Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
This is Paul Corbino, division president of iHeartMedia in Los Angeles, California,
with our pre election segment called Meet the Candidates. Today,
I'm here with former Dodger great Steve Garvey, the Republican
candidate running against Adam Schiff for the US Senate representing
the state of California.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome Steve, Paul. Thanks hey.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Before we get started, as a New Yorker and a
former Yankee fan, I just have to tell you Reggie
was trying to get away from that ball. It just
happened to hit his hip.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Absolutely, he flagrantly stuck his hip out, deflected the ball,
ended up with I think months in scoring, and we
lose by a run, and the World Series ring and
the World Series ring. But that was that was, you know,
seventy seven to seventy eight. We always say the Yankees
upsetist and finally an eighty one we won, and that
quick story, you know, and Reggie hits the third home
(00:57):
run in seventy seven and he's rounding first base. We'd
become good friends. And I'm kind of lightly clapping in
my glove and he looks at me and he smiles,
and I wink in and of course, series over. We're
in our locker room. It's quiet, and Dick Young comes up,
the great sports writer, and he looks at me. He says,
were you clapping in your glove? And I said yeah,
(01:20):
And he said, I've never seen that before. I said, well,
you don't really understand the game until you see greatness
in when it happens. I was on the field for
Hank Aaron seven to fifteenth and you go and Ryan six,
no hitter, and he said, can I write that? I
said yeah. So a few years later, it's Eid he
want two out, bottom of the ninth and Reggie's at
(01:40):
first base and he says, Garb, it's your turn now,
and he pats me on the behind and the next
pitch goes to center, Kenny Landro catches it, and we're
the world champions. But it's that dynamic you have when
you really understand a sport, You understand how tough it is,
great moments of a chief, but respect for each other.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Yeah, that's that's incredible. And I wish the same was
said for politics right now.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
A little more civility, and maybe that's what I'm one
of my like Keith emphasis, let's get back to stability.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
We're here today to get our audience to get to
know the candidates, and we we we talk to both sides,
both sides of the aisle, and get everyone on the show.
I'm going to start off with a quick rapid fire,
a series of questions. You answer, answer as quick as
you can.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
No one word to answers, Please.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Please answer as quick as you can. This is to
get the brain working in the mouth moving.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
You're ready.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Let's go beat your ski vacation.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Uh, well, in the summer beach and the winter ski.
I can do both.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
You're such a politician to go even that.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Don't politicians even that question?
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Michael Jordan with Tom Brady beatles are stones?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Ooh, satisfaction stones.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Star Wars of Godfather God Sean Connery or Daniel Craig
Sean Connery. Now I usually ask people celebrity, they say
you remind them of but you, you are, Steve Garvey,
as celebrity as it is. I'm not going to ask
that question.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
And older Steve Garvey, how's that?
Speaker 1 (03:22):
So let's get in. So now you're running for the
US Senate, So tell me what is it that drove
you to politics?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Well, you know, life, is a book, a series of chapters.
And when I first came to California September first of
nineteen sixty nine, the Dodgers called myself up and Bill
Buckner and Thompa Shork and I put a Dodger uniform
on for the first time, and my dream came true.
Longer stories that boy going up in Florida bat boy
(03:52):
for the Brooklyn Dodgers, doing that for several years. Dad
was a grand bus driver. But then twelve years after
the first day of bat Boy innineteen fifty six, at
the age of eight, the Dodgers drafted me in the
first round. So a dream came true. The odds are insurmountable.
And then within two years I was up and put
a uniform on for the first time and got to
(04:14):
the starting line. And I always look back that growing
up with my idols of Podges and Ferrillo and Campanella
and Jackie Robinson laid the foundation for me becoming a
professional athlete and baseball player. But I always say, not
too many people will go to work with thirty or
forty thousand people live every day, and they see you succeed,
(04:37):
they see you fail, But it's how you play the game,
and I played with compassion passion for the game, and
I realized I was playing for the fans. And then
when I retired, I took all that education and have
been a firm believer that life is God's gift to us.
What we do is our gift to him, and He
gives us free will and choice, and I choose to
(04:59):
and have chosen to take what he gave me and
give back every day into our society, and it starts
with family and friends, starts with faith, and our campaign
is based on common sense and compassion and consensus building,
which I think is unique in this millennium. Suddenly, and
I'd been asked to run several times over the years,
(05:20):
especially when I retired, and I had been and been
befriended by President Reagan and introduced him many times, and
he was more or less of a mentor not so
much in politics but in life. And they coincide many times,
so it's never the right time, you know. And I
(05:43):
woke up in March and turned the TV on one morning,
and I saw snarky Washington and career politicians dysfunctional. I
knew that our life in California wasn't what it was
four years ago. We had in the wrong direction. One
party state is one voice, and we're never good when
there's only one voice. In America, you need two voices.
(06:06):
And I had a dream. I couldn't think of what
the dream is, and I think this happens with us.
And I thought to myself, fine, state the seat open.
Let's run for the US Senate. And I tapped my
wife on the shoulder and she turned around, gave me
a kiss on the cheeks, say good morning. I said, honey,
let's run for the US Senate. And as any dutiful wife,
she turned around and I went, that didn't go very far.
(06:30):
And then she looked back and she said, don't you
think you're a little young? And I said, well, and
it remind me of the regular line overcoming youth in
and experience. Yes. So at seventy five, I decided that
California needed a voice. And a lot of people knew
who who I am. And Steve Barvey one point oh
the ballplayer and now two point zero running Pros.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Tells about some of your post baseball accomplishments.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Post baseball, well, I got very involved in charities and
it started with multiple sclerosis in nineteen seventy four at
a big dinner at the Central Plaza, and over the years,
I thought that the best way to give back was
to help those that were less fortunate, whether it's disease
based charities or whether it was education. And like to
(07:14):
think the Garvey family has raised significant number of dollars
in trying to find cures and creating opportunities for young
people in leadership. So if you were to say, what's
life been like, Well, I had my own little marketing
company in La Joya. When I was in San Diego,
I knew there was life after baseball. That laid a
pretty good foundation as a businessman. But giving back has
(07:36):
been our single greatest accomplishment as a Garvey family and
our children understanding and giving back.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
To what would you say, as a US Senator would
be the top two or three issues that you would
need to tackle.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Well, obviously in a short term we're talking about we're
talking about crime, the economy, and inflation and the border.
As time goes on. If you look at really what
affects California and America in the future, you also add education,
I think is very important. I think that what we
(08:14):
can do, we the people can do is get back
to a commitment to what made this country great, and
that's life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I remember
asking President Reagan, I said, Sarius, what are your fundamental beliefs?
And he called me Stevie's Stevie, It's God, lower taxes,
(08:37):
smaller government, and that pursuit of happiness. And I think
that's laid the foundation for me for my campaign now.
And at seventy five, I said I'll be a six
year senator, one term. I don't owe anybody anything. I'm
really not a politician, but I think the experiences I've
had in life, in living this state, growing up with
(09:01):
people being your neighbor, understanding the challenges of California in
this country, traveling the world, and representing sports with this
country has given me a foundation. And I think people
are standing up. Every day they see me. They say, Steve,
thank you for running, thank you for being another voice.
We've been in a malaise. We kept thinking that life
(09:24):
was going to change in California and it hasn't. And
we're going to stand up with you now. And that's
equated to over one hundred and fifty thousand donors now
have said, and I said, just give a dollar to
join team Garvey, but to take back the voice of you,
the people, and let me go to the Senate every
day and fight these battles for you.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Let me ask you one more question away from this.
You think there's a possibility Yankees and Dodgers could be
playing in the World Series this year.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Well, you know it. I mean that the New York
accident of yours hasn't left or your leadership. By the way,
let's hope. So you know, there's there's never a greater
World Series than New York and in l A.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
If it does, let's grab a beer together and watch
it and uh and we'll we'll, we'll, we'll.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
How are you gonna buy the tickets? Yeah, I'm a
FEC doesn't allow me to do.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
We'll see what we can do for you. Here and
he again, this is Paul Corvino, Division president of iHeartMedia.
I'm here with Steve Garby, who is running against Adam
Schiff for the US Senate as a Republican. Thank you
so much for coming on, Steve.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
It's a question. Thank you, Thank you,