a lot less mocking. And I just
follow some of his interviews on Instagram. Uh they post
him and God, he's good. I sall make that guy.
I won't say what his name was, but he's a
(24:34):
TV guy who covers the Dodgers. And then they'll the
game will be over and they'll throw to him and
they'll say, Dodger's a gun. And that's the kind of
insight we give you here the Dodger.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Now, will we be giving that kind of insight on
Bennie versus the penny? Will well you.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Well, yeah, you will break it down, shake it and
bake it, sauc and toss it. Give us why the
point why the point spread is what it is. You'll
be giving us your pick, and then I, as Vanna White,
will reveal the penny pick and then we will see
how well you do with your saddleback college partial degree
against an an animate object.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Yes, So the great thing is it's it's a rivalry.
This rivalry goes.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
But you think about great rivalries like Ohio State, Michigan US.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
I want to know about this because on your little
radio show, you've had a rivalry with this penny. How
many years have you won? How many years has the
penny won?
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Well, we don't need to get into the minutia of that,
but this started. This started about twenty years ago. In fact,
we had Turk Stevens on Turk.
Speaker 4 (25:35):
Was that's how old it is?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yes, that's how old is The original coin was Turk
in the early days of Fox. At some point it
was originally Ben versus the coin, and then we we
changed it and.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
So it has so it had kind of a rhyme
to it.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
I like it, Yeah, Benny versus the penny's gotten more poetic,
yesh to it.
Speaker 4 (25:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
But in fact, I told you one of my top
five quotes before we got on here. Andy Warhol's life
is a series of images that change as they repeat themselves.
And so yeah, I mean we've done Benny versus the
Penny over the years, and but you know it's kind
of it's the same the same. The games are different
obviously every year and all that.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
This is a side card ques.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
You're a favorite quote.
Speaker 4 (26:21):
By the way, it to you, well, just as a
quick side note to that. Online you can go to
Andy Warhol's grave and it changes color every fifteen minutes
because his quote was also in the future, everybody will
be famous for fifteen minutes. And you hear that. It's
probably the most often repeated quote of anybody ever, more
(26:44):
than Shakespeare. You know, we requote a lot of Shakespeare
stuff without knowing it, and we also requote a lot
of Warholing and stuff without knowing it, including everyone will
be paid because you hear that as a shot, he
got us fifteen minutes of fame. Let's get rid of him.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
You you hear that a lot.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Now you've got to update the reference, right because now
it's like, how long is the social media life span?
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Yeah, fifteen misuses less than that, maybe it's more than that.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
I don't know, but it's like you, it just depends
on which person it is. Remember that got the homeless
guy who who did voiceovers for a while for the
Today Show that would come to Ohio. Yes, and then
there was another one, how'd your kids? How'd your wife?
And how'd your husband too? They're ripping everybody around here.
Remember that guy, I don't, I don't, Oh my god.
If I send it to you, you probably will, Oh
my god. He was legendary for fifteen minutes now here.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
My favorite quote of all time, Tom, and I've given
you this over the year. My favorite quote of all
time is a quote of a guy who's street.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
I think we're going to drive down to go to
work now to do.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
The TV show w Fields okay, And his quote was
he's an early Hollywood he's a comedian and actor and
an alcoholic and you know old Hollywood guy. He said,
if you can't dazzle them with brilliant, it's baffle them
with bullshit. That was I think that's one of the
great quotes of all your career in Mike, there no brilliance,
(28:11):
just bullshit. And but it works either way. You can
either you dazzle them or you baffle them.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
And we've got pretty good at disguising the bullshit as
brilliance at times because we've stolen the brilliance from others
like w C and Dusty Baker's inside.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Well, of course, and that's as we are reunited, Tom.
For all those years we did the Blitz and all
these the wild interviews, the great lines, your famous four
run home run when I.
Speaker 4 (28:42):
Was before goad Slam.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Nobody else, nobody has else had that content.
Speaker 4 (28:47):
By the way, I think it was Mookie that hit
that back in the day.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
Yeah, no, I don't.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
I think I think it was I want to say
it was Jared Salta Lamachia. No, really, it was Jared
Salta Lamachia.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
But who knows. It doesn't really matter who hit it.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Remember that and all the Fox people. We had to interview,
all the NFL people, Joe Buck, Aikman, Aaron Andrews, all those.
Speaker 4 (29:08):
Jim Mora who didn't know he was on the air,
Jim Morris, Jim Mora yeah, oh yeah, because the elder
Jim More couldn't have been kinder. We used to work
with him. He loved under Jim Mora, who was who
was not speaking too highly of us while he was
waiting to be on the air, but he was already
on the air.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yes, yes, we were getting by Jim Mora.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
Yeah, Aaron Andrews. When we interviewed Aaron Andrews, it seemed
like she may have heard my impression over the years,
at least from the attitude Andrews impressionally at Vowels.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Some of those people definitely did not want to hang
out and talk.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
And then there were others Kurt Warner who would call
in early. Yeah, yeah, Kurt was nothing but class. With
Kurt Warner and Darren Darren Sprolls, who was on too often.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
We had him on.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
I think back to back, back to back weeks. That
was great, hey, and I got something off that I
pulled a looney. We had Dick Stockton on and he
was great, well, Dick.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Dick Stockton was always I liked that he laughed at
my jokes. I would say, you know, something important is happening,
except for right now. When you hear the voice of
Dick Stockton.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Well, very down to earth I've had him on this
podcast and very down to earth guy like he went
to Syracuse but as he said, he went to Syracuse
before it was Syracuse. Well, right, like a normal school
and it did you know he was in a class.
I think with Marv Albert and guys like that, wow
or before it became that was why it became what
it became.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
But he had a line.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
We we had all these guys on the blitz that
we did together to promote the Fox games.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
We had some before and some after the game.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
So the guys on were before before the game would
be trying to get you to, hey, here's why you
need to watch this game. And so Dick Stockton would
always call the worst fricking game that Fox had, right
because he.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
Was getting older and thank god they captain, but they
didn't give him the best games anymore.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
He was doing dog food games every week and everyone
knew it. And by the time you get late in
the year, I mean, it's just why are they playing
these games?
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Because they're on TV? Exactly, they are on the schedule.
One of the other Stanza was the one that SAIDs
on TV. But week one we have the Arizona Cardinals
and the Washington Commanders.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
A week one is a treaty. I do not know
that that will get a lot of TV. That might
be a mention. We might not, you know, because of timers.
This is a half an hour show. It's not going
to be an hour show. It's gonna be a half
an hour show.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Because and then there will be this voiceover, which will
probably be me. Because of time restrictions, we could not
get to the Washington Commanders and you guys, we move
ahead in the broadcast now A yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
But Dick Stocked in his line which I have used
on Benny Versus the Penny since he said it all
those years ago to us on the Blitz because he
was promoting I remember the game. I even remember the game.
I remember the game because it was such a shit game.
It was the forty nine ers, who were terrible before
this is when they were changing coaches every year. They
like Kelly one year, Jim tom Sula. It was just brutal.
(32:12):
So Mike Nolan, yeah, Nolan was. It was just a
bad era for the forty nine ers. And so they
were playing Tampa Bay, which was also lousy.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
So it was a terrible game.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
A bunch of guys were heard it was late in
the season, but Dick Stockton has called the game on Fox.
So I was like, Dick, why should anyone want to
watch this game? I gave all these numbers about how
terrible the teams were. Why would I even want to
watch this game, and he very calmly said, Ben, stats
tell you what has happened, not what's going.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
To happen, and that.
Speaker 3 (32:42):
I use that line very good all the time. It
is a wonderful line. It is a wonderful line.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
And it's great.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
That's a great politician right there too.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Very good.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Yeah, Yeah, it's wonderful because it also applies to the
gambling world, which we are part of on Benny Versus
the Penny Least kick Out and now on the games.
And I'm gonna be handicapping these games as I've been
doing for years, and oftentimes I will pick horrible teams
because you're getting value, because you're getting points. And I
can at any moment if you press me on this,
(33:13):
why are you picking that team?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
They suck? Well, stats, Tom, tell you what has happened,
not what's going to happen.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
And that is a great homage, a tribute to the and.
Speaker 4 (33:23):
As a shout out to our friend Dave Smith. There
was the Ben and Dave Show, Sporting Dave Show over
the years, the sports god. He always said, you know
he would he said, no matter what the stats tell you,
never bet on a dog bleep team. Right, right, And
so even if everything is in your favor, be very
(33:45):
careful if you're gonna put your hard marked, hard earned
money down on a dog shit team, which good advice.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
The yeah, I mean, I've gone the other way oftentimes
because to me, my one of my big criteria when
I look at a game is I want to I
factor in the the hype for certain teams, like our
teams overhype, like for example, this year, the Chicago Bears,
to me, are way over hyped that the Bears for
(34:13):
the worst team in football last year, and there's a
small chance that Justin Field is going to be great
this year. I the way that ESPN and some of
these national guys are talking about all our life.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
They get so excited if Chicago might be good, So
it's like Notre Dame all our life. They just get
so excited that this might be the when I say
they In general, there tends to still be this nostalgia
with the Chicago Bears from I don't know when, not
our life, except for a small throwout statistic one year
with Jim McMahon, right, yeah, and but yeah, I agree
(34:46):
with you. It's happened all of it, and with the
great other the far before the Green Bay Packers had
far when we were much much younger, and they were
always bad. They were always thinking hoping it was the
year because there's some kind of nostalgia connected with obviously
the oldest team in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Yeah, it's rags to riches and that whole thing. They
love that. But to me, you gotta show me. I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (35:08):
I like the motto of the State of Missouri, I'm gonna.
I'm gonna show me, don't tell me.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
You got to show me.
Speaker 3 (35:17):
I generally look to teams that are overrated and get
a lot of public attention, a lot of the money
and the handle as we call it, on on a
certain game, if it's if it's flipped one way, like
of this week, here, this first week, next week, here,
the first show that we're doing. I look at that
certain teams, I say, what are we doing here?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
That's crazy?
Speaker 4 (35:40):
And now, so when you take a look at that
first week just for fun, yeah what because you're cheap.
So it's always very important to ask you where you
would put your money here. I want to ask you
about a game. First of all, Bengals at Browns. I
never trust the Browns.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
Yeah, I don't. Oh, I don't trust the Browns. But
Joe Burrow's got a bad calf.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
And you look at the the comp or not the
comp but the the history and history, as Dick Docton said,
tells you what has that been not But Joe Burrow,
even when he's been healthy, has played his worst football
for some reason against the Cleveland Browns. And have a
pretty good defense, they should be able to mess around
with Burrow. The offensive line for the Bengals is not
(36:25):
the greatest. It should be a bet Okay, okay, So
that's that's why the problem though to me, Deshaun Watson's
the creepy quarterback and I don't like, you know, I
don't trust him either. But the Browns as a small
home underdog, I am going to most likely, barring some
kind of last minute change of status, I will take
the Cleveland Browns really.
Speaker 4 (36:46):
Okay, okay, And you would put your money on the
Cleveland Browns in your cheap So that's important to know.
Speaker 3 (36:51):
Not Now, keep in mind on we bet we predict
every game. Now, there's certain games that the cream of
the crop. There's certain games that.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
Are Okay, I got to ask you about this one though,
Jacks at Colts and it's only minus three and a
half right now or a plus three point five with
the Colts. Why so little? Aren't the Jaguars ten times
better than the Colts?
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, well they're on the road and so normally on
the road.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
Factor that in, and there's some history between these two
teams where Jacksonville normally beats the Colts at home, and
in Indy they don't play they haven't played particularly well.
But yeah, but no, listen, I will be taking Jacksonville.
I hate I trying to find a way to bet
underdogs as much as I can. The main reason I'm
(37:36):
going to take Jacksonville and I don't do the whole
any versus in here.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
But we know we don't.
Speaker 4 (37:40):
I just wanted to pick those two guys. Yeah, I
guess the main reason why you're gonna take Jacksonville because
no one can name the Colts quarterback.
Speaker 3 (37:48):
Well, no, the guy his name is Anthony Richardson, and
he started I think like a dozen or so games
at Florida. He's hardly played any college football and he's
very as you would say, Tommy's a green banana.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
I think that was your analogy. Yes, you would use
about players that are kind of yes, and actually.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
That's my own. By the way, I didn't even steal that,
which is you.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Know, what do you say, is there a Tomato analogy
that you can make? Also, Toma, not necessarily the agreement
that is perfect though for him. And uh, yeah, there's
some boy with Atlanta and Arizona and Washington. There are
some no name quarterbacks that are starting in week one. Yeah,
there's a pack of hungry puppies, the flotsam and jetsum
(38:38):
that will be out there.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
But all right, well, well listen, we're ended here, tom
I'm so excited.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
Any other final thoughts here on this unbelievable opportunity which
we are going to begin and hopefully the beginning of
something that will last a long time, we hope. But
we've got to make it good. People actually have to
watch or else we won't be on that long. So
we need you to watch, We need you to get
all your relatives to watch. And yes, we can then
achieve the impossible. We can achieve the impost it's us
(39:03):
against the world, tom, us against the world.
Speaker 4 (39:05):
And one other thing that is really important, the reason
why you and you would want to get your real.
Not you, Ben, but you the listener, both of you
and your relatives. You'd want them to watch. Is because
we're doing God's work.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
Yeah it is.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
And really, when you think about how important picking NFL
games against an inanimate object, a piece of US currency, old.
Speaker 4 (39:32):
Abe, pay no attention to the hurricanes. Watch us.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
Don't worry about the cost of milk going up or
the loaf of bread or buttery.
Speaker 4 (39:42):
We're taking pictures of how much it's costing for gas.
And just watch us and stay home and stop driving.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
You'll save money because you will not be spending money
while you watch and listen. Radio is great. We love radio.
I'll forever do radio. Fill have me and you as well.
Speaker 4 (39:59):
Absolutely radio.
Speaker 3 (40:00):
But TV's just radio. But it's got pictures. So a company, thanks,
thank you. So it's just like doing the radio show, except.
Speaker 4 (40:15):
A radio show from nineteen thirty eight. I got a
lot of it's like radio.
Speaker 3 (40:21):
I I brought up the story. Actually it's kind of this.
I feel like Bob Barker a little bit. Not that
I've just died, but I met Bob Barker when I
was in college. There was a college radio conference, which
I don't even think they have anymore. But it was
at Universal City Walk. They had a get together there
(40:41):
and Bob Barker was the keynote speaker. He was hosting
the Prices Right and Bob got up there and we
were like, why is Bob Barker here?
Speaker 1 (40:50):
It's a radio conference. But Bob had started in radio.
Speaker 4 (40:54):
Ah see, that was great for you guys to know.
Speaker 3 (40:56):
Yeah, he started in Springfield, Missouri. He think he told
the whole story about how he'd gone to Florida with
his wife at the time, and then they went to
l A and he hosted a nighttime show on kN
X in l A. And somebody that was hosting, not hosting,
one of the production people at Truth or Consequences the
(41:18):
game show heard Bob Barker's like, Hey, we think this
guy's pretty good and we want to hire him. And
so that's what led to him doing Truth or Consequences,
and then that led to Prices Right.
Speaker 4 (41:30):
And one of the advantages of doing radio in Los
Angeles was just how i you know, when the best
damned sports show period was in development, you know, a
sports show that wasn't going to take itself seriously and
George Greenberg Box heard a guy on the radio who
wasn't taking it seriously. And I think I was the
first one hired with best dam and you know, it
was one of the advantages of being in radio in
(41:52):
la is you know, they don't you know, they don't
have to pay for you to move. Yeah, you were
patient zero, was patient zero.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
All right, Well this it can be a lot of fun.
I can't wait to get started. It's going to be
a great time all season long. And again, we need
your help on this. You've been great. I really feel
Tom and maybe you'll you'll say I'm blowing smoke here.
But a lot of this is because of the people
that have followed the show and supported the show and
people that are.
Speaker 4 (42:21):
Oh yes, a matter of fact, of course, it is
because some of the producers of the show listen to
us when they were in college back east. Now they're
muckety MUCKs, and so.
Speaker 3 (42:35):
It was it was pretty cool when I went back
to NBC Boston to meet with the people there, and
a lot of them would hear the overnight show, like
the last hour because they.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
Live far away.
Speaker 3 (42:44):
They'd have to drive in from out you know, Hampshire
or wherever into Boston, and so they'd have a pretty
long commute and they'd get up early and get at
you know, kind of a run on the traffic, and
the overnight show ends the last hour of the five
am hour in the Star.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
Well, it's great catching up to me.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
And one quick thing I want to tell you because
you'll like it because it's a compliment. It's about you, right. Well, yeah,
when I was talking to my big muckety muck friend
at George Greenberg, who was once the big hot shot
at Fox, were in the entire sports operation, who plucked
me off the radio and put me on best him.
I you know, remember how I told you. I told
(43:22):
very very few people about what we were up to,
and George was one of that very small list of
film that began. It was getting longer and longer as
as the days were going on. But and I didn't mention,
you know, what we were doing on the show and
who I was doing it with. He said, oh, of
course I know who, Big Pat Mallory's very good. So
(43:44):
he's a big he's a big.
Speaker 3 (43:45):
Fat I appreciate it because one time Eddie Garcia told
me that he was at a party with an executive
from Fox who said I was terrible. Uh, and then
I asked Eddie to name the person, and he refused
to name the person. And I was thought like, why
would you say that, Why would you pass that along?
Speaker 1 (44:04):
What kind of a douche canoe? Would you beat the pastor?
But he did and it's fine, and I.
Speaker 4 (44:07):
You and I both had very positive mothers. Yeah, my
mother Tuts used to always say, pass along nice gossip.
If somebody says something nice behind someone's back, pass that along. Yeah,
if someone says something negative behind someone's back, there's no
reason to pass.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
That all exactly. It's just Eddie. Stop Eddie.
Speaker 3 (44:28):
Yeah, just a little lifelesson. Anyway, Well, listen, I will
see a lot of you this football season.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
Tom.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
I'm sure we'll have you back here again. And right
good to me here all right, the great Tom Looney going.
Thanks Tom, thank you so much,
Host
Ben Maller
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.