When Jim Valvano visited the booth | Ep. 005

In 1986, three years after guiding the North Carolina State Wolfpack to the NCAA men's basketball national championship, Jim Valvano visited the baseball broadcast booth of the Richmond Braves.  Here is that interview.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome a Baseball discourse with your hostDan Lavallo. Hi, everybody, Welcome
to Baseball Discourse. It's March madness. So what better time than to look

(00:22):
at one of the great coaches incollege basketball history who was a big baseball
fan, and that is Jim Valvano. Let me give you a little background.
When I began broadcasting for the KinstonBlue Jays in nineteen eighty three,
I actually was in North Carolina whenthe North Carolina State Wolfpack were playing the

(00:45):
National Championship game against Houston and JimValvano was the coach, and North Carolina
State won that game, won theNational championship, and to actually be in
North Carolina during that period was reallyexciting. Fast forward to nineteen eighty six,
I'm broadcasting Richmond Braves games, theTriple A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves

(01:10):
at the time, with the voiceof the Braves, Bob Black And who
should visit our broadcast booth but JimValvano. Here is that interview Aalvano talks
about baseball, his beloved nineteen fiftynine Chicago White Sox and a lot more.
Enjoy the interview, Bob. Wehave a gentleman in our broadcast booth,

(01:32):
we may keep here for a while. Well, we're one for one
so far. Here's a pitch outside. It's two and oh. Since he
showed up, Clipsbeck has struck outthe side in Trenty Davis as a leadoff
single. He, of course,is Jim Valvano, the head coach of
North Carolina State's basketball team, whothrew out the first ball tonight. Coach,
what brings you to Richmond throughout thefirst ball? I'm trying to help

(01:52):
the Braves. I'm undefeated. Iwent to Atlanta last year and threw out
the ball that played the Dodgers andwon it in the in the bottom of
the night. So I'm undefeated andI fully expect the victory. There goes
Davis. The pitch is a striketo throw the second they got him,
fine throw by Darren Lloy right onthe bag to give Cybert and Davis as
cat stealing. Analyze that what thatwas not a fine throw? That was

(02:16):
excellent. He had it, Hehad the base stolen, and the guy
put it right there. Any placeelse you know? The guy's say,
if I love baseball, and thisis, let me say, an absolutely
beautiful park. Because it's high nostrike. Oh my goodness, this is
inside. Who is that? Revs? With Donna Tully? He said,
what's going on here? Oh wasthat inside? Look Shore, you better

(02:38):
call time. Listen, anybody whoknows Ogi Donna Telly has to be a
baseball fan. How far do yougo back? This is uh, this
is my passion as a swing.He struck out first pitch was a strike
on his steel too. Oh takeit. That's it. We all do
that baseball. Take a right,Take a quick right. I grew up
in New York at I can't imaginea grade of time for baseball. We

(02:59):
had to the Giants with Willie Maysand center. We had the Yankees with
the Mick, and we had theDuke running around abets Field, and I
frequented every single weekend the summer.You'd have about twenty six Italian kids from
my neighborhood get on the subways andwe'd go watch the greatest baseball in the
world, and everybody was Yankees wassuper then the greatest. Art You want

(03:20):
to have an argument, just gostand in the corner and say who's the
best. Would you trade the Mickfor Willingwall? You kid me out.
I mean it was it was nutsright, and Yankees were super I went
to Joe DiMaggio's last game as playingmy father Rockovalveno. Obviously, Joe d
was god in the neighborhoods we grewup in. In nineteen fifty one his
last game when the Mick came up, my dad brought me to Yankee Stadium

(03:46):
and I've had a love affavorite baseballever since. I can remember our baseball
coaching NC State SAMs Posito played forthe White Sox in fifty nine of Go
Go Socks when they went to theWorld Series lost to the Dodgers. And
my National Championship ring that I wearis an exact replica of the fifty nine
American League White Sox Championship. That'sso much I respect Sammy. So this

(04:09):
is and this park is the bestI've seen. This is absolutely gorgeous.
I mean, everybody should be soproud of it. It's I haven't tasted
the dogs yet, you know,I gotta find out and see what they're
like. You know, that isthe truth test. That's the true test
with the Dogs. I'll say howmuch we love baseball in my family.
My younger brother up foul back.My younger brother last summer spent the whole

(04:31):
summer because this is something I wantedto do. And then I got married
and not allowed to do these thingsyou get married. He spent the summer
going to see a Major League baseballgame in every park outstanding, and that's
that was my dream for My wifesaid, I'm not allowed to do that
anymore. You got to grow up. I don't know why, Coach,
I know you're busy. A coupleof more questions in relation to basketball.
What kind of a recruiting year wasit? Farensi State in May, everything's

(04:54):
always great. Our players are great, recruits are grab never lost the game
in May. We expect to beunder As we get close to the season,
the freshman looked like freshman, andI start to worry. We had
a good recruiting Yet the name ofa kid, Rodney Monroe, remember that
name. He's an outstanding player.Pitch this guy's good. Who's this pitcher?
He may call him Starvin Marvin.He's six seven and two hundred pounds.

(05:16):
Well he looks tell me, tellme about him. He's a prospect.
He seems to be a prospect.He did a nice job the changes
speed. Last pitch he slowed upon that curveball boom, strikeout to and
Ozer in the big leagues with Philadelphia, and they'll be back, no question.
He's good. He's good coach.A final question, they get us
up in Charlottesville, any message foryour acc counterpirates up in Virginia. Well,

(05:39):
the only thing I can say isthey've got Terry Holland is a super
basketball coach. But they got toworry about right now. Dick Schultz,
who is a great a d whois uh on everybody's list for, if
not the NCAA boss, the commissionerof our conference. So that says an
awful lot for the kind of jobthat he's done. And it's uh,

(05:59):
it's it's nice to come this area. Though Virginia always beats us. If
they beat us twice a year,I always know we're gonna have a pretty
good year. It seemed to workout that way. But uh, hey,
thanks for having me up here.I gotta go. How come I
down here? Get your home beerhere? John Dog? How come?
When is this? I can't bein a barking. We're oh mare here
my greatest thrill in all of baseballwas I'm gonna tell you this, I'm

(06:23):
gonna go I was member and goton the field for happy feuntains, not
whole game. Do you remember that? Yeah? Do you remember that?
We're gonna feel me pick you outand caught a figure. Hey now you're
talking, babe, now right here? Yeah, that's what can I tell
you. That's all I know,coach. Thanks very much for dropping by.
Take care. Well. There youhave it our interview with Jim Valvano

(06:46):
this edition of Baseball Discourse. There'salways thanks for watching, Thanks for subscribing
to the channel. We are alsoin podcast form. Just go to Baseball
Discourse dot com, and again,thanks for your support.