1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,635 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. The 2 00:00:21,795 --> 00:00:27,675 Speaker 1: cheese slid completely off Trump's cracker yesterday in Derry, New Hampshire. 3 00:00:28,035 --> 00:00:30,635 Speaker 1: The first time I ever posited in private that his 4 00:00:30,715 --> 00:00:33,435 Speaker 1: brain does not work right was in nineteen eighty three. 5 00:00:33,875 --> 00:00:36,435 Speaker 1: The first time I ever posited in public that his 6 00:00:36,515 --> 00:00:39,355 Speaker 1: brain doesn't work right was in a piece and video 7 00:00:39,515 --> 00:00:42,755 Speaker 1: I did for Vanity Fair in twenty sixteen, called could 8 00:00:42,835 --> 00:00:45,875 Speaker 1: Trump pass a sanity test? And I do not know 9 00:00:45,955 --> 00:00:49,555 Speaker 1: what the next step down is mentally or psychologically or 10 00:00:49,555 --> 00:00:52,675 Speaker 1: intellectually From no, he could not pass a sanity test, 11 00:00:52,875 --> 00:00:56,795 Speaker 1: but Trump has now reached it. One speech, four statements 12 00:00:56,875 --> 00:00:59,955 Speaker 1: that in a previous century would have been examined as 13 00:01:00,035 --> 00:01:05,755 Speaker 1: signs of possible tertiary syphilis. And while a new front 14 00:01:05,755 --> 00:01:09,435 Speaker 1: has been opened in the constitutional case against Trump, permit 15 00:01:09,515 --> 00:01:12,475 Speaker 1: me to introduce you to my friend the vesting clause 16 00:01:12,915 --> 00:01:16,755 Speaker 1: of Article two, Section one in a moment while that's happening, 17 00:01:16,795 --> 00:01:22,235 Speaker 1: we need to make Trump's accelerating mental instability and clear 18 00:01:22,315 --> 00:01:28,595 Speaker 1: deterioration as big an issue as his corruption and his authoritarianism, because, 19 00:01:28,635 --> 00:01:33,355 Speaker 1: as shown in these separate insane remarks in New Hampshire, 20 00:01:33,835 --> 00:01:38,315 Speaker 1: this guy is out of his effing mind. 21 00:01:38,715 --> 00:01:39,715 Speaker 2: Come for us. 22 00:01:41,075 --> 00:01:42,195 Speaker 1: You know how you spell us? 23 00:01:42,355 --> 00:01:48,075 Speaker 2: Right? You spell us US? 24 00:01:48,155 --> 00:01:50,075 Speaker 1: I just picked that up. Has anyone ever thought of 25 00:01:50,075 --> 00:01:50,395 Speaker 1: that being? 26 00:01:50,715 --> 00:01:52,875 Speaker 2: I just picked that up a couple of days. I'm 27 00:01:52,915 --> 00:01:55,395 Speaker 2: reading and I said US, and I said, you know, 28 00:01:56,315 --> 00:02:00,835 Speaker 2: you think about it? US equals US? Isn't Now if 29 00:02:00,835 --> 00:02:02,795 Speaker 2: we say something genius, they'll never said. 30 00:02:03,115 --> 00:02:06,315 Speaker 1: Tune in tomorrow. And Trump becomes the first man ever 31 00:02:06,395 --> 00:02:12,235 Speaker 1: to discover there's no I in team or in FDR. 32 00:02:12,515 --> 00:02:15,235 Speaker 2: They said that was one of the greatest speeches since FDR. 33 00:02:16,995 --> 00:02:19,235 Speaker 2: You know, FDR was a great speaker. Right here was 34 00:02:19,275 --> 00:02:23,195 Speaker 2: a great speaker. He sat. He sat because of a situe. 35 00:02:23,275 --> 00:02:27,635 Speaker 2: But he was an elegant, beautiful, eloquent, elegant and eloquent. 36 00:02:28,075 --> 00:02:33,675 Speaker 1: So he couldn't remember why Franklin D. Roosevelt sat and 37 00:02:33,835 --> 00:02:37,075 Speaker 1: he clearly couldn't remember what that thing was he sat in. 38 00:02:38,355 --> 00:02:40,995 Speaker 1: But at least he got his initials right. And the 39 00:02:41,035 --> 00:02:44,555 Speaker 1: madness of King Trump is not limited to stuff in 40 00:02:44,635 --> 00:02:45,435 Speaker 1: this country. 41 00:02:45,595 --> 00:02:48,115 Speaker 2: Victor orbon did anyone ever hear of him? He is 42 00:02:48,155 --> 00:02:51,875 Speaker 2: probably like one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. 43 00:02:51,915 --> 00:02:55,955 Speaker 2: And he he's the leader of right he's the leader 44 00:02:56,035 --> 00:02:57,795 Speaker 2: of Turkey fronts on both Russia. 45 00:02:58,075 --> 00:03:06,395 Speaker 1: Victor Orbon rules Hungary, receptiep Erdiwan rules Turkey unless Trump 46 00:03:06,475 --> 00:03:12,115 Speaker 1: meant Keith Urban a reminder, this is all in the 47 00:03:12,235 --> 00:03:13,275 Speaker 1: same speech. 48 00:03:13,755 --> 00:03:16,955 Speaker 2: I don't mind being Nelson Mandela because I'm doing it 49 00:03:16,995 --> 00:03:19,315 Speaker 2: for a reason. I'm doing it for a reason. 50 00:03:19,555 --> 00:03:22,275 Speaker 1: It is amazing to state allowed that a man who 51 00:03:22,315 --> 00:03:26,555 Speaker 1: has been, however, he achieved that power president of the 52 00:03:26,635 --> 00:03:31,035 Speaker 1: United States and his fascist party's nominee for the office. 53 00:03:31,275 --> 00:03:34,355 Speaker 1: A second and probably a third time to state that 54 00:03:34,355 --> 00:03:38,075 Speaker 1: that man has delusions of grandeur. But if Donald Trump 55 00:03:38,115 --> 00:03:41,955 Speaker 1: thinks he is Nelson Mandela, he's got delusions of grandeur, 56 00:03:42,955 --> 00:03:46,355 Speaker 1: unless he plans to spend like Mandela, twenty seven years 57 00:03:46,395 --> 00:03:52,315 Speaker 1: in prison. On lastly, Trump also told his voters to 58 00:03:53,155 --> 00:03:55,315 Speaker 1: not bother to vote. 59 00:03:55,755 --> 00:03:57,835 Speaker 2: You gotta get out there. You gotta watch those voters. 60 00:03:57,835 --> 00:04:00,035 Speaker 2: You don't have to vote. Don't worry about voting. The voting. 61 00:04:00,115 --> 00:04:01,155 Speaker 2: We got plenty of votes. 62 00:04:01,475 --> 00:04:05,515 Speaker 1: There is no greater defense available against the various charges 63 00:04:05,555 --> 00:04:08,995 Speaker 1: that Joe Biden is too old or too reserved to 64 00:04:09,075 --> 00:04:12,195 Speaker 1: serve a second term than to go on the offense 65 00:04:12,355 --> 00:04:18,395 Speaker 1: on this issue. Trump's mental incapacity has been documented since childhood, 66 00:04:18,515 --> 00:04:22,075 Speaker 1: when neighbors saw him throwing rocks at an infant in 67 00:04:22,155 --> 00:04:25,635 Speaker 1: a carriage at a neighbor's house has been documented since 68 00:04:25,675 --> 00:04:28,795 Speaker 1: his classmates in the military reform school they sent him 69 00:04:28,795 --> 00:04:31,635 Speaker 1: to saw him try to push another student out a 70 00:04:31,675 --> 00:04:35,355 Speaker 1: second story window. Has been documented since New York media 71 00:04:35,515 --> 00:04:39,675 Speaker 1: used to get calls from Trump identifying himself as Trump's 72 00:04:39,675 --> 00:04:43,515 Speaker 1: spokesman John Miller or Trump Vice president John Barron. Only 73 00:04:43,555 --> 00:04:45,475 Speaker 1: it was Trump, and he didn't even bother to try 74 00:04:45,515 --> 00:04:47,675 Speaker 1: to change his voice, and he was already so crazy 75 00:04:47,995 --> 00:04:51,755 Speaker 1: that he thought nobody would notice. I said it in 76 00:04:51,795 --> 00:04:55,235 Speaker 1: twenty sixteen, and I said it in twenty twenty, and 77 00:04:55,275 --> 00:04:58,835 Speaker 1: I'm saying it again after the meltdown in Darry yesterday 78 00:04:59,795 --> 00:05:05,795 Speaker 1: by our Nelson Mandela about orbon of tur who just 79 00:05:05,875 --> 00:05:12,075 Speaker 1: discovered there are twenty six letters He's crazy. We have 80 00:05:12,155 --> 00:05:17,715 Speaker 1: to put political correctness aside and call him crazy in 81 00:05:17,835 --> 00:05:23,915 Speaker 1: public every day. For every reference to Biden's age, we 82 00:05:24,035 --> 00:05:29,875 Speaker 1: must have ten references to Trump's insanity. In the word 83 00:05:29,995 --> 00:05:38,195 Speaker 1: cloud of people's impressions of him crazy, insane, mentally, ill, psychotic, deranged. 84 00:05:38,835 --> 00:05:45,875 Speaker 1: These all have to literally loom large because it's not 85 00:05:46,115 --> 00:05:50,955 Speaker 1: just politically useful, it also unfortunately happens to be true. 86 00:05:51,035 --> 00:05:55,955 Speaker 1: Trump is crazy, and it continues to risk the survival 87 00:05:56,035 --> 00:05:58,955 Speaker 1: of this nation and for that matter, the survival of 88 00:05:59,035 --> 00:06:03,715 Speaker 1: everybody on this planet. And oh, by the way, after that, 89 00:06:03,915 --> 00:06:07,835 Speaker 1: could Trump's I have a sanity test piece? Spoiler alert, No, no, 90 00:06:07,915 --> 00:06:11,115 Speaker 1: he couldn't. I was on a PBS show with the 91 00:06:11,195 --> 00:06:15,635 Speaker 1: veteran Republican operative Ed Rollins, who was consulting Trump's campaign 92 00:06:15,715 --> 00:06:19,355 Speaker 1: at the time. As we finished and we each packed 93 00:06:19,435 --> 00:06:22,315 Speaker 1: up our stuff and left the studio, Ed turned to 94 00:06:22,355 --> 00:06:24,435 Speaker 1: me and he said he'd read the piece, and he said, 95 00:06:24,475 --> 00:06:32,315 Speaker 1: by the way, you're absolutely right. He's crazy. He's really crazy. 96 00:06:37,995 --> 00:06:40,635 Speaker 1: He may also be the first political figure in our 97 00:06:40,715 --> 00:06:45,795 Speaker 1: nation's history to be personally unconstitutional. You know about the 98 00:06:45,835 --> 00:06:50,075 Speaker 1: still embryonic bids to disqualified Trump under Section three, the 99 00:06:50,155 --> 00:06:53,995 Speaker 1: rebellion Clause in the fourteenth Amendment. Now there is another 100 00:06:54,115 --> 00:06:57,755 Speaker 1: legal maneuver involving the Constitution designed to get Judge Tanya 101 00:06:57,835 --> 00:07:01,395 Speaker 1: Chutkin and others later to make certain that nobody goes 102 00:07:01,435 --> 00:07:05,475 Speaker 1: along with this monarchist madness that Trump cannot be prosecuted 103 00:07:05,475 --> 00:07:08,555 Speaker 1: for trying to overturn the election and overthrow the democracy 104 00:07:08,755 --> 00:07:12,395 Speaker 1: because he had quote absolute immunity because he happened to 105 00:07:12,435 --> 00:07:16,355 Speaker 1: be president while he committed these crimes. Trump is using 106 00:07:16,395 --> 00:07:20,715 Speaker 1: this imaginary concept to demand that the entirety of the 107 00:07:20,875 --> 00:07:25,315 Speaker 1: Washington prosecution be dismissed. Now it's not likely to be, 108 00:07:25,395 --> 00:07:28,115 Speaker 1: but at some point in one of the prosecutions, one 109 00:07:28,155 --> 00:07:31,115 Speaker 1: of the appeals this year or next, or if it 110 00:07:31,155 --> 00:07:34,835 Speaker 1: continues into twenty twenty five, then it will come up again. 111 00:07:35,475 --> 00:07:39,075 Speaker 1: And Judge Michael Luddig wants to make sure you remember 112 00:07:39,115 --> 00:07:42,795 Speaker 1: that when it does, you need to hit Trump over 113 00:07:42,835 --> 00:07:48,715 Speaker 1: the head with the executive vesting clause in the Constitution. 114 00:07:50,435 --> 00:07:52,795 Speaker 1: It is so simple an argument that you would likely 115 00:07:52,835 --> 00:07:56,075 Speaker 1: miss it even if you studied the Constitution. I've only 116 00:07:56,075 --> 00:07:58,875 Speaker 1: studied it since nineteen sixty nine, and I've basically driven 117 00:07:58,955 --> 00:08:04,715 Speaker 1: right past this clause for fifty four years now. Quote 118 00:08:04,795 --> 00:08:08,715 Speaker 1: the executive power shall be vested in a president of 119 00:08:08,755 --> 00:08:12,355 Speaker 1: the United States of America. He shall hold his office 120 00:08:12,475 --> 00:08:17,555 Speaker 1: during the term of four years. This is so ingrained 121 00:08:17,555 --> 00:08:20,395 Speaker 1: in this country's history, in its machinery. It's like suddenly 122 00:08:20,435 --> 00:08:23,275 Speaker 1: noticing that there are twenty four hours in a day, 123 00:08:23,355 --> 00:08:25,755 Speaker 1: or that the letters US can spell the word US 124 00:08:25,875 --> 00:08:29,555 Speaker 1: and be the acronym for the United States. Wait, that's 125 00:08:29,555 --> 00:08:32,795 Speaker 1: not a good example anyway. The point of Luddig and 126 00:08:32,835 --> 00:08:36,515 Speaker 1: the other twenty three former Republican office holders, including former 127 00:08:36,555 --> 00:08:40,075 Speaker 1: Governor Whitman of New Jersey and former Congressman Comstock and 128 00:08:40,155 --> 00:08:45,035 Speaker 1: Reagan Council Wendell Wilkie, the second who signed the Amicus 129 00:08:45,115 --> 00:08:48,075 Speaker 1: Currie I submitted to Judge Chutkin, is that we have 130 00:08:48,195 --> 00:08:51,675 Speaker 1: taken for granted one of the great compromises in our 131 00:08:51,795 --> 00:08:56,715 Speaker 1: nation's history. The second sentence of the clause, they write, 132 00:08:56,995 --> 00:09:01,075 Speaker 1: requires a first term president who loses reelection to leave 133 00:09:01,435 --> 00:09:03,995 Speaker 1: office at the end of his term. This was an 134 00:09:04,035 --> 00:09:09,595 Speaker 1: important selling point during ratification. The Constitutional Convention initially adopted 135 00:09:09,595 --> 00:09:13,115 Speaker 1: provisions of a draft constitution that would elect a president 136 00:09:13,355 --> 00:09:17,755 Speaker 1: for a single seven year term and make each president 137 00:09:17,995 --> 00:09:22,715 Speaker 1: ineligible for reelection. The Convention later switched course and framed 138 00:09:22,715 --> 00:09:26,235 Speaker 1: a constitution that enabled a president to seek reelection, but 139 00:09:26,355 --> 00:09:32,155 Speaker 1: the executive vesting clause limited every presidential term to four years. 140 00:09:34,115 --> 00:09:37,275 Speaker 1: As they then quote the Virginia Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 141 00:09:37,435 --> 00:09:40,595 Speaker 1: Edmund Randolph, the president quote may not hold his office 142 00:09:40,595 --> 00:09:43,955 Speaker 1: without being reelected. He cannot hold it over four years 143 00:09:44,195 --> 00:09:47,435 Speaker 1: unless he be re elected, anymore than if he were 144 00:09:47,475 --> 00:09:52,915 Speaker 1: prohibited from running. Trump not only trying to tamper with 145 00:09:52,995 --> 00:09:58,235 Speaker 1: that fundamental premise of the vesting clause. You lose, you leave, 146 00:09:59,195 --> 00:10:02,435 Speaker 1: and a second fundamental premise of it. The next president 147 00:10:02,595 --> 00:10:07,235 Speaker 1: is vested, and he starts a January twentieth. But if 148 00:10:07,275 --> 00:10:10,395 Speaker 1: any court were to grant this or any other president 149 00:10:10,555 --> 00:10:13,555 Speaker 1: absolute immunity from prosecution, as Ludig and the others right, 150 00:10:13,875 --> 00:10:17,595 Speaker 1: that court would be then granting any sitting president in 151 00:10:17,635 --> 00:10:20,435 Speaker 1: the future the right to try to steal an election 152 00:10:20,515 --> 00:10:23,795 Speaker 1: he's lost, without fear of going to jail, without fear 153 00:10:23,795 --> 00:10:26,435 Speaker 1: of merely being stopped by the laws he is there 154 00:10:26,475 --> 00:10:31,435 Speaker 1: to uphold. Quoting again, the impact of absolute immunity on 155 00:10:31,475 --> 00:10:34,435 Speaker 1: the executive vesting clause is the issue in this case 156 00:10:34,435 --> 00:10:39,395 Speaker 1: that threatens the greatest danger to public interests outside this case, 157 00:10:39,595 --> 00:10:45,075 Speaker 1: namely the danger to the sanctity of future presidential elections 158 00:10:45,795 --> 00:10:49,155 Speaker 1: in our divided nation. In the last eight reelection campaigns, 159 00:10:49,355 --> 00:10:53,395 Speaker 1: the incumbent lost four times nineteen seventy six, nineteen eighty, 160 00:10:53,475 --> 00:10:57,035 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety two, and twenty twenty and one competitive races 161 00:10:57,035 --> 00:11:01,075 Speaker 1: twice two thousand and four and twenty twelve. Granting absolute 162 00:11:01,115 --> 00:11:05,715 Speaker 1: immunity in this case would incentivize he even knowing and 163 00:11:05,875 --> 00:11:10,195 Speaker 1: corrupt illegal conduct by a first term president to usurp 164 00:11:10,475 --> 00:11:16,355 Speaker 1: another term, and thus would imperil the executive vesting clause unquote. 165 00:11:18,595 --> 00:11:21,955 Speaker 1: In short, this prosecution is about far more than just 166 00:11:22,075 --> 00:11:25,595 Speaker 1: Trump and just preserving elections this time, it is about 167 00:11:25,635 --> 00:11:30,875 Speaker 1: preserving elections in this country for all time. Judge Luddig 168 00:11:30,995 --> 00:11:33,955 Speaker 1: and his fellow conservatives are warning not just Tanya Chutkin, 169 00:11:33,995 --> 00:11:36,475 Speaker 1: who does not need this warning, but all the judges 170 00:11:37,075 --> 00:11:41,235 Speaker 1: that to listen to this argument is to subvert the Constitution. 171 00:11:41,995 --> 00:11:49,035 Speaker 1: It is essentially to incite rebellion against the Constitution. And 172 00:11:49,115 --> 00:11:53,155 Speaker 1: speaking of that, the Fourteenth Amendment test case in Colorado, 173 00:11:53,195 --> 00:11:56,915 Speaker 1: mocked by Trump, mocked by his MAGA cult, mocked even 174 00:11:56,955 --> 00:11:58,915 Speaker 1: by many liberals and most of the media. In the 175 00:11:58,955 --> 00:12:02,075 Speaker 1: media's case, because it includes the number fourteen, which is 176 00:12:02,155 --> 00:12:06,475 Speaker 1: higher than most of the media can count, it lives. 177 00:12:07,395 --> 00:12:10,595 Speaker 1: The Colorado District Judge Sarah Wallace has not only ruled 178 00:12:10,595 --> 00:12:13,075 Speaker 1: against Trump's bid to dismiss it, but she's taken his 179 00:12:13,355 --> 00:12:16,475 Speaker 1: three separate motions and rubbed them in his face. No, 180 00:12:17,155 --> 00:12:19,555 Speaker 1: it is not clear that the fourteenth Amendment does not 181 00:12:19,715 --> 00:12:22,155 Speaker 1: give the Colorado Secretary of State the right to block 182 00:12:22,195 --> 00:12:25,915 Speaker 1: Trump from the ballot in her state. No, Colorado law 183 00:12:25,955 --> 00:12:29,635 Speaker 1: does not give political parties rather than the state, the 184 00:12:29,635 --> 00:12:31,715 Speaker 1: final say on who is on the ballot and who 185 00:12:31,755 --> 00:12:35,115 Speaker 1: is not. And no, it is not just the federal government. 186 00:12:35,435 --> 00:12:38,475 Speaker 1: The state does too have the right to disqualify a 187 00:12:38,515 --> 00:12:43,315 Speaker 1: candidate who is quote constitutionally prohibited from assuming office. And 188 00:12:43,595 --> 00:12:48,755 Speaker 1: just to really pound this into Trump's groin, the then 189 00:12:48,795 --> 00:12:51,875 Speaker 1: appeals court judge whose opinion she quotes on that last 190 00:12:51,915 --> 00:13:00,475 Speaker 1: point is Neil Gorsich. So, mister Trump, anything else you'd 191 00:13:00,515 --> 00:13:25,075 Speaker 1: like to be wrong about today? Thank you, Nancy Faust. 192 00:13:25,515 --> 00:13:28,115 Speaker 1: Update from the Atlanta trial, or as we call it now, 193 00:13:28,315 --> 00:13:32,875 Speaker 1: let's make a plea deal. Kenny the Cheese Kenneth Chessbro 194 00:13:33,315 --> 00:13:36,035 Speaker 1: followed Sydney Powell to the altar with Fannie Willis and 195 00:13:36,035 --> 00:13:38,075 Speaker 1: the stark reality that no matter what his lawyer says 196 00:13:38,075 --> 00:13:42,035 Speaker 1: about how his guilty plea implicated only himself, Chesbro has 197 00:13:42,155 --> 00:13:47,155 Speaker 1: in fact garrotted Donald Trump. He has admitted confessed pleaded 198 00:13:47,155 --> 00:13:51,315 Speaker 1: guilty to count fifteen by saying, under oath and on 199 00:13:51,635 --> 00:13:56,075 Speaker 1: tape that the fake electors were fake and their quote 200 00:13:56,115 --> 00:13:59,355 Speaker 1: purpose was to quote disrupt and delay the joint session 201 00:13:59,395 --> 00:14:02,995 Speaker 1: of Congress of January sixth, twenty twenty one, which is 202 00:14:03,035 --> 00:14:05,955 Speaker 1: pretty much the entirety of Jack Smith. This entire election 203 00:14:06,075 --> 00:14:10,515 Speaker 1: subversion case reduced to as few words as possible. Lock 204 00:14:10,595 --> 00:14:14,035 Speaker 1: them up. Also, Trump has been caught in a slam 205 00:14:14,115 --> 00:14:17,675 Speaker 1: dunk lie about the Kraken weirdo. He now claims online 206 00:14:17,915 --> 00:14:21,395 Speaker 1: miss Powell was not my attorney and never was, a 207 00:14:21,475 --> 00:14:23,875 Speaker 1: sentence which by itself may be further evidence of his 208 00:14:23,955 --> 00:14:27,435 Speaker 1: recent mental decline. Miss Powell was not my attorney and 209 00:14:27,555 --> 00:14:32,235 Speaker 1: never was. If the video of Rudy Giuliani introducing her 210 00:14:32,315 --> 00:14:35,635 Speaker 1: as one of Trump's attorneys were not sufficient nor direct enough. 211 00:14:35,715 --> 00:14:39,475 Speaker 1: On November fourteenth, twenty twenty, Trump tweeted, quote Rudy Giuliani, 212 00:14:39,675 --> 00:14:44,835 Speaker 1: Joseph de Jenneva, Victoria Tensing, Sidney Powell, and Jenna ellis 213 00:14:45,075 --> 00:14:48,755 Speaker 1: a truly great team, added to our other wonderful lawyers 214 00:14:48,755 --> 00:14:56,315 Speaker 1: and representatives. If you've missed this. Trump's attitude meantimes towards 215 00:14:56,315 --> 00:14:59,035 Speaker 1: the two gag orders rather resemble somebody who thinks he 216 00:14:59,075 --> 00:15:02,035 Speaker 1: can walk across hot coals without knowing the one weird 217 00:15:02,195 --> 00:15:06,795 Speaker 1: trick to survive. Judge Chutkin has tabled the gag order 218 00:15:06,835 --> 00:15:09,195 Speaker 1: in the Washington case while Trump tries to get another 219 00:15:09,235 --> 00:15:12,315 Speaker 1: court to overturn it. Trump may still have managed to 220 00:15:12,395 --> 00:15:15,275 Speaker 1: violate it because the order forbids him from public comments 221 00:15:15,315 --> 00:15:18,515 Speaker 1: about the prosecutor, and he of course called him deranged 222 00:15:18,595 --> 00:15:21,995 Speaker 1: again on Sunday, but in connection with the Florida documents case. 223 00:15:22,875 --> 00:15:25,635 Speaker 1: While denying he gave away secrets about our nuclear submarines 224 00:15:25,635 --> 00:15:30,435 Speaker 1: to the Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt, whom Trump dismissed with 225 00:15:30,595 --> 00:15:33,555 Speaker 1: as Freudian a line as he has ever composed. Trump 226 00:15:33,635 --> 00:15:39,035 Speaker 1: called Pratt quote a red haired weirdo. He was also 227 00:15:39,115 --> 00:15:42,035 Speaker 1: fined by Judge Ngeron for violating the New York gag 228 00:15:42,115 --> 00:15:43,955 Speaker 1: order by leaving up an image of the doxing of 229 00:15:43,955 --> 00:15:47,915 Speaker 1: Engeron's court clerk. It was only a fine because Ngeron 230 00:15:48,195 --> 00:15:50,315 Speaker 1: more or less had to buy the lawyer's claim that 231 00:15:50,355 --> 00:15:52,275 Speaker 1: it was not taken down. It was only up there 232 00:15:52,315 --> 00:15:58,275 Speaker 1: by accident, this time the first time, and Trump naturally 233 00:15:58,315 --> 00:16:01,555 Speaker 1: responded to this by then posting a video clip of 234 00:16:01,595 --> 00:16:04,475 Speaker 1: anger On with somebody else's note that quote in two thousand, 235 00:16:04,475 --> 00:16:06,635 Speaker 1: five fifteen, the judge from the Trump case gave a 236 00:16:06,715 --> 00:16:09,475 Speaker 1: lecture to some college students. It's scary to think the 237 00:16:09,515 --> 00:16:15,795 Speaker 1: amount of power this lunatic currently has unquote, span the 238 00:16:15,835 --> 00:16:19,915 Speaker 1: gag order. Judge anger On, mark my words on this. 239 00:16:20,675 --> 00:16:23,355 Speaker 1: It is going to happen. It is going to happen 240 00:16:23,395 --> 00:16:26,915 Speaker 1: sooner than we're prepared for. Judge anger On or Judge Chutkin, 241 00:16:27,035 --> 00:16:28,995 Speaker 1: or even Judge Cannon, who has a limited gag order 242 00:16:28,995 --> 00:16:31,275 Speaker 1: in the Florida case too. One of them is going 243 00:16:31,275 --> 00:16:35,075 Speaker 1: to at minimum ordered Trump into court and face to 244 00:16:35,075 --> 00:16:41,675 Speaker 1: face threatened to jail him unless he immediately grovels. And 245 00:16:41,715 --> 00:16:45,235 Speaker 1: I don't know what happens when he refuses to grovel. 246 00:16:49,395 --> 00:16:53,115 Speaker 1: One more thing, never try to outguess. Margo goes the 247 00:16:53,155 --> 00:16:56,835 Speaker 1: line from the movie classic All about Eve, the latest newest. 248 00:16:56,875 --> 00:16:59,115 Speaker 1: This may have already changed by the time you hear this. 249 00:16:59,435 --> 00:17:01,595 Speaker 1: Likely Republican nominee for a Speaker of the House is 250 00:17:01,675 --> 00:17:04,995 Speaker 1: Tom Emmer, whom I mentioned here weeks ago as the 251 00:17:05,155 --> 00:17:07,235 Speaker 1: likeliest one to take over if they really did pull 252 00:17:07,275 --> 00:17:11,155 Speaker 1: at Julius Caesar on McCarthy. Emmer has a problem, though 253 00:17:11,155 --> 00:17:15,035 Speaker 1: there are nine candidates for this job, which means the 254 00:17:15,075 --> 00:17:20,355 Speaker 1: Republicans may be electing their twelfth choice, and only two 255 00:17:20,395 --> 00:17:23,155 Speaker 1: of the nine did not try to help Trump overthrow 256 00:17:23,195 --> 00:17:26,555 Speaker 1: democracy by voting to not certify the twenty twenty election. 257 00:17:26,955 --> 00:17:30,275 Speaker 1: Emmer is one of the two. Trump said something yesterday 258 00:17:30,315 --> 00:17:32,635 Speaker 1: about how he and Emmer had always worked well together, 259 00:17:32,995 --> 00:17:35,995 Speaker 1: and Emmer immediately retweeted video of it, and in the 260 00:17:36,035 --> 00:17:39,915 Speaker 1: process he kissed Trump's ample ass, and Trump's surrogates immediately 261 00:17:39,915 --> 00:17:42,315 Speaker 1: turned around and began to circulate a two hundred and 262 00:17:42,395 --> 00:17:49,675 Speaker 1: sixteen page book of oppo research against Tom Emmer. Never 263 00:17:49,875 --> 00:17:54,635 Speaker 1: try to outguess, Margo. It is not true that all 264 00:17:54,715 --> 00:17:57,355 Speaker 1: eighty six Republicans who voted by secret ballot last week 265 00:17:57,355 --> 00:18:00,155 Speaker 1: to ditch Jim Jordan as nominee number two did not 266 00:18:00,275 --> 00:18:02,835 Speaker 1: support him, or did not support Trump, or feel like 267 00:18:02,835 --> 00:18:06,315 Speaker 1: they're losing their minds as well as theirs by participating 268 00:18:06,355 --> 00:18:09,275 Speaker 1: in this ongoing conspiracy to turn the nation into an 269 00:18:09,275 --> 00:18:15,315 Speaker 1: authoritarian state like the one ruled by Urban Meyer in Turkey. 270 00:18:16,635 --> 00:18:19,715 Speaker 1: But I keep wondering if there are enough in that 271 00:18:19,835 --> 00:18:26,515 Speaker 1: Republican caucus who really have had enough to alter history. 272 00:18:27,115 --> 00:18:29,875 Speaker 1: Two hundred and seventeen votes are needed to elect the 273 00:18:29,915 --> 00:18:33,235 Speaker 1: next speaker. No Republicans going to get that right now, 274 00:18:34,235 --> 00:18:41,275 Speaker 1: five moderate Republicans or just five exhausted Republicans leaving their 275 00:18:41,355 --> 00:18:44,435 Speaker 1: party not to join the Democrats, but to form a 276 00:18:44,475 --> 00:18:48,275 Speaker 1: third party and establish an ad hoc temporary coalition with 277 00:18:48,355 --> 00:18:53,315 Speaker 1: the Democrats. Five Republicans could basically choose one of their 278 00:18:53,435 --> 00:18:58,755 Speaker 1: own to be the next speaker. It is not anything 279 00:18:58,795 --> 00:19:00,715 Speaker 1: more than the longest of long shots. But there are 280 00:19:00,755 --> 00:19:03,675 Speaker 1: easily five out of those eighty six who sank Jim Jordan, 281 00:19:03,795 --> 00:19:05,675 Speaker 1: who would do it if they thought they could get 282 00:19:05,715 --> 00:19:09,235 Speaker 1: reelected anyway. Hell, there are ten of those. There may 283 00:19:09,275 --> 00:19:12,315 Speaker 1: be twenty, there may be fifty. And if and when 284 00:19:12,315 --> 00:19:15,275 Speaker 1: they start thinking that way and acting upon it, the 285 00:19:15,435 --> 00:19:18,955 Speaker 1: GOP will have become the party it replaced in the 286 00:19:19,075 --> 00:19:24,035 Speaker 1: eighteen fifties. As late as eighteen fifty two, the President 287 00:19:24,115 --> 00:19:28,915 Speaker 1: of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was a member of 288 00:19:28,955 --> 00:19:35,595 Speaker 1: and in fact the leader of, the Whig Party. By 289 00:19:35,635 --> 00:19:39,355 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty six, Fillmore would finish third in the presidential election, 290 00:19:39,435 --> 00:19:42,915 Speaker 1: and he got eight electoral votes. By eighteen sixty it 291 00:19:42,955 --> 00:19:45,395 Speaker 1: was a four man presidential race, and not one of 292 00:19:45,395 --> 00:19:49,715 Speaker 1: them identified as a member of the Whig Party. This 293 00:19:49,955 --> 00:19:56,195 Speaker 1: is how things change, personal desperation, some actual patriotism, and 294 00:19:56,235 --> 00:19:58,915 Speaker 1: their growing awareness that no matter what the American political 295 00:19:58,955 --> 00:20:02,435 Speaker 1: landscape looks like right now, if you are a Republican, 296 00:20:02,635 --> 00:20:06,875 Speaker 1: the fact of Donald Trump's increased madness and decreasing connection 297 00:20:06,955 --> 00:20:11,315 Speaker 1: to reality and ever inflating chances of disqualification and conviction 298 00:20:11,635 --> 00:20:16,755 Speaker 1: and prison. With all that being true, you members of 299 00:20:16,755 --> 00:20:28,035 Speaker 1: the Republican Party have shackled yourself to a corpse. Also 300 00:20:28,075 --> 00:20:30,195 Speaker 1: of interest here, so you've heard about the desire among 301 00:20:30,235 --> 00:20:33,275 Speaker 1: Trump supporters to build a wall to keep out immigrants, 302 00:20:33,875 --> 00:20:40,635 Speaker 1: a wall along the Atlantic, Yes, a wall on the 303 00:20:40,675 --> 00:20:44,555 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean. There's a novel explanation from a congressman for 304 00:20:44,595 --> 00:20:47,275 Speaker 1: those death threats against the representatives who did not vote 305 00:20:47,275 --> 00:20:50,715 Speaker 1: for Jim Jordan. That is, they deserve the death threats. 306 00:20:51,675 --> 00:20:55,675 Speaker 1: And if you thought you had free will, no doubt 307 00:20:56,515 --> 00:21:00,715 Speaker 1: in fact thinking you have free will, that's not even 308 00:21:00,795 --> 00:21:05,435 Speaker 1: your choice. You were destined to think that, says a 309 00:21:05,555 --> 00:21:12,235 Speaker 1: Stanford neurobiologist. Science. That's next. This is countdown. 310 00:21:13,555 --> 00:21:17,475 Speaker 2: This is countdown with Keith Alboman. 311 00:21:24,355 --> 00:21:29,155 Speaker 1: Postscripts to the news. Still ahead on countdown worst persons 312 00:21:29,155 --> 00:21:32,115 Speaker 1: in the world, and you have no free will for 313 00:21:32,355 --> 00:21:35,435 Speaker 1: something different? Today a Trumpian flashback of sorts. Let me 314 00:21:35,475 --> 00:21:38,035 Speaker 1: try this, See how you like this, and maybe I 315 00:21:38,075 --> 00:21:40,275 Speaker 1: will work it in from time to time. I just 316 00:21:40,395 --> 00:21:44,275 Speaker 1: read this piece again and I realized what a perfect 317 00:21:44,315 --> 00:21:48,195 Speaker 1: harbinger of the stupidity of the Confederacy of Dunces that 318 00:21:48,315 --> 00:21:52,195 Speaker 1: was ahead for us. This was my GQ commentary from 319 00:21:52,235 --> 00:21:57,435 Speaker 1: the sixth of September two thy sixteen. The title was 320 00:21:58,155 --> 00:22:04,795 Speaker 1: The Atlantic Wall, and I present it virtually unchanged. If 321 00:22:04,835 --> 00:22:07,315 Speaker 1: you watch the speeches, if you read the tweets, if 322 00:22:07,315 --> 00:22:11,555 Speaker 1: you survived the debate, you probably saw something obvious and disqualifying, 323 00:22:11,635 --> 00:22:15,115 Speaker 1: like when Sniffy Trump went after Rosy O'Donnell, or he 324 00:22:15,115 --> 00:22:18,195 Speaker 1: said we can't defend Japan, or he gave his string 325 00:22:18,235 --> 00:22:20,315 Speaker 1: of answers in which he did not deny his tax 326 00:22:20,355 --> 00:22:22,835 Speaker 1: returns would show that he didn't pay anything, and then 327 00:22:22,875 --> 00:22:25,115 Speaker 1: he said that made him smart, and then he said 328 00:22:25,195 --> 00:22:27,075 Speaker 1: that if he had paid them, they would have just 329 00:22:27,115 --> 00:22:30,915 Speaker 1: been squandered. And as the post debate polls now come 330 00:22:30,915 --> 00:22:34,075 Speaker 1: out in force, you are probably saying, what, how, how 331 00:22:34,155 --> 00:22:37,835 Speaker 1: is the margin not bigger. It's because some people saw 332 00:22:37,915 --> 00:22:41,115 Speaker 1: in that debate, in those speeches, in that hatred and stupidity, 333 00:22:41,555 --> 00:22:50,275 Speaker 1: their ideal president. Why how huh? The answer is in 334 00:22:50,315 --> 00:22:53,395 Speaker 1: something that was not addressed in that debate Monday, the 335 00:22:53,475 --> 00:22:59,955 Speaker 1: Trump wall. Ah, not that wall, the other wall. There 336 00:23:00,115 --> 00:23:03,355 Speaker 1: is another wall, and it may be the most undercovered 337 00:23:03,395 --> 00:23:06,435 Speaker 1: slice of madness in it is ceaseless fifteen months of 338 00:23:06,595 --> 00:23:12,915 Speaker 1: electoral id P p P Public policy polling is one 339 00:23:12,955 --> 00:23:15,435 Speaker 1: of the few players in the kafka esque farce to 340 00:23:15,475 --> 00:23:17,955 Speaker 1: have maintained some sense of humor. It will ask who 341 00:23:17,995 --> 00:23:19,835 Speaker 1: you are voting for, but it will also ask do 342 00:23:19,835 --> 00:23:22,435 Speaker 1: you have a higher opinion of Donald Trump or of 343 00:23:22,555 --> 00:23:26,795 Speaker 1: middle seats on airplanes? Middle seats win by the way, 344 00:23:26,835 --> 00:23:29,595 Speaker 1: forty five to forty two. And in one poll it 345 00:23:29,715 --> 00:23:36,035 Speaker 1: asked question twelve, and question twelve reads, would you support 346 00:23:36,155 --> 00:23:43,275 Speaker 1: or oppose building a wall along the Atlantic Ocean to 347 00:23:43,475 --> 00:23:50,955 Speaker 1: keep Muslims from entering the country from the Middle East? No, No, 348 00:23:51,035 --> 00:23:53,835 Speaker 1: you did not just hallucinate that, But yes, we should 349 00:23:53,915 --> 00:23:56,635 Speaker 1: look at that one again. Question number twelve, would you 350 00:23:56,755 --> 00:24:02,195 Speaker 1: support or oppose building along the Atlantic Ocean to keep 351 00:24:02,275 --> 00:24:06,835 Speaker 1: Muslims from entering the country from the Middle East. As 352 00:24:06,835 --> 00:24:09,235 Speaker 1: you know, there is only one correct answer to that question, 353 00:24:09,315 --> 00:24:11,915 Speaker 1: and that answer is are you out of your goddamned mind. 354 00:24:12,835 --> 00:24:15,835 Speaker 1: But are you out of your goddamned mind? Was not 355 00:24:15,955 --> 00:24:18,635 Speaker 1: one of the choices for the answer. It was yes, no, 356 00:24:18,755 --> 00:24:23,595 Speaker 1: We're not sure. And this is how those participants identifying 357 00:24:23,635 --> 00:24:26,315 Speaker 1: themselves as Trump supporters came out on this vital question 358 00:24:26,435 --> 00:24:30,595 Speaker 1: of the other Trump wall. Thirty one percent said yes 359 00:24:31,355 --> 00:24:35,115 Speaker 1: they were in favor of an Atlantic wall to keep 360 00:24:35,115 --> 00:24:38,755 Speaker 1: out the Muslims. Fifty two percent said they were not. 361 00:24:39,515 --> 00:24:47,035 Speaker 1: Seventeen percent said not sure. A wall to keep Muslims 362 00:24:47,075 --> 00:24:57,355 Speaker 1: from entering this country via the Atlantic? How how are they? 363 00:24:58,035 --> 00:25:01,235 Speaker 1: I can barely ask the question, how are they supposedly 364 00:25:01,315 --> 00:25:06,035 Speaker 1: breaching our present Atlantic fortifications roboving in from Syria? Are 365 00:25:06,075 --> 00:25:10,315 Speaker 1: they swimming from the isis infected region of Mullenbeck in 366 00:25:10,395 --> 00:25:16,275 Speaker 1: Antwerp straight to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? Even assuming some 367 00:25:16,475 --> 00:25:19,675 Speaker 1: spark of humanity and intelligence among these thirty one percent 368 00:25:19,715 --> 00:25:22,675 Speaker 1: of Trump supporters getting from so called Islamic state to 369 00:25:22,755 --> 00:25:25,515 Speaker 1: Cuba somehow and then coming up from Cuba on a 370 00:25:25,555 --> 00:25:29,635 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty one Chevy pickup truck repurposed into an ocean 371 00:25:29,675 --> 00:25:31,835 Speaker 1: going vessel. Is that how they're going to get here? 372 00:25:34,115 --> 00:25:36,635 Speaker 1: The more you think about this question, and the nearly 373 00:25:36,675 --> 00:25:39,835 Speaker 1: one in three Trump supporters who don't know enough about geography, 374 00:25:39,915 --> 00:25:42,315 Speaker 1: or not enough about construction, or not enough about how 375 00:25:42,355 --> 00:25:45,155 Speaker 1: deep the water in the ocean might be, were not 376 00:25:45,315 --> 00:25:49,235 Speaker 1: enough about you know, life, the less loll worthy it 377 00:25:49,315 --> 00:25:51,635 Speaker 1: gets and the more it tanks on a shape resembling 378 00:25:51,635 --> 00:25:55,755 Speaker 1: the entirety of Donald Trump's campaign. Start with a threat 379 00:25:55,755 --> 00:25:58,715 Speaker 1: that exists only in theory. Since nine to eleven, no 380 00:25:58,875 --> 00:26:01,075 Speaker 1: act of terrorism has been conducted in this country by 381 00:26:01,115 --> 00:26:03,955 Speaker 1: people who are here illegally. Add to that a non 382 00:26:03,995 --> 00:26:07,235 Speaker 1: existent parent nnoid fever. The terrorists are streaming into this 383 00:26:07,275 --> 00:26:10,395 Speaker 1: country from every corner, multiply all of it by fear 384 00:26:10,515 --> 00:26:14,155 Speaker 1: and an unthinking desire for mindless revenge, and a demagogue 385 00:26:14,235 --> 00:26:16,795 Speaker 1: happy to exploit it so he can take over this country. 386 00:26:16,995 --> 00:26:19,315 Speaker 1: And you get question twelve. Do you support an Atlantic 387 00:26:19,395 --> 00:26:21,555 Speaker 1: wall to keep out the Muslims? Yes, thirty one percent. 388 00:26:24,235 --> 00:26:28,315 Speaker 1: Let me be clear, Donald Trump has never actually proposed 389 00:26:28,715 --> 00:26:32,435 Speaker 1: building a wall along the Atlantic, which would have to 390 00:26:32,435 --> 00:26:36,715 Speaker 1: be two thousand and sixty nine miles long or ten 391 00:26:36,835 --> 00:26:39,795 Speaker 1: times that long. If you wanted to be really safe, 392 00:26:39,835 --> 00:26:42,875 Speaker 1: and you wanted to block off all the rivers and 393 00:26:42,955 --> 00:26:46,035 Speaker 1: lakes and the other bodies of water that connect to 394 00:26:46,275 --> 00:26:50,435 Speaker 1: the Atlantic. He is not proposed destroying every beach and 395 00:26:50,515 --> 00:26:52,835 Speaker 1: every harbor, and every marina and every dock and every 396 00:26:52,835 --> 00:26:55,075 Speaker 1: pier and every bit of shipping and every business and 397 00:26:55,115 --> 00:26:58,635 Speaker 1: every city dependent on tourism and beach goers. He didn't 398 00:26:58,675 --> 00:27:01,355 Speaker 1: say it. The people who want to vote for him 399 00:27:01,395 --> 00:27:06,515 Speaker 1: said it. Wall off Miami, all of Florida, Georgia, the 400 00:27:06,595 --> 00:27:10,835 Speaker 1: Carolina is, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, 401 00:27:10,915 --> 00:27:15,355 Speaker 1: New Hampshire, Vermont. In May two than sixty nine miles. 402 00:27:16,555 --> 00:27:19,755 Speaker 1: They don't like immigrants, they don't like anybody who's not white. 403 00:27:19,995 --> 00:27:22,475 Speaker 1: They don't like facts, and they don't like things they 404 00:27:22,515 --> 00:27:24,835 Speaker 1: don't understand, and they don't like Hillary Clinton. And that's 405 00:27:24,835 --> 00:27:27,715 Speaker 1: why he's still in the race. He is, indeed their 406 00:27:27,795 --> 00:27:33,315 Speaker 1: ideal president. What we do about their proud, defiant stupidity 407 00:27:34,715 --> 00:27:38,435 Speaker 1: short of finding these thirty one percent to want an 408 00:27:38,515 --> 00:27:45,555 Speaker 1: Atlantic wall to keep out surfboarding Muslims in burkinis finding 409 00:27:45,555 --> 00:27:47,475 Speaker 1: the thirty one percent and forcing them back to the 410 00:27:47,475 --> 00:27:49,795 Speaker 1: second grade to start all over again. What to do 411 00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:53,235 Speaker 1: other than that, I don't know. But between now and 412 00:27:53,355 --> 00:27:58,195 Speaker 1: November eight do not count them or him out. Trump 413 00:27:58,275 --> 00:28:00,795 Speaker 1: and his idiot supporters do not know the meaning of 414 00:28:00,795 --> 00:28:05,715 Speaker 1: the word beaten. Well, actually, they don't know the meaning 415 00:28:05,755 --> 00:28:11,715 Speaker 1: of a lot of words, and therein lies the problem. 416 00:28:11,835 --> 00:28:18,555 Speaker 1: The Atlantic Wall GQ, September sixth, twenty sixteen. I wish 417 00:28:18,995 --> 00:28:34,435 Speaker 1: it wasn't quite as prophetic as it turned out to be. 418 00:28:46,115 --> 00:28:49,435 Speaker 1: Still ahead on countdown. The World Series starts Friday. In 419 00:28:49,475 --> 00:28:50,915 Speaker 1: the old days, they used to make sure the World 420 00:28:50,995 --> 00:28:54,035 Speaker 1: Series always skipped Fridays because that was the lowest rated 421 00:28:54,115 --> 00:28:56,795 Speaker 1: night for TV. Now, of course it doesn't matter. After 422 00:28:56,835 --> 00:28:58,995 Speaker 1: they beat the Phillies five to one yesterday to tie 423 00:28:59,035 --> 00:29:03,155 Speaker 1: the NL Championship Series, we could still have the Arizona 424 00:29:03,275 --> 00:29:06,275 Speaker 1: Diamondbacks in the world, in which case the TV audience 425 00:29:06,355 --> 00:29:08,795 Speaker 1: might not average ten million a night. And as I 426 00:29:08,915 --> 00:29:10,715 Speaker 1: like to mention every once in a while, in nineteen 427 00:29:10,755 --> 00:29:12,955 Speaker 1: eighty the average was like forty three million a night 428 00:29:13,835 --> 00:29:15,795 Speaker 1: in a country it was only two thirds as large 429 00:29:15,795 --> 00:29:18,635 Speaker 1: as this one. Anyway, this means I should tell you 430 00:29:18,675 --> 00:29:21,355 Speaker 1: the Roger Clemens Mike Piazza broken bat story from the 431 00:29:21,395 --> 00:29:24,315 Speaker 1: two thousand World Series twenty three years ago this past Sunday, 432 00:29:24,355 --> 00:29:26,275 Speaker 1: and I should do it before the baseball season is 433 00:29:26,315 --> 00:29:31,755 Speaker 1: for all intents and purposes over first time for the 434 00:29:31,835 --> 00:29:34,395 Speaker 1: daily roundup of the miss Grants Morons Undonning Kruger Effect 435 00:29:34,395 --> 00:29:38,555 Speaker 1: specimens who constitute today's worst persons of the Wroom. The 436 00:29:38,595 --> 00:29:45,275 Speaker 1: Bronze Maha Dakiel, Tom Cruise's agent, demoted by her agency CAA. 437 00:29:45,435 --> 00:29:49,235 Speaker 1: She was head of Motion Pictures there co head after 438 00:29:49,315 --> 00:29:52,075 Speaker 1: she reposted an Instagram story about the Middle East War 439 00:29:52,115 --> 00:29:56,555 Speaker 1: with the notation quote you're currently learning who supports genocide? Unquote. 440 00:29:56,715 --> 00:29:59,995 Speaker 1: Dakiel then posted a fulsome apology, fulsome to the point 441 00:29:59,995 --> 00:30:02,995 Speaker 1: of unbelievable. I made a mistake with a repost in 442 00:30:03,075 --> 00:30:07,875 Speaker 1: my Instagram story which you used hurtful language. I'm sorry 443 00:30:07,915 --> 00:30:11,475 Speaker 1: for the pain I have caused. Choice of words is important, etc. 444 00:30:12,155 --> 00:30:13,355 Speaker 2: Etc. Etc. 445 00:30:15,315 --> 00:30:18,315 Speaker 1: Yes, she didn't know what genocide means. Oh, that's what 446 00:30:18,395 --> 00:30:20,075 Speaker 1: it means. I don't know. It was like gen X 447 00:30:20,315 --> 00:30:24,875 Speaker 1: or gen z jen o side. Here's a question your 448 00:30:24,915 --> 00:30:28,315 Speaker 1: Cruise or your Reese Witherspoon or one of our other clients, 449 00:30:28,795 --> 00:30:30,995 Speaker 1: and you want to deal with this being asked of 450 00:30:31,035 --> 00:30:36,035 Speaker 1: you for the rest of your career. The runners up 451 00:30:36,115 --> 00:30:40,675 Speaker 1: It's a tie. Robert Sepolski. He is a Stanford neurobiologist. 452 00:30:40,755 --> 00:30:42,515 Speaker 1: And know he did not say something stupid about the 453 00:30:42,555 --> 00:30:44,715 Speaker 1: war or swerve out of his lane. Apparently he's a 454 00:30:44,755 --> 00:30:47,435 Speaker 1: great guy. All he said was that after forty years 455 00:30:47,435 --> 00:30:51,235 Speaker 1: of studying human behavior from that almost chromosome level, he's 456 00:30:51,235 --> 00:30:53,915 Speaker 1: got bad news for you. There is no free will. 457 00:30:55,115 --> 00:30:57,635 Speaker 1: If you drive a car into a crowd of protesters, 458 00:30:57,675 --> 00:31:00,635 Speaker 1: it's the same as having a heart attack, losing control 459 00:31:00,675 --> 00:31:04,075 Speaker 1: of the car and driving into the protesters just the same. 460 00:31:05,035 --> 00:31:07,355 Speaker 1: Or in the example that he used, if you go 461 00:31:07,435 --> 00:31:09,515 Speaker 1: into his office and pick up a pen on his desk, 462 00:31:09,835 --> 00:31:13,355 Speaker 1: it's actually just the inevitable result of an endless series 463 00:31:13,515 --> 00:31:17,835 Speaker 1: of centuries of what amount to biological algorithms that predisposed 464 00:31:17,875 --> 00:31:20,795 Speaker 1: you to do that. Thus, there are no morals, there 465 00:31:20,835 --> 00:31:24,755 Speaker 1: are no ethics, no God, and well, look on the 466 00:31:24,755 --> 00:31:29,035 Speaker 1: bright side. At least this explains Rudy Giuliani, and maybe 467 00:31:29,035 --> 00:31:32,715 Speaker 1: it explains the co runner up, Congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio. 468 00:31:32,955 --> 00:31:35,755 Speaker 1: According to punch Bowl News, at the last Jim Jordan 469 00:31:35,835 --> 00:31:38,355 Speaker 1: meeting with the holdouts who ultimately sank Jordan's bid to 470 00:31:38,395 --> 00:31:41,915 Speaker 1: become speaker, Congressman Davidson explained that it was not Jordan 471 00:31:42,035 --> 00:31:46,075 Speaker 1: or his team's fault that those representatives were getting death threats, 472 00:31:46,595 --> 00:31:49,755 Speaker 1: quoting the report. They are getting the death threats, he said, 473 00:31:50,195 --> 00:31:56,835 Speaker 1: because they voted against Jordan. But our winner is the 474 00:31:56,875 --> 00:32:02,035 Speaker 1: in stadium experience team for Michigan State University. No, these 475 00:32:02,035 --> 00:32:04,315 Speaker 1: people are not responsible for the team's two and five 476 00:32:04,355 --> 00:32:07,915 Speaker 1: record this year, which suddenly looks like a highlight. But 477 00:32:08,115 --> 00:32:11,275 Speaker 1: somebody did decide, and the school then decided to suspend 478 00:32:11,275 --> 00:32:14,515 Speaker 1: that somebody to fill those down times before the game 479 00:32:14,595 --> 00:32:18,515 Speaker 1: began with content that was just lifted from the YouTube product, 480 00:32:18,875 --> 00:32:22,275 Speaker 1: the quiz Channel, which they put on the scoreboard at 481 00:32:22,275 --> 00:32:24,995 Speaker 1: the stadium. A series of historical trivia questions, all of 482 00:32:24,995 --> 00:32:28,715 Speaker 1: which seem fine if you're online and you're not posting 483 00:32:28,795 --> 00:32:31,315 Speaker 1: them on the scoreboard at a stadium that seats seventy 484 00:32:31,435 --> 00:32:36,595 Speaker 1: five thousand people in the middle of an Israel Hamas war, 485 00:32:37,035 --> 00:32:39,915 Speaker 1: So that when the trivia question what country was Adolph 486 00:32:39,995 --> 00:32:42,755 Speaker 1: Hitler born in? Pops up and with it comes a 487 00:32:42,795 --> 00:32:46,155 Speaker 1: giant picture of Hitler on the football scoreboard, thousands of 488 00:32:46,155 --> 00:32:49,155 Speaker 1: people don't gasp and assume maybe they're having some sort 489 00:32:49,195 --> 00:32:53,915 Speaker 1: of trumpy and mental episode. Michigan State is very sorry 490 00:32:53,955 --> 00:32:56,675 Speaker 1: for the use of Hitler's picture, and they also won't 491 00:32:56,675 --> 00:33:01,355 Speaker 1: steal the quiz Channel material again to put on their scoreboard, 492 00:33:02,115 --> 00:33:05,235 Speaker 1: So sadly you will not see any of these questions 493 00:33:05,275 --> 00:33:10,555 Speaker 1: when they host Nebraska on November fourth. What was vladbam 494 00:33:10,635 --> 00:33:15,235 Speaker 1: Palor's favorite cocktail? Who were Stalin's backup singers on his 495 00:33:15,275 --> 00:33:21,755 Speaker 1: famous cover of Midnight in Moscow? Generalissimo Francisco Franco auditioned 496 00:33:21,755 --> 00:33:26,075 Speaker 1: for which classic TV role? And Satan was born on 497 00:33:26,115 --> 00:33:30,035 Speaker 1: the same day as this mighty morphin power ranger? Can 498 00:33:30,075 --> 00:33:36,595 Speaker 1: you name him? Michigan State University Football Stadium? Guys. The 499 00:33:36,675 --> 00:33:43,035 Speaker 1: hashtag for a story like this is fire everybody two days, 500 00:33:43,515 --> 00:34:03,835 Speaker 1: worst persons And it started on the night of October 501 00:34:03,875 --> 00:34:08,515 Speaker 1: twenty second, two thousand and it ended well, I'll let 502 00:34:08,515 --> 00:34:11,035 Speaker 1: you know if and when it ever ends. I was 503 00:34:11,115 --> 00:34:13,635 Speaker 1: enjoying the second night of one of my childhood dreams 504 00:34:13,675 --> 00:34:16,395 Speaker 1: come true. I was the host not just of the 505 00:34:16,435 --> 00:34:19,075 Speaker 1: telecast of the world series, but it was an all 506 00:34:19,195 --> 00:34:22,715 Speaker 1: New York City series, a Mets versus Yankee series, a 507 00:34:22,795 --> 00:34:27,235 Speaker 1: Subway series. I'd literally dreamt of it since nineteen sixty seven. 508 00:34:27,795 --> 00:34:30,595 Speaker 1: The manager of the Yankees had been the first person 509 00:34:30,635 --> 00:34:34,155 Speaker 1: I ever interviewed on TV fifteen years earlier. I had 510 00:34:34,155 --> 00:34:36,835 Speaker 1: worked with him in TV. He was a friend of mine. 511 00:34:37,555 --> 00:34:39,955 Speaker 1: I had just covered the Mets through their playoff run 512 00:34:39,995 --> 00:34:42,555 Speaker 1: and knew all of their players. My face had been 513 00:34:42,595 --> 00:34:45,275 Speaker 1: on an advertisement in dead center field in the Mets 514 00:34:45,315 --> 00:34:48,195 Speaker 1: Stadium for the entirety of the year before, and the 515 00:34:48,235 --> 00:34:52,355 Speaker 1: players all knew me my name. Where we were that night, 516 00:34:52,475 --> 00:34:54,675 Speaker 1: Yankee Stadium was not only where I saw my first 517 00:34:54,675 --> 00:34:57,355 Speaker 1: baseball game, but was about seven eighths of a mile 518 00:34:57,395 --> 00:35:00,035 Speaker 1: from the hospital in which I had been born, and 519 00:35:00,155 --> 00:35:05,675 Speaker 1: my first home was four subway stops away. The night 520 00:35:05,755 --> 00:35:08,035 Speaker 1: before this event, as I hosted the start of the 521 00:35:08,035 --> 00:35:11,315 Speaker 1: first game of this Keith of palooza, I was supposed 522 00:35:11,355 --> 00:35:14,475 Speaker 1: to introduce the public address announcer of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard, 523 00:35:15,075 --> 00:35:18,395 Speaker 1: whose voice I had heard nearly every day since I 524 00:35:18,475 --> 00:35:21,395 Speaker 1: was eight years old, so he could then introduce the 525 00:35:21,395 --> 00:35:23,795 Speaker 1: players and this epic world series would begin. And it 526 00:35:23,875 --> 00:35:26,795 Speaker 1: dawned on me in the seconds before I was supposed 527 00:35:26,795 --> 00:35:29,595 Speaker 1: to do this that I literally had the power to 528 00:35:29,835 --> 00:35:33,235 Speaker 1: stop the two thousand World Series from ever happening if 529 00:35:33,235 --> 00:35:36,755 Speaker 1: I just kept talking and never actually said, here is 530 00:35:36,835 --> 00:35:40,275 Speaker 1: Bob shephard, well, I could delay it briefly until they 531 00:35:40,355 --> 00:35:42,795 Speaker 1: cut my mic off and then fired me on the spot. Anyway, 532 00:35:43,155 --> 00:35:46,355 Speaker 1: this was Game two, and now that our pregame show 533 00:35:46,435 --> 00:35:48,595 Speaker 1: was over, and I had waved to my mother, who 534 00:35:48,595 --> 00:35:51,435 Speaker 1: had seen her first game at Yankee Stadium just ooh 535 00:35:51,595 --> 00:35:54,475 Speaker 1: sixty six years previously, and she was seated in the 536 00:35:54,475 --> 00:35:56,795 Speaker 1: family seats that were just nine rows up from our 537 00:35:56,875 --> 00:36:00,395 Speaker 1: on field set. I had crawled into the position I 538 00:36:00,395 --> 00:36:03,195 Speaker 1: would assume for the entire game as the dugout reporter. 539 00:36:03,555 --> 00:36:06,635 Speaker 1: I was hunched over on a stool squeezed between the 540 00:36:06,675 --> 00:36:09,435 Speaker 1: far end of the Yankee dugout and our Fox Sports 541 00:36:09,475 --> 00:36:13,275 Speaker 1: first base camera. A thin chicken wire fence separated me 542 00:36:13,315 --> 00:36:16,395 Speaker 1: from the dugout himself. In fact, it was a formality. 543 00:36:16,435 --> 00:36:19,115 Speaker 1: I was more or less in the dugout players, coaches, 544 00:36:19,115 --> 00:36:21,115 Speaker 1: and that night, as I settled in, my friend, the 545 00:36:21,195 --> 00:36:25,475 Speaker 1: Yankee manager all came over to say hello, Roger Clemens 546 00:36:25,555 --> 00:36:27,635 Speaker 1: of the Yankees, who I had also known since we 547 00:36:27,635 --> 00:36:30,755 Speaker 1: were both rookies in Boston Sports in nineteen eighty four. 548 00:36:31,275 --> 00:36:35,035 Speaker 1: He lasted, I didn't. Roger Clemens had struck out the 549 00:36:35,035 --> 00:36:38,515 Speaker 1: first two Mets hitters. Clemens was a strange man about 550 00:36:38,515 --> 00:36:40,835 Speaker 1: whom I had heard a strange tale of teammates in 551 00:36:40,875 --> 00:36:44,595 Speaker 1: a college summer baseball league who were all wearing their 552 00:36:44,635 --> 00:36:48,675 Speaker 1: wallets in their uniform pants back pockets during a game 553 00:36:49,315 --> 00:36:51,675 Speaker 1: because one of them explained to a friend of mine, 554 00:36:51,835 --> 00:36:54,795 Speaker 1: we have this crazy kid Clemens from Texas on this team, 555 00:36:54,795 --> 00:36:58,355 Speaker 1: and we don't trust him. In Boston, I had found 556 00:36:58,435 --> 00:37:02,515 Speaker 1: him a little nervous, little standoffish, but doing his best 557 00:37:02,515 --> 00:37:05,875 Speaker 1: to be professional. But by now there were rumors swirling 558 00:37:05,915 --> 00:37:09,795 Speaker 1: around Roger Clemens about amphetamines and performance enhancing drugs, and 559 00:37:09,835 --> 00:37:12,155 Speaker 1: you knew not to talk to him before or after 560 00:37:12,195 --> 00:37:14,475 Speaker 1: a game unless you had to, and if you had to, 561 00:37:14,555 --> 00:37:17,995 Speaker 1: you chose your words very carefully, then made sure that 562 00:37:18,075 --> 00:37:20,795 Speaker 1: whatever you did, you had to start with something mundane, 563 00:37:21,435 --> 00:37:24,195 Speaker 1: like the score of the game, and if you could 564 00:37:24,275 --> 00:37:28,915 Speaker 1: let him bring up anything controversial or complex, he would 565 00:37:28,955 --> 00:37:33,195 Speaker 1: then probably do it. So now, as this game continued, 566 00:37:33,235 --> 00:37:36,075 Speaker 1: after two batters had struck out, Lee Mazzilli, the former 567 00:37:36,155 --> 00:37:39,035 Speaker 1: Mets star now Yankees coach, another friend of mine was 568 00:37:39,035 --> 00:37:41,795 Speaker 1: on the other side of a little fence, and as 569 00:37:41,915 --> 00:37:44,835 Speaker 1: Mets superstar Mike Piazza stepped in as the third batter 570 00:37:44,875 --> 00:37:48,115 Speaker 1: of the game, Mozilly leaned in and said, conspiratorily, let's 571 00:37:48,115 --> 00:37:51,715 Speaker 1: see if Roger flips him again. In Midsummer two thousand, 572 00:37:51,835 --> 00:37:55,515 Speaker 1: Roger Clemens had beamed Mike Piazza with a fastball. There 573 00:37:55,675 --> 00:37:58,755 Speaker 1: was a hospital visit involved. Nobody was convinced it had 574 00:37:58,755 --> 00:38:01,475 Speaker 1: not been intentional, or that Clemens would not do it again, 575 00:38:01,515 --> 00:38:03,995 Speaker 1: even though it was the World Series. Mazilly and I 576 00:38:04,115 --> 00:38:08,395 Speaker 1: leaned for. Piazza was a deeply complicated guy too. During 577 00:38:08,395 --> 00:38:10,195 Speaker 1: the playoffs, he had walked up to me and asked 578 00:38:10,195 --> 00:38:11,755 Speaker 1: me if it was true I was from New York, 579 00:38:11,755 --> 00:38:13,635 Speaker 1: and then he quizzed me about the relative merits of 580 00:38:13,675 --> 00:38:15,555 Speaker 1: the suburbs, and then he wanted to know if I 581 00:38:15,555 --> 00:38:19,475 Speaker 1: had really taken up residence in his favorite southern California hotel. 582 00:38:19,595 --> 00:38:22,355 Speaker 1: And we talked for fifteen minutes about that. The next 583 00:38:22,435 --> 00:38:24,675 Speaker 1: night I saw him, smiled, said Helow, and he looked 584 00:38:24,675 --> 00:38:27,635 Speaker 1: at me like I had just sworn a vendetta against 585 00:38:27,635 --> 00:38:30,795 Speaker 1: his family. For a long time I thought it was me, 586 00:38:31,035 --> 00:38:33,835 Speaker 1: until about ten years later, the Great Vin Scully said 587 00:38:33,875 --> 00:38:36,795 Speaker 1: that Piazza was with the Dodgers, and when they were 588 00:38:36,795 --> 00:38:39,475 Speaker 1: both together there in Los Angeles, Vin had had the 589 00:38:39,515 --> 00:38:42,835 Speaker 1: identical experience with Piazza. Best friends on the team bus 590 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:46,715 Speaker 1: one day, and then no indication Piazza remembered even meeting 591 00:38:46,755 --> 00:38:50,875 Speaker 1: him the next I mean that was Vin Scully. Clemens, 592 00:38:50,955 --> 00:38:53,915 Speaker 1: as it turned out, did not throw a baseball at Piazza, 593 00:38:53,955 --> 00:38:56,795 Speaker 1: but instead pitched him inside in on his hands, and 594 00:38:56,835 --> 00:38:59,635 Speaker 1: Piazza tried to stop a swing that was half self defense, 595 00:38:59,675 --> 00:39:02,435 Speaker 1: but instead the odd angle and the force of the 596 00:39:02,475 --> 00:39:06,555 Speaker 1: pitch shattered. Piazza's bat ball veered to the right, describing 597 00:39:06,555 --> 00:39:09,355 Speaker 1: a circle into foul territory. The head of the bat 598 00:39:09,675 --> 00:39:13,035 Speaker 1: shot out towards Clemens on the mound. A second piece 599 00:39:13,635 --> 00:39:17,035 Speaker 1: flew briefly into the infield. Piazza was left holding just 600 00:39:17,115 --> 00:39:19,715 Speaker 1: the handle. And it looked as foolish as that sounds, 601 00:39:19,915 --> 00:39:22,235 Speaker 1: but lost in this descriptions the fact that all happened 602 00:39:22,275 --> 00:39:25,315 Speaker 1: at once, and even from our sign angle in the 603 00:39:25,395 --> 00:39:28,435 Speaker 1: Yankee dugout, it looked to mozillion me as if Piazza's 604 00:39:28,515 --> 00:39:32,675 Speaker 1: bat had simply exploded, like it was a trick device 605 00:39:32,755 --> 00:39:36,275 Speaker 1: of some sort. I saw Clemens reach for the baseball. 606 00:39:36,515 --> 00:39:38,915 Speaker 1: I thought it was the baseball right in front of him, 607 00:39:38,955 --> 00:39:41,075 Speaker 1: and then just as quickly, He and I at the 608 00:39:41,075 --> 00:39:43,675 Speaker 1: same moment, realized it was not the baseball. It was 609 00:39:43,675 --> 00:39:46,315 Speaker 1: the barrel of the bat, which was slightly rounded, just 610 00:39:46,355 --> 00:39:48,555 Speaker 1: a little darker than a baseball, but could in the 611 00:39:48,555 --> 00:39:52,195 Speaker 1: heat of an instant following a bat explosion, it could 612 00:39:52,275 --> 00:39:56,275 Speaker 1: be mistaken for a ball. So far, so good. But 613 00:39:56,435 --> 00:39:59,955 Speaker 1: right then Clemens, realizing it was part of a bat 614 00:39:59,995 --> 00:40:02,355 Speaker 1: and not a ball, promptly through that part of the 615 00:40:02,355 --> 00:40:06,915 Speaker 1: bat at me. Jesus Mas, I said to Mizilly, why 616 00:40:06,915 --> 00:40:09,795 Speaker 1: did Clemens throw that bat barrel at me? The Yankee 617 00:40:09,875 --> 00:40:12,115 Speaker 1: coach looked incredulously at me. He didn't throw it you. 618 00:40:12,235 --> 00:40:15,275 Speaker 1: He threw it at me. That's what it looked like. 619 00:40:15,875 --> 00:40:19,115 Speaker 1: We were lined up perfectly. Roger Clemens had thrown the 620 00:40:19,115 --> 00:40:22,075 Speaker 1: barrel of Mike Piazza's bat, say, one hundred and twenty 621 00:40:22,115 --> 00:40:25,195 Speaker 1: feet instead of just six or seven feet, he would 622 00:40:25,195 --> 00:40:28,315 Speaker 1: have hit either me or Lee Mozilly. In the Yankee 623 00:40:28,435 --> 00:40:33,355 Speaker 1: dugout as it was, since nobody knew exactly what was happening, 624 00:40:33,555 --> 00:40:36,595 Speaker 1: Piazza had started to run down to first base in 625 00:40:36,635 --> 00:40:38,715 Speaker 1: case the ball was fair. He didn't know where the 626 00:40:38,755 --> 00:40:42,355 Speaker 1: ball was either. For that initial split second, you really 627 00:40:42,395 --> 00:40:46,995 Speaker 1: couldn't tell which flying object was the ball, and also 628 00:40:47,075 --> 00:40:51,315 Speaker 1: whether the ball was fair or foul. So Roger Clemens's 629 00:40:51,395 --> 00:40:55,275 Speaker 1: throw certainly looked like it was aimed at Piazza as 630 00:40:55,275 --> 00:40:58,835 Speaker 1: Piazza went down the first baseline, and as Piazza took umbrage, 631 00:40:59,195 --> 00:41:01,475 Speaker 1: And there was another split second of confusion when it 632 00:41:01,475 --> 00:41:03,595 Speaker 1: looked like Piazza might charge out to the mound to 633 00:41:03,635 --> 00:41:06,555 Speaker 1: try to sock Clemens. This and for the Midsummer beating. 634 00:41:06,835 --> 00:41:09,915 Speaker 1: I said to Missilly, wait, did he throw that bat 635 00:41:10,155 --> 00:41:13,995 Speaker 1: at Piazza? Miszilly just shook his head. I don't think so. 636 00:41:14,515 --> 00:41:16,795 Speaker 1: Hun Hell knows. He's been here two years. I haven't 637 00:41:16,795 --> 00:41:20,755 Speaker 1: figured out anything he's done so far. As the umpires 638 00:41:20,795 --> 00:41:24,635 Speaker 1: then got involved, Clemens repeatedly tapped his own chest, and 639 00:41:24,755 --> 00:41:26,715 Speaker 1: not in a bragging way, but in a kind of 640 00:41:27,115 --> 00:41:31,075 Speaker 1: what looked like that's on me way. Two bat boys 641 00:41:31,115 --> 00:41:33,355 Speaker 1: collected the three main pieces of the bat and a 642 00:41:33,395 --> 00:41:36,195 Speaker 1: bunch of smaller shards, some of them smaller than a toothpick. 643 00:41:37,035 --> 00:41:39,195 Speaker 1: The Fox play by play man threw it to me 644 00:41:39,395 --> 00:41:41,555 Speaker 1: in the dugout well, I said, I can tell you 645 00:41:41,595 --> 00:41:43,875 Speaker 1: the Yankee dugout doesn't know what happened or why Joe 646 00:41:44,395 --> 00:41:47,155 Speaker 1: Missilly laughed quietly and then hit me in the arm. 647 00:41:47,195 --> 00:41:49,635 Speaker 1: While I was on the air, I postulated that Clemens 648 00:41:49,715 --> 00:41:51,995 Speaker 1: was looking for a ball hit back to him, instead 649 00:41:52,075 --> 00:41:54,835 Speaker 1: found the piece of the bat, and then discarded that 650 00:41:54,875 --> 00:41:56,355 Speaker 1: piece of the bat so he could keep looking for 651 00:41:56,395 --> 00:41:59,515 Speaker 1: the ball that he discarded, it kind of where Piazza 652 00:41:59,635 --> 00:42:02,795 Speaker 1: was running might have been delivered, might have been a coincidence. 653 00:42:03,235 --> 00:42:06,715 Speaker 1: I do remember suggesting that if Clemens had really aimed 654 00:42:06,755 --> 00:42:10,075 Speaker 1: the bat at Piazza, that from that distance, with the 655 00:42:10,115 --> 00:42:12,795 Speaker 1: strength and accuracy of a major league pitcher, he clearly 656 00:42:12,835 --> 00:42:16,395 Speaker 1: would have hit him with it. Piazza then promptly grounded 657 00:42:16,395 --> 00:42:18,235 Speaker 1: out to end the inning, and as Clemens came back 658 00:42:18,275 --> 00:42:21,315 Speaker 1: towards the Yankee dugout where Mozilly and I were, he 659 00:42:21,395 --> 00:42:24,155 Speaker 1: again stopped to talk to the umpire, who was Charlie Reliford. 660 00:42:24,595 --> 00:42:28,115 Speaker 1: Over the noise of fifty six thousand fans at Yankee Stadium, 661 00:42:28,155 --> 00:42:30,435 Speaker 1: I couldn't hear a damn thing, but it sure looked 662 00:42:30,475 --> 00:42:34,035 Speaker 1: like Clemens was again saying that was on me. I 663 00:42:34,035 --> 00:42:35,915 Speaker 1: asked mizillly if he could find out if that's what 664 00:42:35,995 --> 00:42:39,035 Speaker 1: Clemens was doing, and half an inning later, Missilly reported 665 00:42:39,075 --> 00:42:41,475 Speaker 1: that Clemens indeed thought for a second it was the ball, 666 00:42:41,715 --> 00:42:43,875 Speaker 1: and that he threw it, and that it was on him, 667 00:42:44,035 --> 00:42:45,835 Speaker 1: and that it was not intentional and it was not 668 00:42:45,955 --> 00:42:49,995 Speaker 1: directed at Piazza. Now I did something kind of stupid. 669 00:42:50,075 --> 00:42:52,955 Speaker 1: I suggested to my bosses that I should go ask 670 00:42:53,035 --> 00:42:55,875 Speaker 1: the Commissioner of Baseball, who in a World Series game 671 00:42:55,915 --> 00:42:58,635 Speaker 1: had the power to eject any player for any reason, 672 00:42:58,995 --> 00:43:01,435 Speaker 1: although that power had not actually been used since nineteen 673 00:43:01,515 --> 00:43:04,635 Speaker 1: thirty four. What he thought of all this? The producer 674 00:43:04,835 --> 00:43:08,235 Speaker 1: said yes, And I thought me and my big mouth. 675 00:43:08,955 --> 00:43:11,475 Speaker 1: I now had to crawl out of that little space 676 00:43:11,635 --> 00:43:15,675 Speaker 1: between camera and dugout, and I mean literally crawl hands 677 00:43:15,675 --> 00:43:19,155 Speaker 1: and knees to exit back into the seats via where 678 00:43:19,195 --> 00:43:23,835 Speaker 1: the groundskeepers kept all the extra dirt. I knew where 679 00:43:23,875 --> 00:43:26,475 Speaker 1: in the stands the commissioner was sitting. I went there. 680 00:43:26,715 --> 00:43:29,315 Speaker 1: I got to him, I asked him. He assured me 681 00:43:29,355 --> 00:43:32,075 Speaker 1: there was no discipline coming for Clemens, and they'd look 682 00:43:32,115 --> 00:43:34,075 Speaker 1: at the tape of the game again that night or 683 00:43:34,115 --> 00:43:35,995 Speaker 1: in the morning, but he really didn't think Clemens had 684 00:43:35,995 --> 00:43:38,475 Speaker 1: tried to hit Piazza with the bat. Well, they would 685 00:43:38,475 --> 00:43:40,395 Speaker 1: look at the tape, and they decided both that Clemens 686 00:43:40,475 --> 00:43:42,755 Speaker 1: did not try to hit Piazza with the bat and 687 00:43:43,315 --> 00:43:46,755 Speaker 1: that he should be fined fifty thousand dollars for I 688 00:43:46,755 --> 00:43:48,875 Speaker 1: don't know, not trying to hit him with the bat. 689 00:43:50,155 --> 00:43:52,635 Speaker 1: So I made it back to the dugout, reversing my 690 00:43:52,795 --> 00:43:56,795 Speaker 1: crawl like I was recreating the movie The Great Escape. 691 00:43:56,875 --> 00:44:00,635 Speaker 1: As it turned out, Piazza's little squib shot that caused 692 00:44:00,675 --> 00:44:03,235 Speaker 1: all the trouble with the exploding bat was about the 693 00:44:03,275 --> 00:44:07,115 Speaker 1: hardest thing they hit off Clemens all night. Over eight innings, 694 00:44:07,115 --> 00:44:10,115 Speaker 1: he struck out nine Mets batters, he walked none, he 695 00:44:10,195 --> 00:44:12,755 Speaker 1: gave up only two hits, and he only hit one batter. 696 00:44:13,235 --> 00:44:16,195 Speaker 1: And then, incredibly, after Clemens left the game, the Yankees 697 00:44:16,635 --> 00:44:19,795 Speaker 1: almost blew a six to nothing lead. In the ninth inning, 698 00:44:20,275 --> 00:44:23,515 Speaker 1: a Met outfielder named Jay Payton hit a three run 699 00:44:23,515 --> 00:44:27,075 Speaker 1: homer off future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, and the 700 00:44:27,075 --> 00:44:29,235 Speaker 1: Mets had a chance to tie the game or go 701 00:44:29,275 --> 00:44:32,195 Speaker 1: ahead off Rivera in the top of the ninth And 702 00:44:32,235 --> 00:44:33,635 Speaker 1: then he got out of it, and the final score 703 00:44:33,635 --> 00:44:35,555 Speaker 1: was six to five Yankees. And with the game over 704 00:44:35,675 --> 00:44:39,875 Speaker 1: now it was Keith interviews Clemens' time. I went to 705 00:44:39,955 --> 00:44:41,955 Speaker 1: the pre arranged spot at the other end of the 706 00:44:42,035 --> 00:44:45,955 Speaker 1: Yankee dugout, where another friend of mine, the Yankees pr director, 707 00:44:45,955 --> 00:44:48,395 Speaker 1: had guaranteed me he would go and get Clemens and 708 00:44:48,435 --> 00:44:51,515 Speaker 1: they would emerge after Clemens left the clubhouse to do 709 00:44:51,595 --> 00:44:57,915 Speaker 1: what was a contractually obligated interview with Fox and me. Apparently, 710 00:44:58,035 --> 00:45:00,715 Speaker 1: Roger Clemens started making his way towards me the moment 711 00:45:00,755 --> 00:45:04,875 Speaker 1: the Yankees finally won that game. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, 712 00:45:05,515 --> 00:45:09,595 Speaker 1: security closed the only runway from the Yankee Dugout to 713 00:45:09,675 --> 00:45:12,715 Speaker 1: the clubhouse so that a dignitary could use it as 714 00:45:12,795 --> 00:45:18,915 Speaker 1: an exit from his seats. The dignitary was Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, 715 00:45:19,555 --> 00:45:24,115 Speaker 1: noted front running Yankees fan and ticket freeloader. And while 716 00:45:24,155 --> 00:45:26,915 Speaker 1: Fox literally delayed the start of every newscast on every 717 00:45:26,955 --> 00:45:28,795 Speaker 1: one of its stations in the country, even on the 718 00:45:28,795 --> 00:45:31,715 Speaker 1: West Coast, and Joe Buck and Tim McCarver kept showing 719 00:45:31,755 --> 00:45:35,395 Speaker 1: replays again and again and promising my interview with Roger Clemens, 720 00:45:36,035 --> 00:45:40,355 Speaker 1: Rudy Giuliani took his goddamn time leaving the field. His 721 00:45:40,515 --> 00:45:43,675 Speaker 1: idiot son Andrew grabbed some dirt from the field. I 722 00:45:43,715 --> 00:45:46,315 Speaker 1: half expected him to eat it instead. He stuffed it 723 00:45:46,355 --> 00:45:51,155 Speaker 1: in his jacket pockets. Giuliani now waited for his entire entourage, 724 00:45:51,595 --> 00:45:54,475 Speaker 1: one of his wives, some of his I guess they 725 00:45:54,475 --> 00:45:58,795 Speaker 1: were friends, assorted political riff raff, and as my producer 726 00:45:58,915 --> 00:46:02,915 Speaker 1: screamed in my ear, where is Clemens? Giuliani waited until 727 00:46:02,955 --> 00:46:06,435 Speaker 1: they were all together on the field, and finally he 728 00:46:06,515 --> 00:46:09,035 Speaker 1: marched them down into the dugout and up through the runway. 729 00:46:09,595 --> 00:46:12,995 Speaker 1: And after all this delay, Clemens came out and finally 730 00:46:12,995 --> 00:46:15,315 Speaker 1: I could ask him about throwing the bat shard at 731 00:46:15,435 --> 00:46:18,915 Speaker 1: or near piazza. And at that moment I remembered what 732 00:46:18,955 --> 00:46:21,635 Speaker 1: I had learned about Clemens in Boston. If you started 733 00:46:21,675 --> 00:46:26,555 Speaker 1: an interview with something controversial, he might very well walk away. If, 734 00:46:26,595 --> 00:46:29,875 Speaker 1: on the other hand, you did the boring game outcome question, 735 00:46:29,955 --> 00:46:31,955 Speaker 1: he would answer anything you asked, and he might even 736 00:46:31,955 --> 00:46:34,475 Speaker 1: bring up anything controversial himself. But you had to do 737 00:46:34,835 --> 00:46:39,275 Speaker 1: the stupid game stuff first, So which was harder work? 738 00:46:39,395 --> 00:46:42,395 Speaker 1: Roger I asked eight innings of two hit ball or 739 00:46:42,475 --> 00:46:45,475 Speaker 1: watching the Mets nearly tie it in the ninth. His 740 00:46:45,595 --> 00:46:47,435 Speaker 1: answer was not bad, but he did not bring up 741 00:46:47,475 --> 00:46:49,235 Speaker 1: the bats. So I asked another question about what he 742 00:46:49,395 --> 00:46:52,475 Speaker 1: thought of his performance in that game. Well, that did it. 743 00:46:52,715 --> 00:46:56,435 Speaker 1: He started talking about having to overcome his emotions in 744 00:46:56,475 --> 00:46:58,595 Speaker 1: the first inning, and now I could say, well, since 745 00:46:58,595 --> 00:47:02,595 Speaker 1: you brought up the emotions the bat throwing incident, did 746 00:47:02,635 --> 00:47:06,315 Speaker 1: you throw that piece of broken bat at Piazza? There 747 00:47:06,355 --> 00:47:08,835 Speaker 1: is a freeze frame from that interview in which Roger 748 00:47:08,875 --> 00:47:14,795 Speaker 1: clemens eyes are bugged wide open. Well, Clemens basically confirmed 749 00:47:14,795 --> 00:47:16,555 Speaker 1: what the guys in the dugout had told me. He 750 00:47:16,635 --> 00:47:18,675 Speaker 1: had told them. You can believe him or not, but 751 00:47:18,795 --> 00:47:21,195 Speaker 1: he thought the thing he grabbed was the ball, and 752 00:47:21,275 --> 00:47:23,595 Speaker 1: when it wasn't, he threw it away just in case 753 00:47:23,635 --> 00:47:25,675 Speaker 1: the ball was somewhere else near him and he had 754 00:47:25,715 --> 00:47:27,875 Speaker 1: to have a free hand with which to pick it up. 755 00:47:28,395 --> 00:47:30,675 Speaker 1: He explained the chest taps. He was indeed saying to 756 00:47:30,715 --> 00:47:34,955 Speaker 1: the umpire Umpire Charlie, as Clemens called him, accompanying his 757 00:47:35,035 --> 00:47:37,315 Speaker 1: apologies to the umps for throwing the bat. He said 758 00:47:37,355 --> 00:47:39,395 Speaker 1: he didn't even know where Piazza was at the point 759 00:47:39,435 --> 00:47:43,155 Speaker 1: he threw the bat. It was as straight and nonpartisan 760 00:47:43,315 --> 00:47:48,195 Speaker 1: and frankly as informative an interview as I've ever conducted. Meanwhile, 761 00:47:48,755 --> 00:47:52,435 Speaker 1: everybody else in that stadium, everybody else in that city, 762 00:47:52,795 --> 00:47:55,835 Speaker 1: everybody else in the Tri State area was convinced of 763 00:47:55,915 --> 00:47:58,915 Speaker 1: one of only two things. Roger Clemens had tried to 764 00:47:58,955 --> 00:48:02,955 Speaker 1: impale Mike Piazza with a shard of his own bat 765 00:48:03,635 --> 00:48:06,595 Speaker 1: or the man that's where crybabies who could not tell 766 00:48:06,635 --> 00:48:09,595 Speaker 1: that Clemens obviously did not try to impale Mike Piazza 767 00:48:09,635 --> 00:48:13,115 Speaker 1: with his own bat. There was no middle ground. I 768 00:48:13,235 --> 00:48:16,275 Speaker 1: found this out specifically the next day when the TV 769 00:48:16,395 --> 00:48:18,995 Speaker 1: sports columnist of the New York Times, Rich Sandomir, who 770 00:48:19,035 --> 00:48:21,315 Speaker 1: was a friend of mine, called to interview me about 771 00:48:21,315 --> 00:48:23,875 Speaker 1: the interview. Why didn't you ask him about the bat first? 772 00:48:23,995 --> 00:48:26,995 Speaker 1: Nobody cared about how he pitched? He threw a bat 773 00:48:26,195 --> 00:48:30,595 Speaker 1: at Piazza. I said, you're a Met fan, and I 774 00:48:30,635 --> 00:48:33,275 Speaker 1: explained the theory of not making Clemens end an interview 775 00:48:33,275 --> 00:48:35,035 Speaker 1: before he said what you needed to know. I went 776 00:48:35,035 --> 00:48:37,275 Speaker 1: through the whole thing I just recited here. It was 777 00:48:37,315 --> 00:48:41,875 Speaker 1: amazing to see those few days how every sports reporter 778 00:48:41,995 --> 00:48:45,515 Speaker 1: and columnist in New York self identified as either a 779 00:48:45,515 --> 00:48:48,235 Speaker 1: Met fan or ex Met fan, or a Yankee fan 780 00:48:48,355 --> 00:48:51,435 Speaker 1: or x Yankee fan. And you can still see it today, 781 00:48:51,515 --> 00:48:54,475 Speaker 1: as this story from twenty two years ago is recollected 782 00:48:54,515 --> 00:48:59,555 Speaker 1: by others, they wrote what they felt as kids Clemens 783 00:48:59,635 --> 00:49:04,675 Speaker 1: was the victim, or Clemens tried to kill Mike Piazza 784 00:49:05,475 --> 00:49:09,115 Speaker 1: like he was a dracula and they had the wooden 785 00:49:09,155 --> 00:49:13,995 Speaker 1: stake to go through his heart. Meanwhile, we learned recently 786 00:49:14,035 --> 00:49:16,715 Speaker 1: from Joe Tory, the Yankee manager, another one of my friends, 787 00:49:16,835 --> 00:49:19,435 Speaker 1: that they all hid something from us that night, the 788 00:49:19,475 --> 00:49:22,955 Speaker 1: thing about emotions. After the incident in the first inning, 789 00:49:23,035 --> 00:49:26,035 Speaker 1: Roger Clemens went back to the Yankee clubhouse and started 790 00:49:26,075 --> 00:49:29,635 Speaker 1: to cry. This might have had something to do with 791 00:49:29,675 --> 00:49:32,595 Speaker 1: embarrassment or grief. But since he had noted that he 792 00:49:32,675 --> 00:49:35,675 Speaker 1: had had to check his emotions, I always thought, well, 793 00:49:35,715 --> 00:49:38,795 Speaker 1: he might have been a little overamped for that game, 794 00:49:39,835 --> 00:49:45,155 Speaker 1: naturally or otherwise. All right, So before I present anything 795 00:49:45,195 --> 00:49:47,515 Speaker 1: else out of chronological order, let me go back to 796 00:49:47,555 --> 00:49:50,155 Speaker 1: the moment. I thanked Roger Clemens for the interview and 797 00:49:50,275 --> 00:49:52,395 Speaker 1: threw it back to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in 798 00:49:52,435 --> 00:49:56,035 Speaker 1: the Fox booth, because this is when the real trouble started. 799 00:49:56,995 --> 00:49:58,755 Speaker 1: They were pretty much done for the night, but I 800 00:49:58,795 --> 00:50:01,675 Speaker 1: had another two hours to go in a live postgame 801 00:50:01,715 --> 00:50:05,515 Speaker 1: show on Fox's cable Sports network. Had about four minutes 802 00:50:05,595 --> 00:50:07,835 Speaker 1: until that show started, and it suddenly occurred to me 803 00:50:07,875 --> 00:50:09,715 Speaker 1: that although this was not the most important event in 804 00:50:09,755 --> 00:50:12,195 Speaker 1: the history of the World Series, the bat would become 805 00:50:12,275 --> 00:50:16,195 Speaker 1: part of the iconography of baseball. I had been at 806 00:50:16,275 --> 00:50:19,235 Speaker 1: Yankee Stadium often enough over the years to know the 807 00:50:19,275 --> 00:50:22,475 Speaker 1: two kids who ran the visiting clubhouse, and right then 808 00:50:22,515 --> 00:50:25,275 Speaker 1: they were still packing up the Mets bats and equipment 809 00:50:25,315 --> 00:50:27,995 Speaker 1: and the Mets dugout. So I ran over and asked 810 00:50:28,035 --> 00:50:31,235 Speaker 1: the senior of them what happened to the pieces of 811 00:50:31,275 --> 00:50:35,035 Speaker 1: the piazza bat well. A guy explained that Bobby Valentine, 812 00:50:35,075 --> 00:50:37,955 Speaker 1: the Mets manager, had asked that one of the pieces 813 00:50:37,955 --> 00:50:40,875 Speaker 1: go to a friend of his in the stands, and he, 814 00:50:41,115 --> 00:50:44,195 Speaker 1: the clubhouse attendant, had handed it to the guy. A 815 00:50:44,275 --> 00:50:46,755 Speaker 1: second piece he believed was kept by the Yankees. He 816 00:50:46,835 --> 00:50:49,835 Speaker 1: wasn't sure about that. The third piece, the handle was 817 00:50:50,595 --> 00:50:53,275 Speaker 1: where was it? Where is it? He asked the other attendant. 818 00:50:53,875 --> 00:50:56,555 Speaker 1: It's here in the garbage, the kids said. I did 819 00:50:56,595 --> 00:50:59,715 Speaker 1: a double take the garbage, Yeah, the kid said, under 820 00:50:59,755 --> 00:51:02,595 Speaker 1: the dugout bench, and there it was, stuffed in amid 821 00:51:02,635 --> 00:51:05,515 Speaker 1: all the empty bags of sunflower seeds and the crushed 822 00:51:05,555 --> 00:51:08,635 Speaker 1: gatorade cuffs. I said, what happens to it now gets 823 00:51:08,635 --> 00:51:12,795 Speaker 1: thrown out. They clean out the dugouts first. So I said, look, 824 00:51:12,835 --> 00:51:15,275 Speaker 1: can I borrow it? This would make a great prop 825 00:51:15,315 --> 00:51:19,035 Speaker 1: for our postgame show? And the attendant says sure, and 826 00:51:19,075 --> 00:51:20,875 Speaker 1: he pulls it out of the pile and hands it 827 00:51:20,915 --> 00:51:22,915 Speaker 1: to him. He just about seven inches of a baseball 828 00:51:22,955 --> 00:51:26,035 Speaker 1: bat and all there is is Piazza's uniform number thirty 829 00:51:26,035 --> 00:51:29,275 Speaker 1: one written in magic marker on the bottom. Listen. I said, 830 00:51:29,435 --> 00:51:30,955 Speaker 1: I won't be able to bring this back to you 831 00:51:31,035 --> 00:51:33,195 Speaker 1: for like two hours. We're on for two hours. Will 832 00:51:33,195 --> 00:51:35,035 Speaker 1: you still be in the clubhouse? And he said, are 833 00:51:35,035 --> 00:51:37,875 Speaker 1: you kidding? We have to be here at eight. He 834 00:51:37,955 --> 00:51:40,195 Speaker 1: and I'll be out of here in ten minutes. And 835 00:51:40,195 --> 00:51:41,995 Speaker 1: I said, you want me to bring it back to 836 00:51:42,035 --> 00:51:45,035 Speaker 1: you for Game three? And he says, garbage. You're going 837 00:51:45,115 --> 00:51:47,635 Speaker 1: to bring back garbage, throw it out, keep it whatever, 838 00:51:47,715 --> 00:51:52,235 Speaker 1: what do I care? So I use the bat fragment 839 00:51:52,275 --> 00:51:55,195 Speaker 1: as a prop in the show repeatedly, and I stuck 840 00:51:55,195 --> 00:51:57,035 Speaker 1: it in my shoulder bag and I thought, I'm not 841 00:51:57,075 --> 00:52:00,595 Speaker 1: a scrounger, but this is a valuable piece of memorabilia 842 00:52:01,155 --> 00:52:03,995 Speaker 1: and I'd like to keep it, so either I'll auction 843 00:52:04,035 --> 00:52:07,275 Speaker 1: it off for chair and bid against myself or something, 844 00:52:07,355 --> 00:52:09,355 Speaker 1: or I'll make a donation to a baseball charity and 845 00:52:09,435 --> 00:52:12,155 Speaker 1: I'll keep it. And that was it. And two days later, 846 00:52:12,675 --> 00:52:15,395 Speaker 1: as the World Series shifted from Yankee Stadium to Shaye Stadium, 847 00:52:15,435 --> 00:52:17,395 Speaker 1: I got a phone call from one of the PR 848 00:52:17,475 --> 00:52:20,355 Speaker 1: guys at Fox Sports. Did you see the paper? And 849 00:52:20,395 --> 00:52:22,835 Speaker 1: I said, no, not yet, And he says, Piazza told 850 00:52:22,835 --> 00:52:25,835 Speaker 1: the guy from Newsday that you stole his back and 851 00:52:25,875 --> 00:52:29,795 Speaker 1: he wants it back. And I said, what if I 852 00:52:29,835 --> 00:52:31,995 Speaker 1: hadn't asked about it, it would be on a garbage scale 853 00:52:32,075 --> 00:52:33,915 Speaker 1: right now, being towed out to be dumped in the 854 00:52:33,915 --> 00:52:37,355 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean. And he says maybe, but Piazza told this 855 00:52:37,475 --> 00:52:39,475 Speaker 1: John Hayman, he's going to sue you to get it back. 856 00:52:41,355 --> 00:52:43,955 Speaker 1: So now I go to the ballpark with extra excitement 857 00:52:43,995 --> 00:52:46,555 Speaker 1: on my plate. I'm waiting for Mike Piazza to tell 858 00:52:46,595 --> 00:52:48,835 Speaker 1: me he's going to sue me. So I go out 859 00:52:48,875 --> 00:52:50,955 Speaker 1: onto the field. I'm wondering how long it's going to 860 00:52:51,035 --> 00:52:53,075 Speaker 1: be before I run into Piazza. And like two minutes 861 00:52:53,115 --> 00:52:54,795 Speaker 1: after I step on the field, I turn around and 862 00:52:54,795 --> 00:52:57,355 Speaker 1: he's walking towards me. He looks at me and he says, hey, 863 00:52:57,475 --> 00:53:00,235 Speaker 1: Keith wild One the other night, huh, say, listen, when 864 00:53:00,275 --> 00:53:02,515 Speaker 1: you lived at Shutters, did you ever eat at Ivy 865 00:53:02,555 --> 00:53:06,315 Speaker 1: at the Shore in Santa Monica? Nothing about the bat. 866 00:53:06,595 --> 00:53:10,355 Speaker 1: We're talking about restaurants in Santa Monica, California. And I say, well, yeah, 867 00:53:10,395 --> 00:53:12,435 Speaker 1: but did you ever eat at Shae Jay's. And a 868 00:53:12,595 --> 00:53:15,275 Speaker 1: big smile from Piazza, Oh, man, I love Shae Jay's. 869 00:53:15,355 --> 00:53:17,715 Speaker 1: I love Jay. Give me your number this winner. When 870 00:53:17,715 --> 00:53:20,355 Speaker 1: I'm home, let's go eat at Shae Jay's. And I said, 871 00:53:20,395 --> 00:53:22,315 Speaker 1: I'll pay for it and I'll order the sand dabs. 872 00:53:22,715 --> 00:53:25,435 Speaker 1: Now we're talking about sand dabs, how to prepare sand 873 00:53:25,475 --> 00:53:28,275 Speaker 1: dabs at a restaurant. And then he says, hey, sorry, 874 00:53:28,315 --> 00:53:31,875 Speaker 1: I gotta go ahead, have a good show. That was it. 875 00:53:32,755 --> 00:53:36,035 Speaker 1: He's in the paper threatening to sue me. We see 876 00:53:36,035 --> 00:53:39,515 Speaker 1: each other on the field, he starts the conversation. No 877 00:53:39,675 --> 00:53:43,395 Speaker 1: mention of suing me, not one word. Next day in 878 00:53:43,435 --> 00:53:45,995 Speaker 1: the paper, more Piazza quotes about how he's going to 879 00:53:46,075 --> 00:53:48,875 Speaker 1: sue me for stealing his bat. Next night, Game four 880 00:53:48,875 --> 00:53:50,835 Speaker 1: of the World Series, We're just about to go on 881 00:53:50,875 --> 00:53:52,915 Speaker 1: the air with the pregame show, and now Piazza comes 882 00:53:52,915 --> 00:53:55,155 Speaker 1: over again coming in from the outfield to the dugout 883 00:53:55,195 --> 00:53:57,115 Speaker 1: and he says, hey, this must be really cool to 884 00:53:57,155 --> 00:53:59,195 Speaker 1: do what you guys are doing. Have a great show, 885 00:54:00,115 --> 00:54:01,635 Speaker 1: and by now the only thing I can think of. 886 00:54:01,995 --> 00:54:04,995 Speaker 1: He does not know I'm the same. Keith Olderman keeps 887 00:54:05,035 --> 00:54:08,715 Speaker 1: threatening to sue. So the World Series ends and the 888 00:54:08,795 --> 00:54:10,995 Speaker 1: Yankees beat the Mets, and if you look for it, 889 00:54:11,035 --> 00:54:13,875 Speaker 1: there's this photo of the traditional postgame awarding of the 890 00:54:13,915 --> 00:54:17,595 Speaker 1: World Series Trophy and the Most Valuable Player award, and 891 00:54:17,635 --> 00:54:20,635 Speaker 1: it's Commissioner Bud Selig and Derek Jeter, the Yankees and me, 892 00:54:21,275 --> 00:54:23,755 Speaker 1: And just before it happened, George Steinbrenner was the owner 893 00:54:23,755 --> 00:54:27,555 Speaker 1: of the Yankees. He's crying, leans in and I give 894 00:54:27,635 --> 00:54:29,635 Speaker 1: him a hug and reassure him. And he asked me 895 00:54:29,675 --> 00:54:31,635 Speaker 1: if my mother went to the game, and I said, 896 00:54:31,675 --> 00:54:33,715 Speaker 1: you know, my mother, she'd never come to Shay Stadium. 897 00:54:33,755 --> 00:54:36,675 Speaker 1: She hates it more than you do. And he says, I. 898 00:54:36,715 --> 00:54:38,675 Speaker 2: Love her more than ever before. Now. 899 00:54:40,035 --> 00:54:42,835 Speaker 1: So the series ends, and it's not been that greatest series, 900 00:54:42,835 --> 00:54:45,435 Speaker 1: but it's been exciting, and it was the dream from 901 00:54:45,475 --> 00:54:48,475 Speaker 1: my childhood. And the Yankees have won, and my friends 902 00:54:48,475 --> 00:54:51,835 Speaker 1: are happy, and I've not heard another word about this lawsuit, 903 00:54:52,515 --> 00:54:55,915 Speaker 1: nothing from Mike Piazza. And I told the Fox people, well, 904 00:54:55,955 --> 00:54:57,675 Speaker 1: if I'm not going to hear anything more from them, 905 00:54:57,715 --> 00:55:00,035 Speaker 1: it's easy. I'm going to keep the bat, and I'm 906 00:55:00,035 --> 00:55:03,355 Speaker 1: going to donate twenty five thousand dollars to this charity, 907 00:55:03,395 --> 00:55:06,355 Speaker 1: the Baseball Assistance Team, which helps ex ball players in 908 00:55:06,395 --> 00:55:10,115 Speaker 1: financial need, because A I'm not a scrounger. B it's 909 00:55:10,155 --> 00:55:13,475 Speaker 1: a great cause. C that's actually much more than the 910 00:55:13,475 --> 00:55:15,515 Speaker 1: bat handle would be worth on the open market. And 911 00:55:15,635 --> 00:55:19,795 Speaker 1: D the acronym for the Baseball Assistance Team is bat 912 00:55:20,475 --> 00:55:24,555 Speaker 1: bat and that's perfect. It's about Piazza's bat, you get it. 913 00:55:25,995 --> 00:55:29,915 Speaker 1: And then nothing for a month, whereupon Fox gets another letter, 914 00:55:29,955 --> 00:55:33,715 Speaker 1: now from Piazza's agent fellow named Manzan, and he threatens 915 00:55:33,715 --> 00:55:36,195 Speaker 1: to sue again, and that's the end of it. Never 916 00:55:36,235 --> 00:55:39,155 Speaker 1: heard from him again. So now it's the next year, 917 00:55:39,195 --> 00:55:40,835 Speaker 1: two thousand and one, and I'm back in New York 918 00:55:40,915 --> 00:55:43,355 Speaker 1: working for CNN doing the news, and I go to 919 00:55:43,395 --> 00:55:45,475 Speaker 1: a Mets game and I see Piazza and I give 920 00:55:45,555 --> 00:55:47,275 Speaker 1: him a big smile and I offer my hand and 921 00:55:47,315 --> 00:55:49,715 Speaker 1: I say, steal ally of those sand dabs from SHAYJ. 922 00:55:50,035 --> 00:55:52,635 Speaker 1: And he just stares at me and walks right past me. 923 00:55:53,435 --> 00:55:55,235 Speaker 1: And I see a cop I know who works next 924 00:55:55,235 --> 00:55:57,675 Speaker 1: to the Mets dugout, and the cop says, Mike has 925 00:55:57,715 --> 00:56:01,115 Speaker 1: been asking him about me. Is that Keith Olderman the 926 00:56:01,155 --> 00:56:05,275 Speaker 1: one who stole my bat? So now I'm not just 927 00:56:05,395 --> 00:56:09,755 Speaker 1: keeping the bat. I want to sue Mike Piazza for 928 00:56:09,915 --> 00:56:13,395 Speaker 1: being a pain in the ass. And then nine to 929 00:56:13,435 --> 00:56:16,955 Speaker 1: eleven happens, and ball players are doing charity things, and 930 00:56:17,035 --> 00:56:20,955 Speaker 1: sportscasters and newscasters are doing charity things, and I think, well, 931 00:56:21,275 --> 00:56:24,235 Speaker 1: this is the time when the baseball season resumes. I 932 00:56:24,275 --> 00:56:25,995 Speaker 1: throw the bat handle in my bag and I go 933 00:56:26,035 --> 00:56:27,715 Speaker 1: out to a Mets game and I go up to 934 00:56:27,955 --> 00:56:30,115 Speaker 1: Piazza's locker before the game and I pull the bat 935 00:56:30,275 --> 00:56:33,235 Speaker 1: chart out and I say, take this, Mike, auction it 936 00:56:33,315 --> 00:56:35,355 Speaker 1: off for charity. Let's do some good with this. Or 937 00:56:35,355 --> 00:56:38,035 Speaker 1: if it's too much trouble, you sign it and I'll 938 00:56:38,075 --> 00:56:39,835 Speaker 1: auction it off. We can leave my name out of it, 939 00:56:39,875 --> 00:56:42,355 Speaker 1: whatever you want, however you want to do it. And 940 00:56:42,395 --> 00:56:45,035 Speaker 1: he looks at me like I've just insulted his mother 941 00:56:45,275 --> 00:56:48,115 Speaker 1: and says, no, it's too complicated, and he turns away 942 00:56:48,755 --> 00:56:53,435 Speaker 1: and I think to myself, this is the strangest athlete 943 00:56:53,515 --> 00:56:57,355 Speaker 1: I have ever met. And just before the season ends, 944 00:56:57,355 --> 00:56:59,675 Speaker 1: I go to another Mets game. Now, this time it's 945 00:56:59,715 --> 00:57:01,715 Speaker 1: one of his teammates who takes me aside and says, 946 00:57:01,955 --> 00:57:04,475 Speaker 1: you know, Piazza never stops talking about you stealing his 947 00:57:04,475 --> 00:57:06,835 Speaker 1: bat from the Clemens game last year. He says, he 948 00:57:06,875 --> 00:57:10,235 Speaker 1: still wants to sue you. Didn't you try to give 949 00:57:10,275 --> 00:57:12,515 Speaker 1: him the bat back in the clubhouse to auction off. 950 00:57:12,515 --> 00:57:14,795 Speaker 1: Didn't I see that? And I say, yeah, I did, 951 00:57:15,035 --> 00:57:17,235 Speaker 1: and he refused to take it. And the guy laughs 952 00:57:17,235 --> 00:57:20,595 Speaker 1: and he says, great player, excellent catcher. I love him. 953 00:57:20,995 --> 00:57:24,835 Speaker 1: Strangest player I have ever met. Comes two thousand and two, 954 00:57:25,275 --> 00:57:28,875 Speaker 1: nothing happens. See Piazza at several Mets games. Nothing happens. 955 00:57:28,915 --> 00:57:32,075 Speaker 1: Two thousand and three, nothing happens. Now. I can't pin 956 00:57:32,195 --> 00:57:34,435 Speaker 1: the year down on this. It's one of the Red 957 00:57:34,475 --> 00:57:37,435 Speaker 1: Sox Yankees playoff series, either two thousand and three or 958 00:57:37,475 --> 00:57:39,915 Speaker 1: two thousand and four. And I'm leaving the field as 959 00:57:39,955 --> 00:57:42,635 Speaker 1: they're clearing the media off just before the game starts, 960 00:57:42,755 --> 00:57:45,115 Speaker 1: and I'm going out through the Red Sox dugout literally 961 00:57:45,195 --> 00:57:48,275 Speaker 1: at the same spot where the kid handed me Piazza's 962 00:57:48,315 --> 00:57:51,555 Speaker 1: bat handle three or four years earlier, where the trouble 963 00:57:51,595 --> 00:57:54,475 Speaker 1: all began. And I see the new owner of the 964 00:57:54,475 --> 00:57:56,515 Speaker 1: Red Sox team approaching from the other end of the 965 00:57:56,555 --> 00:57:59,915 Speaker 1: dugout Keith John Henry, Nice to meet you. Have you 966 00:57:59,915 --> 00:58:03,315 Speaker 1: got a minute? And I said, well, yeah, they're kicking 967 00:58:03,355 --> 00:58:05,475 Speaker 1: the media off the field, and he laughs and he 968 00:58:05,475 --> 00:58:07,275 Speaker 1: says I can take care of that, and he yells 969 00:58:07,275 --> 00:58:09,835 Speaker 1: at the plane clothes cop and he says he's with me, 970 00:58:10,355 --> 00:58:12,275 Speaker 1: and the cop nods and John Henry, the owner of 971 00:58:12,315 --> 00:58:14,355 Speaker 1: the Red Sox, and I sit down on the Red 972 00:58:14,355 --> 00:58:16,715 Speaker 1: Sox bench before the start of a Red Sox Yankees 973 00:58:16,755 --> 00:58:19,075 Speaker 1: playoff game, and there are no other reporters out there, 974 00:58:19,075 --> 00:58:21,475 Speaker 1: and I think, Okay, what did I say about the 975 00:58:21,515 --> 00:58:25,915 Speaker 1: Red Sox? What is he pissed off about? Instead? John 976 00:58:25,955 --> 00:58:30,715 Speaker 1: Henry says, can I ask you about Mike Piazza? And 977 00:58:30,755 --> 00:58:35,435 Speaker 1: I laugh and I say, sure, what about him? And 978 00:58:35,475 --> 00:58:37,875 Speaker 1: he says, you have part of his bat from the 979 00:58:37,875 --> 00:58:40,635 Speaker 1: World Series with Clemens right, And I say yeah, and 980 00:58:40,675 --> 00:58:43,635 Speaker 1: he says, tell me the whole story. So I do 981 00:58:43,795 --> 00:58:47,235 Speaker 1: what you've just heard, and John Henry says, that's what 982 00:58:47,275 --> 00:58:50,475 Speaker 1: I was told. Thank you, huh. I thought it was me. 983 00:58:51,235 --> 00:58:53,155 Speaker 1: So that other piece of the bat that was handed 984 00:58:53,155 --> 00:58:55,515 Speaker 1: to a friend of Bobby Valentine's during that game, that 985 00:58:55,555 --> 00:58:57,395 Speaker 1: friend is a great friend of mine. And after nine 986 00:58:57,395 --> 00:58:59,115 Speaker 1: to eleven he said, wouldn't it be great to get 987 00:58:59,115 --> 00:59:01,435 Speaker 1: Mike Piazza to sign this and then we can auction 988 00:59:01,555 --> 00:59:03,595 Speaker 1: it off for the victims' families or the cops or 989 00:59:03,595 --> 00:59:06,355 Speaker 1: some other charity. And he gives me the bat, and 990 00:59:06,395 --> 00:59:08,195 Speaker 1: I call the Mets and they approach Mike and they 991 00:59:08,195 --> 00:59:10,115 Speaker 1: call me and they say, Mike loves the idea, and 992 00:59:10,115 --> 00:59:11,715 Speaker 1: I should come to one of the spring training games 993 00:59:11,755 --> 00:59:14,075 Speaker 1: and he'll sign it. So the next March, I go 994 00:59:14,115 --> 00:59:15,995 Speaker 1: to one of the Mets spring training games and I 995 00:59:15,995 --> 00:59:17,635 Speaker 1: go up to him in the clubhouse and I introduce 996 00:59:17,675 --> 00:59:20,075 Speaker 1: myself and he looks at me like I'm from Mars, 997 00:59:20,595 --> 00:59:22,435 Speaker 1: and I say, well, I brought the bat, and he says, 998 00:59:22,435 --> 00:59:24,995 Speaker 1: what bat? And I explained that we had arranged to 999 00:59:25,035 --> 00:59:27,635 Speaker 1: have him sign the bat from the World Series for 1000 00:59:27,675 --> 00:59:29,755 Speaker 1: a nine to eleven charity and he erupts at me, 1001 00:59:29,875 --> 00:59:32,635 Speaker 1: I'm not signing that bat sure for charity? Do you 1002 00:59:32,635 --> 00:59:36,875 Speaker 1: think I was born yesterday? And now I say something 1003 00:59:36,915 --> 00:59:39,435 Speaker 1: to John Henry, owner of the Red Sox, like, welcome 1004 00:59:39,475 --> 00:59:42,195 Speaker 1: to the club. Did he threaten to sue you too? 1005 00:59:42,635 --> 00:59:45,235 Speaker 1: And he laughs and says yes. That's the next part 1006 00:59:45,235 --> 00:59:48,315 Speaker 1: of the story. So while we're trying to straighten that out, 1007 00:59:48,875 --> 00:59:51,035 Speaker 1: his agent calls me and asks if I will give 1008 00:59:51,075 --> 00:59:53,195 Speaker 1: them the bat to auction off for charity. And I 1009 00:59:53,235 --> 00:59:56,835 Speaker 1: say sure, And I go to another Mets game and 1010 00:59:56,875 --> 00:59:59,035 Speaker 1: I go to the clubhouse and I have the bat again. 1011 00:59:59,115 --> 01:00:01,955 Speaker 1: Now Piazza says, no, I can't take the bat because 1012 01:00:01,995 --> 01:00:05,235 Speaker 1: of pending litigation, but if I I want him to, 1013 01:00:05,755 --> 01:00:08,035 Speaker 1: he'll sign it for me. All I have to do 1014 01:00:08,115 --> 01:00:11,315 Speaker 1: is come back a couple of weeks later. So this 1015 01:00:11,435 --> 01:00:14,275 Speaker 1: is what I wanted to ask Keith. Is he the 1016 01:00:14,315 --> 01:00:17,035 Speaker 1: strangest ballplayer you've ever met? Or is it just me? 1017 01:00:19,435 --> 01:00:23,995 Speaker 1: There's one more part to this. Flash forward to twenty fourteen. 1018 01:00:25,875 --> 01:00:29,035 Speaker 1: I still have the Piazza batthandle the one I unsuccessfully 1019 01:00:29,035 --> 01:00:31,755 Speaker 1: tried to give back to Piazza. The middle portion, the 1020 01:00:31,755 --> 01:00:34,635 Speaker 1: one John Henry unsuccessfully tried to give back to Piazza, 1021 01:00:34,955 --> 01:00:38,515 Speaker 1: has been sold with the proceeds going to charity. So 1022 01:00:38,635 --> 01:00:41,235 Speaker 1: where is the third piece, the barrel of the bat? 1023 01:00:41,395 --> 01:00:43,595 Speaker 1: The part that Clemens threw at Piazza if you're a 1024 01:00:43,595 --> 01:00:46,635 Speaker 1: Met fan, or was unfairly accused of throwing at Piazza 1025 01:00:46,715 --> 01:00:49,475 Speaker 1: if you're not a Met fan, And the answer finally 1026 01:00:49,515 --> 01:00:53,235 Speaker 1: arrives in a sports memorabilia auction catalog that year, while 1027 01:00:53,235 --> 01:00:55,635 Speaker 1: one of the visiting bat boys was handing the middle 1028 01:00:55,635 --> 01:00:58,355 Speaker 1: part of the bat to a friend of Bobby Valentine 1029 01:00:58,355 --> 01:01:02,035 Speaker 1: and John Henry's in the stands, the barrel, which landed 1030 01:01:02,075 --> 01:01:04,515 Speaker 1: near the Yankee dugout, was scooped up by the Yankee 1031 01:01:05,555 --> 01:01:08,315 Speaker 1: who put it in the pile of Yankee broken bats. 1032 01:01:08,795 --> 01:01:10,755 Speaker 1: And as it turned out right at that point, the 1033 01:01:10,835 --> 01:01:15,035 Speaker 1: Yankee strengthen conditioning coach Jeff Mangold, who was on the bench, said, 1034 01:01:15,315 --> 01:01:17,875 Speaker 1: wait a minute, that's the pile of broken bats they're 1035 01:01:17,915 --> 01:01:20,475 Speaker 1: going to throw out. They shouldn't throw it out. It's history. 1036 01:01:20,955 --> 01:01:23,355 Speaker 1: And he grabs that part of the Piazza bat and 1037 01:01:23,435 --> 01:01:25,155 Speaker 1: puts it up in his home office. And now it's 1038 01:01:25,195 --> 01:01:27,595 Speaker 1: fourteen years later and he wants to auction it off 1039 01:01:27,595 --> 01:01:30,875 Speaker 1: for charity. So he auctions it off, and I think, well, hell, 1040 01:01:31,395 --> 01:01:33,555 Speaker 1: it should be alongside the other piece of the bat. 1041 01:01:33,635 --> 01:01:36,195 Speaker 1: My other piece of the bat, the handle so I 1042 01:01:36,315 --> 01:01:40,435 Speaker 1: win the auction. There it is on my wall, complete 1043 01:01:40,435 --> 01:01:42,955 Speaker 1: with a baseball card showing Roger Clemens about to throw 1044 01:01:42,995 --> 01:01:48,035 Speaker 1: the barrel. Reasons left to your imagination two thirds of 1045 01:01:48,075 --> 01:01:52,075 Speaker 1: the famous bat. I'll sell it someday, I'm sure, but 1046 01:01:52,155 --> 01:01:57,115 Speaker 1: I'll always have the memories, my memories and John Henry's memories. 1047 01:01:57,555 --> 01:01:59,795 Speaker 1: And if you're wondering, no, Unlike John Henry and I, 1048 01:01:59,835 --> 01:02:03,035 Speaker 1: that Yankee strength coach, Jeff Mangold never tried to give 1049 01:02:03,075 --> 01:02:05,395 Speaker 1: it back to Piazza, or get it signed by Piazza 1050 01:02:05,475 --> 01:02:08,115 Speaker 1: or auctioned off for charity with Piazza, which means that, 1051 01:02:08,155 --> 01:02:12,155 Speaker 1: on top of everything else, Jeff Mangold is smarter than 1052 01:02:12,235 --> 01:02:28,675 Speaker 1: John Henry and I put together. I've done all the 1053 01:02:28,715 --> 01:02:30,955 Speaker 1: damage I can do here. Thank you for listening. Countdown 1054 01:02:30,955 --> 01:02:32,955 Speaker 1: has come to you from the Vin Scully Studios at 1055 01:02:32,995 --> 01:02:37,035 Speaker 1: the Old Women Broadcasting Empire in New York. Countdown musical 1056 01:02:37,035 --> 01:02:39,915 Speaker 1: directors Brian Ray and John Phillips Chanel arranged, produced and 1057 01:02:39,955 --> 01:02:44,395 Speaker 1: performed most of our music. Mister Chanelle handled orchestration and keyboards. 1058 01:02:44,475 --> 01:02:48,035 Speaker 1: Mister Ray was on guitars, bass and drums, and it 1059 01:02:48,075 --> 01:02:51,715 Speaker 1: was produced by Tko Brothers. Other music including other Beethoven 1060 01:02:51,835 --> 01:02:56,395 Speaker 1: tunes arranged and performed by No Horns Allowed Sports Music 1061 01:02:56,435 --> 01:02:59,355 Speaker 1: courtesy of ESPN, Inc. It was written by Mitch Warren Davis. 1062 01:02:59,395 --> 01:03:02,355 Speaker 1: It's called the Old Wrioman theme from ESPN two. Our 1063 01:03:02,395 --> 01:03:05,795 Speaker 1: satirical and pithy musical comments are by Nancy Faust, the 1064 01:03:05,795 --> 01:03:09,035 Speaker 1: best baseball stadium organist ever. Our announcer today is my 1065 01:03:09,035 --> 01:03:11,835 Speaker 1: friend Larry David, and everything else was pretty much my fault. 1066 01:03:12,555 --> 01:03:15,475 Speaker 1: So that's countdown for this the oney twenty second day 1067 01:03:15,995 --> 01:03:19,035 Speaker 1: since Donald Trump's first attempted coup against the democratically elected 1068 01:03:19,075 --> 01:03:22,675 Speaker 1: government of the United States. Convict him now, well, we 1069 01:03:22,795 --> 01:03:26,515 Speaker 1: still can. The next schedule countdown is tomorrow. Bolton says, 1070 01:03:26,555 --> 01:03:28,995 Speaker 1: the news warrants till then. I'm Keith Oldman. Good morning, 1071 01:03:28,995 --> 01:03:42,315 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith 1072 01:03:42,315 --> 01:03:47,395 Speaker 1: Oldman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 1073 01:03:47,555 --> 01:03:51,555 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 1074 01:03:51,595 --> 01:03:52,515 Speaker 1: your podcasts.