1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: If you thought four hours a day, minutes a week 2 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants of 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He treats 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: crackheads in the ghetto gutter the same as the rich 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: pill poppers in the penthouse, the clearing house of hot 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: takes break free for something special, The Fifth Hour, which 7 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: Ben Maller starts right now. We are in the air 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: everywhere the vast power of podcasting. It is, as you 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: heard there, the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller, Because four 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: hours on the overnight or not enough. And we do 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: this podcast eight days a week, and you're in for 12 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: a special treat. If you are a connoisseur of sports 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: talk radio, we are going to give you, in a 14 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: few minutes one of the legends, one of the Mount Rushmore. 15 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: I hate doing Mount Rushmore type statements, but this is 16 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: one of the legends of sports talk radio. We're gonna 17 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: have on here in a couple of minutes. We'll we'll 18 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: walk you through that we as always are joined for 19 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: better or worse by the man affectionately known in the 20 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: highway hallways of Fox Sports Radio as a gagon. Easaid 21 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: for me to say David Gascon anthy more so better 22 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 1: and uh, I don't know if you know this because 23 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: you aren't in the hallways. But nobody's saying anything in 24 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: the hallways these days, since it's a ghost down here. 25 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: That is true. That is true. So I'm not gonna 26 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: you know, do much ps here. This is an interview podcast, 27 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: and we had a chance to catch up with someone 28 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,039 Speaker 1: who was very influential, uh in my career and Gascon, 29 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,559 Speaker 1: you're aware of this guy. I don't think you worked 30 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: with him, but you you're aware of his his history here. Uh. 31 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: The first sports talk radio station on the West Coast 32 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: was the Mighty six ninety and the man that was 33 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: the face of the mighty six ninety in San Diego 34 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: was Lee hack Saw Hamilton's and if you listen to 35 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: me b s. Over the years, I learned a lot 36 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: about the business as an intern in San Diego at 37 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 1: the mighty six ninety and then eventually I worked as 38 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: a radio I was an engineer, board op, I worked 39 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: my way up. I was a reporter, so I had 40 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: a lot of different jobs. But I started as an 41 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: intern for Lee Hacks on Hambleton's pulling carts, which this 42 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: old technology but these commercials would be played on these 43 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: little cassette machines, these these cart things, and I would 44 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: pull those and I would have to go back and 45 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: check the high speed sports wire and all that. But 46 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: I didn't talked to to Lee Hamilton's in many, many years. 47 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: He was the voice of the San Diego Charger with 48 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 1: the Seattle Seahawks Arizona State back in the day. San 49 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: Diego State at a bunch of great jobs in the business. 50 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 1: And this is like to me, Gascon, this is gonna 51 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,079 Speaker 1: be sports talk radio. Porn is what this is gonna be. Yeah, 52 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: And the best part about it is he's not a 53 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: one trick pony, which is great. So you get a 54 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: guy that has covered every board imaginable and he's got 55 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: great context too. So it's not like the guy shooting 56 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: from the hip it's twenty or thirty years old that's 57 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: throwing hot takes out. There's a guy that's that built 58 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: a career years and talked to a ton of athletes football, baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, 59 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 1: box thing like the whole the whole smash. So it's 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: a lot of fun. Yeah, it's pretty cool. And the 61 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: thing too about hacks, I am you always bust my balls, 62 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: gas on about being overprepared and all this. If I learned. 63 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: One of the people I learned from was Lee hack 64 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: saw Hamilton's who would spend all day in his office 65 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: preparing for that radio show and the play by play 66 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: and all that, and I I saw how hard he 67 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: worked and how successful he was. And then I saw 68 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: some other people that didn't work hard, that just kind 69 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: of showed up a minute before the show and didn't 70 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: have any preparation. I saw how they failed, and so 71 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: I made a correlation that you know, this is important. 72 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: I figured, like, if I'm gonna make this my career, 73 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: I gotta work at it. But one of the influences 74 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: was hacked off. If Haxall had shown up two minutes 75 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: before show and just started bloviating, I probably would have 76 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: been more like that and just showing up and just 77 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: said I don't care whatever, and I'd probably be doing 78 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: something else right now then radio. But anyway, let's you 79 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: don't want to hear this, you want to hear hacks All. 80 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: Let's welcome in on the high Speed Sports Wire. Actually 81 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: know that that that would be the hotline, right, what 82 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: do you call it? Back in the the Hotline. How 83 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: the Newsmaker Hotline? Yeah, the new the Newsmaker Hotline from 84 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: Bah hot of the Canadian Rockies. My friend and one 85 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: of my mentors in radio, Lee Hacksaw Hamilton's and Lee, 86 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 1: why don't we start out with this For the people 87 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: that are unaware of your history? I just gave a 88 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: little bit of it. But how did you get the 89 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: nickname hacks All? I still chat with you, Ben Well now. 90 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: I started in sports talk radio in the early nineties 91 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: in Phoenix. I had come to Phoenix from Cleveland, where 92 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: had done hockey and some sports talk, went to Phoenix 93 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: and kind of built a sports talk show empire over there. 94 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: But the name actually was given to me in Cleveland 95 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: when I was working in Cleveland before I went to Phoenix, 96 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: because I did a rather outspoken sports talk show. I 97 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: worked at a fifty thousand watch station three W. E 98 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:19,040 Speaker 1: worked with and for Pete Franklin, legendary sports stock host 99 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: from way back in the day, and I was rather opinionated. 100 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: And one night, after a particularly stormy night on the air, 101 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: one of the newsmen came in and said, you know what, 102 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: You're just like a hack Saw. I asked a question, 103 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: get an answer clear cut through all the crap, right 104 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 1: to the point, and that nickname stuck me, stuck with 105 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: me from Cleveland to Phoenix and then Phoenix onto San Diego. 106 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: I had been in Cleveland from and then went to Phoenix, 107 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: spent seven years in Phoenix, and then went to San 108 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: Diego to become the Voice of the Chargers and then 109 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: the first Cornerstone talk show host and what would evolve 110 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 1: into Extra Sports six ninety, which was a legendary sports 111 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: talk station, one one of the earliest stations ever to 112 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: hit the air waves, and the marketplace obviously was very different. 113 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 1: And we're on a blowtorch seventy seven thousand watch signaled 114 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,799 Speaker 1: and you could hear from Baha to the Canadian Rocketies. 115 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: That was one of my favorite phrases. And that thing 116 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: took off and we had a tremendous run before ownership 117 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: changed it screwed it all up in the station went away. Yeah, 118 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,479 Speaker 1: and you've had an amazing career and the talk show career. 119 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: You were a writer, and also you mentioned the Charger thing. 120 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: The Voice of the Chargers, and I remember being down 121 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,119 Speaker 1: in San Diego when they got to the Super Bowl 122 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:41,600 Speaker 1: back in the nineties and how excited. The whole town 123 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:43,479 Speaker 1: was how amazing it wasn't you were the voice of 124 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: the team. And what what are you most proud of? You? 125 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: Are you proud of the long career you won a 126 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: lot of awards for hosting talk shows? Or is it 127 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: the NFL stuff to play by play stuff that you 128 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:57,119 Speaker 1: appreciate the most? Everything on the men you've been playing 129 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: and simple. Um, it's fun to think back because actually, 130 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: I just did an interview with a guy on the 131 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: East Coast last last week about the history of sports 132 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: talk radio. And I've done sports talk radio my whole 133 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: life and my whole career. But when we started the 134 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: original Extra Sports six, we were the third all sports 135 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: station in the country. W f A N in New 136 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: York had just launched prior w i P and Philadelphia 137 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: had launched, and then we launched. In fact, it's funny, 138 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: the first Super Bowl that was played in San Diego, 139 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: there are only three of us three stations, those three 140 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: stations on what at that point was Radio Row, and 141 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: we were broadcasting from the San Diego Hilton right down 142 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: on the waterfront, and we're just three radio stations in 143 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: the hallway. And obviously you're well aware now that you know, 144 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: upwards a two stations find their way to radio row 145 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: in big convention centers wherever the Super Bowl has held. 146 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: So we're I think we're proud that we were the 147 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: first one to do it. And sports talk radio became 148 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: very gift when I first started this whole thing, and 149 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: I started it in Phoenix and obviously came to San Diego. 150 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: But when we first started this thing, the only thing 151 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: was on sports talk radio, we're really mom and pop shows. 152 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: Everything's nice, everything's beautiful, root root route for the home team. 153 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: And when I was going to Phoenix to work at 154 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: kt a R, which became a legendary news talk station, 155 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 1: I was doing the nighttime sports talk show. As I 156 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: was driving driving across the country from Cleveland to Phoenix, 157 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: I tried to put in my mind how I would 158 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: go on the air and what I would say on 159 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: the air, and how I could separate myself from anything 160 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: else that was on the air. And somewhere in the 161 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: middle of on Interstate forty and Tulsa, Oklahoma, it dawned 162 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: on me. Need catchphrases, you need as you would call 163 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: it a stick, And that's where I came up with 164 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 1: the the theory because it was such a blowtward signal 165 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: I was coming to that it would be from Baha 166 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: to the Canadian Rockies. And then I thought about, well, 167 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: how am I going to announce myself on the air, 168 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,080 Speaker 1: And that's where that the phrase came. Here's what's going 169 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: on in the world of sports, here's what Lee Hamilton's thinks. 170 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: And I did stuff that nobody had ever done before, 171 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: and then the format just it just took off because 172 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: there were not a lot of people doing it. It's 173 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: very different now than when it was back then. As 174 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: as I said, we were the third one in at 175 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: six and I was the first one in Phoenix that 176 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: had really done this knockdown, drag out brawl sports talk style. Um. 177 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: The funny story when I started in Phoenix, when I 178 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: got there, they had done a nice mom and pop 179 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: sports talk show and everything was beautiful, and at that 180 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: point in time in the city of Phoenix, ben the 181 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:51,119 Speaker 1: two most important things there, in addition to the Sunshine, 182 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 1: were the Phoenix Suns of the NBA and Arizona State football. 183 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: And I just happened to get there the week the 184 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: Sun's got knocked out of the play offs. They were 185 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: the first seed in the league and lost on home 186 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: court in the first round. And I also happened to 187 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: get there the same time that Arizona State got nailed 188 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:13,599 Speaker 1: by the n C Double A for all types of violations. 189 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: And the week I got there, also baseball went on 190 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: strike in season. So I walked in the door facing 191 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: a four hour talk show. Every night I did six 192 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: to ten pm on a big signal in Phoenix, and 193 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: right out of my mouth, I attacked the Phoenix Suns. 194 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: How the hell could you ever lose in the first 195 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,839 Speaker 1: round when you're the number one seed in the entire league? 196 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: And then I attacked Arizona State, How the hell can 197 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: you cheat when you've got great facilities in a beautiful 198 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: campus and pretty women and you can recruit anywhere. And 199 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: then I went after Major League Baseball for shutting down 200 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: the season. And what happened was because all these things 201 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: kind of came together, intersected at the same point in time, 202 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: and there was no baseball. We were the Dodger flagship 203 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: from the state of Arizona, and it was big. It 204 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:01,920 Speaker 1: was a very pig because none of that was there. 205 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: People in the Valley of the Sun been had four 206 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: straight hours of me every night for fifty one nights 207 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: in a row. Think about that. And I put all 208 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:14,439 Speaker 1: these topics on the table and the town went crazy. 209 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 1: The phone lines lit up like Christmas tree. Nobody had 210 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 1: ever done this, Nobody had ever ripped Arizona State, or 211 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: taken on jury Colangelo and the Phoenix Suns or said 212 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,439 Speaker 1: what I said about the Dodgers and Fernando Allenzuela and 213 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: all that I was fascinating. And that's sets where I 214 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 1: made my name and reputation in Phoenix. And because you're 215 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: on a big signal, people found out who I was, 216 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: and I was also doing Arizona State football and and 217 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: then I got a phone call one day to come 218 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: to San Diego. And as I was coming here, I 219 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: decided that I'm going to use the same style and 220 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: the same approach to do in sports stalk radio. And 221 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: when I got to San Diego, we were really a 222 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: Southern California station because our signal was so big. And 223 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 1: that's where the bahad to the Canadian Rock East thing 224 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,240 Speaker 1: fit and the fact that all they had was Dodger talk, 225 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: and at that point it was a k ABC. There 226 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: might have been a little bit of Angel talk maybe 227 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:12,439 Speaker 1: on k MPC and it was really nothing else. And 228 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: we went on the air during four hours an afternoon drive, 229 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: and you could hear us anywhere and everywhere, and at 230 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: night you could hear us in Canada. Um it was. 231 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: It just exploded and it took off. I had just 232 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: a tremendous run doing it, so you know, I was 233 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: excited to be the voice of an NFL team. We 234 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: went through a lot of bad seasons and then we 235 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: got good and went to the super Bowl, and I 236 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: was kind of responsible for the L A. King's coming 237 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: to our station as a flagship because of the our 238 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: Monster signal. And we did a ton of stuff with 239 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: hockey talk, and we went on the road from the 240 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,319 Speaker 1: Stanley Cup playoffs during the Kretzki era, and we did 241 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: the same thing with the Anaheim Ducks. I mean, it 242 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: was It was just a fascinating run for a long 243 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: period of time. I did twenty two years of sports 244 00:12:55,160 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: talk radio an afternoon drive at the legendary Extra and 245 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: that's where you and I crossed paths before you became 246 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: a star. And we had a tremendous run. Unsadly ownership 247 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: screwed it up, wrecked it, get rid of the station, 248 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: and now now it's terrible. I turned on sports talk 249 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: radio in my old station. One of them, at six 250 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: is doing Chinese Mandarin talk, and the other one at 251 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: N ninety, which went out of business last year, is 252 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: doing Spanish women's talk. It just absolutely drives me crazy. 253 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: But that's a long answer how I got to where 254 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: I got and what I'm so proud of. But I 255 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,439 Speaker 1: loved every minute of it. Wasn't easy because I did 256 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: it all by myself. I booked all my own guests, 257 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: and I did four hours a night, and I did 258 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: twenty five guests a week, and we were doing anything 259 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: and everything. But I just I had developed the philosophy 260 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:42,719 Speaker 1: that there's lots of ways to do this, and I'm 261 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 1: going to try something very different, and very different turned 262 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:47,200 Speaker 1: out to be. I tend to think very good. Be 263 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller Show 264 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: week days at two a m. Eastern eleven pm Pacific 265 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 1: on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. 266 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: This is like a masterclass. I'm loving this. I'm eating 267 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: I hope the list was eating this. I'm eating this up. 268 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: If you love sports talk radio, Hack Saws, as as 269 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: he's laid out here, has a legendary career, and I 270 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: was lucky. As you mentioned, I learned from you as 271 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: an intern. I pretty much by observation on how you worked. 272 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 1: And I remember going in your office and you were 273 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: always either on the phone or typewriter or both, and 274 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: you're writing notes down and chicken scratch and all that stuff. 275 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:25,320 Speaker 1: And I think for the young guys that are doing 276 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:28,800 Speaker 1: sports talk that listen to me at night and and 277 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: dabbling this, they have no idea what it was like 278 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: in those archaic days before the internet really took over. 279 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 1: And I remember when I worked at at the mighty 280 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: six ninety. You had the news room with the you 281 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: had the sports ticker in the AP news wire in 282 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: the back, which is a real thing. When you said 283 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: the high speed sports wire. They had the AP wire 284 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: and the sports ticker. But what was your day like 285 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: when you were preparing Because it wasn't like now where 286 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: I can go on Twitter or you know, some social 287 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: media platform there's like seven thousand different things I could 288 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: talk about at any given time that they are being 289 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: thrown out by different media. It was much harder to 290 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: get information. So what was it like back in those days? Well, 291 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: you're right, the landscape has drastically changed. I think back now, 292 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,720 Speaker 1: and I think I was the Internet Before the Internet. 293 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: I just was consumed by information and and I wanted 294 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,200 Speaker 1: to know everything about everything so I could present everything 295 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: to every one of the listeners. And again, it was 296 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: very much a different era. I worked nine days a week. 297 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: That's all I did was gather information. I mean, I 298 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,600 Speaker 1: was just an information hound, and I I just decided 299 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: that I was going to do things very differently. When 300 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: I was going to Phoenix. The one thing that dawned 301 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: on me, because I had spent some time in Phoenix 302 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: prior to getting hired. The one thing that dawned on 303 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: me was that place is a melting pot of people 304 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: from everywhere. And you know what, there's a ton of 305 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 1: people who are from Chicago that relocated there, and there's 306 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: a lot of people from Canada who relocated there. And 307 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: I thought to myself, well, not everybody's going to be 308 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: a Son's fan or a Sun Devil fan. But if 309 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: I can structure a talk show that that appeals to 310 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: everybody on the waterfront, they'll keep coming back to me 311 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: every day for information. And that's what I started to do. 312 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: And then I did the exact same thing when I 313 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: went to six ninety and and people would say, well, 314 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: you got the Potteris and Chargers to talk about. Yeah, 315 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: I know that we're going to talk about that in 316 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: the hot button issues and all that. But you know 317 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 1: how many people live in southern California who relocated from 318 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: somewhere else. And I decided that I was going to 319 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: start to do a lot of creative stuff across the board. 320 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: And that's that's where the tour of the spring training 321 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: camps came from. That's where the tour of the NFL 322 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: training camps came from. That's where all these draft shows 323 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: that we did. Uh, that's where NHL Draft shows and 324 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: and the Pac ten skywriters. So I was doing all 325 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: this stuff on a day by day basis. Why because 326 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: I thought if I could hit everybody's hot button, Ben, 327 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: he'd come back to my show every day because it's 328 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: the only place to get information. Wasn't being done by 329 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: any of these other guys who were quote gabbling in 330 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: Mom and Pop talk show snapt that being said, it 331 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: was unbelievably hard. I worked so many hours, and I 332 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 1: look at it now in and I looked back and said, 333 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: how the hell did I do all that? And and 334 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,399 Speaker 1: you know, I was doing all that, plus I was 335 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: doing Chargers NFL football, and I ran the whole nine 336 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 1: hour game day broadcast, which was a lot of prep. 337 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: And I was doing San Diego State football. And then 338 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 1: after the Chargers left our station and we all got screwed, 339 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: I wound up getting a Seahawks job and I got 340 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 1: the USC play by played job because they showed up 341 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: on our station. So, like I said, I was working 342 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: like nine days a week, but I'm a workaholic, and 343 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 1: I loved it. I just looked back at it and 344 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,479 Speaker 1: sake my head said, boy, that was an awful lot 345 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: of awful lot of time out of my life. But 346 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: it was great, and uh, I wouldn't trade any of it. 347 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 1: I wish you'd ended differently. I hated getting bought out twice, 348 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: but that's the landscape of the industry that we are in. 349 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: Um that It was funny because after I did two 350 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: tours of duty and sports talk here, I went across 351 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: the street into television for three years and love that 352 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: had to blast as a TV anchor. And then I 353 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: woke up one morning two years ago and they folded 354 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: our news department. They put seventy seven of us on 355 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: waivers in one day. It was just a terrible, terrible experience. 356 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,640 Speaker 1: But I wouldn't trade any of it. I just wish 357 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: it had add a little bit different outcome. And I 358 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: still like to work. You know, I have this huge website, 359 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: Lee Hacksaw Hamilton's dot com. Now it's all written and 360 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: we always tell people who listen to my if you 361 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: like my talk show, I think you'll like what I 362 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: do on my website because it's kind of the same thing. 363 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: Hacksaws headlines in the Best fifteen Minutes in Sports and 364 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: One Man's Opinion column. I wrote a column every day. 365 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: Take that Bill plash ky l a times I saw. 366 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: I'm still really, really active. It's just it's just a 367 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: different venue now and I'm doing it what I like 368 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,439 Speaker 1: to still be doing it. Sure, Uh, whether it's in 369 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 1: the jobs will ever change again? I don't know. The 370 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: the industry issure change. I feel really bad. There's so 371 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: many good people that I know in radio, uh, some 372 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: on television, an awful lot in print or just throw 373 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 1: all out of jobs right now. Just a sad time 374 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: for our media industries. And you know that too, from 375 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: all your friends, Lee, I guess the one question I 376 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: want to ask you. With all the work that you 377 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: have done, whether it's hosting, reporting, play by play, whatever 378 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: it may be. Um, you know this, and you said 379 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: this specifically, since you did a lot of your own legwork, 380 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,880 Speaker 1: being as you are, consider what we call talent being 381 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: on air, did you ever have anyone upper management or 382 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: even just a direct supervisor and said, hey, Lee, like 383 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: lay off the gas on this or perhaps cut back 384 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: a little bit on this, Like did anyone try to 385 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: cut you off by the knees to make you do 386 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: something you didn't want to do while being on the air. 387 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: They've never interfered with the content because I told them 388 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,680 Speaker 1: my show is my show. If you want this to work, 389 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 1: it has to be my show. But I never really 390 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,919 Speaker 1: had any problems with anybody until the end. I had 391 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: a lot of problems at the end. Um, after the 392 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 1: Chargers left our radio station, we all got screwed and 393 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: then they want up leaving the community. Um, I've done 394 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 1: a lot for them, and I love being the voice 395 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: of the Chargers. I love game day in the NFL. 396 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,640 Speaker 1: We did a nine hour game day, we did nine 397 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: hour NFL drafted, We did tremendous, tremendous radio. Everybody's trying 398 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: to copy what we did, but we were the first 399 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: to do it, and we did it really, really well. 400 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,480 Speaker 1: But they got upset as the franchise fall apart, and 401 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: they had really dealt very unfairly with a lot of 402 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:44,640 Speaker 1: people in San Diego. I was of the opinion, screw you. 403 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: I don't have to be nice to you anymore after 404 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: what I've just witnessed what you did to our broadcast 405 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 1: team with you did everybody in the community, and they 406 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: moved the team and I so I let the fans 407 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:56,679 Speaker 1: just have at them. Of course, in the process, they 408 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: were going through the Ryan Leaf here and one in 409 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 1: fifteen and firing co choose and the ownership was incompetent 410 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: and went on and on and they just raised Holy hell, 411 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:08,160 Speaker 1: and I didn't really care. And then then I got 412 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: into a scrap with the Padres because they've been perennial losers, 413 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: and they went through every general manager and every philosophy 414 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: and all these ownership groups. And I just went on 415 00:21:17,119 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 1: the year one night and said, period exclamation point. Doesn't 416 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: the city of San Diego and Padre fans deserved better 417 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:28,119 Speaker 1: than this? And they went haywire, So too bad. You 418 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,159 Speaker 1: don't like what's being said on the air, do a 419 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: better job, so we'll say better things about you on 420 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: the air. But to spend back to your original question, no, 421 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: not took a lot of heat. I took some crap 422 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: from some people and has been and you guys will 423 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: always attest there will always be haters out there. You 424 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: can't please everybody. But if you're doing it right, and 425 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 1: you're doing it honestly, and you can, you can back 426 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 1: what you say with content and information. It works. It 427 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: should work without any inference. And I just kept I 428 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: remember telling an executive of the Padres, don't tell me 429 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: how to do my job in radio. Do your job 430 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: in baseball better, you know. And this is after all 431 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: these damn last place finishes and mistakes on free agents 432 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,440 Speaker 1: and trades and and all that. There's probably a line 433 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:16,200 Speaker 1: of people outside my front door stretching down the street 434 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:17,959 Speaker 1: and down the bottom of the hill that don't like me. 435 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 1: But that's okay because on top of the hill on 436 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:22,920 Speaker 1: the freeway there's everybody lined up. They probably liked what 437 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:25,399 Speaker 1: we did. Uh So I had a good time. I 438 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 1: always try to be fair. I felt at times I 439 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:30,240 Speaker 1: really had to be tough on people, and I was not. 440 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 1: I was not afraid because tough was honest, and honest 441 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 1: was based on information that I knew and I had 442 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: in sources, etcetera. Be sure to catch live editions of 443 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,640 Speaker 1: The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven 444 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: pm Pacific. And and that's uh, not to make this 445 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: all about me, but one of the reasons I was 446 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: excited to talk to you is you were a big 447 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 1: influence on my career. I inserned in the in the 448 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 1: mighty six ninety back in the day in the nineties. 449 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: And blame me. That's okay, Ben, just blame me for 450 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: what turned out to me. I'm gonna blame you when 451 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,399 Speaker 1: I lose my job. But but uh, but no, I 452 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 1: mean you were a great influence. Watching you work and 453 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,680 Speaker 1: all that one of the reasons I wanted to keep 454 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:07,359 Speaker 1: going and I recently want to be a play by 455 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: play guy. And then I saw you did the talk 456 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: show and all that. But where do I rank on 457 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,919 Speaker 1: Hacksall's big board of interns you had? You had a 458 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: lot of internsally over the years. I'm sure I was 459 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: just one of the minions that followed you around. So 460 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: so where am I on your your big board there. 461 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: You've probably been the most successful, well any of the 462 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,040 Speaker 1: guys that came through the building in terms of what 463 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: they turned out to be, because you're now on network radio, 464 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: and that's really really cool. By the way, you got 465 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:35,880 Speaker 1: the job that I probably should have had a Fox 466 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: Sports Radio. And the next question, I guess at least 467 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: I gotta ask you this because you're you're definitely not 468 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: aware of this. But much like you and much like Ben, 469 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:52,199 Speaker 1: I got into the industry and I worked from the 470 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 1: ground up, but my first way into the building was 471 00:23:56,320 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: actually with thirteen sixty in San Diego, and so when 472 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: I first started, I worked as a board op and 473 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: then eventually as a producer and then an anchor and 474 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: then some filling stuff. But I don't know if you 475 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:09,679 Speaker 1: are aware of this, and I don't know if you 476 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: know this, but if you don't, I'm gonna shed a 477 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:13,720 Speaker 1: little bit of light inside that building at least what 478 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: it was before some remodels um. A few of the 479 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,119 Speaker 1: on air talent that is still there actually showed me 480 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,719 Speaker 1: at the time when I worked there, old cassette tapes 481 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: of segments and interviews and everything that you did while 482 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: on air and it was all archived inside some cabinets 483 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: and said some containers, Um, are you aware of that 484 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: at all? Those are like that Indiana Jones right there, 485 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: like the relics of lost arc. Well, you know, I 486 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: would I was there were twenty two years and I 487 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: got I got bought out, and I guess there was 488 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:51,679 Speaker 1: two thousand eight. I was shocked because we had tremendous radiance. 489 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: But at that point in time, Clear Channel was firing 490 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: everybody that was making a lot of money. It was 491 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: terrible what they did, and it was terrible what they 492 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: did to a legendary station. And they want up given 493 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: up the signal, like I say, it's now, it's got 494 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,280 Speaker 1: Chinese talk on it. Can you believe that? And the 495 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:08,560 Speaker 1: station was successful, But I had had a good parting 496 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: with them. It wasn't angry. I just didn't agree with 497 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: what they did. But they gave me a week to 498 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,879 Speaker 1: clean out my archives. So you can understand. I'm not 499 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 1: gonna say rat pack, but you can understand when you 500 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,959 Speaker 1: have twenty two years of archives, and I had twenty 501 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: two years of media guides, and I had twenty two 502 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 1: years of historic interviews. So I packed a pickup truck 503 00:25:28,119 --> 00:25:30,199 Speaker 1: with what I felt was the most important stuff I 504 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: had from my career at the old Extra six ninety 505 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 1: and I brought it home in a large chunk of 506 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: It's still in my garage here in San Diego. I 507 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 1: don't have any room for my house, and I've never 508 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 1: really had the urge to go back and find it. 509 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, there was a lot of stuff, and there's 510 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: a lot of great historic interviews. And of course that 511 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: was back in the day before digital, and that was 512 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: when everything was on reel to reel and some of 513 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: was on cassettes and stuff. And I took what interviews 514 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 1: I could, but I couldn't take them all. But and 515 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:01,120 Speaker 1: I regret that now because I mean, if you look back, 516 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: I've interviewed just an absolute ton of great sports people 517 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: and I was I was able to keep interviews with 518 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: Mickey Mantle, Henry Aaron, the late Arthur Ash but but 519 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,920 Speaker 1: some of the ones, the Branco, Nagurski and John mckin 520 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: was some of the others great ones. I just I 521 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 1: didn't have space a room to take everything with me, 522 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,400 Speaker 1: which is too bad. But yeah, there was a lot 523 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,040 Speaker 1: of stuff there and I got as much out there. 524 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 1: They were very good to me in addition to giving 525 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 1: me a buy out. But they let me just work 526 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: through the process of how do you unpack twenty two 527 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,640 Speaker 1: years of memories? And I brought a chunk of at home. 528 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: It's in my garage. And then sadly, I was victimized 529 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,880 Speaker 1: by the terrible fires in San Diego County and everything 530 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: around me burned down. My house did not burn down, 531 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: which stunned me because my whole neighborhood burned to the ground. 532 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, I know that if somebody walked into one 533 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 1: of those corner offices, probably some that stuff is still there, 534 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: because I did leave behind a lot of stuff. But that, 535 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 1: you know, guys, it's the most people ask me about that, 536 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: and and I tell people I'm not I'm not bitter. 537 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: I'm disappointed the way it ended, and you know, maybe 538 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: there'll be another opportunity. But you know, life is about memories. 539 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,440 Speaker 1: Life is about collecting memories. If if this newsmaker calls 540 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,800 Speaker 1: with Alt Michael's, could you imagine all the great things 541 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,640 Speaker 1: he could tell you places he's been, things he's done, 542 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: and he's just one of the legendary broadcasters of all time. 543 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 1: UH and Bob Costas and those guys are all friends 544 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: of mine, so I uh, you know, I have great 545 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,600 Speaker 1: memories and flashbacks whish I was still doing some of it. 546 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how the hell I did it for 547 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: all those years, but it's it's just kind of cool 548 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: the road we've traveled, and I it's weird because I 549 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:50,120 Speaker 1: came from really unique roots and I tell us people 550 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: all the time. I don't know if you guys are 551 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,399 Speaker 1: hockey fans, but this is the forty five anniversary of 552 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: the release of the movie Slap Shot Paul Newman, the 553 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,800 Speaker 1: Hanson Brothers, Charleston Chiefs, and all that. While I was 554 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 1: working in upstate New York, I was a young broadcaster 555 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:09,040 Speaker 1: and my final year in the minor leagues before I 556 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 1: went to the major leagues, before I went to Cleveland, 557 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:15,120 Speaker 1: was in a place called Mohawk Valley in Utica, New York, 558 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: and I broadcast hockey. That's where that's where I played 559 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: by play roots actually started think about this in that league, 560 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: and we were all twenty one year olds riding busses 561 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 1: drinking beer with the boys in that league. I was 562 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 1: in Utica, became the voice of the Chargers and the 563 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: Seahawks and did all these great things on Sports Dog Radio. 564 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: Bob Costas was in Syracuse, and we know what his 565 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 1: career became. And there was a guy there was a 566 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 1: voice of the Long Island Ducks. He like gold. He's 567 00:28:43,960 --> 00:28:47,959 Speaker 1: the voice of the Alabama Crimson Tidan has done NASCAR. Uh. 568 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: There was another guy in Binghamton who went on to 569 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: do Cincinnati Reds baseball. We had, we had. There were 570 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: a total of five of us, all about the same age, 571 00:28:57,560 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: all in the lower minor leagues, in one league, which 572 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: each other all the time. And I laughed now because 573 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,640 Speaker 1: this last week is anniversary of slap Shot. And I'll 574 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: tell you, guys, everything in that movie, percent of that 575 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: movie is true. I lived in that bus. That bus 576 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: was our bus in Mohawk Valley, and I live with 577 00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: those players, and I drank all those players, and I 578 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: slept on the bus with those players. And all the 579 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: junk that happened when those players getting arrested, that happened 580 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: in our building in Utica. So it's it's funny where 581 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:29,880 Speaker 1: where the road leads you in your career. And I 582 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: and I stay in contact with the hockey friends, and 583 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: I made back when I was just a young punk 584 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: in the nineties seventies, and I stay in contact with 585 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: him still, and I emailed a whole bunch of people 586 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of things about slop Shot that was 587 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: just that was sent to me just last week. So 588 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: it's it's it's fun to reflect back on where you were. 589 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: And I'm sure it's the same for if you were 590 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: to interview the Los Angeles legend Jim Healy. The stories 591 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: he could tell, what the people he crossed paths within 592 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: that major market would be spectacular. And you know, here 593 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 1: I am, all these years later having interviewed great, great people. 594 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,280 Speaker 1: Remember Howard Cosell. I interviewed him in spring training when 595 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 1: I was in Cleveland. I went to the Indian spring 596 00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: training camp for the first time. He kept calling me, 597 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 1: young man, young man, let me tell you about this 598 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,640 Speaker 1: with Steinbrenner, a young man, let me tell you about Ali. 599 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: It was so funny and so historical. So yeah, it's 600 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 1: it's neat to think back, and I'm kind of proud 601 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: of the junk we did and what we accomplished. You 602 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: mentioned the memories and the roads that you have taken, 603 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 1: and I bring that up because, oddly enough, there was 604 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: a point in my career that Ben gave me some 605 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: nice professional advice and there was an opportunity that presented 606 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: itself with the Seattle Mariners and their High A affiliate, 607 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 1: and they had an opening and I told that and 608 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: talked to him about and he said, yeah, you should 609 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 1: take the job. You should take the job right down 610 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: as much as you possibly can, um and just chat 611 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,800 Speaker 1: this up as memories and so lo and behold in seen. 612 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: I left Los Angeles and went to Bakersfield, and I 613 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: was stuck in Bakersfield Lee for about six months, and 614 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: Ben and his entire show, the entire Mallary militia came 615 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,760 Speaker 1: up to visit and uh he threw the first pitch 616 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:22,720 Speaker 1: out leave and oddly enough the franchise after two more 617 00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:27,160 Speaker 1: months closed down for good. So so we know all 618 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: about the memories. But I bring that up because of this, Like, 619 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 1: you had such a long career. You know, we poke 620 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: and joke you know on the air off there with 621 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,240 Speaker 1: with with Ben about just certain stuff on the show. 622 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,320 Speaker 1: But has there ever been a moment in your career 623 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: early on middle or towards the tail end that you said, 624 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 1: you know what, like I regret that I shouldn't have 625 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: done that or shouldn't have said that or shouldn't have 626 00:31:48,240 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: acted that way. I don't know if i'd call it 627 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 1: real deep regret. Um at the height of our popularity 628 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: at Extra six, uh, you know, and we had a 629 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: pretty good group that was put together with the ownership. 630 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:04,480 Speaker 1: Will tell you look what we discovered. Well, I know 631 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: that the real truth. He stumbled on these guys and 632 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: they became stars. But um, I got a lot of 633 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: job offers, and it started when I was in Phoenix 634 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: and I had a chance to go it can be 635 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,040 Speaker 1: or in San Francisco when they were just becoming what 636 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: they were going to become, and I just didn't feel 637 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: comfortable and I didn't want to. I didn't want to 638 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 1: give up the Arizona State Sundaval's job just to be 639 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:30,479 Speaker 1: a talk show host in San Francisco. So I said no. 640 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: And I got a call one night at eleven PM 641 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: in Phoenix as deep voice as on the other end 642 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: of the line. I was half asleep, and it was 643 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: really funny because my my wife was pregnant, and you 644 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: know who calls us at eleven o'clock at night and 645 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:49,360 Speaker 1: guy on the other end of the line says, this 646 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: is Lee Hamilton. I said yes, So this is Robert 647 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,720 Speaker 1: Highland from cam O X in St. Louis. I was 648 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: fell out of bed because I knew who Robert Highland was. 649 00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: He was one of the greatest influential broadcasters on RADI 650 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:03,640 Speaker 1: oh an all time. He was an icon and CBS 651 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: and they wanted me to come there, and I went 652 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 1: to visit him and interviewed. I spent a day and 653 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 1: a half in St. Louis and had a blast. And 654 00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,720 Speaker 1: but then again, you know, I've given up the play 655 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: by play, which I really loved, and removed my eight 656 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,240 Speaker 1: month pregnant wife, and we had just bought a house. 657 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 1: I didn't know if it was going to work out. 658 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: And then Costas called me because he worked at Cama Wicks. 659 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: And then Jack Buck called me he worked at Cama Wicks. 660 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 1: And Garagiola called me because he used to New Cardinal Baseball, 661 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: and I just I turned it down. And I always 662 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: always wonder what if what if I had gone there? 663 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: And then on the West Coast the exact same thing happened. 664 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 1: I did not know these people. And George Green, who 665 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: ran k ABC during the houcy on days of the Dodgers, 666 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 1: called me and I went up and visited with him, 667 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: and as Ben would know KMPC, the old seven ten 668 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: had gone sports, and he asked Autrey's people asked me 669 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:55,720 Speaker 1: to come up, and I talked and talked, but at 670 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: those times I did not want to give up the 671 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: opportunity to do the NFL as a voice of the Chargers. 672 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 1: And We're doing really well, and I had had a 673 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:06,479 Speaker 1: couple of kids here, and I I had always been 674 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 1: very cautious about wanting to not wanting to drag my 675 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,279 Speaker 1: family all over the place, and I, you know, I've 676 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:13,799 Speaker 1: been very stable and had worked a lot of a 677 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:16,480 Speaker 1: long time at just a couple of stations. I'm kind 678 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 1: of the exception of the rule. So and maybe the 679 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 1: only real significant regret is I had a chance to 680 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: be the voice of the Anaheim Ducks and go back 681 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,439 Speaker 1: and do hockey, which was my roots where I came from, 682 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: and I love the sport and I'm married to a 683 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,399 Speaker 1: Canadian and all that um, and I turned it down 684 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 1: because I was right in the middle of negotiating to 685 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:38,520 Speaker 1: go to Seattle to do the Seahawks, and I didn't 686 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:41,239 Speaker 1: think it was right that I screwed the Seahawks this 687 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:43,879 Speaker 1: late in the game to take the Duck's job. That's 688 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 1: probably the only one that I really regret, because I 689 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,480 Speaker 1: had had taken it, and I hired a really good 690 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:50,320 Speaker 1: guy and his friend of mine, Steve Carroll. If I 691 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: had taken it would probably still be there and still 692 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,799 Speaker 1: be in the NHNEL. But I think that's that's the 693 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:57,479 Speaker 1: only real regret that I turned that one job down. 694 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: And then and the Rep. Denny reputation and comes, well, 695 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 1: he he is where he is, and he's not going 696 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,120 Speaker 1: to leave and he's got family roots in San Diego now, etcetera, etcetera, 697 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,280 Speaker 1: And and then the offers just kind of went away, 698 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,240 Speaker 1: and then the landscape of our industry are really changed 699 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,560 Speaker 1: to so the Ducks thing and maybe the St. Louis thing, 700 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 1: I reflect back and say, wow, but it's been hard. Uh. 701 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,239 Speaker 1: I went through a them. My minor league hockey team 702 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 1: was on the brink of folding, and we put together 703 00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,799 Speaker 1: a drive to save the team for the community. And 704 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 1: then I went to the and went to Cleveland. I 705 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: was in the w h A, and we thought we 706 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 1: were all going to the NHL and the merger, and 707 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:33,239 Speaker 1: we all got screwed and got knocked out of there. 708 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,799 Speaker 1: And then obviously the chargers left our station, and the 709 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:40,400 Speaker 1: chargers left our community, which just really upset everybody. So, 710 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:43,080 Speaker 1: uh yeah, you have to you have to kind of 711 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:45,160 Speaker 1: walk down the road, and you may step on a 712 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,320 Speaker 1: few land mines, You've got a few hand grenades tossed 713 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,560 Speaker 1: at you. You just got to be able to bounce 714 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 1: back from it. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports 715 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,360 Speaker 1: talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows 716 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: at Fox sports Radio dot com and within the I 717 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,600 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app. Search s are to listen live. Yeah, 718 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: and Lee, that's I didn't know about that duck's job. 719 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: That's an interesting story. So let's let's go back to 720 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: the days in San Diego when you were at the 721 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: Mighty six night, the peak of your superpowers, and listeners 722 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:17,359 Speaker 1: love hearing about radio wars. So who is who would 723 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: you consider your biggest rival? You had Joe McDonald in 724 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:23,040 Speaker 1: l A, had Ted Lightner your rival in San Diego. 725 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: Who who did you consider your biggest I don't know 726 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,200 Speaker 1: threats the right word, but but who are you competing 727 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: against the most in those days? Although little sound egotistical, 728 00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:35,520 Speaker 1: but it really wasn't competing against anybody because we were 729 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: on the blowtorch signal uh, and and everybody else was 730 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: just kind of doing mom and pop sports talk or 731 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:46,399 Speaker 1: padre talk or whatever. Um Joe, Joe had a nice 732 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:48,879 Speaker 1: reputation in La Joe and I were not friends because 733 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:52,440 Speaker 1: he said a lot of cruel, mean, on fair things 734 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 1: about me on the air, which was cheap um lightning 735 00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: as a TV guy who doesn't like me. But I 736 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 1: I just thought he was a fraud. He's had a 737 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,439 Speaker 1: really good career doing what he did, but I happen 738 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:05,160 Speaker 1: to think I've had a really good career, and I 739 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 1: never never really got any any positive vibes out of him. Uh. 740 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: I didn't know Jim Healey very well, talked to him 741 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: a couple of times before he passed on, but in 742 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,520 Speaker 1: great regard for his style and his stick and his 743 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,239 Speaker 1: substance and what he accomplished in a very very very 744 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 1: different era. But I wasn't really competing against anybody because 745 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:27,080 Speaker 1: we you know, we kind of wound it. Uh, we 746 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 1: we are stationed. I didn't find this out till a 747 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. Might this is when Clear Channel 748 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,640 Speaker 1: owned it. At its height was billing eleven million dollars 749 00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 1: a year, which is a phenomenal amount of money in 750 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: a fairly small market. Is not a big market here, 751 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: eleven million. But we were doing that because our blow 752 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,239 Speaker 1: towards signal was part of Orange County. They had me 753 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 1: up once a week doing remote in afternoon drive in 754 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:54,840 Speaker 1: Orange County. And then we went up to Los Angeles 755 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:57,719 Speaker 1: and we're doing stuff at casinos up there. So we 756 00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,960 Speaker 1: were doing really well and Clear Channels screwed that whole 757 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 1: thing up and I could never ever forgive them for 758 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:06,280 Speaker 1: what they did, wrecking a station that a whole bunch 759 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:11,520 Speaker 1: of us dedicated our lives too. Um, And it's really sad. 760 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,279 Speaker 1: Now it's very different. I mean, Los Angeles has got 761 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:19,240 Speaker 1: un ESPN and they keep changing parts trying to find something. 762 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:22,360 Speaker 1: They don't do much in the ratings and k l 763 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:26,719 Speaker 1: a C which evolved after they destroyed six nine. They 764 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:31,719 Speaker 1: finally finally went ahead and put sports talk. It's very 765 00:38:31,760 --> 00:38:36,719 Speaker 1: different style of sports talk on five seventy. Um. It 766 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:39,000 Speaker 1: was funny because I had a chance in the in 767 00:38:39,120 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 1: the dark days when Clear Channel was was doing away 768 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: with six. They came to me and I was under contract. 769 00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:50,520 Speaker 1: There are only two of us that survived the purge, 770 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 1: me and Steve Hartman, and they came and came to 771 00:38:53,239 --> 00:38:56,080 Speaker 1: me and said, would you come to l A, move 772 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 1: to l A and be part of what we do 773 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,560 Speaker 1: in l A? And I I thought about it. So 774 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:04,399 Speaker 1: they sent they sent their vice president of programming down 775 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:05,640 Speaker 1: to see me, and he was great guy. I get 776 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:08,920 Speaker 1: along great with. Let me still there and we had 777 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,840 Speaker 1: a dialogue about their vision for what they wanted to 778 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,839 Speaker 1: make A five seventy become and my history and all 779 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 1: that that you guys have alluded to and I've talked about. 780 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,799 Speaker 1: And then I said to him, I said, Greg, can 781 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:24,880 Speaker 1: you can you tell me what you're your mortgage payment 782 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,480 Speaker 1: is every month? He lives in the rich section of 783 00:39:27,520 --> 00:39:33,160 Speaker 1: Hollywood Hills or something. He said something like a month. 784 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:36,759 Speaker 1: I pulled out my mortgage payment that I happened to 785 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 1: have in my in my wallet. My mortgage payment at 786 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:42,600 Speaker 1: that time was eleven dollars a month in San Diego 787 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:44,920 Speaker 1: because I paid off my house. And I said, do 788 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,080 Speaker 1: you realistically think I'm going to move somewhere a half 789 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 1: a five dollar mortgage payment when down here I have 790 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,360 Speaker 1: an eleven dollar mortgage payment a month. He laughed. And 791 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,319 Speaker 1: they let me stay on the air and I did 792 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:57,960 Speaker 1: my show on the original kale I see I did 793 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: it U the San Diego studios, but I did it also, 794 00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: but it was l A topicated. I mean, we would 795 00:40:05,719 --> 00:40:07,840 Speaker 1: lead with the Lakers, and we would lead with the 796 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 1: Dodgers and the Angels and the Raiders. And I was 797 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 1: doing as many l A triggered interviews there as I 798 00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 1: was in terms of San Diego content. But eventually every 799 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:21,280 Speaker 1: everything changed along the way, and you know, people make changes, 800 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: sometimes good and a bunch of times, at least to 801 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,200 Speaker 1: my industry, pretty bad. And it's just got to be 802 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:29,080 Speaker 1: able to get through it, survive and hope you bounce back. Yeah, 803 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,200 Speaker 1: all right, and and leave. They're kicking us out of 804 00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:33,400 Speaker 1: the studio here. But I wanted to wrap up. And 805 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,720 Speaker 1: you've got a lot of fans. I get messages. People 806 00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:38,560 Speaker 1: know my history with you when I learned the business 807 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,320 Speaker 1: from you, and they asked me questions about you. What's 808 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,120 Speaker 1: he doing, what's he up to? And I've directed some 809 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,720 Speaker 1: people to your Twitter. But and you plugged your website, 810 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:49,240 Speaker 1: which is great. It is It is the best fifteen 811 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:51,720 Speaker 1: minutes in radio. It's the best fifteen minutes on the internet, 812 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:54,080 Speaker 1: which is pretty much. It just seems like your monologues 813 00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:57,239 Speaker 1: that you would do. Your opening segment is available on 814 00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,879 Speaker 1: the internet every day. As you said, you updated multiple times, 815 00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:02,120 Speaker 1: so kind of real quickly we got about a minute 816 00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:05,359 Speaker 1: and a half your hacks about promote everything. How can 817 00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:08,760 Speaker 1: the fans of yours reconnect with you here on the internet. 818 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:12,320 Speaker 1: I write every day of the week, Monday through Friday. 819 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:15,560 Speaker 1: It's Lee Hack saw Hamilton dot com. There's four or 820 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:18,760 Speaker 1: five different pages on their best fifteen minutes in sports, 821 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:22,959 Speaker 1: he saus headlines, my one man's opinion column. Uh, it's 822 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,640 Speaker 1: it's just I cover anything and everything. It's kind of 823 00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:28,640 Speaker 1: the Rick version of the talk show. And it's free 824 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:30,960 Speaker 1: on top of that, so you got a chance check 825 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:33,719 Speaker 1: it every every week. I guarantee of this, Ben, if 826 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 1: you listen or if you read what I write on 827 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: my website, I guarantee you you'll be the second smartest 828 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,560 Speaker 1: man in Southern California aside from me, because you'll know 829 00:41:43,640 --> 00:41:45,880 Speaker 1: everything that I know, and I know everything about everything 830 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:48,480 Speaker 1: of course. All right, Lee, I love you man. Thanks 831 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:50,320 Speaker 1: for all the help you've given me over the years 832 00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:53,600 Speaker 1: and continued the success with the website and whatever comes 833 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:55,360 Speaker 1: next for you. Thank you well. I appreciate it. We 834 00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:57,640 Speaker 1: had a really good run and I think fondly of 835 00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:01,040 Speaker 1: all the strange stuff. I mean radio stations, for the 836 00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:03,840 Speaker 1: launching point, for the great success that Jim Rome had, 837 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:07,000 Speaker 1: for what Mason and Ireland became, what Steve Hartman, Philly 838 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:11,040 Speaker 1: Billy Warndell, the loose Cannons, chet forty. But we had 839 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:14,080 Speaker 1: something really really unique. That's it's great to think that 840 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: we we are remembered by the fans up and down 841 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,640 Speaker 1: the West coast. And then, don't blame me for what 842 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:21,480 Speaker 1: you become, but I salute you for what you become. Awesome, 843 00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:23,520 Speaker 1: Thank you, Lee. That was great, man. I loved it. 844 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 1: Some wonderful stories and uh, and take care of yourself, 845 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,600 Speaker 1: all right. And all right, dude, stay in touch here. 846 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:30,680 Speaker 1: And if they ever let your dude guests give me 847 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:32,239 Speaker 1: on some middle of the night, we'll argue you about 848 00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:34,560 Speaker 1: some of the sports stories. All right. I'll make that's 849 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 1: a deal. All right. Thank you, Lee, take your man great, 850 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:38,560 Speaker 1: my pleasure. Take care, Benny. Bye,