1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:22,475 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. If 2 00:00:22,555 --> 00:00:26,475 Speaker 1: Senator Dianne Feinstein of California will not resign, a motion 3 00:00:26,635 --> 00:00:28,835 Speaker 1: to expel her from the Senate must be brought and 4 00:00:28,995 --> 00:00:33,795 Speaker 1: carried because the Supreme Court, the supremely corrupt Court, has 5 00:00:33,835 --> 00:00:36,435 Speaker 1: gone to hell in a handbasket over the weekend, and 6 00:00:36,555 --> 00:00:40,315 Speaker 1: Feinstein is not physically capable of casting the deciding votes 7 00:00:40,475 --> 00:00:44,155 Speaker 1: for the subpoenas that are absolutely necessary just to give 8 00:00:44,235 --> 00:00:48,675 Speaker 1: democracy a small chance of not being sold down the 9 00:00:48,755 --> 00:00:53,115 Speaker 1: river by Chief Justice John Roberts, an influenced peddler, Justice 10 00:00:53,155 --> 00:00:58,675 Speaker 1: Brett Cavanaugh obviously a perjuring sexual predator, Justice Samuel Alito 11 00:00:58,995 --> 00:01:03,155 Speaker 1: a condescending thief, and to expand upon Roy Wood Junior's 12 00:01:03,195 --> 00:01:06,795 Speaker 1: pitch perfect line from a White House Correspondence dinner, Clarence 13 00:01:06,835 --> 00:01:12,315 Speaker 1: Thomas and Neil Gorsich, who are both NFTs and as 14 00:01:12,315 --> 00:01:16,275 Speaker 1: if all of them were somehow not enough, Justice antonin Scalia, 15 00:01:16,795 --> 00:01:21,195 Speaker 1: who is dead but is still managing to institutionalize Supreme 16 00:01:21,275 --> 00:01:26,635 Speaker 1: Court corruption, money laundering, and perfidy, and the barely breathing 17 00:01:26,795 --> 00:01:30,955 Speaker 1: forces of democracy and constitutional government in this country cannot 18 00:01:31,035 --> 00:01:36,235 Speaker 1: even start to begin to commence to try to hope 19 00:01:36,395 --> 00:01:41,595 Speaker 1: to just expose these biblical levels of misconduct and fraud, 20 00:01:41,915 --> 00:01:45,035 Speaker 1: because people like Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin will not 21 00:01:45,115 --> 00:01:49,995 Speaker 1: even say Dianne Feinstein should resign, let alone force it 22 00:01:50,075 --> 00:01:53,395 Speaker 1: to happen, even though she has not been seen since February, 23 00:01:53,835 --> 00:01:57,435 Speaker 1: just before the quote shingles unquote attack began. And that 24 00:01:57,635 --> 00:01:59,515 Speaker 1: was when she said she had not made a decision 25 00:01:59,555 --> 00:02:02,235 Speaker 1: about her future, when her office had already released a 26 00:02:02,235 --> 00:02:07,275 Speaker 1: statement confirming she was retiring at the end of her term. 27 00:02:07,475 --> 00:02:11,155 Speaker 1: It is better for democracy to die at the hands 28 00:02:11,555 --> 00:02:16,555 Speaker 1: of the supremely corrupt court than for Diane Feinstein's supporters 29 00:02:16,595 --> 00:02:22,475 Speaker 1: to be offended expel her. Somebody in the Senate with 30 00:02:22,635 --> 00:02:27,595 Speaker 1: some balls introduce a measure to expel her, and if 31 00:02:27,635 --> 00:02:31,955 Speaker 1: she can make a defense against that measure, fine, withdraw it. 32 00:02:32,795 --> 00:02:37,035 Speaker 1: I'll apologize for it. But representative government in this country 33 00:02:37,035 --> 00:02:41,035 Speaker 1: hangs by a thread, and every measure we can possibly 34 00:02:41,075 --> 00:02:44,275 Speaker 1: take to protect it can be vetoed by a group 35 00:02:44,395 --> 00:02:49,035 Speaker 1: of lifetime appointees with no accountability and no standards and 36 00:02:49,075 --> 00:02:53,715 Speaker 1: no floor to their personal moral putrefaction. And it got 37 00:02:53,755 --> 00:02:57,715 Speaker 1: that way in part because we already conflated respect and 38 00:02:57,835 --> 00:03:02,555 Speaker 1: equality and inclusion with inertia and inaction and magical thinking that, oh, 39 00:03:02,595 --> 00:03:04,915 Speaker 1: she'll get better, we have nothing to worry about. How 40 00:03:04,915 --> 00:03:07,035 Speaker 1: did that end up? Last time? It ended up with 41 00:03:07,075 --> 00:03:10,755 Speaker 1: a Justice Amy Cony Barrett until the year twenty sixty 42 00:03:10,835 --> 00:03:18,635 Speaker 1: three or something. This is not a game. Business Insider 43 00:03:18,675 --> 00:03:21,355 Speaker 1: reported over the weekend that the wife of the Chief 44 00:03:21,555 --> 00:03:25,435 Speaker 1: Justice of the United States of America has for fifteen 45 00:03:25,555 --> 00:03:30,635 Speaker 1: years been making millions of dollars as a legal headhunter, 46 00:03:31,195 --> 00:03:35,475 Speaker 1: placing lawyers in corporations. In other words, she has been 47 00:03:35,515 --> 00:03:38,755 Speaker 1: going to the largest law firms and companies in this 48 00:03:38,875 --> 00:03:44,515 Speaker 1: country and saying, Hi, I'm Jane Roberts. Roberts like the 49 00:03:44,635 --> 00:03:49,635 Speaker 1: Chief Justice, he's my husband. I want you law firms 50 00:03:49,835 --> 00:03:55,035 Speaker 1: to pay me money. Maybe it isn't really influenced pedling. 51 00:03:55,075 --> 00:03:58,995 Speaker 1: Maybe the Chief Justice has never met his own wife. 52 00:03:59,275 --> 00:04:02,195 Speaker 1: Maybe it just looks like the worst possible thing you 53 00:04:02,235 --> 00:04:05,195 Speaker 1: could have at the Supreme Court. A chief Justice whose 54 00:04:05,235 --> 00:04:09,395 Speaker 1: wife's business is asking for money from law firms that 55 00:04:09,515 --> 00:04:13,075 Speaker 1: want to take cases to the Supreme Court. If you 56 00:04:13,115 --> 00:04:16,075 Speaker 1: don't recognize what that looks like, it looks like the 57 00:04:16,115 --> 00:04:21,795 Speaker 1: thing that they call in organized crime circles protection money 58 00:04:22,595 --> 00:04:26,355 Speaker 1: a whistleblower revealed all this. His name is Kendall Price, 59 00:04:27,035 --> 00:04:29,435 Speaker 1: and he worked with Jane Roberts at a legal recruiting 60 00:04:29,475 --> 00:04:33,635 Speaker 1: firm and told Insider quote, even the law firms who 61 00:04:33,635 --> 00:04:36,635 Speaker 1: were Jane's clients had nowhere to go. They were being 62 00:04:36,675 --> 00:04:40,155 Speaker 1: asked by the spouse of the Chief Justice for business 63 00:04:40,155 --> 00:04:44,395 Speaker 1: worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and there was no 64 00:04:44,435 --> 00:04:48,635 Speaker 1: one to complain to. Price went on. Most of these 65 00:04:48,715 --> 00:04:52,315 Speaker 1: firms were likely appearing or seeking to appear before the 66 00:04:52,355 --> 00:04:56,315 Speaker 1: Supreme Court. It's natural that they do anything they felt 67 00:04:56,435 --> 00:05:03,475 Speaker 1: was necessary to be competitive. We don't know how much 68 00:05:03,675 --> 00:05:06,635 Speaker 1: Jane Roberts has made doing this. Insider reports that the 69 00:05:06,675 --> 00:05:10,355 Speaker 1: internal records from her employer show she generated ten million, 70 00:05:10,395 --> 00:05:14,195 Speaker 1: three hundred thousand dollars in commissions from the corporations and 71 00:05:14,275 --> 00:05:19,115 Speaker 1: law firms that participated in her lawyer matchmaking service ten million, 72 00:05:19,155 --> 00:05:22,435 Speaker 1: three hundred thousand in the years two thousand and seven 73 00:05:22,475 --> 00:05:27,995 Speaker 1: to twenty fourteen. How much is it since at the 74 00:05:28,075 --> 00:05:30,515 Speaker 1: rate from two thousand and seven to twenty fourteen, it 75 00:05:30,555 --> 00:05:33,875 Speaker 1: would be at least twelve million more since then twenty 76 00:05:33,915 --> 00:05:37,715 Speaker 1: two million dollars, But of course we don't know how 77 00:05:37,795 --> 00:05:40,395 Speaker 1: much she has made from what is at best only 78 00:05:40,435 --> 00:05:43,755 Speaker 1: the appearance that she is peddling influence with her husband, 79 00:05:43,795 --> 00:05:47,955 Speaker 1: the Chief Justice, and we cannot find out how much 80 00:05:47,995 --> 00:05:50,835 Speaker 1: she has made since, or what other whistleblowers might know 81 00:05:50,915 --> 00:05:54,955 Speaker 1: about her husband's involvement or innocence. Because the Senate Judiciary 82 00:05:54,995 --> 00:05:58,195 Speaker 1: Committee cannot vote out a subpoena against John Roberts or 83 00:05:58,275 --> 00:06:02,435 Speaker 1: Jane Roberts or Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, because 84 00:06:02,475 --> 00:06:05,395 Speaker 1: the necessary eleventh vote on the Senate to Share Committee 85 00:06:05,395 --> 00:06:07,635 Speaker 1: is Dianne Feinstein. We don't have any idea if she 86 00:06:07,675 --> 00:06:10,195 Speaker 1: has shingles or really has a chance of returning to 87 00:06:10,195 --> 00:06:13,195 Speaker 1: the Senate, because our consideration for her feelings and the 88 00:06:13,195 --> 00:06:16,155 Speaker 1: feelings of her supporters and staffers, who would all be 89 00:06:16,235 --> 00:06:18,675 Speaker 1: out of work, by the way, is much much more 90 00:06:18,715 --> 00:06:23,275 Speaker 1: important than you know, staving off dictatorship in this country. 91 00:06:24,395 --> 00:06:31,355 Speaker 1: This is not a game. Last Thursday, Nicki Haley one 92 00:06:31,395 --> 00:06:36,155 Speaker 1: of out of an extraordinarily large field of candidates, one 93 00:06:36,195 --> 00:06:40,875 Speaker 1: of the stupidest people walking the earth today, running for 94 00:06:41,035 --> 00:06:44,955 Speaker 1: the presidential nomination of a party that hates women, and 95 00:06:45,075 --> 00:06:48,515 Speaker 1: hates people of color, and hates immigrants and the recent 96 00:06:48,595 --> 00:06:53,515 Speaker 1: descendants of immigrants. Nicki Haley had the audacity, the utter 97 00:06:53,715 --> 00:06:57,755 Speaker 1: contempt to go on Fox and say, quote, I think 98 00:06:57,795 --> 00:06:59,955 Speaker 1: that we can all be very clear and say with 99 00:07:00,035 --> 00:07:02,795 Speaker 1: a matter of fact that if you vote for Joe Biden, 100 00:07:02,875 --> 00:07:06,155 Speaker 1: you really are counting on a president Harris, because the 101 00:07:06,275 --> 00:07:09,235 Speaker 1: idea that he would make it until eighty six years 102 00:07:09,275 --> 00:07:13,675 Speaker 1: old is not something that I think is likely. And 103 00:07:13,755 --> 00:07:17,235 Speaker 1: the only thing that happened to Nicky Haley was a 104 00:07:17,395 --> 00:07:20,395 Speaker 1: zinger from the White House about how until she said 105 00:07:20,435 --> 00:07:24,035 Speaker 1: that they had forgotten she was running. She can get 106 00:07:24,075 --> 00:07:28,955 Speaker 1: away with that, but God forbid, Chuck Schumer or Dick 107 00:07:29,035 --> 00:07:33,195 Speaker 1: Durbin says, yes, either Senator Feinstein retires now or we 108 00:07:33,315 --> 00:07:40,315 Speaker 1: will expel her. We need subpoenas issued to John Roberts 109 00:07:40,715 --> 00:07:43,675 Speaker 1: and Jane Roberts. And in a world where Nicki Haley 110 00:07:43,715 --> 00:07:47,355 Speaker 1: says that about Biden, Biden, who verbally mopped the floor 111 00:07:47,395 --> 00:07:49,915 Speaker 1: with Tucker Carlson and Fox and Elon Muskin didn't even 112 00:07:49,955 --> 00:07:54,755 Speaker 1: bother with Haley over the weekend, nothing happens to her, nothing, 113 00:07:55,075 --> 00:07:59,475 Speaker 1: no serious criticism. But we are tiptoeing around the zombie 114 00:07:59,595 --> 00:08:04,075 Speaker 1: senator like nothing bad could possibly happen because of the 115 00:08:04,195 --> 00:08:07,995 Speaker 1: zombie senator. Between now and January third, twenty twenty five, 116 00:08:09,395 --> 00:08:11,715 Speaker 1: nothing bad could happen that would make somebody say, gee, 117 00:08:11,715 --> 00:08:14,435 Speaker 1: if only we had had Feinstein's vote, we could have 118 00:08:14,475 --> 00:08:17,875 Speaker 1: stopped that. But you know, she's been a wonderful public servant. 119 00:08:17,915 --> 00:08:21,595 Speaker 1: A pressuring her to retire would have been unseemly and 120 00:08:21,675 --> 00:08:25,235 Speaker 1: impolite In a time when morons who are spending actual 121 00:08:25,315 --> 00:08:28,795 Speaker 1: money are campaigning on the premise that they know when 122 00:08:28,835 --> 00:08:33,715 Speaker 1: the current president of the United States is going to die. 123 00:08:35,155 --> 00:08:37,595 Speaker 1: I mean, there are so many Supreme Court scandals at 124 00:08:37,635 --> 00:08:40,995 Speaker 1: the moment. They are backing up like Harlan Crowe's private 125 00:08:41,155 --> 00:08:46,235 Speaker 1: jets trying to land in Indonesian airspace. You've got Crow's 126 00:08:46,555 --> 00:08:50,435 Speaker 1: vacation trip gifts to Thomas. You've got Crow buying Thomas's 127 00:08:50,475 --> 00:08:53,675 Speaker 1: mother's house. You've got Crow letting Thomas's mothers live there 128 00:08:53,955 --> 00:08:57,395 Speaker 1: rent free. You've got Thomas disclosing none of that. You've 129 00:08:57,435 --> 00:08:59,475 Speaker 1: got Neil Gorsich selling a house to the head of 130 00:08:59,475 --> 00:09:03,115 Speaker 1: a giant law firm nine days after he was confirmed 131 00:09:03,155 --> 00:09:06,235 Speaker 1: to the Court, not disclosing that either. You got Jane Roberts, 132 00:09:06,475 --> 00:09:08,915 Speaker 1: you got John Roberts, You've got Alito who claims he 133 00:09:08,955 --> 00:09:12,875 Speaker 1: knows who leaked the Dobbs draft, but he won't say who, 134 00:09:12,995 --> 00:09:14,995 Speaker 1: but he knows he can prove it wasn't a conservative, 135 00:09:14,995 --> 00:09:17,315 Speaker 1: because why would a conservative leak it? When leaking it 136 00:09:17,395 --> 00:09:21,715 Speaker 1: meant the conservatives like him became assassination targets. And you 137 00:09:21,755 --> 00:09:24,515 Speaker 1: want to shake this clown and say, asshole in the 138 00:09:24,555 --> 00:09:28,235 Speaker 1: America you and your fellow fascists have created, everybody in 139 00:09:28,275 --> 00:09:31,635 Speaker 1: politics is a target for assassination. The magabomber with the 140 00:09:31,675 --> 00:09:34,315 Speaker 1: pipe bombs had a file on me in his computer. 141 00:09:34,475 --> 00:09:37,115 Speaker 1: And oh, by the way, Alito, everybody in this country, 142 00:09:37,155 --> 00:09:40,395 Speaker 1: in politics or not, is a target for assassination because 143 00:09:40,435 --> 00:09:43,555 Speaker 1: of you. Because there are four hundred million guns in 144 00:09:43,595 --> 00:09:46,075 Speaker 1: this country and twenty five million of them are ar 145 00:09:46,155 --> 00:09:52,195 Speaker 1: fifteen's have a nice day, Sam. We can't subpoena Alito 146 00:09:52,275 --> 00:09:58,555 Speaker 1: about the Dobbs leak or anybody else about anything else 147 00:10:00,035 --> 00:10:04,475 Speaker 1: until January third, twenty twenty five, presuming the Democrats don't 148 00:10:04,675 --> 00:10:08,835 Speaker 1: the Senate next year, because you know, Diane Feinstein might 149 00:10:08,875 --> 00:10:13,115 Speaker 1: be offended. And I don't even know if I put 150 00:10:13,395 --> 00:10:16,995 Speaker 1: just the new Supreme Court scandals in the correct order, 151 00:10:17,755 --> 00:10:20,915 Speaker 1: is gene, Hey, let me tell you some lawyers, and 152 00:10:20,955 --> 00:10:23,715 Speaker 1: I'll say something nice to my husband about you, Roberts. 153 00:10:24,235 --> 00:10:28,435 Speaker 1: Is she worse than the Kavanaugh story? You've heard the 154 00:10:28,475 --> 00:10:32,435 Speaker 1: new Kavanaugh story. You didn't hear the new Kavanaugh story 155 00:10:33,155 --> 00:10:36,035 Speaker 1: just because the Sunday Morning shows ignored it, but found 156 00:10:36,075 --> 00:10:38,795 Speaker 1: time to interview another Republican vanity candidate, the one who 157 00:10:38,835 --> 00:10:43,475 Speaker 1: makes NICKI Haley seem like Abraham Lincoln. The Guardian newspaper 158 00:10:43,515 --> 00:10:46,555 Speaker 1: out with an interview that blew a hole in the 159 00:10:46,635 --> 00:10:50,515 Speaker 1: excuse that they had concocted during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings 160 00:10:50,875 --> 00:10:54,235 Speaker 1: about the charge that he exposed himself to fellow student 161 00:10:54,275 --> 00:10:59,875 Speaker 1: Deborah Ramirez at Yale. If you recall, Chuck Grassley sold 162 00:10:59,915 --> 00:11:03,195 Speaker 1: the premise that she was likely to have been mistaken 163 00:11:03,915 --> 00:11:07,955 Speaker 1: about that identification of Kavanaugh, because no, it was another 164 00:11:08,115 --> 00:11:12,915 Speaker 1: Yale student who was allegedly known for exposing himself. The 165 00:11:12,915 --> 00:11:16,315 Speaker 1: Guardian found an unredacted email chain from a Colorado attorney, 166 00:11:16,395 --> 00:11:20,795 Speaker 1: Joseph C. Smith Junior, a buddy of the then lead 167 00:11:20,875 --> 00:11:23,955 Speaker 1: counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee whose name is Mike Davis. 168 00:11:24,755 --> 00:11:30,075 Speaker 1: This Smith suggested that excuse and said Ramirez was probably 169 00:11:30,115 --> 00:11:35,675 Speaker 1: victimized by another Yale student named Jack Maxie, who supposedly 170 00:11:35,715 --> 00:11:39,195 Speaker 1: had a reputation for doing this. Ah. But now it 171 00:11:39,275 --> 00:11:45,075 Speaker 1: turns out Jack Maxi was not at Yale when Ramirez 172 00:11:45,115 --> 00:11:49,555 Speaker 1: says Kavanaugh exposed himself, quoting him, I was a senior 173 00:11:49,675 --> 00:11:53,755 Speaker 1: in high school at the time, Jack Maxie said in 174 00:11:53,795 --> 00:11:56,915 Speaker 1: an interview with The Guardian, I was not in New Haven. 175 00:11:57,555 --> 00:12:00,795 Speaker 1: He said, no investigator ever contacted him. These people can 176 00:12:00,835 --> 00:12:03,595 Speaker 1: say what they want and there are no consequences. Ever, 177 00:12:03,675 --> 00:12:07,755 Speaker 1: he said on there's a newly found recording of a 178 00:12:07,835 --> 00:12:12,555 Speaker 1: Max Steer recounting what he says was another event in 179 00:12:12,555 --> 00:12:17,395 Speaker 1: which Kavanaugh exposed himself at Yale. And thus there is 180 00:12:17,435 --> 00:12:21,155 Speaker 1: probably a case to be made that Kavanaugh perjured himself 181 00:12:21,155 --> 00:12:23,955 Speaker 1: at his Senate confirmation hearing, and then the chairman, Chuck 182 00:12:23,995 --> 00:12:26,915 Speaker 1: Grassley covered up the perjury in his report, and they 183 00:12:26,955 --> 00:12:30,875 Speaker 1: could both be prosecuted, But of course the present Senate 184 00:12:30,955 --> 00:12:37,675 Speaker 1: Judiciary Committee would have to start with a subpoena of 185 00:12:37,715 --> 00:12:41,715 Speaker 1: Grassley and Kavanaugh, and we can't do that because of 186 00:12:41,755 --> 00:12:49,755 Speaker 1: something that rhymes with mylon Rhine Flyines lamentia O. There's 187 00:12:49,795 --> 00:12:54,035 Speaker 1: the antonin Scalia Law School, which used to be the 188 00:12:54,075 --> 00:12:57,515 Speaker 1: George Mason University Law School until another one of these 189 00:12:57,555 --> 00:13:01,795 Speaker 1: Republican billionaires paid thirty million dollars to rename it, and 190 00:13:01,875 --> 00:13:04,195 Speaker 1: the New York Times did a story on it yesterday. 191 00:13:04,195 --> 00:13:07,035 Speaker 1: And it's a country club for Republican members of the 192 00:13:07,035 --> 00:13:10,195 Speaker 1: Supreme Court, and it can get them lucrative teaching opportunities 193 00:13:10,235 --> 00:13:13,915 Speaker 1: and trips overseas, and it can help maximize their outside income. 194 00:13:13,955 --> 00:13:19,955 Speaker 1: Because look how many fohcs can there be out there, fhocs, 195 00:13:20,635 --> 00:13:27,115 Speaker 1: fhoc's friends of Harlan Crowell when The Times could only 196 00:13:27,155 --> 00:13:32,275 Speaker 1: see redacted records about Scalia Law and its relationship with 197 00:13:32,315 --> 00:13:34,595 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court. Because the body that has to approve 198 00:13:34,635 --> 00:13:36,475 Speaker 1: what documents you and I and the Times can read 199 00:13:36,475 --> 00:13:41,555 Speaker 1: about the Supreme Court is the Supreme Court. So I 200 00:13:41,595 --> 00:13:44,835 Speaker 1: don't know what's worse the Roberts's and the Supreme Court 201 00:13:44,955 --> 00:13:50,195 Speaker 1: version of protection money, Scalia law, the Gorsach House sale, 202 00:13:50,235 --> 00:13:54,715 Speaker 1: the endless Kavanaugh case, the countless Thomas cases, Alito's whiney, 203 00:13:54,875 --> 00:14:02,195 Speaker 1: cheesy self martyrdom, let's get those subpoena never mind, And 204 00:14:02,235 --> 00:14:05,355 Speaker 1: you know what, Ultimately, you know what the most frustrating 205 00:14:05,395 --> 00:14:10,235 Speaker 1: thing is about this, Despite all this corruption in the 206 00:14:10,275 --> 00:14:18,595 Speaker 1: Supreme Court, Thomas Gorsch, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Alito all clearly compromised, 207 00:14:19,435 --> 00:14:26,315 Speaker 1: each worthy of impeachment, self satisfied and projecting invulnerability. They 208 00:14:26,355 --> 00:14:29,555 Speaker 1: are actually at their most vulnerable right now. They are 209 00:14:29,675 --> 00:14:34,275 Speaker 1: scared right now. Senate hearings right now, even if they 210 00:14:34,315 --> 00:14:38,155 Speaker 1: didn't produce one impeachment or one resignation or one indictment, 211 00:14:38,595 --> 00:14:43,635 Speaker 1: Senate hearings right now might actually snap these leeches out 212 00:14:43,675 --> 00:14:47,955 Speaker 1: of their sense that they are untouchable. Because for all 213 00:14:47,995 --> 00:14:52,155 Speaker 1: his preening and posturing this worm, Alito confessed something to 214 00:14:52,155 --> 00:14:55,875 Speaker 1: The Wall Street Journal that gives away their realization that 215 00:14:55,955 --> 00:15:00,595 Speaker 1: they are crooks and they have been found out. Alito said, quote, 216 00:15:00,835 --> 00:15:04,595 Speaker 1: we are being hammered daily, and I think quite unfairly 217 00:15:04,715 --> 00:15:08,555 Speaker 1: in a lot of instances, he said, And nobody, practically, 218 00:15:08,595 --> 00:15:11,995 Speaker 1: nobody is defending us. The idea has always been the 219 00:15:12,115 --> 00:15:15,035 Speaker 1: judges are not supposed to respond to criticisms. But if 220 00:15:15,075 --> 00:15:19,355 Speaker 1: the courts are being unfairly attacked, the organized bar will 221 00:15:19,355 --> 00:15:24,315 Speaker 1: come to their defense. And here's the real tell, the 222 00:15:24,355 --> 00:15:28,755 Speaker 1: real sense that Alito knows, and this is the time 223 00:15:29,155 --> 00:15:33,755 Speaker 1: to hit him hard. If anything, he says, the bar, 224 00:15:34,555 --> 00:15:38,955 Speaker 1: the institution of self protection for sleazy lawyers everywhere. Quote 225 00:15:39,235 --> 00:15:45,755 Speaker 1: they've participated to some degree in these attacks. That is 226 00:15:45,795 --> 00:15:49,755 Speaker 1: the cue. There is the rallying cry. Thus comes the 227 00:15:49,795 --> 00:15:53,315 Speaker 1: signal that the time is ripe for American democracy to 228 00:15:53,475 --> 00:16:01,235 Speaker 1: push back against our self anointed fascist king overlords. But 229 00:16:01,315 --> 00:16:04,995 Speaker 1: of course to do that, to do what's necessary to 230 00:16:04,995 --> 00:16:09,115 Speaker 1: do that, well, you know we can't because it might 231 00:16:09,195 --> 00:16:26,795 Speaker 1: worsen Diane Feinstein's shingles still ahead. On this Editionive countdown, 232 00:16:26,835 --> 00:16:28,475 Speaker 1: I'm going to try to make sense of this latest 233 00:16:28,555 --> 00:16:33,515 Speaker 1: Trump investigation news. They got capone on taxes. It's looking 234 00:16:33,555 --> 00:16:36,795 Speaker 1: to me like they may get Trump on fundraising fraud. 235 00:16:37,555 --> 00:16:39,995 Speaker 1: If it is possible to have treated the murder by 236 00:16:40,155 --> 00:16:43,915 Speaker 1: mass gun madness of five people in his state more 237 00:16:44,075 --> 00:16:48,275 Speaker 1: disrespectfully than did Texas Governor Greg Abbott, I don't know 238 00:16:48,315 --> 00:16:52,275 Speaker 1: how you do it. Abbott called the victims illegal, and 239 00:16:52,395 --> 00:16:55,115 Speaker 1: right after the shooting he wrote all smiles for the 240 00:16:55,155 --> 00:16:59,995 Speaker 1: Weekend Worst Person's Next. Thirty nine years ago this week, 241 00:17:00,035 --> 00:17:03,275 Speaker 1: I started work as a rookie TV sportscaster in Boston, 242 00:17:03,875 --> 00:17:06,115 Speaker 1: and two weeks later, the Boston Red Sox called up 243 00:17:06,155 --> 00:17:09,515 Speaker 1: a rookie pitcher and his name was Roger Clemens and 244 00:17:09,595 --> 00:17:12,195 Speaker 1: sixteen years after that, Roger Clemens threw part of a 245 00:17:12,235 --> 00:17:16,275 Speaker 1: broken bat at me during the two thousand World Series. Well, anyway, 246 00:17:16,315 --> 00:17:19,115 Speaker 1: that's how I saw it. I believe this fella Mike 247 00:17:19,195 --> 00:17:24,035 Speaker 1: Piazza saw it differently. All that stacks. This is countdown. 248 00:17:30,595 --> 00:17:35,355 Speaker 2: This is countdown with Keith Olberman. 249 00:17:37,235 --> 00:17:39,435 Speaker 1: Coming up. The book she wants banned, the one she 250 00:17:39,515 --> 00:17:42,675 Speaker 1: says she will have to involve law enforcement over. It's 251 00:17:42,755 --> 00:17:47,235 Speaker 1: the Handmaid's Tale. Strange but true. Worst persons in a moment. 252 00:17:47,235 --> 00:17:50,355 Speaker 1: First postscripts to the news, some headlines, some updates, some snarks, 253 00:17:50,355 --> 00:17:54,715 Speaker 1: some predictions. Dateline Washington, the impeccable Ryan Goodman of Just 254 00:17:54,915 --> 00:17:58,915 Speaker 1: Security and a writer named Thomas Jocelyn have pretty much 255 00:17:58,915 --> 00:18:02,675 Speaker 1: figured out what Mike Pence probably testified to last week 256 00:18:02,715 --> 00:18:06,555 Speaker 1: to the Special Council by unearthing a secret hidden document 257 00:18:06,995 --> 00:18:10,995 Speaker 1: Pence's book, So Help Me God. Jocelyn and Goodman say 258 00:18:11,035 --> 00:18:13,555 Speaker 1: if prosecutors simply asked Pence to read a couple of 259 00:18:13,595 --> 00:18:16,555 Speaker 1: passages from the book and then confirmed they were true, 260 00:18:16,915 --> 00:18:19,195 Speaker 1: that may have been enough to prove that Trump knew 261 00:18:19,235 --> 00:18:23,355 Speaker 1: he had lost and ran his coups. Anyway, Malice of 262 00:18:23,435 --> 00:18:25,355 Speaker 1: Forethought from the January fourth meeting. 263 00:18:25,435 --> 00:18:25,675 Speaker 2: Quote. 264 00:18:25,755 --> 00:18:27,915 Speaker 1: John Eastman was in the next chair to my right. 265 00:18:28,195 --> 00:18:29,835 Speaker 1: I turned to him and asked, do you think I 266 00:18:29,875 --> 00:18:33,155 Speaker 1: have the authority to reject or return votes? He stammered, well, 267 00:18:33,195 --> 00:18:35,475 Speaker 1: it's never been tested in the courts, so I think 268 00:18:35,475 --> 00:18:37,995 Speaker 1: it is an open question. At that I turned to 269 00:18:38,035 --> 00:18:40,115 Speaker 1: the President, who was distracted at the time, and said, 270 00:18:40,155 --> 00:18:42,755 Speaker 1: mister President, did you hear that. He turned his attention 271 00:18:42,795 --> 00:18:45,595 Speaker 1: to me, and I said, even your lawyer doesn't think 272 00:18:45,595 --> 00:18:50,555 Speaker 1: I have the authority to return electoral votes. The President nodded. Unquote. 273 00:18:51,315 --> 00:18:54,035 Speaker 1: After Pence told Trump the constitution did not give him 274 00:18:54,035 --> 00:18:58,195 Speaker 1: the right to return votes, Pence quotes, Trump, these people cheated, 275 00:18:58,235 --> 00:19:02,035 Speaker 1: and you want to play by marquis of Queensbury rules again, 276 00:19:02,195 --> 00:19:06,075 Speaker 1: Trump confessing in advance he was going to cheat. And 277 00:19:06,155 --> 00:19:09,515 Speaker 1: on January fifth, Pence quotes, Trump is saying to him, Pence, 278 00:19:09,835 --> 00:19:14,595 Speaker 1: you're too honest. Why does that matter? Because dateline also 279 00:19:14,875 --> 00:19:18,515 Speaker 1: Washington also from the underground secret layer of special counsel 280 00:19:18,635 --> 00:19:22,275 Speaker 1: Jack Smith. The New York Times quote, Federal prosecutors have 281 00:19:22,275 --> 00:19:24,155 Speaker 1: also been drilling down on whether mister Trump and a 282 00:19:24,235 --> 00:19:27,115 Speaker 1: range of political aids knew that he had lost the 283 00:19:27,195 --> 00:19:30,435 Speaker 1: race but still raised money off claims that they were 284 00:19:30,475 --> 00:19:34,235 Speaker 1: fighting widespread fraud in the vote results. Prosecutors are trying 285 00:19:34,235 --> 00:19:37,275 Speaker 1: to determine whether mister Trump and his aides violated federal 286 00:19:37,435 --> 00:19:40,835 Speaker 1: wire fraud statutes as they raised as much as two 287 00:19:40,875 --> 00:19:43,875 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million dollars. The prosecutors are looking at 288 00:19:43,915 --> 00:19:48,915 Speaker 1: the inner workings of the committee Save America Pack. Unquote 289 00:19:49,115 --> 00:19:51,955 Speaker 1: Why did that sound so familiar when I read it? Well, 290 00:19:51,995 --> 00:19:55,355 Speaker 1: i'll tell you. Let me quote me, also quoting the 291 00:19:55,395 --> 00:19:59,835 Speaker 1: New York Times, but this is from last September eighth quote. 292 00:19:59,875 --> 00:20:02,435 Speaker 1: There is a new grand jury in Washington looking at 293 00:20:02,835 --> 00:20:07,075 Speaker 1: Trump's Save America Pack, nominally created to support his legal 294 00:20:07,195 --> 00:20:09,955 Speaker 1: challenges to the twenty twenty election, but as the fine 295 00:20:09,955 --> 00:20:12,795 Speaker 1: print read, not requiring Trump to spend any money on 296 00:20:12,875 --> 00:20:16,915 Speaker 1: anything but himself. There are already subpoenas sent to junior 297 00:20:16,955 --> 00:20:19,155 Speaker 1: and mid level aides who worked in the White House 298 00:20:19,355 --> 00:20:22,275 Speaker 1: and for mister Trump's presidential campaign. According to the New 299 00:20:22,355 --> 00:20:26,235 Speaker 1: York Times, what's nice about all this this part of 300 00:20:26,275 --> 00:20:30,435 Speaker 1: the Special Council's investigation is that there are soft targets here. 301 00:20:30,835 --> 00:20:36,475 Speaker 1: Turns out Trump's team hired two firms, Simpatico Software and 302 00:20:36,635 --> 00:20:41,555 Speaker 1: Berkeley research group to find fraud for him. Neither found 303 00:20:41,795 --> 00:20:45,075 Speaker 1: any each has been contacted by the Special Council, and 304 00:20:45,115 --> 00:20:48,115 Speaker 1: it looks like they have already sung like birds because 305 00:20:48,195 --> 00:20:52,835 Speaker 1: Trump used their findings, ignored their findings, and raised two 306 00:20:52,915 --> 00:20:55,075 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million dollars fraudulently. 307 00:20:56,075 --> 00:21:14,995 Speaker 2: Anyway, this is Sports Center Wait, check that not anymore. 308 00:21:15,795 --> 00:21:23,195 Speaker 3: This is Countdown with Keith Ulberman in Sports ABC's NBA 309 00:21:23,395 --> 00:21:27,195 Speaker 3: playoff coverage yesterday under fire after a video bumper of 310 00:21:27,275 --> 00:21:32,395 Speaker 3: New York City showed stock footage, old stock footage of 311 00:21:32,435 --> 00:21:33,275 Speaker 3: New York City? 312 00:21:34,115 --> 00:21:37,875 Speaker 1: How old it depicted? The Statue of Liberty and behind 313 00:21:37,915 --> 00:21:43,795 Speaker 1: the statue the World Trade Center twin towers. I've already 314 00:21:43,795 --> 00:21:46,195 Speaker 1: told you that the woman over whom my old lying 315 00:21:46,395 --> 00:21:50,315 Speaker 1: ex Fox Sports friend now x NBC CEO Jeff Schell 316 00:21:50,475 --> 00:21:53,315 Speaker 1: ended his career a week ago, was not only dallying 317 00:21:53,355 --> 00:21:55,635 Speaker 1: with him, but also the now eighty year old owner 318 00:21:55,635 --> 00:21:58,835 Speaker 1: of Hockey Seattle Krack and David Bonderman, leading to the 319 00:21:58,915 --> 00:22:03,035 Speaker 1: rhetorical question let it come right in my zamboni now. 320 00:22:03,115 --> 00:22:05,635 Speaker 1: The New York Post says had Lee Gamble was also 321 00:22:05,715 --> 00:22:08,875 Speaker 1: in a relationship with the now seventy six year old 322 00:22:08,915 --> 00:22:13,915 Speaker 1: California billionaire Tom Barrack, also the Trump fundraiser. There's outtake 323 00:22:14,035 --> 00:22:16,315 Speaker 1: video of her trying to get him and he's barefoot 324 00:22:16,315 --> 00:22:19,675 Speaker 1: and wearing shorts to move out of frame of her 325 00:22:19,755 --> 00:22:23,955 Speaker 1: camera apparently her CNBC camera during a live shot from 326 00:22:23,995 --> 00:22:27,755 Speaker 1: Turkey in twenty twenty. It also reports that she did 327 00:22:27,835 --> 00:22:30,675 Speaker 1: other shows from his penthouse, and that there was an 328 00:22:30,915 --> 00:22:35,155 Speaker 1: HR investigation at CNBC into whether or not Tom Barrack 329 00:22:35,315 --> 00:22:41,675 Speaker 1: arranged an interview for Hadley Gamble with Jared Kushner. Nice 330 00:22:42,155 --> 00:23:02,875 Speaker 1: dating choices, Jeff Schell, Thank you, Nancy Faust and Saint 331 00:23:02,955 --> 00:23:06,715 Speaker 1: Louis has lost one of its sports icons. Mike Shannon, 332 00:23:06,715 --> 00:23:09,515 Speaker 1: a member of three Saint Louis Cardinals pennant winners and 333 00:23:09,555 --> 00:23:12,675 Speaker 1: two World Series champs in the nineteen sixties and after 334 00:23:12,715 --> 00:23:15,275 Speaker 1: a kidney ailment forced him into early retirement, a team 335 00:23:15,315 --> 00:23:19,195 Speaker 1: broadcaster since nineteen seventy two, died yesterday at the age 336 00:23:19,235 --> 00:23:22,075 Speaker 1: of eighty three. Mike Shannon hit three homers and drove 337 00:23:22,115 --> 00:23:24,955 Speaker 1: in eight runs in twenty one World Series games, but 338 00:23:25,075 --> 00:23:27,755 Speaker 1: perhaps the enduring image of him came at the end 339 00:23:28,075 --> 00:23:29,995 Speaker 1: of one of the games of the nineteen sixty four 340 00:23:29,995 --> 00:23:32,915 Speaker 1: World Series. Mickey Mantle of the Yankees won that game 341 00:23:32,915 --> 00:23:34,995 Speaker 1: with the bottom of the ninth inning home run off 342 00:23:35,035 --> 00:23:39,075 Speaker 1: Barney Schultz to right field at Yankee Stadium. Shannon raced 343 00:23:39,115 --> 00:23:41,235 Speaker 1: to the outfield fence and was ready to leap to 344 00:23:41,275 --> 00:23:45,035 Speaker 1: try to get Mantles blast when it landed in the 345 00:23:45,115 --> 00:23:49,675 Speaker 1: upper deck about halfway up fifty or sixty rows deep, 346 00:23:50,355 --> 00:23:53,395 Speaker 1: at least one hundred and twenty feet above Mike Shannon's head. 347 00:23:54,395 --> 00:23:57,315 Speaker 1: Shannon's teammate, Bob Gibson asked Shannon what the heck he 348 00:23:57,435 --> 00:23:59,515 Speaker 1: was doing if he really thought he could catch a 349 00:23:59,555 --> 00:24:04,275 Speaker 1: ball that was basically ten stories above his head. Shannon answered, 350 00:24:05,755 --> 00:24:21,795 Speaker 1: you never know, big boy, you never know. Still ahead 351 00:24:21,795 --> 00:24:24,515 Speaker 1: on countdown, he threw the bat at me, not at 352 00:24:24,515 --> 00:24:27,155 Speaker 1: Mike Piazza, not at the ground, and the next thing 353 00:24:27,195 --> 00:24:30,195 Speaker 1: I knew, Mike Piazza was threatening to sue me. I'll 354 00:24:30,235 --> 00:24:32,595 Speaker 1: explain first time for the Daily rite up, the Miss Greens, Morons, 355 00:24:32,635 --> 00:24:36,435 Speaker 1: and Dunn Kruger effects specimens who constitute today's worst persons 356 00:24:36,475 --> 00:24:40,555 Speaker 1: in the world. Lebrons, Elon Musk. Did you see him 357 00:24:40,555 --> 00:24:43,475 Speaker 1: with mar I didn't like everybody else. I saw the 358 00:24:43,475 --> 00:24:48,435 Speaker 1: clips while they were congratulating each other and being super geniuses. 359 00:24:49,035 --> 00:24:52,875 Speaker 1: Were searchers at USC UCLA, you see Mercaid and Oregon 360 00:24:52,995 --> 00:24:56,755 Speaker 1: State determined that under Musk, the big spreaders of hate 361 00:24:56,795 --> 00:25:01,115 Speaker 1: speech on Twitter have doubled their hate output twice as 362 00:25:01,195 --> 00:25:04,435 Speaker 1: much hate speech under the sun of an apartheid South 363 00:25:04,435 --> 00:25:07,835 Speaker 1: afric and mine owner who to thunk it? Runner up 364 00:25:08,115 --> 00:25:12,675 Speaker 1: Carol Ratchner, member of the Denton County School District in Texas. 365 00:25:12,715 --> 00:25:14,795 Speaker 1: She's one of those book banners, and the book she 366 00:25:14,835 --> 00:25:18,755 Speaker 1: wants banned with no evident sense of irony, is handmanaged 367 00:25:18,835 --> 00:25:22,915 Speaker 1: Maid's Tale. There is two page form that Texas's fascists 368 00:25:22,955 --> 00:25:25,315 Speaker 1: have to fill out so we can see these stupidity 369 00:25:25,395 --> 00:25:27,915 Speaker 1: dripping out of every one of Ratchner's words about the book, 370 00:25:28,115 --> 00:25:30,955 Speaker 1: especially when she tried checking all the boxes she had 371 00:25:30,955 --> 00:25:33,635 Speaker 1: to check and she could not find the one she wanted, 372 00:25:33,875 --> 00:25:36,315 Speaker 1: So she drew her own box and checked it and 373 00:25:36,395 --> 00:25:38,835 Speaker 1: wrote next to it, wh I ever approved this book 374 00:25:38,875 --> 00:25:41,595 Speaker 1: should be fired. I believe I will have to involve 375 00:25:41,755 --> 00:25:45,275 Speaker 1: law enforcement, trash it and order a mental health exam 376 00:25:45,355 --> 00:25:51,035 Speaker 1: for the author unquote fascist heal thyself. Unclear how the 377 00:25:51,155 --> 00:25:53,915 Speaker 1: form she filled out went viral, but Rachner clearly did 378 00:25:53,915 --> 00:25:56,555 Speaker 1: not notice that she put her home address on it. 379 00:25:57,635 --> 00:26:00,475 Speaker 1: But our winner, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas. After neighbors 380 00:26:00,515 --> 00:26:03,755 Speaker 1: approached a drunken man firing his AR fifteen and asked 381 00:26:03,795 --> 00:26:06,475 Speaker 1: him if he would stuck because their baby was sleeping, 382 00:26:07,075 --> 00:26:09,875 Speaker 1: man went over and killed five of the execution style. 383 00:26:10,275 --> 00:26:13,675 Speaker 1: Hours later, this slime bucket Abbot, who may or may 384 00:26:13,675 --> 00:26:17,195 Speaker 1: not actually be a human being, tweeted a photo of 385 00:26:17,315 --> 00:26:21,155 Speaker 1: a dog with the caption all smiles for the weekend. 386 00:26:22,075 --> 00:26:24,315 Speaker 1: Bad enough, But then last night he followed it up 387 00:26:24,315 --> 00:26:27,075 Speaker 1: with another tweet announcing a reward in the case and 388 00:26:27,275 --> 00:26:30,955 Speaker 1: to smear the victims of the gun he Greg Abbot 389 00:26:31,195 --> 00:26:35,315 Speaker 1: has personally fueled. He referred to these dead people as 390 00:26:35,435 --> 00:26:40,755 Speaker 1: quote illegal immigrants unquote. Sometimes this award is not meant 391 00:26:40,835 --> 00:26:45,715 Speaker 1: at all seriously, other times it's hyperbolic. Other times, Now 392 00:26:45,755 --> 00:26:49,675 Speaker 1: I mean it, Greg Abbot, Today's worst person in the 393 00:26:49,715 --> 00:26:57,115 Speaker 1: world still ahead on countdown over the weekend. I was 394 00:26:57,155 --> 00:26:59,635 Speaker 1: reminded thirty nine years ago this week I arrived in 395 00:26:59,715 --> 00:27:02,755 Speaker 1: Boston as a rookie local TV sportscaster, and two weeks 396 00:27:02,795 --> 00:27:06,395 Speaker 1: after that, the Red Sox called up rookie pitcher Roger Clemens, 397 00:27:07,355 --> 00:27:09,555 Speaker 1: and that reminded me of the World Series game in 398 00:27:09,555 --> 00:27:12,275 Speaker 1: which Mike Piazzas swung and broke his bat. Roger Clemens 399 00:27:12,315 --> 00:27:13,875 Speaker 1: picked up a piece of the bat and threw it 400 00:27:13,915 --> 00:27:16,635 Speaker 1: at well. Mike thought he threw it at him. From 401 00:27:16,635 --> 00:27:19,595 Speaker 1: my reporting perch and the Yankee dugout, I thought Clemens 402 00:27:19,675 --> 00:27:23,875 Speaker 1: threw it at me. The story of bat Day next first. 403 00:27:23,915 --> 00:27:26,035 Speaker 1: In each edition of Countdown, we feature a dog in need. 404 00:27:26,075 --> 00:27:29,555 Speaker 1: You can help. Every dog has its day. Bubbles somehow 405 00:27:29,715 --> 00:27:31,995 Speaker 1: escaped the kill Liss Saturday at the New York Pound 406 00:27:32,275 --> 00:27:36,035 Speaker 1: they killed other dogs. Bubbles full name is Jacuzzie. Bubbles, 407 00:27:36,275 --> 00:27:39,475 Speaker 1: two years old, about fifty pounds, a kind of pity mix, 408 00:27:39,995 --> 00:27:43,275 Speaker 1: and so terrified she's pinned her ears back. She was 409 00:27:43,275 --> 00:27:45,875 Speaker 1: found wandering at the Old World's Fair Sight in Queens 410 00:27:46,035 --> 00:27:49,515 Speaker 1: just a week ago and already went immediately onto death row. 411 00:27:49,955 --> 00:27:52,355 Speaker 1: She needs pledges to help defray the costs for a 412 00:27:52,435 --> 00:27:55,835 Speaker 1: rescue group to save and train her. You can find 413 00:27:55,835 --> 00:27:58,155 Speaker 1: Bubbles on my Twitter feeds and pledge if you want, 414 00:27:58,315 --> 00:28:02,275 Speaker 1: or just retweet her. It is her only chance. I 415 00:28:02,395 --> 00:28:18,835 Speaker 1: thank you, and Bubbles thanks you. It started on the 416 00:28:18,915 --> 00:28:23,195 Speaker 1: night of October twenty second, two thousand and it ended 417 00:28:24,155 --> 00:28:25,995 Speaker 1: well I'll let you know if and when it ever ends. 418 00:28:26,875 --> 00:28:28,675 Speaker 1: I was enjoying the second night of one of my 419 00:28:28,755 --> 00:28:32,235 Speaker 1: childhood dreams come true. I was the host not just 420 00:28:32,315 --> 00:28:34,715 Speaker 1: of the telecast of the World Series, but it was 421 00:28:34,755 --> 00:28:38,475 Speaker 1: an all New York City series, a Mets versus Yankee series, 422 00:28:38,675 --> 00:28:42,315 Speaker 1: a subway series. I'd literally dreamt of it since nineteen 423 00:28:42,475 --> 00:28:46,115 Speaker 1: sixty seven. The manager of the Yankees had been the 424 00:28:46,155 --> 00:28:49,915 Speaker 1: first person I ever interviewed on TV. Fifteen years earlier, 425 00:28:49,955 --> 00:28:52,155 Speaker 1: I had worked with him in TV. He was a 426 00:28:52,195 --> 00:28:55,195 Speaker 1: friend of mine. I had just covered the Mets through 427 00:28:55,235 --> 00:28:57,835 Speaker 1: their playoff run and knew all of their players. My 428 00:28:57,955 --> 00:29:00,835 Speaker 1: face had been on an advertisement in dead center field 429 00:29:00,875 --> 00:29:03,875 Speaker 1: in the Mets Stadium for the entirety of the year before, 430 00:29:04,075 --> 00:29:07,835 Speaker 1: and the player all knew me my name. Where we 431 00:29:07,835 --> 00:29:10,075 Speaker 1: were that night, Yankee Stadium was not only where I 432 00:29:10,115 --> 00:29:13,035 Speaker 1: saw my first baseball game, but was about seven eighths 433 00:29:13,035 --> 00:29:14,835 Speaker 1: of a mile from the hospital in which I had 434 00:29:14,875 --> 00:29:20,235 Speaker 1: been born, and my first home was four subway stops away. 435 00:29:21,395 --> 00:29:23,955 Speaker 1: The night before this event, as I hosted the start 436 00:29:23,955 --> 00:29:26,955 Speaker 1: of the first game of this Keith of Palooza, I 437 00:29:26,995 --> 00:29:29,715 Speaker 1: was supposed to introduce the public address announcer of Yankee Stadium, 438 00:29:29,755 --> 00:29:33,955 Speaker 1: Bob Sheppard, whose voice I had heard nearly every day 439 00:29:34,155 --> 00:29:36,875 Speaker 1: since I was eight years old. So he could then 440 00:29:36,995 --> 00:29:39,675 Speaker 1: introduce the players and this epic world series would begin. 441 00:29:39,715 --> 00:29:42,395 Speaker 1: And it dawned on me in the seconds before I 442 00:29:42,475 --> 00:29:44,675 Speaker 1: was supposed to do this that I literally had the 443 00:29:44,755 --> 00:29:48,355 Speaker 1: power to stop the two thousand World Series from ever 444 00:29:48,435 --> 00:29:51,995 Speaker 1: happening if I just kept talking and never actually said, 445 00:29:52,315 --> 00:29:56,035 Speaker 1: here is Bob Shephard. Well, I could delay it briefly 446 00:29:56,075 --> 00:29:57,955 Speaker 1: until they cut my mic off and then fired me 447 00:29:57,995 --> 00:30:01,395 Speaker 1: on the spot. Anyway, this was Game two, and now 448 00:30:01,395 --> 00:30:03,795 Speaker 1: that our pregame show was over, and I had waved 449 00:30:03,875 --> 00:30:05,795 Speaker 1: to my mother, who I had seen her first game 450 00:30:05,795 --> 00:30:09,675 Speaker 1: at Yankee Stadium just ooh sixty six years previously, and 451 00:30:09,715 --> 00:30:11,635 Speaker 1: she was seated in the family seats that were just 452 00:30:11,755 --> 00:30:15,235 Speaker 1: nine rows up from our on field set. I had 453 00:30:15,275 --> 00:30:17,715 Speaker 1: crawled into the position I would assume for the entire 454 00:30:17,755 --> 00:30:20,835 Speaker 1: game as the dugout reporter. I was hunched over on 455 00:30:20,915 --> 00:30:23,675 Speaker 1: a stool, squeezed between the far end of the Yankee 456 00:30:23,755 --> 00:30:27,475 Speaker 1: dugout and our Fox Sports first base camera. A thin 457 00:30:27,675 --> 00:30:31,395 Speaker 1: chicken wire fence separated me from the dugout himself. In fact, 458 00:30:31,395 --> 00:30:33,715 Speaker 1: it was a formality. I was more or less in 459 00:30:33,755 --> 00:30:36,835 Speaker 1: the dugout players coaches, and that night, as I settled in, 460 00:30:36,875 --> 00:30:39,155 Speaker 1: my friend, the Yankee manager all came over to say hello, 461 00:30:40,555 --> 00:30:43,395 Speaker 1: Roger Clemens of the Yankees, who I had also known 462 00:30:43,435 --> 00:30:46,315 Speaker 1: since we were both rookies in Boston sports in nineteen 463 00:30:46,355 --> 00:30:50,835 Speaker 1: eighty four. He lasted, I didn't Roger Clemens had struck 464 00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:54,115 Speaker 1: out the first two Mets hitters. Clemens was a strange 465 00:30:54,155 --> 00:30:56,315 Speaker 1: man about whom I had heard a strange tale of 466 00:30:56,315 --> 00:31:00,075 Speaker 1: teammates in a college summer baseball league who were all 467 00:31:00,115 --> 00:31:04,275 Speaker 1: wearing their wallets in their uniform pants back pockets during 468 00:31:04,315 --> 00:31:07,275 Speaker 1: a game because one of them explained to a friend 469 00:31:07,275 --> 00:31:10,355 Speaker 1: of mine, we have this crazy kid Clemens from Texas 470 00:31:10,395 --> 00:31:13,915 Speaker 1: on this team, and we don't trust him. In Boston, 471 00:31:13,995 --> 00:31:17,475 Speaker 1: I had found him a little nervous, little standoffish, but 472 00:31:17,955 --> 00:31:20,995 Speaker 1: doing his best to be professional. But by now there 473 00:31:20,995 --> 00:31:24,635 Speaker 1: were rumors swirling around Roger Clemens about amphetamines and performance 474 00:31:24,715 --> 00:31:27,355 Speaker 1: enhancing drugs, and you knew not to talk to him 475 00:31:27,355 --> 00:31:29,835 Speaker 1: before or after a game unless you had to, and 476 00:31:29,875 --> 00:31:32,755 Speaker 1: if you had to, you chose your words very carefully, 477 00:31:32,995 --> 00:31:35,435 Speaker 1: then made sure that whatever you did you had to 478 00:31:35,475 --> 00:31:38,835 Speaker 1: start with something mundane, like the score of the game, 479 00:31:39,595 --> 00:31:42,635 Speaker 1: and if you could let him bring up anything controversial 480 00:31:43,195 --> 00:31:48,035 Speaker 1: or complex, he would then probably do it. So now, 481 00:31:48,075 --> 00:31:50,675 Speaker 1: as this game continued, after two batters had struck out, 482 00:31:50,755 --> 00:31:54,115 Speaker 1: Lee Mazzilli, the former Mets star now Yankees coach, another 483 00:31:54,115 --> 00:31:56,475 Speaker 1: friend of mine, was on the other side of a 484 00:31:56,475 --> 00:32:00,115 Speaker 1: little fence, and as Mets superstar Mike Piazza stepped in 485 00:32:00,155 --> 00:32:02,355 Speaker 1: as the third batter of the game, Mozilly leaned in 486 00:32:02,395 --> 00:32:06,715 Speaker 1: and said, conspiratorily, let's see if flips him again. In 487 00:32:06,795 --> 00:32:09,875 Speaker 1: Midsummer two thousand, Roger Clemens had beamed Mike Piazza with 488 00:32:09,915 --> 00:32:14,195 Speaker 1: a fastball. There was a hospital visit involved. Nobody was 489 00:32:14,195 --> 00:32:16,995 Speaker 1: convinced it had not been intentional, or that Clemens would 490 00:32:17,035 --> 00:32:18,875 Speaker 1: not do it again, even though it was the World Series. 491 00:32:19,435 --> 00:32:23,355 Speaker 1: Mozilli and I leaned forward. Piazza was a deeply complicated 492 00:32:23,395 --> 00:32:25,875 Speaker 1: guy too. During the playoffs, he had walked up to 493 00:32:25,875 --> 00:32:27,195 Speaker 1: me and asked me if it was true I was 494 00:32:27,235 --> 00:32:28,875 Speaker 1: from New York, and then he quizzed me about the 495 00:32:28,955 --> 00:32:31,315 Speaker 1: relative merits of the suburbs, and then he wanted to 496 00:32:31,355 --> 00:32:33,675 Speaker 1: know if I had really taken up residence in his 497 00:32:33,835 --> 00:32:37,195 Speaker 1: favorite Southern California hotel, and we talked for fifteen minutes 498 00:32:37,195 --> 00:32:40,355 Speaker 1: about that. The next night I saw him smiled, said heloone, 499 00:32:40,355 --> 00:32:42,595 Speaker 1: and he looked at me like I had just sworn 500 00:32:42,635 --> 00:32:46,195 Speaker 1: a vendetta against his family. For a long time I 501 00:32:46,235 --> 00:32:48,795 Speaker 1: thought it was me until about ten years later, the 502 00:32:48,795 --> 00:32:51,715 Speaker 1: Great Vin Scully said that Piazza was with the Dodgers, 503 00:32:52,235 --> 00:32:54,675 Speaker 1: and when they were both together there in Los Angeles, 504 00:32:54,915 --> 00:32:58,075 Speaker 1: Vin had had the identical experience with Piazza. Best friends 505 00:32:58,075 --> 00:33:01,195 Speaker 1: on the team bus one day, and then no indication 506 00:33:01,275 --> 00:33:04,115 Speaker 1: Piazza remembered even meeting him the next I mean that 507 00:33:04,235 --> 00:33:08,155 Speaker 1: was Ben's golly. Clemens, as it turned out, did not 508 00:33:08,315 --> 00:33:11,395 Speaker 1: throw a baseball at Piazza, but instead pitched him inside 509 00:33:11,395 --> 00:33:14,235 Speaker 1: in on his hands, and Piazza tried to stop a 510 00:33:14,275 --> 00:33:17,315 Speaker 1: swing that was half self defense, but instead the odd 511 00:33:17,395 --> 00:33:20,275 Speaker 1: angle and the force of the pitch shattered Piazza's bat. 512 00:33:20,755 --> 00:33:23,315 Speaker 1: The ball veered to the right, describing a circle into 513 00:33:23,315 --> 00:33:26,675 Speaker 1: foul territory. The head of the bat shot out towards 514 00:33:26,675 --> 00:33:30,715 Speaker 1: Clemens on the mound. A second piece flew briefly into 515 00:33:30,755 --> 00:33:34,115 Speaker 1: the infield. Piazza was left holding just the handle, and 516 00:33:34,155 --> 00:33:36,715 Speaker 1: it looked as foolish as that sounds, but lost in 517 00:33:36,755 --> 00:33:38,715 Speaker 1: this description as the fact that all happened at once, 518 00:33:39,315 --> 00:33:42,275 Speaker 1: and even from our signe angle in the Yankee dugout, 519 00:33:42,275 --> 00:33:44,915 Speaker 1: it looked to Mozilli in me as if Piazza's bat 520 00:33:45,155 --> 00:33:48,955 Speaker 1: had simply exploded, like it was a trick device of 521 00:33:48,995 --> 00:33:52,715 Speaker 1: some sort. I saw Clemens reach for the baseball. I 522 00:33:52,835 --> 00:33:55,035 Speaker 1: thought it was the baseball right in front of him, 523 00:33:55,075 --> 00:33:57,195 Speaker 1: and then just as quickly he and I, at the 524 00:33:57,195 --> 00:33:59,795 Speaker 1: same moment, realized it was not the baseball. It was 525 00:33:59,795 --> 00:34:02,435 Speaker 1: the barrel of the bat, which was slightly rounded, just 526 00:34:02,475 --> 00:34:04,715 Speaker 1: a little darker than a baseball, but could in the 527 00:34:04,755 --> 00:34:08,315 Speaker 1: heat of an instant following a bat explosion, it could 528 00:34:08,395 --> 00:34:12,395 Speaker 1: be mistaken for a ball. So far, so good. But 529 00:34:12,555 --> 00:34:16,075 Speaker 1: right then Clemens, realizing it was part of a bat 530 00:34:16,075 --> 00:34:18,475 Speaker 1: and not a ball, promptly threw that part of the 531 00:34:18,475 --> 00:34:23,035 Speaker 1: bat at me. Jesus Mas, I said to Mizilly, why 532 00:34:23,035 --> 00:34:25,915 Speaker 1: did Clemens throw that bat barrel at me? The Yankee 533 00:34:25,995 --> 00:34:28,235 Speaker 1: coach looked incredulously at me. He didn't throw it you. 534 00:34:28,355 --> 00:34:31,395 Speaker 1: He threw it at me. That's what it looked like. 535 00:34:31,995 --> 00:34:35,235 Speaker 1: We were lined up perfectly. Roger Clemens had thrown the 536 00:34:35,235 --> 00:34:38,195 Speaker 1: barrel of Mike Piazza's bat, say, one hundred and twenty 537 00:34:38,235 --> 00:34:41,315 Speaker 1: feet instead of just six or seven feet, he would 538 00:34:41,315 --> 00:34:44,995 Speaker 1: have hit either me or Lee Mozilly in the Yankee dugout. 539 00:34:45,755 --> 00:34:49,475 Speaker 1: As it was, since nobody knew exactly what was happening, 540 00:34:49,675 --> 00:34:52,715 Speaker 1: Piazza had started to run down to first base in 541 00:34:52,755 --> 00:34:54,835 Speaker 1: case the ball was fair. He didn't know where the 542 00:34:54,835 --> 00:34:58,475 Speaker 1: ball was either. For that initial split second, you really 543 00:34:58,475 --> 00:35:03,115 Speaker 1: couldn't tell which flying object was the ball, and also 544 00:35:03,195 --> 00:35:07,435 Speaker 1: whether the ball was fair or foul. So Roger Clemens's 545 00:35:07,515 --> 00:35:11,395 Speaker 1: throw certainly looked like it was aimed at Piazza as 546 00:35:11,395 --> 00:35:14,955 Speaker 1: Piazza went down the first baseline, and as Piazza took umbrage, 547 00:35:15,315 --> 00:35:17,595 Speaker 1: and there was another split second of confusion when it 548 00:35:17,595 --> 00:35:19,715 Speaker 1: looked like Piazza might charge out to the mound to 549 00:35:19,715 --> 00:35:22,675 Speaker 1: try to sock Clemens for this and for the Midsummer beating. 550 00:35:22,915 --> 00:35:26,035 Speaker 1: I said to Missilly, wait, did he throw that bat 551 00:35:26,275 --> 00:35:30,115 Speaker 1: at Piazza. Miszilly just shook his head. I don't think so. 552 00:35:30,595 --> 00:35:32,915 Speaker 1: Hun Hell knows he's been here two years. I haven't 553 00:35:32,915 --> 00:35:36,875 Speaker 1: figured out anything he's done so far. As the umpires 554 00:35:36,915 --> 00:35:40,755 Speaker 1: then got involved, Clemens repeatedly tapped his own chest, and 555 00:35:40,835 --> 00:35:42,795 Speaker 1: not in a bragging way, but in a kind of 556 00:35:43,235 --> 00:35:47,195 Speaker 1: what looked like that's on me way. Two bat boys 557 00:35:47,235 --> 00:35:49,475 Speaker 1: collected the three main pieces of the bat and a 558 00:35:49,475 --> 00:35:52,315 Speaker 1: bunch of smaller shards, some of them smaller than a toothpick. 559 00:35:53,155 --> 00:35:55,315 Speaker 1: The Fox play by play man threw it to me 560 00:35:55,515 --> 00:35:57,675 Speaker 1: in the dugout well, I said, I can tell you 561 00:35:57,715 --> 00:35:59,995 Speaker 1: the Yankee dugout doesn't know what happened or why. Joe 562 00:36:00,515 --> 00:36:03,275 Speaker 1: Missilly laughed quietly and then hit me in the arm. 563 00:36:03,315 --> 00:36:05,875 Speaker 1: While I was on the air, prustulated that Clemens was 564 00:36:05,915 --> 00:36:08,555 Speaker 1: looking for a ball hit back to him instead found 565 00:36:08,755 --> 00:36:11,195 Speaker 1: the piece of the bat, and then discarded that piece 566 00:36:11,235 --> 00:36:12,875 Speaker 1: of the bat so he could keep looking for the ball. 567 00:36:13,355 --> 00:36:16,235 Speaker 1: That he discarded it kind of where Piazza was running 568 00:36:16,675 --> 00:36:19,435 Speaker 1: might have been delivered, might have been a coincidence. I 569 00:36:19,515 --> 00:36:22,955 Speaker 1: do remember suggesting that if Clemens had really aimed the 570 00:36:22,995 --> 00:36:26,595 Speaker 1: bat at Piazza, that from that distance, with the strength 571 00:36:26,635 --> 00:36:29,155 Speaker 1: and accuracy of a major league pitcher, he clearly would 572 00:36:29,195 --> 00:36:32,675 Speaker 1: have hit him with it. Piazza then promptly grounded out 573 00:36:32,715 --> 00:36:34,635 Speaker 1: to end the inning, and as Clemens came back towards 574 00:36:34,675 --> 00:36:37,835 Speaker 1: the Yankee dugout, where Mozilly and I were. He again 575 00:36:37,915 --> 00:36:40,275 Speaker 1: stopped to talk to the umpire, who was Charlie Reliford. 576 00:36:40,675 --> 00:36:44,235 Speaker 1: Over the noise of fifty six thousand fans at Yankee Stadium, 577 00:36:44,275 --> 00:36:46,555 Speaker 1: I couldn't hear a damn thing, but it sure looked 578 00:36:46,595 --> 00:36:50,155 Speaker 1: like Clemens was again saying that was on me. I 579 00:36:50,155 --> 00:36:52,035 Speaker 1: asked missillly if he could find out if that's what 580 00:36:52,115 --> 00:36:55,155 Speaker 1: Clemens was doing, And half an inning later, Missilly reported 581 00:36:55,155 --> 00:36:57,595 Speaker 1: that Clemens indeed thought for a second it was the ball, 582 00:36:57,795 --> 00:36:59,955 Speaker 1: and that he threw it, and that it was on him, 583 00:37:00,155 --> 00:37:01,955 Speaker 1: and that it was not intentional and it was not 584 00:37:02,075 --> 00:37:06,275 Speaker 1: directed at Piazza. I did something kind of stupid. I 585 00:37:06,355 --> 00:37:09,195 Speaker 1: suggested to my bosses that I should go ask the 586 00:37:09,195 --> 00:37:12,275 Speaker 1: Commissioner Baseball, who in a World Series game had the 587 00:37:12,315 --> 00:37:15,555 Speaker 1: power to eject any player for any reason, although that 588 00:37:15,595 --> 00:37:18,155 Speaker 1: power had not actually been used since nineteen thirty four. 589 00:37:18,595 --> 00:37:21,475 Speaker 1: What he thought of all this? The producer said yes, 590 00:37:21,835 --> 00:37:25,435 Speaker 1: and I thought me and my big mouth. I now 591 00:37:25,475 --> 00:37:28,635 Speaker 1: had to crawl out of that little space between camera 592 00:37:28,675 --> 00:37:32,435 Speaker 1: and dugout, and I mean literally crawl hands and knees 593 00:37:32,995 --> 00:37:36,355 Speaker 1: to exit back into the seats via where the groundskeepers 594 00:37:36,635 --> 00:37:40,195 Speaker 1: kept all the extra dirt. I knew where in the 595 00:37:40,195 --> 00:37:43,235 Speaker 1: stands the commissioner was sitting. I went there, I got 596 00:37:43,275 --> 00:37:45,755 Speaker 1: to him, I asked him. He assured me there was 597 00:37:45,795 --> 00:37:48,435 Speaker 1: no discipline coming for Clemens, and they'd look at the 598 00:37:48,435 --> 00:37:50,715 Speaker 1: tape of the game again that night or in the morning. 599 00:37:50,715 --> 00:37:52,555 Speaker 1: But he really didn't think Clemens had tried to hit 600 00:37:52,595 --> 00:37:55,155 Speaker 1: Piazza with the bat. Well, they would look at the tape, 601 00:37:55,195 --> 00:37:57,155 Speaker 1: and they decided both that Clemens did not try to 602 00:37:57,235 --> 00:38:00,035 Speaker 1: hit Piazza with the bat, and that he should be 603 00:38:00,075 --> 00:38:04,075 Speaker 1: fined fifty thousand dollars for I don't know, not trying 604 00:38:04,075 --> 00:38:07,155 Speaker 1: to hit him with the So I made it back 605 00:38:07,195 --> 00:38:10,835 Speaker 1: to the dugout, reversing my crawl like I was recreating 606 00:38:10,875 --> 00:38:15,075 Speaker 1: the movie The Great Escape. As it turned out, Piazza's 607 00:38:15,115 --> 00:38:17,675 Speaker 1: little squib shot that caused all the trouble with the 608 00:38:17,755 --> 00:38:20,795 Speaker 1: exploding bat was about the hardest thing they hit off 609 00:38:20,835 --> 00:38:24,275 Speaker 1: Clemens all night. Over eight innings, he struck out nine 610 00:38:24,355 --> 00:38:27,435 Speaker 1: Mets batters, he walked none, he gave up only two hits, 611 00:38:27,475 --> 00:38:30,595 Speaker 1: and he only hit one batter. And then, incredibly, after 612 00:38:30,675 --> 00:38:34,235 Speaker 1: Clemens left the game, the Yankees almost blew a six 613 00:38:34,235 --> 00:38:37,395 Speaker 1: to nothing lead in the ninth inning, a Met outfielder 614 00:38:37,475 --> 00:38:40,555 Speaker 1: named Jay Payton hit a three run homer off future 615 00:38:40,555 --> 00:38:43,675 Speaker 1: Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, and the Mets had a 616 00:38:43,795 --> 00:38:46,595 Speaker 1: chance to tie the game or go ahead off Rivera 617 00:38:46,675 --> 00:38:48,755 Speaker 1: in the top of the ninth, and then he got 618 00:38:48,795 --> 00:38:50,115 Speaker 1: out of it, and the final score was six to 619 00:38:50,155 --> 00:38:52,435 Speaker 1: five Yankees. And with the game over now it was 620 00:38:52,875 --> 00:38:56,915 Speaker 1: Keith interviews Clemens' time. I went to the pre arranged 621 00:38:56,995 --> 00:38:59,275 Speaker 1: spot at the other end of the Yankee dugout, where 622 00:38:59,355 --> 00:39:02,835 Speaker 1: another friend of mine, the Yankees pr director, had guaranteed 623 00:39:02,875 --> 00:39:05,515 Speaker 1: me he would go and get Clemens and they would emerge. 624 00:39:05,795 --> 00:39:08,675 Speaker 1: After Clemens left the clubhouse to do what was a 625 00:39:08,715 --> 00:39:14,835 Speaker 1: contractually obligated interview with Fox and me. Apparently, Roger Clemens 626 00:39:14,835 --> 00:39:17,435 Speaker 1: started making his way towards me the moment the Yankees 627 00:39:17,435 --> 00:39:22,275 Speaker 1: finally won that game. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, security 628 00:39:22,555 --> 00:39:25,915 Speaker 1: closed the only runway from the Yankee dugout to the 629 00:39:25,915 --> 00:39:28,995 Speaker 1: clubhouse so that a dignitary could use it as an 630 00:39:29,075 --> 00:39:34,995 Speaker 1: exit from his seats. The dignitary was Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, 631 00:39:35,635 --> 00:39:40,235 Speaker 1: noted front running Yankees fan and ticket freeloader, And while 632 00:39:40,275 --> 00:39:43,075 Speaker 1: Fox literally delayed the start of every newscast on every 633 00:39:43,075 --> 00:39:44,915 Speaker 1: one of its stations in the country, even on the 634 00:39:44,915 --> 00:39:47,835 Speaker 1: West coast, and Joe Buck and Tim McCarver kept showing 635 00:39:47,875 --> 00:39:51,475 Speaker 1: replays again and again and promising my interview with Roger Clemens. 636 00:39:52,155 --> 00:39:56,475 Speaker 1: Rudy Juliani took his goddamn time leaving the field. His 637 00:39:56,635 --> 00:39:59,755 Speaker 1: idiot son Andrew grabbed some dirt from the field. I 638 00:39:59,835 --> 00:40:02,435 Speaker 1: half expected him to eat it. Instead, he stuffed it 639 00:40:02,475 --> 00:40:05,715 Speaker 1: in his jacket pockets. And he now waited for his 640 00:40:06,035 --> 00:40:10,195 Speaker 1: entire entourage, one of his wives, some of his I 641 00:40:10,195 --> 00:40:14,235 Speaker 1: guess they were friends, assorted political riff raff, and as 642 00:40:14,275 --> 00:40:18,315 Speaker 1: my producer screamed in my ear, where is Clemens? Giuliani 643 00:40:18,395 --> 00:40:21,475 Speaker 1: waited until they were all together on the field, and 644 00:40:21,635 --> 00:40:24,395 Speaker 1: finally he marched them down into the dugout and up 645 00:40:24,435 --> 00:40:28,155 Speaker 1: through the runway. And after all this delay, Clemens came 646 00:40:28,195 --> 00:40:30,515 Speaker 1: out and finally I could ask him about throwing the 647 00:40:30,515 --> 00:40:33,675 Speaker 1: bat shard at or near piazza. And at that moment 648 00:40:34,395 --> 00:40:36,755 Speaker 1: I remembered what I had learned about Clemens in Boston. 649 00:40:36,875 --> 00:40:40,435 Speaker 1: If you started an interview with something controversial, he might 650 00:40:40,595 --> 00:40:43,515 Speaker 1: very well walk away. If, on the other hand, you 651 00:40:43,555 --> 00:40:46,995 Speaker 1: did the boring game outcome question. He would answer anything 652 00:40:47,035 --> 00:40:49,755 Speaker 1: you asked, and he might even bring up anything controversial himself. 653 00:40:49,755 --> 00:40:52,755 Speaker 1: But you had to do the stupid game stuff first. 654 00:40:53,155 --> 00:40:57,155 Speaker 1: So which was harder work? Roger? I asked eight innings 655 00:40:57,195 --> 00:40:59,995 Speaker 1: of two hit ball or watching the Mets nearly tie 656 00:40:59,995 --> 00:41:02,795 Speaker 1: it in the ninth. His answer was not bad, but 657 00:41:02,835 --> 00:41:04,195 Speaker 1: he did not bring up the bats. So I asked 658 00:41:04,235 --> 00:41:07,075 Speaker 1: another quot about what he thought of his performance in 659 00:41:07,075 --> 00:41:09,835 Speaker 1: that game. Well, that did it. He started talking about 660 00:41:09,875 --> 00:41:13,435 Speaker 1: having to overcome his emotions in the first inning, and 661 00:41:13,475 --> 00:41:15,595 Speaker 1: now I could say, well, since you brought up the 662 00:41:15,675 --> 00:41:19,675 Speaker 1: emotions the bat throwing incident, did you throw that piece 663 00:41:19,675 --> 00:41:23,195 Speaker 1: of broken bat at Mike Piazza. There is a freeze 664 00:41:23,195 --> 00:41:26,355 Speaker 1: frame from that interview in which Roger Clemens's eyes are 665 00:41:26,555 --> 00:41:31,395 Speaker 1: bugged wide open. Well, Glemmens basically confirmed what the guys 666 00:41:31,395 --> 00:41:33,315 Speaker 1: in the dugout had told me. He had told them. 667 00:41:33,355 --> 00:41:35,475 Speaker 1: You can believe him or not, but he thought the 668 00:41:35,515 --> 00:41:38,075 Speaker 1: thing he grabbed was the ball, and when it wasn't, 669 00:41:38,315 --> 00:41:40,235 Speaker 1: he threw it away just in case the ball was 670 00:41:40,275 --> 00:41:42,115 Speaker 1: somewhere else near him and he had to have a 671 00:41:42,155 --> 00:41:45,195 Speaker 1: free hand with which to pick it up. He explained, 672 00:41:45,195 --> 00:41:47,355 Speaker 1: the chest taps. He was indeed saying to the umpire 673 00:41:47,675 --> 00:41:51,755 Speaker 1: Umpire Charlie, as Clemens called him, accompanying his apologies to 674 00:41:51,755 --> 00:41:53,795 Speaker 1: the Umps for throwing the bat, He said he didn't 675 00:41:53,795 --> 00:41:55,835 Speaker 1: even know where Piazza was at the point he threw 676 00:41:55,875 --> 00:42:00,115 Speaker 1: the bat. It was as straight and nonpartisan and frankly, 677 00:42:00,195 --> 00:42:05,475 Speaker 1: as informative an interview as I've ever conducted. Meanwhile, everybody 678 00:42:05,475 --> 00:42:09,355 Speaker 1: else in that stadium, everybody else in that city, everybody 679 00:42:09,355 --> 00:42:12,235 Speaker 1: else in the Tri State area, was convinced of one 680 00:42:12,275 --> 00:42:15,635 Speaker 1: of only two things. Roger Clemens had tried to impale 681 00:42:15,835 --> 00:42:19,875 Speaker 1: Mike Piazza with a shard of his own bat, or 682 00:42:20,515 --> 00:42:23,195 Speaker 1: the Mets were crybabies who could not tell that Clemens 683 00:42:23,235 --> 00:42:25,915 Speaker 1: obviously did not try to impale Mike Piazza with his 684 00:42:25,955 --> 00:42:29,835 Speaker 1: own bat. There was no middle ground. I found this 685 00:42:29,875 --> 00:42:33,315 Speaker 1: out specifically the next day when the TV sports columnist 686 00:42:33,355 --> 00:42:35,275 Speaker 1: of the New York Times, Rich Sandomir, who was a 687 00:42:35,315 --> 00:42:38,035 Speaker 1: friend of mine, called to interview me about the interview. 688 00:42:38,275 --> 00:42:40,435 Speaker 1: Why didn't you ask him about the bat first? Nobody 689 00:42:40,435 --> 00:42:43,675 Speaker 1: cared about how he pitched. He threw a bat at Piazza. 690 00:42:44,475 --> 00:42:47,275 Speaker 1: I said, you're a Met fan, and I explained the 691 00:42:47,275 --> 00:42:49,715 Speaker 1: theory of not making Clemens end an interview before he 692 00:42:49,755 --> 00:42:51,395 Speaker 1: said what you needed to know. I went through the 693 00:42:51,395 --> 00:42:54,155 Speaker 1: whole thing I just recited here. It was amazing to 694 00:42:54,195 --> 00:42:58,795 Speaker 1: see those few days how every sports reporter and columnist 695 00:42:58,875 --> 00:43:02,075 Speaker 1: in New York self identified as either a Met fan 696 00:43:02,195 --> 00:43:05,515 Speaker 1: or ex Met fan, or a Yankee fan or Yankee fan. 697 00:43:05,795 --> 00:43:08,475 Speaker 1: And you can still see it today as this story 698 00:43:08,475 --> 00:43:12,115 Speaker 1: from twenty two years ago is recollected by others. They 699 00:43:12,155 --> 00:43:16,435 Speaker 1: wrote what they felt as kids, Clemens was the victim, 700 00:43:16,915 --> 00:43:22,395 Speaker 1: or Clemens tried to kill Mike Piazza like he was 701 00:43:22,435 --> 00:43:25,835 Speaker 1: a dracula, and they had the wooden steak to go 702 00:43:25,955 --> 00:43:30,835 Speaker 1: through his heart. Meanwhile, we learned recently from Joe Torri, 703 00:43:30,915 --> 00:43:33,275 Speaker 1: the Yankee manager, another one of my friends, that they 704 00:43:33,315 --> 00:43:36,915 Speaker 1: all hid something from us that night, the thing about emotions. 705 00:43:37,395 --> 00:43:39,995 Speaker 1: After the incident in the first inning, Roger Clemens went 706 00:43:40,035 --> 00:43:44,275 Speaker 1: back to the Yankee clubhouse and started to cry. This 707 00:43:44,515 --> 00:43:46,955 Speaker 1: might have had something to do with embarrassment or grief. 708 00:43:46,995 --> 00:43:49,195 Speaker 1: But since he had noted that he had had to 709 00:43:49,275 --> 00:43:52,275 Speaker 1: check his emotions, I always thought, well, he might have 710 00:43:52,315 --> 00:43:57,475 Speaker 1: been a little overamped for that game, naturally or otherwise. 711 00:43:59,235 --> 00:44:01,835 Speaker 1: All right, So before I present anything else out of 712 00:44:01,915 --> 00:44:04,235 Speaker 1: chronological order. Let me go back to the moment. I 713 00:44:04,315 --> 00:44:06,955 Speaker 1: think Roger Clemens for the interview and threw it back 714 00:44:06,995 --> 00:44:09,235 Speaker 1: to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the Fox booth 715 00:44:09,275 --> 00:44:13,475 Speaker 1: because this is when the real trouble started. They were 716 00:44:13,475 --> 00:44:15,395 Speaker 1: pretty much done for the night, but I had another 717 00:44:15,475 --> 00:44:18,235 Speaker 1: two hours to go in a live postgame show on 718 00:44:18,315 --> 00:44:21,915 Speaker 1: Fox's cable Sports network. We had about four minutes until 719 00:44:21,955 --> 00:44:24,035 Speaker 1: that show started, and it suddenly occurred to me that 720 00:44:24,075 --> 00:44:25,875 Speaker 1: although this was not the most important event in the 721 00:44:25,955 --> 00:44:28,635 Speaker 1: history of the World Series, the bat would become part 722 00:44:28,835 --> 00:44:32,675 Speaker 1: of the iconography of baseball. I had been at Yankee 723 00:44:32,715 --> 00:44:35,595 Speaker 1: Stadium often enough over the years to know the two 724 00:44:35,675 --> 00:44:38,795 Speaker 1: kids who ran the visiting clubhouse, and right then they 725 00:44:38,795 --> 00:44:41,475 Speaker 1: were still packing up the Mets bats and equipment, and 726 00:44:41,555 --> 00:44:44,235 Speaker 1: the Mets dugout. So I ran over and asked the 727 00:44:44,275 --> 00:44:47,595 Speaker 1: senior of them what happened to the pieces of the 728 00:44:47,635 --> 00:44:51,075 Speaker 1: piazza bat well. The guy explained that Bobby Valentine, the 729 00:44:51,115 --> 00:44:53,995 Speaker 1: Mets manager, had asked that one of the pieces go 730 00:44:54,035 --> 00:44:56,835 Speaker 1: to a friend of his in the stands, and he, 731 00:44:57,075 --> 00:45:00,155 Speaker 1: the clubhouse attended, had handed it to the guy. A 732 00:45:00,235 --> 00:45:02,715 Speaker 1: second piece he believed was kept by the Yankees. He 733 00:45:02,795 --> 00:45:05,435 Speaker 1: wasn't sure about that. The third piece past the handle 734 00:45:05,715 --> 00:45:08,475 Speaker 1: was where was it? Where is it? He asked the 735 00:45:08,515 --> 00:45:11,955 Speaker 1: other attendant. It's here in the garbage, the kid said. 736 00:45:12,235 --> 00:45:15,395 Speaker 1: I did a double take the garbage. Yeah, the kid said, 737 00:45:15,475 --> 00:45:18,195 Speaker 1: under the dugout bench, and there it was, stuffed in 738 00:45:18,235 --> 00:45:21,075 Speaker 1: amid all the empty bags of sunflower seeds and the 739 00:45:21,155 --> 00:45:23,675 Speaker 1: crushed gatorade cups. I said, what happens to it? 740 00:45:23,715 --> 00:45:23,995 Speaker 2: Now? 741 00:45:24,315 --> 00:45:27,715 Speaker 1: Gets thrown out? They clean out the dugouts first, So 742 00:45:27,795 --> 00:45:30,515 Speaker 1: I said, look, can I borrow it? This would make 743 00:45:30,515 --> 00:45:33,515 Speaker 1: a great prop for our postgame show? And the attendant 744 00:45:33,555 --> 00:45:36,275 Speaker 1: says sure, and he pulls it out of the pile 745 00:45:36,315 --> 00:45:38,275 Speaker 1: and hands it to him, just about seven inches of 746 00:45:38,315 --> 00:45:41,355 Speaker 1: a baseball bat, and all there is is Piazza's uniform 747 00:45:41,435 --> 00:45:44,835 Speaker 1: number thirty one written in magic marker on the bottom. Listen. 748 00:45:44,915 --> 00:45:46,715 Speaker 1: I said, I won't be able to bring this back 749 00:45:46,755 --> 00:45:48,875 Speaker 1: to you for like two hours. We're on for two hours. 750 00:45:48,955 --> 00:45:50,755 Speaker 1: Will you still be in the clubhouse? And he said, 751 00:45:50,875 --> 00:45:53,235 Speaker 1: are you kidding? We have to be here at eight 752 00:45:53,755 --> 00:45:55,475 Speaker 1: He and I'll be out of here in ten minutes. 753 00:45:56,075 --> 00:45:57,835 Speaker 1: And I said, you want me to bring it back 754 00:45:57,875 --> 00:46:00,875 Speaker 1: to you for Game three, and he says, garbage. You're 755 00:46:00,915 --> 00:46:03,555 Speaker 1: going to bring back garbage, throw it out, keep it whatever, 756 00:46:03,635 --> 00:46:08,155 Speaker 1: What do I care? So I use the bat fragment 757 00:46:08,235 --> 00:46:11,115 Speaker 1: as a prop in the show repeatedly, and I stuck 758 00:46:11,155 --> 00:46:12,995 Speaker 1: it in my shoulder bag, and I thought, I'm not 759 00:46:13,035 --> 00:46:16,555 Speaker 1: a scrounger, but this is a valuable piece of memorabilia 760 00:46:17,075 --> 00:46:19,915 Speaker 1: and I'd like to keep it. So either I'll auction 761 00:46:19,995 --> 00:46:23,235 Speaker 1: it off for charity and bid against myself or something, 762 00:46:23,315 --> 00:46:25,315 Speaker 1: or I'll make a donation to a baseball charity and 763 00:46:25,355 --> 00:46:28,115 Speaker 1: I'll keep it. And that was it. And two days later, 764 00:46:28,595 --> 00:46:31,315 Speaker 1: as the World Series shifted from Yankee Stadium to Shae Stadium, 765 00:46:31,355 --> 00:46:33,355 Speaker 1: I got a phone call from one of the PR 766 00:46:33,395 --> 00:46:36,315 Speaker 1: guys at Fox Sports. Did you see the paper? And 767 00:46:36,355 --> 00:46:38,755 Speaker 1: I said, no, not yet, And he says, Piazza told 768 00:46:38,795 --> 00:46:41,795 Speaker 1: the guy from Newsday that you stole his back and 769 00:46:41,835 --> 00:46:45,755 Speaker 1: he wants it back. And I said, what if I 770 00:46:45,795 --> 00:46:47,955 Speaker 1: hadn't asked about it, it would be on a garbage scale 771 00:46:48,035 --> 00:46:49,835 Speaker 1: right now, being towed out to be dumped in the 772 00:46:49,875 --> 00:46:53,315 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean. And he says maybe, but Piazza told this 773 00:46:53,435 --> 00:46:55,435 Speaker 1: John Hayman, He's going to sue you. To get it back. 774 00:46:57,315 --> 00:46:59,915 Speaker 1: So now I go to the ballpark with extra excitement 775 00:46:59,955 --> 00:47:02,515 Speaker 1: on my plate. I'm waiting for Mike Piazza to tell 776 00:47:02,515 --> 00:47:04,835 Speaker 1: me he's going to sue me. So I go out 777 00:47:04,875 --> 00:47:06,915 Speaker 1: onto the field. I'm wondering how long it's going to 778 00:47:06,955 --> 00:47:09,035 Speaker 1: be before I run into Piazza. In like two minutes 779 00:47:09,075 --> 00:47:10,715 Speaker 1: after I step on the field, I turn around and 780 00:47:10,755 --> 00:47:13,315 Speaker 1: he's walking towards me. He looks at me and he says, hey, 781 00:47:13,395 --> 00:47:16,195 Speaker 1: Keith wild One the other night, huh say listen, when 782 00:47:16,235 --> 00:47:18,435 Speaker 1: you lived at Shutters, did you ever eat at Ivy 783 00:47:18,515 --> 00:47:22,235 Speaker 1: at the Shore in Santa Monica? Nothing about the bat. 784 00:47:22,555 --> 00:47:26,315 Speaker 1: We're talking about restaurants in Santa Monica, California. And I say, well, yeah, 785 00:47:26,315 --> 00:47:28,395 Speaker 1: but did you ever eat at Shae Jay's. And a 786 00:47:28,515 --> 00:47:31,235 Speaker 1: big smile from Piazza. Oh, man, I love Shade Jay's. 787 00:47:31,315 --> 00:47:33,675 Speaker 1: I love Jay. Give me your number this winner. When 788 00:47:33,675 --> 00:47:36,315 Speaker 1: I'm home, Let's go eat at Shaye Jay's. And I said, 789 00:47:36,315 --> 00:47:38,275 Speaker 1: I'll pay for it and I'll order the sand dabs. 790 00:47:38,635 --> 00:47:41,395 Speaker 1: Now we're talking about sand dabs, how to prepare sand 791 00:47:41,435 --> 00:47:44,195 Speaker 1: dabs at a restaurant? And then he says, hey, sorry, 792 00:47:44,235 --> 00:47:47,795 Speaker 1: I gotta go ahead. Have a good show. That was it. 793 00:47:48,715 --> 00:47:51,995 Speaker 1: He's in the paper threatening to sue me. We see 794 00:47:51,995 --> 00:47:55,435 Speaker 1: each other on the field, he starts the conversation. No 795 00:47:55,595 --> 00:47:59,355 Speaker 1: mention of suing me, not one word. Next day in 796 00:47:59,395 --> 00:48:01,955 Speaker 1: the paper, more Piazza quotes about how he's going to 797 00:48:01,995 --> 00:48:04,995 Speaker 1: sue me for stealing his bat. Next night game the 798 00:48:04,995 --> 00:48:07,075 Speaker 1: World Series, we're just about to go on the air 799 00:48:07,075 --> 00:48:09,395 Speaker 1: with the pregame show. And now Piazza comes over again, 800 00:48:09,635 --> 00:48:11,835 Speaker 1: coming in from the outfield to the dugout and he says, hey, 801 00:48:11,835 --> 00:48:13,675 Speaker 1: this must be really cool to do what you guys 802 00:48:13,715 --> 00:48:16,635 Speaker 1: are doing. Have a great show, and by now the 803 00:48:16,675 --> 00:48:18,795 Speaker 1: only thing I can think of. He does not know 804 00:48:18,995 --> 00:48:21,915 Speaker 1: I'm the same Keith Olderman. He keeps threatening to sue. 805 00:48:23,315 --> 00:48:25,795 Speaker 1: So the World Series ends and the Yankees beat the Mets, 806 00:48:26,075 --> 00:48:27,795 Speaker 1: and if you look for it, there's this photo of 807 00:48:27,835 --> 00:48:31,075 Speaker 1: the traditional postgame awarding of the World Series Trophy and 808 00:48:31,115 --> 00:48:34,955 Speaker 1: the Most Valuable Player award at its commissioner Bud Selig 809 00:48:35,035 --> 00:48:37,875 Speaker 1: and Derek Jeter, the Yankees and me, And just before 810 00:48:37,875 --> 00:48:40,355 Speaker 1: it happened, George Steinbrenner was the owner of the Yankees. 811 00:48:41,035 --> 00:48:44,115 Speaker 1: He's crying, leans in and I give him a hug 812 00:48:44,155 --> 00:48:46,115 Speaker 1: and reassure him, and he asked me if my mother 813 00:48:46,195 --> 00:48:48,195 Speaker 1: went to the game, and I said, you know, my mother, 814 00:48:48,315 --> 00:48:50,275 Speaker 1: she'd never come to Shay Stadium. She hates it more 815 00:48:50,355 --> 00:48:52,635 Speaker 1: than you do. And he says, I. 816 00:48:52,675 --> 00:48:54,195 Speaker 2: Love her more than ever before. 817 00:48:54,355 --> 00:48:57,915 Speaker 1: Now, So the series ends, and it's not been that 818 00:48:58,075 --> 00:49:00,435 Speaker 1: greatest series, but it's been exciting and it was the 819 00:49:00,795 --> 00:49:03,675 Speaker 1: dream from my childhood. And the Yankees have won and 820 00:49:03,835 --> 00:49:06,955 Speaker 1: my friends are and I've not heard another word about 821 00:49:06,995 --> 00:49:10,715 Speaker 1: this lawsuit, nothing from Mike Piazza. And I told the 822 00:49:10,755 --> 00:49:13,035 Speaker 1: Fox people, well, if I'm not going to hear anything 823 00:49:13,115 --> 00:49:14,995 Speaker 1: more from them, it's easy. I'm going to keep the 824 00:49:15,035 --> 00:49:18,075 Speaker 1: bat and I'm going to donate twenty five thousand dollars 825 00:49:18,475 --> 00:49:21,555 Speaker 1: to this charity, the Baseball Assistance Team, which helps ex 826 00:49:21,635 --> 00:49:24,915 Speaker 1: ball players in financial need, because A I'm not a scrounger. 827 00:49:25,515 --> 00:49:29,155 Speaker 1: B it's a great cause. C that's actually much more 828 00:49:29,195 --> 00:49:31,355 Speaker 1: than the bat handle would be worth on the open market. 829 00:49:31,395 --> 00:49:34,955 Speaker 1: And D the acronym for the Baseball Assistance Team is 830 00:49:35,075 --> 00:49:40,115 Speaker 1: bat bat and that's perfect. It's about Piazza's bat. You 831 00:49:40,155 --> 00:49:44,995 Speaker 1: get it. And then nothing for a month, whereupon Fox 832 00:49:45,035 --> 00:49:48,435 Speaker 1: gets another letter, now from Piazza's agent fellow named Monzon 833 00:49:48,955 --> 00:49:51,435 Speaker 1: and he threatens to sue again, and that's the end 834 00:49:51,435 --> 00:49:54,555 Speaker 1: of it. Never heard from him again. So now it's 835 00:49:54,555 --> 00:49:56,235 Speaker 1: the next year, two thousand and one, and I'm back 836 00:49:56,275 --> 00:49:58,955 Speaker 1: in New York working for CNN doing the news, and 837 00:49:58,995 --> 00:50:00,795 Speaker 1: I go to a Mets game and I see Piazza 838 00:50:01,035 --> 00:50:02,795 Speaker 1: and I give him a big smile and I offer 839 00:50:02,875 --> 00:50:05,315 Speaker 1: my hand and I say, still any of those from 840 00:50:05,315 --> 00:50:07,835 Speaker 1: Shay Jay And he just stares at me and walks 841 00:50:07,915 --> 00:50:10,435 Speaker 1: right past me. And I see a cop I know 842 00:50:10,475 --> 00:50:12,995 Speaker 1: who works next to the Mets dugout, and the cop says, 843 00:50:13,195 --> 00:50:16,475 Speaker 1: Mike has been asking him about me? Is that Keith 844 00:50:16,475 --> 00:50:20,755 Speaker 1: Olderman the one who stole my bat? So now I'm 845 00:50:20,795 --> 00:50:24,635 Speaker 1: not just keeping the bat. I want to sue Mike 846 00:50:24,715 --> 00:50:29,075 Speaker 1: Piazza for being a pain in the ass. And then 847 00:50:29,155 --> 00:50:32,795 Speaker 1: nine to eleven happens, and ball players are doing charity things, 848 00:50:32,835 --> 00:50:36,915 Speaker 1: and sportscasters and newscasters are doing charity things, and I think, well, 849 00:50:37,195 --> 00:50:40,155 Speaker 1: this is the time when the baseball season resumes. I 850 00:50:40,195 --> 00:50:41,955 Speaker 1: throw the bat handle in my bag and I go 851 00:50:41,995 --> 00:50:43,675 Speaker 1: out to a Mets game and I go up to 852 00:50:43,875 --> 00:50:46,115 Speaker 1: Piazza's locker before the game, and I pull the bat 853 00:50:46,195 --> 00:50:49,235 Speaker 1: chart out and I say, take this, Mike, auction it 854 00:50:49,275 --> 00:50:51,275 Speaker 1: off for charity. Let's do some good with this. Or 855 00:50:51,315 --> 00:50:53,995 Speaker 1: if it's too much trouble, you sign it and I'll 856 00:50:54,035 --> 00:50:55,795 Speaker 1: auction it off. We can leave my name out of it, 857 00:50:55,835 --> 00:50:58,315 Speaker 1: whatever you want, however you want to do it. And 858 00:50:58,355 --> 00:51:00,995 Speaker 1: he looks at me like I've just insulted his mother 859 00:51:01,235 --> 00:51:04,075 Speaker 1: and says, no, it's too complicated, and he turns away, 860 00:51:04,755 --> 00:51:09,395 Speaker 1: and I think to myself, this is the strangest athlete 861 00:51:09,475 --> 00:51:13,275 Speaker 1: I have ever met. And just before the season ends, 862 00:51:13,315 --> 00:51:15,635 Speaker 1: I go to another Mets game. Now this time it's 863 00:51:15,635 --> 00:51:17,675 Speaker 1: one of his teammates who takes me aside and says, 864 00:51:17,915 --> 00:51:20,475 Speaker 1: you know, Piazza never stops talking about you stealing his 865 00:51:20,555 --> 00:51:22,755 Speaker 1: bat from the Clemens game last year. He says, he 866 00:51:22,795 --> 00:51:23,555 Speaker 1: still wants. 867 00:51:23,315 --> 00:51:23,875 Speaker 2: To sue you. 868 00:51:24,635 --> 00:51:27,035 Speaker 1: Didn't you try to give him the bat back in 869 00:51:27,075 --> 00:51:29,795 Speaker 1: the clubhouse to auction off, Didn't I see that? And 870 00:51:29,835 --> 00:51:32,155 Speaker 1: I say, yeah I did, And he refused to take it. 871 00:51:32,275 --> 00:51:35,875 Speaker 1: And the guy laughs and he says, great player, excellent catcher. 872 00:51:35,915 --> 00:51:40,035 Speaker 1: I love him, strangest player I have ever met. Comes 873 00:51:40,075 --> 00:51:43,275 Speaker 1: two thousand and two, nothing happens. See Piazza at several 874 00:51:43,355 --> 00:51:47,275 Speaker 1: Mets games. Nothing happens. Two thousand and three, nothing happens now. 875 00:51:47,315 --> 00:51:49,635 Speaker 1: I can't pin the year down on this. It's one 876 00:51:49,635 --> 00:51:52,715 Speaker 1: of the Red Sox Yankees playoff series, either two thousand 877 00:51:52,715 --> 00:51:54,875 Speaker 1: and three or two thousand and four. And I'm leaving 878 00:51:54,915 --> 00:51:57,795 Speaker 1: the field as they're clearing the media off just before 879 00:51:57,795 --> 00:51:59,875 Speaker 1: the game starts, and I'm going out through the Red 880 00:51:59,875 --> 00:52:03,115 Speaker 1: Sox dugout, literally at the same spot where the kid 881 00:52:03,115 --> 00:52:06,595 Speaker 1: handed me Piazza's bat handle three or four years earlier, 882 00:52:06,675 --> 00:52:09,875 Speaker 1: where the trouble all began. And I see the new 883 00:52:09,915 --> 00:52:12,155 Speaker 1: owner of the Red Sox team approaching from the other 884 00:52:12,235 --> 00:52:15,355 Speaker 1: end of the dugout, Keith John Henry. Nice to meet you. 885 00:52:15,595 --> 00:52:18,635 Speaker 1: Have you got a minute? And I said, well, yeah, 886 00:52:18,635 --> 00:52:20,915 Speaker 1: they're kicking the media off the field, so and he 887 00:52:20,995 --> 00:52:22,675 Speaker 1: laughs and he says, I can take care of that. 888 00:52:22,715 --> 00:52:24,955 Speaker 1: And he yells at the plane clothes clop and he 889 00:52:24,955 --> 00:52:27,915 Speaker 1: says he's with me and the cop nods and John Henry, 890 00:52:27,915 --> 00:52:29,795 Speaker 1: the owner of the Red Sox, and I sit down 891 00:52:29,875 --> 00:52:31,795 Speaker 1: on the Red Sox bench before the start of a 892 00:52:31,835 --> 00:52:34,195 Speaker 1: Red Sox Yankees playoff game, and there are no other 893 00:52:34,275 --> 00:52:36,835 Speaker 1: reporters out there, and I think, Okay, what did I 894 00:52:36,875 --> 00:52:40,955 Speaker 1: say about the Red Sox. What is he pissed off about? Instead? 895 00:52:41,595 --> 00:52:45,195 Speaker 1: John Henry says, can I ask you about Mike Piazza? 896 00:52:46,515 --> 00:52:50,715 Speaker 1: And I laugh and I say sure, what about him? 897 00:52:51,275 --> 00:52:53,755 Speaker 1: And he says, you have part of his back from 898 00:52:53,795 --> 00:52:56,475 Speaker 1: the World Series with Clemens, right, And I say yeah, 899 00:52:56,515 --> 00:52:59,435 Speaker 1: and he says, tell me the whole story. So I 900 00:52:59,515 --> 00:53:03,035 Speaker 1: do what you've just heard, and John Henry says, that's 901 00:53:03,075 --> 00:53:06,115 Speaker 1: what I was told. Thank you, huh. I thought it 902 00:53:06,155 --> 00:53:08,635 Speaker 1: was me. So that other piece of the bat that 903 00:53:08,715 --> 00:53:11,235 Speaker 1: was handed to a friend of Bobby Valentine's during that game, 904 00:53:11,355 --> 00:53:13,115 Speaker 1: that friend is a great friend of mine. And after 905 00:53:13,195 --> 00:53:14,875 Speaker 1: nine to eleven he said, wouldn't it be great to 906 00:53:14,875 --> 00:53:17,075 Speaker 1: get Mike Piazza to sign this and then we can 907 00:53:17,115 --> 00:53:19,395 Speaker 1: auction it off for the victims' families or the cops 908 00:53:19,435 --> 00:53:22,195 Speaker 1: or some other charity. And he gives me the bat 909 00:53:22,235 --> 00:53:23,955 Speaker 1: and I call the Mets and they approach Mike and 910 00:53:23,995 --> 00:53:25,995 Speaker 1: they call me and they say, Mike loves the idea 911 00:53:25,995 --> 00:53:27,435 Speaker 1: and I should come to one of the spring training 912 00:53:27,475 --> 00:53:29,915 Speaker 1: games and he'll sign it. So the next March, I 913 00:53:29,955 --> 00:53:31,795 Speaker 1: go to one of the Mets spring training games and 914 00:53:31,835 --> 00:53:33,195 Speaker 1: I go up to him in the clubhouse and I 915 00:53:33,235 --> 00:53:36,035 Speaker 1: introduce myself and he looks at me like I'm from Mars, 916 00:53:36,555 --> 00:53:38,075 Speaker 1: and I say, well, I brought the bat and he 917 00:53:38,115 --> 00:53:40,835 Speaker 1: says what bat? And I explained that we had arranged 918 00:53:40,875 --> 00:53:43,035 Speaker 1: to have him sign the bat from the World Series 919 00:53:43,475 --> 00:53:45,675 Speaker 1: for a nine to eleven charity and he erupts at me, 920 00:53:45,835 --> 00:53:48,595 Speaker 1: I'm not signing that bat? Sure for charity? Do you 921 00:53:48,595 --> 00:53:52,835 Speaker 1: think I was born yesterday? And now I say something 922 00:53:52,835 --> 00:53:55,395 Speaker 1: to John Henry, owner of the Red Sox, like welcome 923 00:53:55,435 --> 00:53:58,155 Speaker 1: to the club. Did he threaten to sue you too? 924 00:53:58,555 --> 00:54:01,195 Speaker 1: And he laughs and says yes. That's the next part 925 00:54:01,195 --> 00:54:04,235 Speaker 1: of the story. So while we're trying to straighten that out, 926 00:54:04,835 --> 00:54:06,995 Speaker 1: his agent calls me and asks if I will give 927 00:54:07,035 --> 00:54:09,155 Speaker 1: them the bat to auction off for charity, and I 928 00:54:09,195 --> 00:54:12,795 Speaker 1: say sure, And I go to another Mets game and 929 00:54:12,835 --> 00:54:14,955 Speaker 1: I go to the clubhouse and I have the bat again. 930 00:54:15,075 --> 00:54:17,915 Speaker 1: Now Piazza says, no, I can't take the bat because 931 00:54:17,955 --> 00:54:21,955 Speaker 1: of pending litigation, but if I want him to, he'll 932 00:54:21,995 --> 00:54:24,115 Speaker 1: sign it for me. All I have to do is 933 00:54:24,195 --> 00:54:27,435 Speaker 1: come back a couple of weeks later. So this is 934 00:54:27,475 --> 00:54:30,835 Speaker 1: what I wanted to ask Keith. Is he the strangest 935 00:54:30,835 --> 00:54:35,635 Speaker 1: ballplayer you've ever met or is it just me? There's 936 00:54:35,675 --> 00:54:39,955 Speaker 1: one more part to this. Flash forward to twenty fourteen. 937 00:54:41,835 --> 00:54:44,155 Speaker 1: I still have the Piazza bat handle, the one I 938 00:54:44,275 --> 00:54:47,555 Speaker 1: unsuccessfully tried to give back to Piazza. The middle portion, 939 00:54:47,635 --> 00:54:50,595 Speaker 1: the one John Henry unsuccessfully tried to give back to Piazza, 940 00:54:50,915 --> 00:54:54,435 Speaker 1: has been sold, with the proceeds going to charity. So 941 00:54:54,555 --> 00:54:57,195 Speaker 1: where is the third piece, the barrel of the bat, 942 00:54:57,355 --> 00:54:59,515 Speaker 1: the part that Clemens through at Piazza. If you're a 943 00:54:59,555 --> 00:55:02,555 Speaker 1: Met fan or was unfairly accused of throwing at Piazza, 944 00:55:02,675 --> 00:55:05,035 Speaker 1: if you're not a Met fan the d The answer 945 00:55:05,115 --> 00:55:08,635 Speaker 1: finally arrives in a sports memorabilia auction catalog that year. 946 00:55:08,915 --> 00:55:11,195 Speaker 1: While one of the visiting bat boys was handing the 947 00:55:11,275 --> 00:55:13,715 Speaker 1: middle part of the bat to a friend of Bobby 948 00:55:13,795 --> 00:55:17,515 Speaker 1: Valentine and John Henry's in the stands, the barrel, which 949 00:55:17,595 --> 00:55:20,075 Speaker 1: landed near the Yankee dugout, was scooped up by the 950 00:55:20,155 --> 00:55:22,795 Speaker 1: Yankee bat boy, who put it in the pile of 951 00:55:22,915 --> 00:55:26,155 Speaker 1: Yankee broken bats, and as it turned out, right at 952 00:55:26,155 --> 00:55:29,795 Speaker 1: that point, the Yankee strengthened conditioning coach Jeff Mangold, who 953 00:55:29,875 --> 00:55:32,675 Speaker 1: was on the bench, said, wait a minute, that's the 954 00:55:32,715 --> 00:55:34,915 Speaker 1: pile of broken bats they're going to throw out. They 955 00:55:34,915 --> 00:55:37,875 Speaker 1: shouldn't throw it out. It's history. And he grabs that 956 00:55:37,955 --> 00:55:39,955 Speaker 1: part of the Piazza bat and puts it up in 957 00:55:39,995 --> 00:55:42,355 Speaker 1: his home office. And now it's fourteen years later and 958 00:55:42,395 --> 00:55:44,795 Speaker 1: he wants to auction it off for charity. So he 959 00:55:44,875 --> 00:55:47,715 Speaker 1: auctions it off, and I think, well, hell, it should 960 00:55:47,715 --> 00:55:50,115 Speaker 1: be alongside the other piece of the bat, My other 961 00:55:50,155 --> 00:55:52,995 Speaker 1: piece of the bat, the handle, So I win the auction. 962 00:55:54,235 --> 00:55:57,075 Speaker 1: There it is on my wall, complete with a baseball 963 00:55:57,075 --> 00:56:00,595 Speaker 1: card showing Roger Clemens about to throw the barrel. Reasons 964 00:56:00,755 --> 00:56:05,155 Speaker 1: left to your imagination, two thirds of the famous bat. 965 00:56:05,955 --> 00:56:08,955 Speaker 1: I'll sell it someday, I'm sure, but I'll always have 966 00:56:09,035 --> 00:56:13,755 Speaker 1: the memories, my memories and John Henry's memories. And if 967 00:56:13,795 --> 00:56:16,275 Speaker 1: you're wondering, no, unlike John Henry and I, that Yankee 968 00:56:16,275 --> 00:56:19,315 Speaker 1: strength coach Jeff Mangold never tried to give it back 969 00:56:19,315 --> 00:56:21,875 Speaker 1: to Piazza, or get it signed by Piazza, or auctioned 970 00:56:21,915 --> 00:56:24,435 Speaker 1: off for charity with Piazza, Which means that, on top 971 00:56:24,475 --> 00:56:28,795 Speaker 1: of everything else, Jeff Mangold is smarter than John Henry 972 00:56:28,795 --> 00:56:44,115 Speaker 1: and I put together. I've done all the damage I 973 00:56:44,155 --> 00:56:45,755 Speaker 1: can do. Here and by the way, thank you. I 974 00:56:45,795 --> 00:56:48,675 Speaker 1: don't have the final numbers, but as of recording time, 975 00:56:48,795 --> 00:56:52,355 Speaker 1: downloads for the month of April were a record three 976 00:56:52,395 --> 00:56:57,955 Speaker 1: hundred eighteen thousand, so again thanks tell the others. Here 977 00:56:57,955 --> 00:57:00,395 Speaker 1: are the credits. Most of the music was arranged, produced, 978 00:57:00,435 --> 00:57:03,115 Speaker 1: and performed by Brian Ray and John Phillip Shaneil, who 979 00:57:03,155 --> 00:57:06,755 Speaker 1: are the Countdown musical directors. All orchestration and keyboards by 980 00:57:06,835 --> 00:57:10,195 Speaker 1: John Phillips Schaneil, Guitars, bass and drums by Brian Ray, 981 00:57:10,595 --> 00:57:14,435 Speaker 1: produced by TKO Brothers. Other Beethoven selections have been arranged 982 00:57:14,435 --> 00:57:17,595 Speaker 1: and performed by No Horns Allowed. The sports music is 983 00:57:17,635 --> 00:57:19,955 Speaker 1: the Olderman theme from ESPN two and it was written 984 00:57:19,955 --> 00:57:23,995 Speaker 1: by Mitch Warren Davis courtesy of ESPN Inc. Musical comments 985 00:57:23,995 --> 00:57:26,875 Speaker 1: from Nancy Fauss, the best baseball stadium organist ever and 986 00:57:26,955 --> 00:57:30,555 Speaker 1: our announcer today with Stevie van zandt everything else pretty 987 00:57:30,595 --> 00:57:32,875 Speaker 1: much my fault. So that's countdown for this, the eight 988 00:57:32,995 --> 00:57:35,835 Speaker 1: hundred and forty sixth day since Donald Trump's first attempted 989 00:57:35,915 --> 00:57:39,075 Speaker 1: coup against the democratically elected government of the United States. 990 00:57:39,555 --> 00:57:42,995 Speaker 1: Don't forget to keep arresting him while we still can. 991 00:57:43,915 --> 00:57:46,835 Speaker 1: The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Until then, I'm Keith Oulremman. 992 00:57:46,915 --> 00:58:01,195 Speaker 1: Good morning, good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown 993 00:58:01,275 --> 00:58:05,755 Speaker 1: with Keith Olreman is a production of iHeartRadio. More podcasts 994 00:58:05,795 --> 00:58:10,515 Speaker 1: from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 995 00:58:10,595 --> 00:58:11,915 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.