1 00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,515 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I Heart 2 00:00:08,595 --> 00:00:26,955 Speaker 1: Radio on the Friday before an election crucial to the 3 00:00:26,995 --> 00:00:31,555 Speaker 1: safeguarding of democracy in this nation. MSNBC fired it's most 4 00:00:31,555 --> 00:00:36,795 Speaker 1: outspoken and most probably it's bravest host because Fox News 5 00:00:36,835 --> 00:00:42,755 Speaker 1: complained about her. Where is the statement of protest about 6 00:00:42,755 --> 00:00:48,995 Speaker 1: the firing of Tiffany Cross from Lawrence O'Donnell. Where is 7 00:00:49,035 --> 00:00:54,795 Speaker 1: the anger from Chris Hayes. Where is the condemnation of 8 00:00:54,835 --> 00:01:00,635 Speaker 1: a woman's voice silenced from Alex Wagner. Where is the 9 00:01:00,755 --> 00:01:05,915 Speaker 1: threat to walk out, to boycott, to quit, to stand 10 00:01:05,955 --> 00:01:12,955 Speaker 1: on principle from Rachel Maddow. Whatever happens in the voting tomorrow, 11 00:01:13,035 --> 00:01:15,075 Speaker 1: remember at all times that you and I do not 12 00:01:15,275 --> 00:01:20,315 Speaker 1: have a true friend or an ally. At MSNBC, at CNN, 13 00:01:20,835 --> 00:01:26,475 Speaker 1: at CBS, at ABC, we have television performers who will 14 00:01:26,515 --> 00:01:29,315 Speaker 1: make sure they are seen in the easy fights, but 15 00:01:29,435 --> 00:01:32,235 Speaker 1: when it is bad, who will draw a line and 16 00:01:32,315 --> 00:01:36,395 Speaker 1: fight and protect one thing and one thing alone their paychecks. 17 00:01:37,395 --> 00:01:42,835 Speaker 1: We have the opposition, the caged d claude, gutless and 18 00:01:43,115 --> 00:01:50,835 Speaker 1: entirely authorized official opposition. On Saturday, NBC News had to 19 00:01:50,875 --> 00:01:54,275 Speaker 1: retract the story it put on the Today show on Friday, 20 00:01:54,315 --> 00:01:58,355 Speaker 1: in which reporter Miguel al mcgare refueled the entire right 21 00:01:58,395 --> 00:02:02,555 Speaker 1: wing conspiracy theory about the Trump Is terrorist attack on 22 00:02:02,595 --> 00:02:06,435 Speaker 1: Paul Pelosi. Al mcgare quote did an unnamed source who 23 00:02:06,475 --> 00:02:11,235 Speaker 1: claimed Paul Pelosi didn't flee or tell responding officers he 24 00:02:11,355 --> 00:02:17,155 Speaker 1: was in distress. It was entirely untrue. Al mcgeary simply 25 00:02:17,195 --> 00:02:20,155 Speaker 1: took a right wing disinformation talking point and put it 26 00:02:20,195 --> 00:02:23,715 Speaker 1: on national television, even though it disagreed completely with the 27 00:02:23,875 --> 00:02:26,755 Speaker 1: on the record police account. He might as well have 28 00:02:26,795 --> 00:02:30,715 Speaker 1: been quoting Gateway pundit. By the evening, he had handed 29 00:02:30,755 --> 00:02:36,195 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson a headline. NBC reveals explosive new details in 30 00:02:36,275 --> 00:02:40,955 Speaker 1: Pelosi attack. Has Miguel al mcgare been fired. Has the 31 00:02:41,035 --> 00:02:43,595 Speaker 1: vice president in charge of the Today's Show, Libby Lycet, 32 00:02:43,715 --> 00:02:47,835 Speaker 1: been fired? Has the president of NBC News, Noah Oppenheim 33 00:02:47,915 --> 00:02:51,075 Speaker 1: been fired? Has the chairman of NBC News says ar Conde, 34 00:02:51,195 --> 00:02:54,515 Speaker 1: been fired? Has the chairman of NBC Universal, Jeff Shell, 35 00:02:54,675 --> 00:03:00,995 Speaker 1: been fired? No, Tiffany Cross was fired because Tucker Carlson 36 00:03:00,995 --> 00:03:04,555 Speaker 1: complained about Tiffany Cross and between her firing and the 37 00:03:04,675 --> 00:03:08,395 Speaker 1: crack pot conspiracy theory. The Today Show delivered gift wrapped 38 00:03:08,435 --> 00:03:11,115 Speaker 1: to Tucker Carlson. It is evident that right now the 39 00:03:11,115 --> 00:03:14,155 Speaker 1: only discernible point of their being an NBC News and 40 00:03:14,275 --> 00:03:20,635 Speaker 1: an MSNBC is to do Tucker Carlson's heavy lifting for him. 41 00:03:20,675 --> 00:03:24,395 Speaker 1: And the faces of MSNBC, the people there who have 42 00:03:24,515 --> 00:03:27,755 Speaker 1: made NBC more money in the last decade than NBC 43 00:03:27,795 --> 00:03:31,715 Speaker 1: News has have to this hour, said nothing about the 44 00:03:31,715 --> 00:03:34,795 Speaker 1: firing of Tiffany Cross because she dared to anger the 45 00:03:34,835 --> 00:03:38,435 Speaker 1: propaganda machine at Fox, the one that would make Gegel's blush, 46 00:03:38,875 --> 00:03:41,515 Speaker 1: and because she dared to call a theocratic fascist on 47 00:03:41,555 --> 00:03:46,235 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court what he is, just as those faces 48 00:03:46,235 --> 00:03:48,755 Speaker 1: of MSNBC have said nothing about Al mcgare and the 49 00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:52,995 Speaker 1: Pelosi story, whether that was mere firing level incompetence or 50 00:03:52,995 --> 00:03:56,955 Speaker 1: it was firing level sabotage of the truth, just as 51 00:03:56,955 --> 00:04:00,195 Speaker 1: those faces of MSNBC have said nothing about the parade 52 00:04:00,195 --> 00:04:04,675 Speaker 1: of election deniers and Trump cultists and other Republicans whom 53 00:04:04,715 --> 00:04:07,075 Speaker 1: march through every week on Meet the Press, while Chuck 54 00:04:07,195 --> 00:04:11,235 Speaker 1: Todd does his best impression of Susan Collins and lets 55 00:04:11,275 --> 00:04:14,635 Speaker 1: them spread their lies, but is quietly confident they have 56 00:04:14,755 --> 00:04:20,195 Speaker 1: learned their lesson. NBC News is doing the work of 57 00:04:20,235 --> 00:04:23,395 Speaker 1: those who would end democracy in this country. On occasion, 58 00:04:23,675 --> 00:04:27,035 Speaker 1: they may be doing it inadvertently. It is possible Al 59 00:04:27,115 --> 00:04:29,075 Speaker 1: mcgare and the producers of The Today Show are just 60 00:04:29,315 --> 00:04:34,755 Speaker 1: incompetent morons. God knows it's happened before over there. But 61 00:04:34,835 --> 00:04:39,235 Speaker 1: in throwing out Tiffany Cross, they're not only silencing a 62 00:04:39,355 --> 00:04:42,435 Speaker 1: valuable voice who might have become an essential one, but 63 00:04:42,515 --> 00:04:46,435 Speaker 1: they are warning everybody else on the air at MSNBC that, yes, yes, 64 00:04:46,475 --> 00:04:49,635 Speaker 1: this company has made several billion dollars in profits in 65 00:04:49,635 --> 00:04:54,035 Speaker 1: the fifteen years since that old guy whose name alber Ding, 66 00:04:54,755 --> 00:04:57,355 Speaker 1: since that guy inadvertently made us the sole home of 67 00:04:57,395 --> 00:05:00,435 Speaker 1: accurate and liberal and progressive news coverage and commentary, and 68 00:05:00,435 --> 00:05:02,755 Speaker 1: since he hired Meadow as his guest host and then 69 00:05:02,795 --> 00:05:05,155 Speaker 1: spun her off to her own show, then then spun 70 00:05:05,155 --> 00:05:07,635 Speaker 1: his next guest host, O'Donnell off to his own show, 71 00:05:07,795 --> 00:05:10,115 Speaker 1: and then spun his next next guest host, Hayes, off 72 00:05:10,115 --> 00:05:12,355 Speaker 1: to his own show, and auditioned Wagner to be his 73 00:05:12,435 --> 00:05:17,435 Speaker 1: next next next guest host. They warned MSNBC and NBC News, 74 00:05:17,475 --> 00:05:22,195 Speaker 1: did Matto and O'Donnell and Hayes and Wagner and all 75 00:05:22,235 --> 00:05:25,395 Speaker 1: the others on the air. They're sure we have made money, 76 00:05:25,435 --> 00:05:28,035 Speaker 1: and sure Tiffany Crosses show was just about the only 77 00:05:28,075 --> 00:05:31,275 Speaker 1: one on our network with any ratings growth of any kind. 78 00:05:31,635 --> 00:05:34,635 Speaker 1: But we fired her, and we leaked it to the 79 00:05:34,675 --> 00:05:37,315 Speaker 1: Washington Post that she was fired in large part by 80 00:05:37,355 --> 00:05:43,275 Speaker 1: another African American woman because she was controversial, and NBC 81 00:05:43,515 --> 00:05:48,275 Speaker 1: Universal cannot be controversial right now, because you know, fascists 82 00:05:48,435 --> 00:05:54,035 Speaker 1: also by Comcast cable packages and Peacocks subscriptions, and you 83 00:05:54,075 --> 00:05:57,995 Speaker 1: could be next. And you have now heard the responses 84 00:05:58,035 --> 00:06:06,355 Speaker 1: of Mattow and Hayes and O'Donnell and Wagner. Silence, silence, 85 00:06:06,395 --> 00:06:10,355 Speaker 1: with just a barely perceptible vibration of fear in the background. 86 00:06:12,355 --> 00:06:15,475 Speaker 1: When asked on Comedy Central which state the Democrats could 87 00:06:15,475 --> 00:06:18,555 Speaker 1: afford to lose, Tiffany cross had made a joke about 88 00:06:18,595 --> 00:06:21,155 Speaker 1: the phallic shape of the state of Florida and said, 89 00:06:21,755 --> 00:06:25,715 Speaker 1: let's cast right Florida. Last month, she referred to Clarence 90 00:06:25,755 --> 00:06:29,395 Speaker 1: Thomas as quote justice, pubic hair and my coke can. 91 00:06:30,875 --> 00:06:35,115 Speaker 1: When Elissa Farah, the former Trump propagandist, became a finalist 92 00:06:35,195 --> 00:06:38,075 Speaker 1: to co host the view TV show. Cross called her 93 00:06:38,355 --> 00:06:42,075 Speaker 1: a tawdry turncoat Trump loyalist and said she had written 94 00:06:42,195 --> 00:06:45,515 Speaker 1: his wave of open xenophobia and racism all the way 95 00:06:45,555 --> 00:06:50,595 Speaker 1: to network television. And when the despicable racist Megan Kelly, 96 00:06:50,795 --> 00:06:54,235 Speaker 1: whom NBC is still paying off after having foolishly hired 97 00:06:54,235 --> 00:06:56,795 Speaker 1: her in the belief she could bring racist viewers to NBC, 98 00:06:57,035 --> 00:07:01,835 Speaker 1: when Megan Kelly called her the most racist person on television, 99 00:07:02,435 --> 00:07:06,395 Speaker 1: Cross responded by calling Kelly the black face expert for 100 00:07:06,515 --> 00:07:12,595 Speaker 1: having defended it on NBC. Defended black face as a 101 00:07:12,755 --> 00:07:16,875 Speaker 1: Halloween costume. You know, I would have been proud to 102 00:07:16,915 --> 00:07:19,155 Speaker 1: have thought of saying any of those things on television. 103 00:07:19,275 --> 00:07:23,595 Speaker 1: They're not just incisive and wounding and well crafted and 104 00:07:23,675 --> 00:07:27,035 Speaker 1: directed at the scum of the earth, like Megan Kelly, 105 00:07:27,075 --> 00:07:32,035 Speaker 1: like Clarence Thomas, but they have the added benefit of 106 00:07:32,075 --> 00:07:37,275 Speaker 1: having been true. And then Tucker Carlson devoted an entire 107 00:07:37,315 --> 00:07:40,995 Speaker 1: segment to Tiffany Cross and suggested her commentary was likely 108 00:07:41,075 --> 00:07:45,235 Speaker 1: to instigate an anti white movement in the United States 109 00:07:45,475 --> 00:07:49,915 Speaker 1: that would be akin to the genocide in Rwanda. If 110 00:07:49,955 --> 00:07:52,675 Speaker 1: that prediction was not so racist and so paranoid and 111 00:07:52,715 --> 00:07:57,315 Speaker 1: so syphilitic in its thinking it would be frankly hilarious. 112 00:07:57,955 --> 00:08:01,635 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson suggested that all the black people would rise 113 00:08:01,715 --> 00:08:03,395 Speaker 1: up and kill us in our beds because of the 114 00:08:03,435 --> 00:08:09,195 Speaker 1: woman who hosted two hours on MSNBC on Saturdays on 115 00:08:09,235 --> 00:08:16,355 Speaker 1: Saturday mornings. But all NBC executives could see was controversy 116 00:08:16,555 --> 00:08:22,395 Speaker 1: as opposed to truth. Tucker Carlson attacks truth and at 117 00:08:22,515 --> 00:08:26,955 Speaker 1: NBC defending truth, defending your people, defending the true victims 118 00:08:26,955 --> 00:08:34,675 Speaker 1: of racism, defending democracy, defending America. That's, you know, sometimes controversial. 119 00:08:35,275 --> 00:08:39,155 Speaker 1: You can't do that. You you will be quiet, You 120 00:08:39,235 --> 00:08:46,315 Speaker 1: will be quiet. Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes, Laurence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow. 121 00:08:48,595 --> 00:08:52,195 Speaker 1: I have left MSNBC's seven PM host Joy read out 122 00:08:52,235 --> 00:08:54,675 Speaker 1: of this because she said something on Friday night. It 123 00:08:54,755 --> 00:08:58,115 Speaker 1: was personal and not professional. I wish it had been more, 124 00:08:58,635 --> 00:09:01,435 Speaker 1: but compared to what the other hosts did not say, 125 00:09:01,595 --> 00:09:03,675 Speaker 1: she is on the mount rushmore of putting herself at 126 00:09:03,755 --> 00:09:08,835 Speaker 1: just a little risk to defend what is right. And O'Donnell, 127 00:09:10,635 --> 00:09:15,395 Speaker 1: I'm not surprised Laurence O'Donnell is a snake. Laurence O'Donnell 128 00:09:15,435 --> 00:09:18,235 Speaker 1: had been buried so deep by MSNBC that when he 129 00:09:18,315 --> 00:09:20,195 Speaker 1: was pitched to me as the new guest host for 130 00:09:20,235 --> 00:09:22,715 Speaker 1: Countdown after we finally got Rachel her own show in 131 00:09:22,755 --> 00:09:25,835 Speaker 1: two thousand eight, he no longer had a valid log 132 00:09:25,915 --> 00:09:30,515 Speaker 1: in to the in house production computer. I was hesitant, 133 00:09:30,515 --> 00:09:33,275 Speaker 1: but hopeful. Then in February of two thousand ten, I 134 00:09:33,275 --> 00:09:35,955 Speaker 1: took about a four week leave of absence because after 135 00:09:35,955 --> 00:09:38,595 Speaker 1: seven months in the hospital, my dad was dying and 136 00:09:38,675 --> 00:09:41,795 Speaker 1: I would have to make the decision. When Laurence O'Donnell 137 00:09:41,875 --> 00:09:43,835 Speaker 1: spent that four weeks filling in for me, trying to 138 00:09:43,875 --> 00:09:46,075 Speaker 1: get me fired as the host of Countdown so he 139 00:09:46,075 --> 00:09:48,635 Speaker 1: could replace me, And when that did not work, he 140 00:09:48,715 --> 00:09:51,555 Speaker 1: sweet talked all of the producers to try to get 141 00:09:51,595 --> 00:09:53,315 Speaker 1: them to go with him to a new ten PM 142 00:09:53,355 --> 00:09:55,195 Speaker 1: show that he would anchor at. Three or four of 143 00:09:55,235 --> 00:09:56,915 Speaker 1: them actually went with him, and one of them told 144 00:09:56,915 --> 00:09:59,435 Speaker 1: me recently that anything I could think to do to 145 00:09:59,555 --> 00:10:03,515 Speaker 1: her as revenge for that, Laurence O'Donnell had already done 146 00:10:03,515 --> 00:10:11,915 Speaker 1: it for me. I do find myself mystified, however, about 147 00:10:11,955 --> 00:10:16,755 Speaker 1: the silence here of Chris Hayes. If you remember, and 148 00:10:16,835 --> 00:10:20,675 Speaker 1: I do not expect you to, I barely have kept 149 00:10:20,675 --> 00:10:23,315 Speaker 1: a diary of my career. I don't believe anybody else has. 150 00:10:23,875 --> 00:10:26,155 Speaker 1: But after the two thousand ten elections, I revealed I 151 00:10:26,155 --> 00:10:29,115 Speaker 1: had donated to the campaigns of three Democrats who had 152 00:10:29,115 --> 00:10:33,515 Speaker 1: received multiple death threats and as a result, had had 153 00:10:33,595 --> 00:10:36,275 Speaker 1: to spend excessively on security in the waning days of 154 00:10:36,315 --> 00:10:39,835 Speaker 1: their campaigns. The donations each came literally after the last 155 00:10:39,875 --> 00:10:44,155 Speaker 1: time I had covered or mentioned any of them on 156 00:10:44,235 --> 00:10:48,315 Speaker 1: the air. One of them was Gabby Gifford's. The suspension 157 00:10:48,955 --> 00:10:53,675 Speaker 1: for violating NBC News employee guidelines was overturned in about 158 00:10:53,675 --> 00:10:56,235 Speaker 1: forty eight hours by the NBC lawyers when they explained 159 00:10:56,235 --> 00:10:59,115 Speaker 1: to the then News president that to save money, they 160 00:10:59,115 --> 00:11:01,835 Speaker 1: had written a contract that specifically and repeatedly stated that 161 00:11:01,875 --> 00:11:06,195 Speaker 1: I was not an NBC News employee, so you could 162 00:11:06,235 --> 00:11:11,675 Speaker 1: not suspend me for violating the rules of NBC News employees. 163 00:11:12,715 --> 00:11:17,795 Speaker 1: Even Fox News commentators thought this was moronic, as one said, oh, no, 164 00:11:17,955 --> 00:11:22,315 Speaker 1: Alderman is a Democrat who knew before they were hoist 165 00:11:22,435 --> 00:11:25,795 Speaker 1: on their own petard. NBC executives asked one person to 166 00:11:25,875 --> 00:11:28,555 Speaker 1: fill in for me that night. It was Chris Hayes. 167 00:11:29,875 --> 00:11:32,235 Speaker 1: To his credit, at least in my book, he refused. 168 00:11:33,795 --> 00:11:36,435 Speaker 1: Then again, he did not have a multimillion dollar contract 169 00:11:36,435 --> 00:11:39,595 Speaker 1: with MSNBC, then did he, and a show that has 170 00:11:39,595 --> 00:11:42,555 Speaker 1: been on for nine years without showing any kind of 171 00:11:42,635 --> 00:11:47,595 Speaker 1: ratings growth whatsoever. We're providing anything of substance like he 172 00:11:47,915 --> 00:11:50,395 Speaker 1: could provide now by saying that what is right is 173 00:11:50,475 --> 00:11:52,195 Speaker 1: right and what is wrong is wrong. And even if 174 00:11:52,235 --> 00:11:54,755 Speaker 1: it is your boss is doing the wrong thing, maybe 175 00:11:54,795 --> 00:11:57,195 Speaker 1: because it is your boss is doing the wrong thing, 176 00:11:57,475 --> 00:12:00,515 Speaker 1: you have to stand up and say something, Chris Hayes, 177 00:12:01,595 --> 00:12:08,715 Speaker 1: as you did before. He did stand up before, and 178 00:12:08,755 --> 00:12:11,555 Speaker 1: so I am sad to tell you did Rachel Maddow 179 00:12:12,555 --> 00:12:15,515 Speaker 1: I told this saga at length early on in this series. 180 00:12:16,275 --> 00:12:19,635 Speaker 1: On the second of June two thousand and nine, we 181 00:12:19,635 --> 00:12:23,035 Speaker 1: were all summoned, We all the primetime hosts, all the 182 00:12:23,035 --> 00:12:26,075 Speaker 1: primetime producers, everybody who was in New York. We were 183 00:12:26,115 --> 00:12:28,955 Speaker 1: summoned to the fifty second floor of thirty Rock to 184 00:12:29,035 --> 00:12:32,035 Speaker 1: the office of the president of NBC, Jeff Zucker, who 185 00:12:32,075 --> 00:12:35,595 Speaker 1: displayed rare agitation and even panic, and explained that the 186 00:12:35,715 --> 00:12:41,075 Speaker 1: chairman of our parent company, GE was enraged. In response 187 00:12:41,155 --> 00:12:44,395 Speaker 1: to my mostly on air criticisms of Fox News. Fox 188 00:12:44,435 --> 00:12:47,555 Speaker 1: News was attacking GE and its chairman. His name was 189 00:12:47,595 --> 00:12:51,195 Speaker 1: Jeff Immelt, and Bill O'Reilly was attacking GE and Jeff 190 00:12:51,235 --> 00:12:54,315 Speaker 1: m L. And Jeff m L's own mother, a Bill 191 00:12:54,355 --> 00:12:58,515 Speaker 1: O'Reilly viewer, was attacking GE and her own son. And 192 00:12:58,595 --> 00:13:00,475 Speaker 1: Jeff m L said to Jeff Zucker, if he heard 193 00:13:00,475 --> 00:13:03,475 Speaker 1: another word about Fox News on MSNBC, or another word 194 00:13:03,475 --> 00:13:05,715 Speaker 1: about himself on Fox New was he was going to 195 00:13:05,755 --> 00:13:11,395 Speaker 1: take MSNBC off the air, immediately shut it down, fire everybody, 196 00:13:11,395 --> 00:13:14,355 Speaker 1: pay off all the contracts. The three hundred million dollars 197 00:13:14,355 --> 00:13:16,675 Speaker 1: in profits we had just started to earn for him 198 00:13:17,155 --> 00:13:21,075 Speaker 1: was not worth it. And for tens forty minutes or so, 199 00:13:21,555 --> 00:13:23,475 Speaker 1: we tried to work out mostly it was me and 200 00:13:23,555 --> 00:13:28,115 Speaker 1: Zuker what to do to keep this from happening. Well, 201 00:13:28,155 --> 00:13:30,915 Speaker 1: finally I suggested we should suspend all references to Fox 202 00:13:30,955 --> 00:13:33,435 Speaker 1: News while we tried to keep our CEO wasn't really 203 00:13:33,515 --> 00:13:36,475 Speaker 1: much of a businessman, apparently from turning off the lights 204 00:13:36,955 --> 00:13:40,675 Speaker 1: and throwing back the three million dollars, maybe two weeks, 205 00:13:40,835 --> 00:13:43,755 Speaker 1: we could stand it, three weeks, some short period of 206 00:13:43,795 --> 00:13:45,395 Speaker 1: time like that, and if it didn't work out well, 207 00:13:45,475 --> 00:13:47,835 Speaker 1: then it was going to go and explode. But we 208 00:13:47,875 --> 00:13:50,235 Speaker 1: could give it a couple of weeks and still retain 209 00:13:50,275 --> 00:13:55,675 Speaker 1: our dignity and our journalistic sincerity. And then Rachel Maddow, 210 00:13:56,595 --> 00:13:59,595 Speaker 1: when her show was not quite nine months old, said, 211 00:14:00,275 --> 00:14:03,755 Speaker 1: excuse me. I will not have the content of my 212 00:14:03,875 --> 00:14:08,475 Speaker 1: show dictated by any corporation, including the one I work for, 213 00:14:08,715 --> 00:14:12,155 Speaker 1: and especially one I don't work for. I will walk 214 00:14:12,235 --> 00:14:16,835 Speaker 1: out first. I cannot have the audience wondering what else 215 00:14:17,115 --> 00:14:21,915 Speaker 1: I have not told them. I got a little cold 216 00:14:21,915 --> 00:14:25,075 Speaker 1: as I heard her say this. She was right. I 217 00:14:25,115 --> 00:14:26,875 Speaker 1: was willing to do the same thing, but I wanted 218 00:14:26,875 --> 00:14:30,555 Speaker 1: to give it two weeks first. She added, I don't 219 00:14:30,555 --> 00:14:32,235 Speaker 1: do a lot about Fox on my show, but if 220 00:14:32,235 --> 00:14:34,195 Speaker 1: there is a story about Fox, I will not honor 221 00:14:34,275 --> 00:14:36,355 Speaker 1: this freeze. I will report it, and if I am 222 00:14:36,395 --> 00:14:41,595 Speaker 1: prevented from doing so, I will leave. Rachel Maddow threatened 223 00:14:41,595 --> 00:14:46,595 Speaker 1: to quit over a matter of principle, and coincidentally enough 224 00:14:46,635 --> 00:14:50,235 Speaker 1: about Fox News as well. I had done this myself 225 00:14:50,275 --> 00:14:53,475 Speaker 1: at MSNBC three times, once right after I signed a 226 00:14:53,475 --> 00:14:55,595 Speaker 1: contract to return to the network in two thousand three, 227 00:14:55,715 --> 00:14:59,635 Speaker 1: and they had broken agreement that the fascist commentator Michael 228 00:14:59,675 --> 00:15:02,315 Speaker 1: Savage would never appear on Countdown. I called a cab. 229 00:15:02,635 --> 00:15:05,555 Speaker 1: I was walking out the front hallway and they backed down. 230 00:15:06,555 --> 00:15:08,155 Speaker 1: Then about four and a half years later, it turned 231 00:15:08,155 --> 00:15:10,155 Speaker 1: out they had lied to me when they told me 232 00:15:10,195 --> 00:15:12,795 Speaker 1: they had given a contributor's contract to a brilliant talent 233 00:15:13,075 --> 00:15:15,235 Speaker 1: who I thought would make an even more brilliant host, 234 00:15:15,955 --> 00:15:18,235 Speaker 1: and they hadn't given her the contract, and we were 235 00:15:18,235 --> 00:15:20,795 Speaker 1: now going to lose her right then, right that moment, 236 00:15:20,835 --> 00:15:22,835 Speaker 1: to see an n because Larry King was willing to 237 00:15:22,835 --> 00:15:25,515 Speaker 1: pay her two fifty dollars to appear with him on 238 00:15:25,515 --> 00:15:28,755 Speaker 1: a primary night, she was short of cash. It was 239 00:15:28,835 --> 00:15:32,595 Speaker 1: Rachel Maddow, I said, if you do not hire her, 240 00:15:32,635 --> 00:15:34,715 Speaker 1: I will walk out in the middle of our election 241 00:15:34,795 --> 00:15:38,755 Speaker 1: coverage tonight. I'm not going to tell you when they 242 00:15:38,795 --> 00:15:42,395 Speaker 1: hired her. And the third time it was when they 243 00:15:42,435 --> 00:15:45,715 Speaker 1: told me that starting in two thousand eleven, conservative contributors 244 00:15:45,715 --> 00:15:50,755 Speaker 1: would be assigned to my show to give countdown quote balance, 245 00:15:52,315 --> 00:15:56,315 Speaker 1: And I said that was a betrayal of our audience, 246 00:15:56,795 --> 00:16:00,635 Speaker 1: and I would leave. And and it was one of 247 00:16:00,635 --> 00:16:05,995 Speaker 1: about a dozen reasons I left. I left when Rachel 248 00:16:06,035 --> 00:16:07,635 Speaker 1: Meadows said she'd had enough of the grind of a 249 00:16:07,755 --> 00:16:11,515 Speaker 1: nightly show. MSNBC gave her thirty million dollars per year 250 00:16:11,595 --> 00:16:14,675 Speaker 1: to do one show a week and work on other projects. 251 00:16:14,675 --> 00:16:16,875 Speaker 1: And mostly they gave her the money to prevent her 252 00:16:16,915 --> 00:16:19,755 Speaker 1: from going to serious XM radio for nearly that much money. 253 00:16:19,755 --> 00:16:23,115 Speaker 1: They gave her thirty million dollars in essence to ice 254 00:16:23,195 --> 00:16:27,355 Speaker 1: her to shut her up. And now has come a test. 255 00:16:28,675 --> 00:16:33,475 Speaker 1: A liberal voice edgy, maybe too wise asked for some viewers. 256 00:16:34,275 --> 00:16:39,955 Speaker 1: But to be fair, I invented MSNBC viewers. I never 257 00:16:39,995 --> 00:16:41,475 Speaker 1: heard any of them complain to any of us, were 258 00:16:41,475 --> 00:16:45,195 Speaker 1: two wise ass This liberal edgy voice has been silenced. 259 00:16:45,235 --> 00:16:47,675 Speaker 1: And they did it on a Friday afternoon, the hour 260 00:16:47,835 --> 00:16:52,195 Speaker 1: for the proverbial news garbage dump. They did it after 261 00:16:52,355 --> 00:16:57,875 Speaker 1: Megan Kelly complained. They did it after Tucker Carlson complained. 262 00:16:58,355 --> 00:17:03,955 Speaker 1: They did it after Fox News complained. They did it. 263 00:17:05,115 --> 00:17:08,435 Speaker 1: And Laurence O'Donnell said nothing, and Alex Wagner said nothing, 264 00:17:08,835 --> 00:17:13,275 Speaker 1: and Chris Hayes said nothing. And once upon a time, 265 00:17:13,315 --> 00:17:17,955 Speaker 1: that moment should have been the time when Rachel Maddow 266 00:17:17,995 --> 00:17:23,715 Speaker 1: would have said something. Because courage and ethics and leadership 267 00:17:24,075 --> 00:17:27,955 Speaker 1: and patriotism and the fight against television political content being 268 00:17:28,075 --> 00:17:31,075 Speaker 1: the sole property of corporations and the bright red line 269 00:17:31,115 --> 00:17:34,275 Speaker 1: that says I cannot have my audience wondering what else 270 00:17:34,395 --> 00:17:37,155 Speaker 1: I did not stand up for and who else I 271 00:17:37,195 --> 00:17:40,315 Speaker 1: did not stand up for. Those things are not expressed 272 00:17:40,795 --> 00:17:43,555 Speaker 1: when you get one page of Donald Trump's tax returns 273 00:17:43,555 --> 00:17:45,755 Speaker 1: and you spend forty five minutes hyping it to the 274 00:17:45,795 --> 00:17:49,955 Speaker 1: audience like a Carnival Barker selling mismadows magic elixir to 275 00:17:49,995 --> 00:17:54,715 Speaker 1: the Rubes. Courage and ethics and leadership and patriotism and 276 00:17:54,795 --> 00:17:58,195 Speaker 1: the defense of journalism is when if you say something, 277 00:17:58,395 --> 00:18:01,795 Speaker 1: they might just take your millions away from you, and 278 00:18:01,875 --> 00:18:04,875 Speaker 1: you have to decide which would you rather have taken 279 00:18:04,915 --> 00:18:07,915 Speaker 1: away from you, the millions more millions than you could 280 00:18:07,915 --> 00:18:12,435 Speaker 1: ever spend, or your ethics and your soul and the 281 00:18:12,515 --> 00:18:14,715 Speaker 1: very essence of the reason you do what you do, 282 00:18:14,835 --> 00:18:16,515 Speaker 1: and the very essence of why you have fought a 283 00:18:16,555 --> 00:18:20,835 Speaker 1: thousand fights for lesser things. It is in a moment 284 00:18:20,875 --> 00:18:24,115 Speaker 1: like this, the silencing of somebody else who does what 285 00:18:24,195 --> 00:18:28,475 Speaker 1: you do, somebody with no power, somebody with no millions, 286 00:18:28,515 --> 00:18:32,035 Speaker 1: somebody with no legend, somebody with no longevity, somebody with 287 00:18:32,115 --> 00:18:35,595 Speaker 1: no permanent base, the silence of somebody who is now 288 00:18:35,835 --> 00:18:38,675 Speaker 1: what you were in your second year. It is at 289 00:18:38,715 --> 00:18:46,195 Speaker 1: a moment like this when silence is collaboration. As I 290 00:18:46,395 --> 00:18:52,075 Speaker 1: burned countless bridges to get her her own show. Of 291 00:18:52,155 --> 00:18:54,915 Speaker 1: all the things I ever thought I would hear myself 292 00:18:54,995 --> 00:19:00,155 Speaker 1: say in the future to her or about her, these 293 00:19:00,235 --> 00:19:05,035 Speaker 1: words We're not in my wildest dreams, nor are my 294 00:19:05,195 --> 00:19:12,195 Speaker 1: worst nightmares. Rachel Maddow. Will you pretend this is not 295 00:19:12,435 --> 00:19:16,275 Speaker 1: your problem? Or will you stand up for what is 296 00:19:16,395 --> 00:19:35,355 Speaker 1: right here? You know, like you used to still ahead 297 00:19:35,395 --> 00:19:41,275 Speaker 1: to Santis versus Trump, Win Win. I haven't looked in 298 00:19:41,315 --> 00:19:44,035 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes, says Elon Musk. Turned Twitter into a site 299 00:19:44,075 --> 00:19:47,035 Speaker 1: that steals your passwords and takes your computer hostage. We're 300 00:19:47,115 --> 00:19:51,075 Speaker 1: not yet that Later today, World Series Parade time. If 301 00:19:51,075 --> 00:19:53,395 Speaker 1: the Astros get a parade, day should also have made 302 00:19:53,395 --> 00:19:56,955 Speaker 1: the Phillies walk back to Philadelphia and only the most 303 00:19:57,115 --> 00:20:00,515 Speaker 1: ardent of old Times Sports Center fans will recognize this name, 304 00:20:00,755 --> 00:20:07,155 Speaker 1: Vinny the Statman in memorium. That's next. This is countdown, 305 00:20:12,715 --> 00:20:19,475 Speaker 1: This is countdown with Keith Olberman and still a head 306 00:20:19,475 --> 00:20:23,155 Speaker 1: on countdown. Dan Crenshaw admits the big lie is a 307 00:20:23,195 --> 00:20:27,995 Speaker 1: big lie in Twitter news. Has he finished destroying Twitter yet? 308 00:20:28,995 --> 00:20:32,875 Speaker 1: The terrible hockey controversy ends when the team in question says, uh, 309 00:20:32,955 --> 00:20:34,875 Speaker 1: you know, we were kind of screwed up. It's over 310 00:20:35,235 --> 00:20:39,875 Speaker 1: and Jason Whitlock racist, sexist, and homophobic and all in 311 00:20:39,915 --> 00:20:43,435 Speaker 1: the same sentence. First, in each edition of Countdown, we 312 00:20:43,435 --> 00:20:45,475 Speaker 1: feature a dog in need. You can help. Every dog 313 00:20:45,515 --> 00:20:49,955 Speaker 1: has its day for Ace desperately needs a foster or 314 00:20:49,955 --> 00:20:53,675 Speaker 1: adopt anywhere from Virginia to Maine. Anybody who can come 315 00:20:53,715 --> 00:20:56,435 Speaker 1: to New York to get him. He's a big, tan 316 00:20:56,515 --> 00:20:59,955 Speaker 1: colored mix of some kind giant shepherd ears he's well behaved. 317 00:21:00,395 --> 00:21:03,395 Speaker 1: He was dumped because his human claimed to have suddenly 318 00:21:03,395 --> 00:21:06,995 Speaker 1: become allergic. He does not need pledges. He has pledges. 319 00:21:06,995 --> 00:21:09,715 Speaker 1: He needs somewhere to go short term or long term, 320 00:21:09,795 --> 00:21:12,595 Speaker 1: or simply put, they will kill him if you can 321 00:21:12,635 --> 00:21:14,955 Speaker 1: provide that place to land. Reply to my tweet either 322 00:21:14,955 --> 00:21:17,795 Speaker 1: in my personal account or the one about Ace that 323 00:21:17,835 --> 00:21:20,035 Speaker 1: will be in the pinned tweet on my account for 324 00:21:20,115 --> 00:21:23,475 Speaker 1: Dogs in Need at Tom Jumbo Grumbo. Ace needs a 325 00:21:23,475 --> 00:21:27,395 Speaker 1: home from Virginia to Main Free. Unconditional love is yours 326 00:21:28,435 --> 00:21:42,315 Speaker 1: and thank you. Poscripts to the news some headlines, some updates, 327 00:21:42,355 --> 00:21:45,675 Speaker 1: some snarks, some predictions, date line Countdown headquarters here in 328 00:21:45,715 --> 00:21:48,955 Speaker 1: the Sports Capsule Building in New York City, and everybody 329 00:21:48,955 --> 00:21:51,035 Speaker 1: else will tell you what they think will happen tomorrow 330 00:21:51,075 --> 00:21:53,195 Speaker 1: in the mid terms. I will make only one prediction. 331 00:21:53,275 --> 00:21:55,955 Speaker 1: Somewhere between a third and a half of the critical 332 00:21:55,995 --> 00:21:58,115 Speaker 1: Senate at House races will be too close to call 333 00:21:58,155 --> 00:22:01,635 Speaker 1: before Wednesday at the earliest, and all of the Republican 334 00:22:01,675 --> 00:22:04,915 Speaker 1: losses will be called fixes, even though Republican u when 335 00:22:04,995 --> 00:22:08,115 Speaker 1: Dan Crenshaw has revealed on a podcast that the Trump 336 00:22:08,875 --> 00:22:11,315 Speaker 1: thing quote was always a lie, and it was a 337 00:22:11,355 --> 00:22:15,075 Speaker 1: lie meant to rile people up, Crenshaw adding the others 338 00:22:15,195 --> 00:22:17,235 Speaker 1: they're like, yeah, we know that, but people just need 339 00:22:17,235 --> 00:22:19,515 Speaker 1: their last hurrah. They just need to feel like we 340 00:22:19,595 --> 00:22:21,835 Speaker 1: fought one last time. Trust me, it'll be fine. And 341 00:22:21,875 --> 00:22:26,555 Speaker 1: I was like, no, it won't. Dateline Tallahassee. After Trump 342 00:22:26,675 --> 00:22:32,355 Speaker 1: tagg DeSantis with a cumbersome nickname Saturday night, Ron de Sinctimonious, 343 00:22:32,515 --> 00:22:35,755 Speaker 1: the only gossip columnist covering the presidential campaign for The 344 00:22:35,835 --> 00:22:40,595 Speaker 1: New York Times, Maggie Haberman, tweeted several DeSantis allies, some 345 00:22:40,675 --> 00:22:43,795 Speaker 1: also close to Trump, texted last night and this morning unprompted, 346 00:22:44,315 --> 00:22:47,315 Speaker 1: expressing private anger and even discussed with Trump for his 347 00:22:47,395 --> 00:22:50,355 Speaker 1: remarks about the Florida governor. Say they're telling De Santis 348 00:22:50,355 --> 00:22:53,155 Speaker 1: and his family and his top aids to still move 349 00:22:53,275 --> 00:22:57,635 Speaker 1: toward twenty four bid translation. I never thought he'd eat 350 00:22:57,715 --> 00:23:01,715 Speaker 1: my face, says man who joined the Leopards eating people's faces. 351 00:23:01,795 --> 00:23:05,635 Speaker 1: Party and dateline Tallahassee speaking of Andis and his family. 352 00:23:05,675 --> 00:23:08,275 Speaker 1: His wife put this thing out. It is a commercial 353 00:23:08,835 --> 00:23:12,875 Speaker 1: that basically claims that after God created the universe in 354 00:23:12,995 --> 00:23:19,395 Speaker 1: seven days, God spent the eighth day creating run de Santis. 355 00:23:20,075 --> 00:23:26,955 Speaker 1: No seriously, and day God looked down on his planned 356 00:23:27,035 --> 00:23:32,995 Speaker 1: paradise and said, I need a protector. So God made 357 00:23:32,995 --> 00:23:36,835 Speaker 1: a fighter. God said I need somebody willing to get 358 00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:41,235 Speaker 1: up before dawn, kiss his family goodbye, travel thousands of miles, 359 00:23:41,235 --> 00:23:44,315 Speaker 1: and eat waffles. Two minutes of that Two notes. One 360 00:23:44,355 --> 00:23:46,955 Speaker 1: remember me telling you about the paranoid radio commentator I 361 00:23:47,035 --> 00:23:49,915 Speaker 1: used to back up Paul Harvey. Whoever voice that commercial 362 00:23:49,995 --> 00:23:54,755 Speaker 1: is doing a good impression of Paul Harvey. And two, 363 00:23:54,875 --> 00:23:57,115 Speaker 1: if you are now ever in the same room with 364 00:23:57,235 --> 00:24:00,395 Speaker 1: RHN De Santis after that commercial, do not stand too 365 00:24:00,395 --> 00:24:02,835 Speaker 1: close to him, because if there is a God, he 366 00:24:02,875 --> 00:24:06,875 Speaker 1: will soon smote him with some big time lightning and 367 00:24:07,035 --> 00:24:10,075 Speaker 1: dateline Latrobe, Pennsylvania, just before an election in which your 368 00:24:10,075 --> 00:24:12,155 Speaker 1: opponent has made the premise stick that you are not 369 00:24:12,235 --> 00:24:16,155 Speaker 1: really from Pennsylvania. Probably a poor idea for amend At 370 00:24:16,155 --> 00:24:18,835 Speaker 1: Oz to tell people at his Saturday rally with Trump 371 00:24:19,035 --> 00:24:22,395 Speaker 1: that they needed to contact ten people each to get 372 00:24:22,435 --> 00:24:24,715 Speaker 1: them to vote for Oz, and that they should do 373 00:24:24,715 --> 00:24:29,035 Speaker 1: it yesterday morning quote before the Steelers game. The Steelers, 374 00:24:29,675 --> 00:24:33,355 Speaker 1: as Oz's opponent, John Fetterman pointed out, had yesterday off 375 00:24:34,315 --> 00:24:37,275 Speaker 1: and that Latrobe rally also answered a question I frequently 376 00:24:37,315 --> 00:24:40,995 Speaker 1: here and I've even asked myself in the largest sense 377 00:24:41,035 --> 00:24:45,475 Speaker 1: of this question, how did America get into this mess? Well, 378 00:24:45,755 --> 00:24:48,195 Speaker 1: listen to this guy from Saturday at the Trump rally 379 00:24:48,195 --> 00:24:51,715 Speaker 1: in Pennsylvania, and I think you'll have your answer. In 380 00:24:51,835 --> 00:24:55,075 Speaker 1: the world is relying on the United States of America 381 00:24:55,275 --> 00:24:58,315 Speaker 1: to do the right thing. If we lose, they all lose. 382 00:24:58,675 --> 00:25:01,835 Speaker 1: And that's a big problem. You have Australians voting for us, 383 00:25:01,915 --> 00:25:04,555 Speaker 1: all these other countries. The people are voting for the 384 00:25:04,715 --> 00:25:08,315 Speaker 1: United States to win this election, and if we don't 385 00:25:08,315 --> 00:25:12,315 Speaker 1: win it, it's trouble for every country, not just our aly. Yes, 386 00:25:12,875 --> 00:25:15,915 Speaker 1: he's the answer to that question, how did America get 387 00:25:15,955 --> 00:25:20,395 Speaker 1: into this mess? Because we are surround that by ence. 388 00:25:22,395 --> 00:25:25,355 Speaker 1: Speaking of which, dateline San Francisco. Remember the day he 389 00:25:25,395 --> 00:25:28,875 Speaker 1: took over, when Elon Musk walked into Twitter headquarters carrying 390 00:25:28,875 --> 00:25:32,115 Speaker 1: a sink because he thought then saying let that sink 391 00:25:32,315 --> 00:25:36,075 Speaker 1: in would be funny. I'm beginning to think the fixture 392 00:25:36,155 --> 00:25:38,435 Speaker 1: he should have carried in with him was in fact 393 00:25:38,555 --> 00:25:42,955 Speaker 1: a toilet or maybe a burning dumpster. Upon purchase, Musk 394 00:25:43,075 --> 00:25:46,155 Speaker 1: had declared comedy is now legal on Twitter, but after 395 00:25:46,195 --> 00:25:49,795 Speaker 1: a series of verified accounts Valerie Burton, Ellity, Cathy Griffin 396 00:25:49,875 --> 00:25:53,115 Speaker 1: others mocked him and used his name as their account name, 397 00:25:53,515 --> 00:25:57,675 Speaker 1: Musk declared he would permanently ban anybody using anybody else's 398 00:25:57,715 --> 00:26:01,275 Speaker 1: name without specifying parody, and he then banned Griffin and 399 00:26:01,275 --> 00:26:04,675 Speaker 1: a couple of others. But he also declared widespread verify 400 00:26:04,675 --> 00:26:09,315 Speaker 1: ation will democratize journalism, even though he also eliminated verification. 401 00:26:09,955 --> 00:26:12,235 Speaker 1: He also announced he intended to make Twitter the most 402 00:26:12,275 --> 00:26:15,675 Speaker 1: accurate source of information about the world. He also liked 403 00:26:15,675 --> 00:26:18,755 Speaker 1: a meme supposedly including a quote from Voltaire about who 404 00:26:18,875 --> 00:26:21,435 Speaker 1: rules over you, except the quote is not from Voltaire. 405 00:26:21,475 --> 00:26:26,155 Speaker 1: It's actually from an American neo Nazi pedophile. Elon Musk 406 00:26:26,275 --> 00:26:31,115 Speaker 1: is about halfway to becoming Kanye West. More practically, several 407 00:26:31,155 --> 00:26:34,635 Speaker 1: tech reporters revealing that after Musk fired thousands of Twitter 408 00:26:34,675 --> 00:26:38,675 Speaker 1: employees by email Friday, many of the dismissed staffers then 409 00:26:38,715 --> 00:26:44,195 Speaker 1: got invitations to return, in part because Musk fired at 410 00:26:44,315 --> 00:26:47,675 Speaker 1: least two teams that were working on new projects that 411 00:26:47,795 --> 00:26:51,235 Speaker 1: Musk wanted to launch immediately fired all the people working 412 00:26:51,275 --> 00:26:54,555 Speaker 1: on the most urgent problems, which might explain why so 413 00:26:54,635 --> 00:26:58,435 Speaker 1: far people paying the eight dollar fee for Twitter Blue 414 00:26:58,795 --> 00:27:01,675 Speaker 1: have not gotten the blue check mark that was supposed 415 00:27:01,675 --> 00:27:04,595 Speaker 1: to be the whole point of paying the eight dollars. 416 00:27:17,115 --> 00:27:23,395 Speaker 1: This is Sports Center, Wait check that not anymore. This 417 00:27:24,395 --> 00:27:30,795 Speaker 1: is countdown with Keith Alberman in Sports World Series parade 418 00:27:30,875 --> 00:27:33,155 Speaker 1: today in Houston. Though honestly, it was such a bad 419 00:27:33,195 --> 00:27:35,235 Speaker 1: World Series that after the parade is over, they ought 420 00:27:35,235 --> 00:27:37,835 Speaker 1: to make the Philadelphia Phillies clean up the route. The 421 00:27:37,875 --> 00:27:40,075 Speaker 1: Phillies went up two games to one on the Astros, 422 00:27:40,115 --> 00:27:41,755 Speaker 1: and then in the last three games that got a 423 00:27:41,795 --> 00:27:45,675 Speaker 1: total of nine hits and a total of three runs 424 00:27:46,075 --> 00:27:49,595 Speaker 1: and the Astros one out. Philly's finished with the worst 425 00:27:49,595 --> 00:27:51,915 Speaker 1: team batting average in a series that lasted at least 426 00:27:51,955 --> 00:27:55,435 Speaker 1: six games one fifty nine. They struck out seventy one 427 00:27:55,555 --> 00:27:58,115 Speaker 1: times in those six games, the most in any World series. 428 00:27:58,595 --> 00:28:02,395 Speaker 1: Jt Real Muto struck out twelve times. Reese Hoskins and 429 00:28:02,475 --> 00:28:05,235 Speaker 1: Nick Costiano has ten times each. And this is why 430 00:28:05,275 --> 00:28:10,275 Speaker 1: baseball's playoff structure is completely invalid. The sixth placed team 431 00:28:10,315 --> 00:28:13,075 Speaker 1: in one league can get hot for a while, even 432 00:28:13,115 --> 00:28:15,355 Speaker 1: reached the World Series, as the Phillies did, but eventually 433 00:28:15,395 --> 00:28:18,515 Speaker 1: they will be blown out if they happen to face 434 00:28:18,555 --> 00:28:21,315 Speaker 1: the first place team in the other league. Like the Astros. 435 00:28:21,755 --> 00:28:25,315 Speaker 1: Free agency is starting. A baseball reliever, Edwin Diaz resigns 436 00:28:25,355 --> 00:28:29,235 Speaker 1: with the Mets, but a bad sign in Atlanta, oh 437 00:28:29,355 --> 00:28:34,795 Speaker 1: Their free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson has unfollowed the team 438 00:28:35,035 --> 00:28:48,995 Speaker 1: on Instagram. Thank you, Nancy Faust and total disaster. In hockey, 439 00:28:49,035 --> 00:28:53,835 Speaker 1: Boston's Bruins signed prospect Mitchell Miller, a top draft joyce 440 00:28:53,835 --> 00:28:56,915 Speaker 1: whose rights were then renounced by the Coyotes because he 441 00:28:56,955 --> 00:29:01,555 Speaker 1: had spent years abusing and racially taunting a developmentally challenged classmate. 442 00:29:01,995 --> 00:29:05,795 Speaker 1: After the Bruins signed Miller, they're leading players criticize the move, 443 00:29:06,075 --> 00:29:08,555 Speaker 1: and HL Commissioner Gary Bettman said, you should have asked. 444 00:29:08,595 --> 00:29:11,275 Speaker 1: Miller is not eligible to play in the NHL right 445 00:29:11,275 --> 00:29:14,075 Speaker 1: now and may never be. And late last night the 446 00:29:14,075 --> 00:29:18,915 Speaker 1: Bruins suddenly dropped Miller, with team president cam Neely announcing quote, 447 00:29:19,395 --> 00:29:22,075 Speaker 1: based on new information, we believe it is the best 448 00:29:22,115 --> 00:29:25,315 Speaker 1: decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell 449 00:29:25,355 --> 00:29:29,995 Speaker 1: Miller to represent the Boston Bruins. The new information must 450 00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:33,515 Speaker 1: have been everybody is swearing at us. Also, I must 451 00:29:33,515 --> 00:29:36,595 Speaker 1: have missed this. When were the Bruins sold to Elon 452 00:29:36,715 --> 00:29:47,155 Speaker 1: musk Ahead in memory of Anny the stat Man. First 453 00:29:47,155 --> 00:29:49,595 Speaker 1: the daily roundup of the misgrants, morons and dunning cruder 454 00:29:49,595 --> 00:29:54,635 Speaker 1: effects specimens who constitute today's worst persons in the Bronze 455 00:29:54,635 --> 00:29:58,355 Speaker 1: to Matt Gates and Jim Gordon, the Jim Jordan's the 456 00:29:58,515 --> 00:30:01,315 Speaker 1: Mutt and Jeff of the Minority Caucus on the House 457 00:30:01,395 --> 00:30:06,395 Speaker 1: Judiciary Committee. They put out and himped and pushed and 458 00:30:06,555 --> 00:30:10,955 Speaker 1: promoted a quote one thousand page report on the politicizing 459 00:30:10,995 --> 00:30:14,755 Speaker 1: of the FBI and the Department of Justice. It is 460 00:30:14,755 --> 00:30:18,795 Speaker 1: actually one thousand and fifty pages long, and one thousand 461 00:30:18,875 --> 00:30:21,675 Speaker 1: of the one thousand and fifty pages are just copies 462 00:30:21,755 --> 00:30:24,435 Speaker 1: of letters that Republicans have sent to the White House. 463 00:30:24,995 --> 00:30:29,395 Speaker 1: In the document, one five page letter is reproduced ninety 464 00:30:29,515 --> 00:30:32,635 Speaker 1: four different times. Two hundred and ninety of the one 465 00:30:32,635 --> 00:30:36,235 Speaker 1: thousand fifty pages are just signatures. On the other hand, 466 00:30:36,275 --> 00:30:39,715 Speaker 1: none of the one one thousand fifty pages say this 467 00:30:39,795 --> 00:30:44,675 Speaker 1: space is for autographs. The silver Mark Levin the Fox 468 00:30:44,715 --> 00:30:48,715 Speaker 1: News and Radio Castrato, who dropped the mask, went off 469 00:30:48,755 --> 00:30:52,635 Speaker 1: on a tirade about how Democrats support slavery and Jim Crow, 470 00:30:52,755 --> 00:30:54,915 Speaker 1: and then he gave up the secret of wall secrets, 471 00:30:55,435 --> 00:30:57,795 Speaker 1: as if that gives balance to the rise of anti 472 00:30:57,795 --> 00:31:00,955 Speaker 1: Semitism and the Democrat Party and the rise of racism 473 00:31:00,955 --> 00:31:07,795 Speaker 1: against the white supremacist majority. The supremacist majority. Hard to 474 00:31:07,795 --> 00:31:10,675 Speaker 1: believe that one of these fascists would actually admit that 475 00:31:10,755 --> 00:31:14,595 Speaker 1: they are white supremacists. In May two thousand seven, Bill 476 00:31:14,635 --> 00:31:17,915 Speaker 1: O'Reilly told John McCain on Fox News that the left 477 00:31:17,955 --> 00:31:21,995 Speaker 1: quote wants to break down the white Christian male power structure, 478 00:31:22,035 --> 00:31:24,795 Speaker 1: of which you and I are apart. Am I wrong? 479 00:31:25,275 --> 00:31:27,555 Speaker 1: And John McCain said to Bill O'Reilly about the white 480 00:31:27,555 --> 00:31:32,475 Speaker 1: male power structure, No, you're right, but our winner Jason Whitlock, 481 00:31:33,035 --> 00:31:36,835 Speaker 1: who works at the Glenn Beck website The Blaze. In 482 00:31:36,915 --> 00:31:40,155 Speaker 1: a rare triple play, Whitlock went on Tucker Carlson's hate Fest, 483 00:31:40,235 --> 00:31:43,115 Speaker 1: and based on that false NBC story about the Pelosi's 484 00:31:43,275 --> 00:31:47,675 Speaker 1: I mentioned a little earlier, Whitlock managed to be homophobic, misogynistic, 485 00:31:47,795 --> 00:31:52,235 Speaker 1: and racist. In one sentence, Whitlock said, of Nancy Pelosi, 486 00:31:52,715 --> 00:31:56,635 Speaker 1: let me emphasize I am quoting him, has invested in 487 00:31:56,635 --> 00:32:00,475 Speaker 1: a pair of cans at eighty two years old and 488 00:32:00,555 --> 00:32:02,955 Speaker 1: comes home to find out that her husband is playing 489 00:32:03,475 --> 00:32:07,635 Speaker 1: hide the Hammer with a Black Lives Matter guy and 490 00:32:07,795 --> 00:32:13,715 Speaker 1: he is not interested unquote. Whitlock then repeated that, just 491 00:32:13,835 --> 00:32:16,155 Speaker 1: in case you didn't hear his degeneracy the first time, 492 00:32:17,155 --> 00:32:20,155 Speaker 1: Jason Whitlock was once with an actual newspaper, the Kansas 493 00:32:20,195 --> 00:32:22,755 Speaker 1: City Star, and he was twice with ESPN. In fact, 494 00:32:23,075 --> 00:32:25,955 Speaker 1: he was once given his own ESPN website to manage, 495 00:32:26,395 --> 00:32:28,675 Speaker 1: and eighteen months later, when he still had not managed 496 00:32:28,675 --> 00:32:31,195 Speaker 1: to launch it, they fired him. And now he has 497 00:32:31,595 --> 00:32:34,515 Speaker 1: brought out on the last step down on the ladder 498 00:32:34,515 --> 00:32:38,355 Speaker 1: of life, Nazi TV. They bring him out to make 499 00:32:38,555 --> 00:32:42,155 Speaker 1: gay jokes like a trained horse that can count by 500 00:32:42,195 --> 00:32:47,195 Speaker 1: stomping one hoof on the ground. Jason have some self 501 00:32:47,235 --> 00:32:50,275 Speaker 1: respect to join a monastery with a vale of silence. 502 00:32:50,475 --> 00:33:12,355 Speaker 1: Whitlock two Day's worst person in the world, to the 503 00:33:12,435 --> 00:33:14,955 Speaker 1: number one story on the Countdown, and my favorite topic, 504 00:33:15,035 --> 00:33:18,475 Speaker 1: Me and things I promised not to tell. I had 505 00:33:18,555 --> 00:33:21,835 Speaker 1: just thought of him with fondness. At most a week 506 00:33:21,955 --> 00:33:25,195 Speaker 1: or two ago, an entire series of conversations came back 507 00:33:25,195 --> 00:33:28,635 Speaker 1: to me almost intact. He was our researcher on the 508 00:33:28,675 --> 00:33:33,075 Speaker 1: eleven PM edition of Sports Center thirty years ago, Vinny Vassallo, 509 00:33:33,875 --> 00:33:36,515 Speaker 1: Vinny the stat Man, as Dan Patrick had named him 510 00:33:36,555 --> 00:33:40,875 Speaker 1: long before I even got to ESPN. Vinny was invaluable 511 00:33:41,155 --> 00:33:45,035 Speaker 1: and genuinely gifted at what he did, and marvelously serene. 512 00:33:46,115 --> 00:33:48,795 Speaker 1: But his real value to me as a friend was 513 00:33:48,835 --> 00:33:50,675 Speaker 1: the reality that, whereas there were a lot of good 514 00:33:50,755 --> 00:33:53,235 Speaker 1: things to being at a workplace that dealt with virtually 515 00:33:53,275 --> 00:33:58,155 Speaker 1: nothing but sports, intellectual variety was not one of those 516 00:33:58,155 --> 00:34:01,315 Speaker 1: good things. There was a lot of discussion about music 517 00:34:02,195 --> 00:34:07,235 Speaker 1: and a little about television, but mostly about sports, again 518 00:34:07,435 --> 00:34:11,395 Speaker 1: and again and again and again. Then one day, a 519 00:34:11,395 --> 00:34:14,355 Speaker 1: production assistant he's an executive there now, saw on my 520 00:34:14,435 --> 00:34:17,475 Speaker 1: desk my copy of God's Chinese son a book about 521 00:34:17,475 --> 00:34:20,755 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century Taiping Rebellion in China, and he asked 522 00:34:20,795 --> 00:34:22,155 Speaker 1: it was any good, and I said yes. He said, 523 00:34:22,235 --> 00:34:24,635 Speaker 1: nineteenth century China fascinated him. He was thinking of buying 524 00:34:24,675 --> 00:34:26,635 Speaker 1: the book, and I said, don't borrow mine, But for 525 00:34:26,675 --> 00:34:29,155 Speaker 1: God's sakes, can we then sit and talk about it afterwards? 526 00:34:29,595 --> 00:34:31,275 Speaker 1: I think we may be the only people here who 527 00:34:31,315 --> 00:34:34,715 Speaker 1: know that there was in nineteenth century. I mean, for 528 00:34:34,795 --> 00:34:37,755 Speaker 1: the longest time, I literally could find nobody else at 529 00:34:37,955 --> 00:34:40,515 Speaker 1: ESPN who even watched what might have been the funniest 530 00:34:40,555 --> 00:34:44,235 Speaker 1: situation comedy in American television history, which was on then 531 00:34:44,275 --> 00:34:47,955 Speaker 1: in real time, called The Larry Sanders Show. It was 532 00:34:47,995 --> 00:34:52,555 Speaker 1: on HBO. It was not slapstick, it was not mainstream. 533 00:34:52,595 --> 00:34:55,475 Speaker 1: It cost money. And then one day we were at 534 00:34:55,515 --> 00:34:58,515 Speaker 1: the show planning meeting that started our day at ESPN, 535 00:34:58,515 --> 00:35:00,915 Speaker 1: the one in the conference room that had the beautiful 536 00:35:01,035 --> 00:35:03,155 Speaker 1: view of the empty lot across the street that was 537 00:35:03,195 --> 00:35:06,035 Speaker 1: reputed to be actually a tox waste dump site, and 538 00:35:06,115 --> 00:35:09,595 Speaker 1: somebody said something and I used the phrase, hey, no, 539 00:35:10,835 --> 00:35:14,235 Speaker 1: of the Larry Sanders Show character Hank Kingsley, and only 540 00:35:14,275 --> 00:35:17,715 Speaker 1: one person laughed, and it was Vinny our researcher, and 541 00:35:17,795 --> 00:35:21,795 Speaker 1: he said, in his archetypical New England accent, KO should 542 00:35:21,835 --> 00:35:23,835 Speaker 1: have known you were the other guy watching Larry Sanders. 543 00:35:24,875 --> 00:35:27,915 Speaker 1: After the meeting broke, Vinnie and I sat there throwing 544 00:35:27,995 --> 00:35:30,875 Speaker 1: lines at each other from this amazing program depicting the 545 00:35:30,955 --> 00:35:33,715 Speaker 1: behind the scenes story of a TV talk show host, 546 00:35:33,755 --> 00:35:37,115 Speaker 1: part Letterman, part Leno, part Carson, with Gary Schandling in 547 00:35:37,155 --> 00:35:41,195 Speaker 1: the title role and Jeffrey tamboras Kingsley and the insane 548 00:35:41,275 --> 00:35:44,835 Speaker 1: Rip Torn as Artie, the producer whose last name was 549 00:35:44,875 --> 00:35:47,315 Speaker 1: never mentioned, not once, and who could never go back 550 00:35:47,355 --> 00:35:50,355 Speaker 1: to New York again because of cops or the mob 551 00:35:50,515 --> 00:35:54,195 Speaker 1: or a woman or something. From then on, every day 552 00:35:54,235 --> 00:35:58,035 Speaker 1: after a new episode of Larry Sanders, we would dissect 553 00:35:58,115 --> 00:36:00,995 Speaker 1: it like the fanboys we were, and often on the 554 00:36:01,035 --> 00:36:03,875 Speaker 1: stage of Sports Center during the show, when he would 555 00:36:03,915 --> 00:36:06,995 Speaker 1: hand me one of his cards, Vibe by seven white 556 00:36:07,035 --> 00:36:10,115 Speaker 1: index cards with the score and anything else relevant he 557 00:36:10,155 --> 00:36:12,995 Speaker 1: could find in those pre internet days that was supplied 558 00:36:12,995 --> 00:36:14,995 Speaker 1: to Dan or to me. In the moments before we 559 00:36:14,995 --> 00:36:18,395 Speaker 1: were to do the highlight of a game, Vinny would 560 00:36:18,435 --> 00:36:21,235 Speaker 1: mutter a line from Arti or Hank or Larry or 561 00:36:21,435 --> 00:36:24,475 Speaker 1: yet better than that it would be written in one 562 00:36:24,555 --> 00:36:29,075 Speaker 1: corner of my card. Larry Sanders was on, if I 563 00:36:29,115 --> 00:36:33,435 Speaker 1: remember right at ten PM on Wednesdays. We Sports Center. 564 00:36:33,755 --> 00:36:36,395 Speaker 1: We were on at eleven or eleven thirty on Wednesdays. 565 00:36:36,795 --> 00:36:40,195 Speaker 1: So to watch it meant recording it, and to record 566 00:36:40,235 --> 00:36:43,955 Speaker 1: it meant VHS cassettes and timers, and finally sitting down 567 00:36:43,955 --> 00:36:46,915 Speaker 1: when you got home at one am or one thirty 568 00:36:47,115 --> 00:36:49,515 Speaker 1: or whenever, because you could not wait until the next 569 00:36:49,555 --> 00:36:51,875 Speaker 1: day to watch, at least not if you were Vinny 570 00:36:51,955 --> 00:36:55,795 Speaker 1: the stat Man or one of his anchors Ko. And 571 00:36:55,835 --> 00:36:59,235 Speaker 1: finally there came the night. I can see myself watching 572 00:36:59,275 --> 00:37:02,195 Speaker 1: in my living room in Southington, Connecticut on the big 573 00:37:02,235 --> 00:37:05,795 Speaker 1: rear screen projection TV. I had the only house in 574 00:37:05,835 --> 00:37:08,795 Speaker 1: the whole neighborhood with lights on at that hour. I 575 00:37:08,835 --> 00:37:12,635 Speaker 1: can see myself enjoying the new Larry Sanders Show so 576 00:37:12,715 --> 00:37:15,995 Speaker 1: much because it's not just funny, it's about my industry. 577 00:37:16,115 --> 00:37:19,555 Speaker 1: And already the producers, every producer I've ever worked with, 578 00:37:19,795 --> 00:37:24,995 Speaker 1: rolled into one undulating mess, and in this one episode 579 00:37:25,035 --> 00:37:28,515 Speaker 1: in the middle of the night, already is helping Larry 580 00:37:28,555 --> 00:37:31,435 Speaker 1: rehearse a sketch in which he rides a horse, and 581 00:37:31,475 --> 00:37:34,075 Speaker 1: in the middle of the rehearsal, Larry complains about his groin, 582 00:37:34,635 --> 00:37:40,275 Speaker 1: and already the producer shouts Ice Ko Vinny Ice for 583 00:37:40,355 --> 00:37:47,395 Speaker 1: Larry's balls. I thought it was hallucinating Ko Vinny. Of 584 00:37:47,435 --> 00:37:49,915 Speaker 1: all the names possible for two never to be seen 585 00:37:50,155 --> 00:37:53,075 Speaker 1: stage hand characters on The Larry Sanders Show, they chose 586 00:37:53,355 --> 00:37:57,715 Speaker 1: the names Ko and Vinny. The odds against that coincidence 587 00:37:57,715 --> 00:38:01,795 Speaker 1: were impossibly high. I had to rewind the tape and 588 00:38:01,835 --> 00:38:05,275 Speaker 1: watch it again, which is when the phone rang at 589 00:38:05,315 --> 00:38:08,555 Speaker 1: one thirty or so of a Wednesday night Thursday morning. KAYO, 590 00:38:08,635 --> 00:38:10,235 Speaker 1: it's Finny. Did you hear it? Did you really say it? 591 00:38:10,315 --> 00:38:13,315 Speaker 1: Or am I hallucinating Ko and Vinny like they knew 592 00:38:13,315 --> 00:38:15,875 Speaker 1: we were watching? The only problem is now I'll spend 593 00:38:15,915 --> 00:38:18,315 Speaker 1: every episode wondering We're ever gonna see us on the show? 594 00:38:18,355 --> 00:38:20,035 Speaker 1: I mean them on the show. You know what I mean? 595 00:38:23,075 --> 00:38:25,315 Speaker 1: In that way and many others, Vinny Vassallo helped me 596 00:38:25,355 --> 00:38:28,115 Speaker 1: adjust to this strange new world of ESPN, to which 597 00:38:28,155 --> 00:38:31,515 Speaker 1: I moved directly from a top floor condo in Beverly Hills. 598 00:38:32,915 --> 00:38:37,315 Speaker 1: And he was I used the word before serene. His 599 00:38:37,475 --> 00:38:40,275 Speaker 1: job was as high pressure as Dan's or mine or 600 00:38:40,315 --> 00:38:42,795 Speaker 1: anybody else's on the eleven PM Sports Center at certain 601 00:38:42,835 --> 00:38:46,315 Speaker 1: times far more so, he was alone at a desk 602 00:38:46,395 --> 00:38:49,435 Speaker 1: in an alcove to our right, and he had to 603 00:38:49,515 --> 00:38:53,395 Speaker 1: keep track of and right by hand anything interesting about 604 00:38:54,035 --> 00:38:56,875 Speaker 1: and update constantly and hand to the correct anchor these 605 00:38:56,955 --> 00:39:01,795 Speaker 1: cards detailing as many as forty different sporting events in 606 00:39:01,875 --> 00:39:04,315 Speaker 1: one night. One of these nights, say in April, when baseball, 607 00:39:04,355 --> 00:39:06,435 Speaker 1: basket ball, and hockey we're all going at full volume 608 00:39:06,515 --> 00:39:09,795 Speaker 1: at the same time, and he's wearing a headset and 609 00:39:09,835 --> 00:39:13,275 Speaker 1: the producers talking to him. Dan had made him special 610 00:39:13,315 --> 00:39:16,395 Speaker 1: with that nickname of Vinny the Statman, and during commercial breaks, 611 00:39:16,435 --> 00:39:18,915 Speaker 1: Dan would often shout the name at him looking for information. 612 00:39:19,315 --> 00:39:21,795 Speaker 1: I only called him Vanner Vinny. We talked a lot 613 00:39:21,795 --> 00:39:24,195 Speaker 1: about Larry Sanders. We talked a lot about the things 614 00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:26,515 Speaker 1: that made ESPN and often maddening place to work. We 615 00:39:26,635 --> 00:39:29,315 Speaker 1: talked a lot about other people there that made our 616 00:39:29,355 --> 00:39:32,435 Speaker 1: show an often maddening place to work. But he almost 617 00:39:32,475 --> 00:39:36,395 Speaker 1: always smiled, either sincerely or satirically, And more than once 618 00:39:36,435 --> 00:39:39,275 Speaker 1: he talked me off ledges and talked me into putting 619 00:39:39,315 --> 00:39:42,635 Speaker 1: down the figurative grenades, or at least the memo I 620 00:39:42,635 --> 00:39:46,995 Speaker 1: was going to send. I believe I cannot swear to this, 621 00:39:47,035 --> 00:39:50,115 Speaker 1: but I believe that it was Vinny on the job. 622 00:39:50,195 --> 00:39:53,755 Speaker 1: On the night of the most famous or probably infamous 623 00:39:54,035 --> 00:39:59,915 Speaker 1: research crisis in the history of sports, Center May three, 624 00:40:00,675 --> 00:40:03,555 Speaker 1: a brand new production assistant races into the studio from 625 00:40:03,555 --> 00:40:06,835 Speaker 1: the editing rooms with the shot sheet the list of 626 00:40:06,915 --> 00:40:10,035 Speaker 1: plays that the headed edited highlights will show, and she 627 00:40:10,155 --> 00:40:12,675 Speaker 1: tells all who will listen that she has to talk 628 00:40:12,715 --> 00:40:15,195 Speaker 1: to Dan about these highlights. So which one is Dan? 629 00:40:16,075 --> 00:40:18,035 Speaker 1: Because there's a really tough name in the highlights, and 630 00:40:18,035 --> 00:40:20,035 Speaker 1: she wants to make sure Dan knows how to say it. 631 00:40:21,195 --> 00:40:24,395 Speaker 1: The Detroit Tigers have used a rookie picture making his 632 00:40:24,475 --> 00:40:29,195 Speaker 1: home debut in Detroit, and that picture's name is Ben 633 00:40:30,755 --> 00:40:35,155 Speaker 1: blow Doll. There's a silence just like that one, and 634 00:40:35,155 --> 00:40:38,075 Speaker 1: then I say, no, it's not and Benny stifles a 635 00:40:38,155 --> 00:40:40,755 Speaker 1: laugh and he says, I don't think so. And the 636 00:40:40,755 --> 00:40:44,835 Speaker 1: floor director says, one minute back, I will have the 637 00:40:44,875 --> 00:40:47,595 Speaker 1: first two highlights of the segment that will begin after 638 00:40:47,635 --> 00:40:51,515 Speaker 1: that one minute. Then Dan will do his blow Doll highlight. 639 00:40:52,595 --> 00:40:54,795 Speaker 1: I should be worrying about my two games, but seen 640 00:40:54,955 --> 00:40:58,315 Speaker 1: by now Dan has begun to projectile sweat at the 641 00:40:58,315 --> 00:41:01,955 Speaker 1: thought of saying Ben blow Doll on national television. So 642 00:41:02,035 --> 00:41:03,875 Speaker 1: Vinny says, KO, what do we do? Do you know 643 00:41:03,915 --> 00:41:05,875 Speaker 1: what he's talking about? Out what she's talking about, you 644 00:41:05,875 --> 00:41:09,115 Speaker 1: know what anybody's talking about? And I say no. That's 645 00:41:09,235 --> 00:41:11,195 Speaker 1: that's why I'm kind of sure it's not blow Doll, 646 00:41:11,595 --> 00:41:14,115 Speaker 1: because if his name really were blow Doll, I would 647 00:41:14,115 --> 00:41:15,835 Speaker 1: have heard of him. Come to think of it, if 648 00:41:15,875 --> 00:41:18,155 Speaker 1: it were blow Doll, he would have changed it. Right. 649 00:41:19,835 --> 00:41:23,755 Speaker 1: Dan Patrick is now an abject terror. What do I say? 650 00:41:23,875 --> 00:41:26,235 Speaker 1: I tell him to skip the name. At this point, 651 00:41:26,275 --> 00:41:29,395 Speaker 1: the production assistant interrupts, cheerfully. He can't skip it. He 652 00:41:29,515 --> 00:41:31,115 Speaker 1: told me to make a big deal out of it. 653 00:41:31,395 --> 00:41:34,515 Speaker 1: There's about thirty seconds of him. It's a long time 654 00:41:34,515 --> 00:41:38,915 Speaker 1: in one highlight, and even in now, the terrible truth 655 00:41:38,955 --> 00:41:43,835 Speaker 1: has emerged. The new production assistant has been pranked into 656 00:41:43,875 --> 00:41:47,795 Speaker 1: putting in highlights things that are not highlights. And the 657 00:41:47,835 --> 00:41:50,355 Speaker 1: person who's going to pay the price for this prank 658 00:41:51,035 --> 00:41:54,955 Speaker 1: is Dan Benny. I say, get the Tiger Media Guide, 659 00:41:54,955 --> 00:41:57,355 Speaker 1: get the American league Red Book. Pronunciation has got to 660 00:41:57,395 --> 00:41:58,715 Speaker 1: be in one of them. Maybe both throw me the 661 00:41:58,715 --> 00:42:02,435 Speaker 1: one you find first. Thirty seconds, shouts the stage manager. 662 00:42:02,675 --> 00:42:07,435 Speaker 1: For God's sake, says Dan. Benny tosses me the Tiger 663 00:42:07,475 --> 00:42:09,515 Speaker 1: Media guy that goes a good twenty ft right to 664 00:42:09,555 --> 00:42:12,555 Speaker 1: my hands. I opened it, and then he opens up 665 00:42:12,555 --> 00:42:15,755 Speaker 1: the American League Master media guy the red book. Ten 666 00:42:15,835 --> 00:42:19,515 Speaker 1: seconds we find the name and the pronunciation simultaneously. Five 667 00:42:19,555 --> 00:42:22,115 Speaker 1: seconds he and I shout to Dan as if we 668 00:42:22,155 --> 00:42:26,515 Speaker 1: had rehearsed it. It's bloom doll, bloom doll. There is 669 00:42:26,555 --> 00:42:29,115 Speaker 1: a one second pause. From the corner of my eye, 670 00:42:29,155 --> 00:42:32,115 Speaker 1: I can see Dan hyperventilating. The director then accused me 671 00:42:32,195 --> 00:42:35,195 Speaker 1: in my earpiece, and I say, we rejoin you with 672 00:42:35,235 --> 00:42:39,315 Speaker 1: the highlights from the American League. During the next commercial break, 673 00:42:39,355 --> 00:42:43,315 Speaker 1: the studio erupts with laughter. Many of asato comes out 674 00:42:43,315 --> 00:42:45,915 Speaker 1: from the research alcove to hand. Dan and I are 675 00:42:46,035 --> 00:42:49,755 Speaker 1: cards for the next segments games good old Benny blow Doll, 676 00:42:49,795 --> 00:42:52,315 Speaker 1: bloom Doll. He says, we'll have to put his picture 677 00:42:52,355 --> 00:42:58,475 Speaker 1: up here somewhere, and I say, ice, Ko, Benny, Ice 678 00:42:58,595 --> 00:43:04,595 Speaker 1: for Dan's you got the idea. The email came in 679 00:43:04,835 --> 00:43:09,035 Speaker 1: Friday night from one of our other great researchers at ESPN. Later, 680 00:43:09,075 --> 00:43:12,315 Speaker 1: the head of that department Craig Wax. It was a 681 00:43:12,355 --> 00:43:15,995 Speaker 1: link to an obituary in the Worcester Telegram. The obituary 682 00:43:16,075 --> 00:43:19,675 Speaker 1: was of Vinny Vasselo, and he had been sick. The 683 00:43:19,715 --> 00:43:24,555 Speaker 1: funeral is today in Worcester, mass There are references in 684 00:43:24,555 --> 00:43:28,195 Speaker 1: this obituary to dialysis and two contributions to the American 685 00:43:28,195 --> 00:43:32,875 Speaker 1: Diabetes Association and to mitochondrial research. Then he died in 686 00:43:32,955 --> 00:43:36,635 Speaker 1: a nursing facility in Farmington, Connecticut, fifteen minutes from the 687 00:43:36,795 --> 00:43:41,595 Speaker 1: ESPN campus in Bristol. He died last Tuesday. I think 688 00:43:41,595 --> 00:43:43,635 Speaker 1: it had been a couple of decades since I talked 689 00:43:43,675 --> 00:43:45,755 Speaker 1: to him, but I had always felt as if he 690 00:43:45,795 --> 00:43:50,435 Speaker 1: had been nearby. Yet there were facts in there. I 691 00:43:50,475 --> 00:43:54,155 Speaker 1: never knew he was one of ten kids, No wonder, 692 00:43:54,235 --> 00:43:57,395 Speaker 1: dealing with us two idiots was so easy, and he 693 00:43:57,475 --> 00:44:02,075 Speaker 1: had two sons, Camden and Dalton. I known that he 694 00:44:02,115 --> 00:44:06,675 Speaker 1: had moved within ESPN from research into management, somewhere in 695 00:44:06,715 --> 00:44:10,475 Speaker 1: the office, maybe the legal department, human resources. Then he 696 00:44:10,555 --> 00:44:13,195 Speaker 1: went back into production and research and producing, and then 697 00:44:13,195 --> 00:44:14,675 Speaker 1: he left the company and he went to work for 698 00:44:14,715 --> 00:44:16,995 Speaker 1: the Nesson Sports Network in Boston, and he came back 699 00:44:17,035 --> 00:44:19,435 Speaker 1: to ESPN to work as a producer I did not know. 700 00:44:20,035 --> 00:44:22,155 Speaker 1: He had gotten a paralegal degree and worked for a 701 00:44:22,195 --> 00:44:27,075 Speaker 1: time at the Superior Court in Middletown in Connecticut. Next part, 702 00:44:27,115 --> 00:44:30,715 Speaker 1: I knew it's there in the obit. I'll read it. 703 00:44:31,835 --> 00:44:35,435 Speaker 1: His prodigious knowledge of sports earned him the on air 704 00:44:35,595 --> 00:44:40,035 Speaker 1: nickname from the sportscasters at ESPN of Vinny the stat Man. 705 00:44:40,915 --> 00:44:44,275 Speaker 1: He was the Google for sports before there was Google, 706 00:44:44,955 --> 00:44:47,755 Speaker 1: and he could be counted on to deliver the data. 707 00:44:48,475 --> 00:44:51,395 Speaker 1: And there's a photo. I couldn't tell you how old 708 00:44:51,435 --> 00:44:53,595 Speaker 1: it is or how old he is in it. The 709 00:44:53,635 --> 00:44:56,955 Speaker 1: hair is a little shorter, but the reassuring and serene 710 00:44:57,035 --> 00:45:20,075 Speaker 1: smile is there. Veniva Salo was sixte years old. Thanks 711 00:45:20,075 --> 00:45:22,635 Speaker 1: for listening. Follow this podcast if you can tell a 712 00:45:22,675 --> 00:45:24,675 Speaker 1: friend if you would. We are number one among news 713 00:45:24,755 --> 00:45:28,115 Speaker 1: and political podcasts not produced by a network. I'd like 714 00:45:28,155 --> 00:45:31,235 Speaker 1: to keep it that way. These are our credits. Most 715 00:45:31,235 --> 00:45:34,755 Speaker 1: of the music, including our theme from Beethoven's Ninth, was arranged, produced, 716 00:45:34,755 --> 00:45:37,035 Speaker 1: and performed by Brian Ray and John Philip Chanelle. They 717 00:45:37,035 --> 00:45:40,595 Speaker 1: are the Countdown musical directors. All orchestration and keyboards by 718 00:45:40,675 --> 00:45:44,635 Speaker 1: John Philip Chanelle, guitarist Bassed and drums by Brian Ray, 719 00:45:44,795 --> 00:45:48,355 Speaker 1: produced by t k O Brothers. Other Beethoven selections have 720 00:45:48,435 --> 00:45:51,955 Speaker 1: been arranged and performed by No Horns Allowed. The sports 721 00:45:52,035 --> 00:45:54,515 Speaker 1: music is the Olberman theme from ESPN two, and it 722 00:45:54,555 --> 00:45:57,835 Speaker 1: was written by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN, Inc. 723 00:45:58,555 --> 00:46:01,435 Speaker 1: Musical comments come from Nancy Faust. The best baseball stadium 724 00:46:01,515 --> 00:46:05,475 Speaker 1: organist ever. Our announcer today was Kenny Maine. Everything else 725 00:46:05,555 --> 00:46:08,195 Speaker 1: is pretty much my fault, so that he's countdown for 726 00:46:08,235 --> 00:46:10,875 Speaker 1: this the six and seventy first day since Donald Trump's 727 00:46:10,995 --> 00:46:13,595 Speaker 1: first attempted coo against the democratically elected government of the 728 00:46:13,675 --> 00:46:17,915 Speaker 1: United States. Arrest him now while we still can. I'll 729 00:46:17,955 --> 00:46:19,795 Speaker 1: be back with a new episode tomorrow. Till then, I'm 730 00:46:19,835 --> 00:46:23,995 Speaker 1: Keith Alderman. Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. 731 00:46:30,675 --> 00:46:34,275 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Alderman is a production of I heart Radio. 732 00:46:34,555 --> 00:46:37,475 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i 733 00:46:37,595 --> 00:46:41,955 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.