WEBVTT - Golden Pipes 0:00:00.960 --> 0:00:05.480 Boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a 0:00:05.480 --> 0:00:09.280 week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants of 0:00:09.280 --> 0:00:12.920 the old Republic, the sole fashion of fairness. He treats 0:00:12.960 --> 0:00:15.800 crackheads in the ghetto Cutter the same as the rich 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:20.240 pill poppers in the penthouse, the clearing House of hot takes, 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:24.080 break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:32.360 Maller starts right now that it is the Fifth Hour 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:37.080 with Ben Mallor back at it again, a spinoff of 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:39.840 the Overnight show. We are so happy you have found 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.839 us is we are in the air everywhere, the vast 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:49.960 power of I heart, the global reach of podcasting. As 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.479 we are together again. It is the weekend and we 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:56.520 were back at it now. This is an interview podcast. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:58.800 And there's a couple of things you need to know 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:02.400 about this. You are giving You're being given a gift 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.920 here because this weekend. Why is this weekend like most 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:10.880 other weekends, Because David Gascon is not here. So it's 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:15.120 you just stuck with me on this Friday podcast. Now, 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:19.679 on Saturday and Sunday, I'll have my trustee sidekick, not Gascon. 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:25.480 Somebody's actually good uh in here. But this particular podcast, 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:28.839 it's all about me in the interview and all that stuff. 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.800 So welcome in our a friend, a broadcasting friend here 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:34.600 in a minute. But a couple of things to take 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:39.360 care of. If you have not like this podcast, please 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:42.080 do that. That helps us out. I know it seems ridiculous. 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:44.320 It's a pain, and that took us. I understand that. 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:47.680 But five stars. If you have some time to write 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:49.440 a review, I know you've got to come up with 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:51.440 the name and all that. That helps us out as well. 0:01:51.560 --> 0:01:56.040 Positive reviews. We don't need negative reviews. Positive help us out. Uh. 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:59.280 And then Cameo dot com. If you're on the internet, 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.120 and which obviously are, you'll see your podcast. But if 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:04.280 you if you have a big fan of the show, 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:06.760 if you have a relative that's a fan of the show, 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:10.600 and you want a video monologue, a Mallard monologue just 0:02:10.680 --> 0:02:13.520 for you, uh, we can do that on cameo. It's 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:16.160 not free, but it's not very much there on Cameo 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.400 dot com and obviously all of the social media channels. 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:22.560 Ben Mallar on Twitter, we use that a lot during 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:26.600 the weekday radio show, on the overnight Instagram, Ben Mallar 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:31.440 on Fox and the Facebook page which is Ben Mallard Show. 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:35.200 So I am very excited. I admit it's one of 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:39.799 my guilty pleasures. I love talking to broadcasters, especially people 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:44.080 that influenced me, that I watched and listened to in 0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:49.760 my younger days. And we have pulled out of the 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:55.840 ethos Mel Proctor. Now, if you're from the Washington, DC area, 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:59.720 if you're from Baltimore, chances are you are well aware 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.560 of Mel Procter because for years he was the play 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.200 by play voice of the Washington Bullets. That's right, they 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:11.280 used to be the Bullets and the Baltimore Orioles. And 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:15.360 I most associate Mel with the Orioles. I actually was 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:18.399 around him a bit a few years ago. I spent 0:03:18.440 --> 0:03:21.240 a long time now, but he was the radio guy 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.480 for the Clippers for several years, and that's where I 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:28.040 got to know Mel a little bit, and I had 0:03:28.120 --> 0:03:30.040 lost track of him. I was like, I wonder what 0:03:30.160 --> 0:03:33.400 Mel proctors up to. And for those that have not 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:36.480 seen his work, if you're younger, you can actually find 0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:44.280 some old Orio games on YouTube and very entertaining fun broadcaster. 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:49.080 Did everything, did network play by play, did NF for basketball, 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:52.760 did play by play boxing football. He was all over 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:56.760 the place, so let's welcome in now, Mel Procter joining 0:03:56.840 --> 0:04:00.760 us here on the fifth Hour with Ben Maller and Mel, 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.520 thank you for doing this. I guess we want to 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:06.240 talk about you, who make this all about you, at 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.160 least most of it. So how old were you Mel 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:14.720 when you realized you wanted to be a broadcaster? Well, 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:16.960 when I was growing up, but it was the last 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:18.840 thing that I thought of. I wanted to be amazing 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:22.800 League baseball player, and uh, it was good enough to 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.360 play in high school and college, but I had a 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.560 little trouble hitting the curve ball. So when I graduated 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.600 from college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:35.239 I took a real job in Denver for about six months, 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:39.279 and uh, there was a football player who just retired 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:43.000 from Denver Proco's named Lionel Taylor, and he worked at 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:45.240 this company C A. Norgren. He was, you know, he 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:48.920 kissed babies and shook ads and stuff. And I got 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:52.320 to know him and we both admitted that we missed 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:55.400 being in sports and had to get back. And he 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:57.760 showed up one day and said, I'd like you to 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:01.400 meet the new wide receiver coach the Los Angeles Rams, 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.480 and he left for that job, and I thought, well, 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.040 I gotta get out of here somehow. Code and tie 0:05:07.080 --> 0:05:10.760 seven thirty in the morning were two coffee breaks a day. No, 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:15.080 thank you, I can't do this. So uh, Steve Sable 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:19.359 of NFL Films had gone to Colorado College, where I 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:22.320 went to school. I didn't know Steve, but he was 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.440 several years ahead of me, and some of my fraternity 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:30.000 brothers knew Steve. So I started writing letters to his father, 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:34.080 Ed Sable, about a job, and they said that out 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:38.080 there's nothing there, and so I just kept sending stuff anyway, 0:05:38.560 --> 0:05:41.640 ideas for shows and that kind of thing. And I 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:44.279 happened to call one time talk with a friend of 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:46.480 mine new works there, and I said, I gotta come 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:48.560 back there for a wedding. Would it be worth stopping 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:52.040 buy in Philadelphia to see NFL films And he goes, yeah, 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:55.160 You're timing may be perfect. So I went back, Uh, 0:05:55.480 --> 0:05:58.520 talked to Ed Sable, he hired me. I spent three 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:01.760 and a half years at NFL Elms as a writer producer, 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.400 still having no thoughts of being a broadcaster. But I 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:07.120 got to know a lot of the guys who came 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:11.080 into their age films like past summer and Charlie Jones 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:14.000 and Tom Brookshire and those guys. And I heard him 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:17.119 talking about the games they've done that day, and I thought, 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:19.520 you know, I would really rather be out of the 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:23.160 game somewhere, but in a dark editing room or writing 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:28.119 a script. So I cont the local radio station into 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:31.359 let me do some high school football. I was a 0:06:31.400 --> 0:06:34.320 coling man at first, and then one day to play 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:36.440 by play guy called and said, no, I can't do 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:39.160 the game. I'm sick. Gonna have to do play by 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.000 play and I can still to this day remember it. 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:46.800 It was the Upper perky Omen Indians and in Pennsylvania 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:49.680 against somebody. That was the first game I did, and 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:51.960 I said, God, I could do this for the living. 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:56.160 So I went from there to doing high school again 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.640 for for a team for a year or so and 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:04.760 who lollly advertising did everything and then uh, to make 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:07.320 a long story showed, I guess. I went to Hawaii 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.880 on vacation and fell in love with the place, and 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:14.040 I had written a letter there to the radio station 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:16.720 but never got an answer. So I called the guy, 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:19.560 Earl McDaniel, who was general manager of k g MP, 0:07:20.480 --> 0:07:22.480 and he said, come on over and we got together 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:26.360 for lunch, and he liked me and we hired me, 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:29.360 and so I love for Hawaii Wire spent five years 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:33.440 and that's where I really got online experience. So to 0:07:33.520 --> 0:07:37.040 answer your question, I never really thought about being broadcast 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:39.559 until after I got out of college and the real 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.920 world kind of hit me. Yeah, well, it certainly beats 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.080 having having a regular job. But I didn't even realize 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:47.920 he would have worked in NFL films, And I knew 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:49.960 you had done all the different play by play stuff. 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:53.600 But I loved, you know, growing up, it influenced me 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:57.400 as a sports fan the stuff that NFL films turned out. 0:07:57.960 --> 0:08:00.640 And like a lot of guys around my age before 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:04.520 high school football games to fire up the team, they 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:08.120 were putting an NFL films, you know, season and review 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:13.120 documentary and and it was an amazing thing that you know, 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:14.840 and you worked and you were part of it. I 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:18.920 they would make the most mundane, boring team that was, 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:21.280 you know, like a typical little six and ten and 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:24.640 five and letter, but they were it seemed like gladiators 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:26.920 in the uh in the NFL films. What was it 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:29.720 like behind the scenes there in those days putting those 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:32.559 videos together? Oh? It was. It was a great place 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:36.000 to work. They basically you didn't have hours. You just 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:37.920 showed up and work when you wanted to go on 0:08:38.000 --> 0:08:39.760 your films. As long as you got to work done. 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.360 You could work from midnight, day in the morning, or 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:46.600 anytime you wanted. Really, so it's perfect and it just 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.960 lets you do your own thing. And I got to work. 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:52.360 You know, I worked with Jonathan Sounder, the great voice 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:59.520 of God, who narrated those films, you know, Cooling Durn Green, 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:05.079 and you know, I came up doing but it was 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:07.880 it was funny that all all these announcements would come 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.600 in to narrate the various films. So I got to 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:14.800 know them. And some of the more NBA podcasters would 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:17.560 come into town, and I talked him into letting me 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:20.200 be their statman. So I go out to the games 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:24.599 with them, like Jack Brickles to the Chicago Bulls and 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.120 people like that Van Miller of the Buffalo Bills and 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:33.560 Buffalo Braves. Um Marty Grickman was a big influence. The 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.640 guy from New York was well known. So I got 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:40.079 to know all these guys, these these podcasters, top of 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:43.160 line broadcasters, and I thought, God, this is this is 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:46.320 really what I wanted to do, So I just I 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.640 was in a good spot to to learn from some 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.800 of the best, and it was It's a great place 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:54.360 to work. It tough us decision I ever had to 0:09:54.400 --> 0:09:57.920 make was sitting on the back steps at NFL Films, 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:01.880 trying to decide whether to stay in this prestigious job 0:10:01.920 --> 0:10:06.760 in the NFL with great people and creative and fun 0:10:07.040 --> 0:10:11.440 and or quit and go full time to a little 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:15.679 five thousand water radio station in Chester, Pennsylvania, like a 0:10:15.800 --> 0:10:19.920 broadcast sports full time. And uh, I took a leap, 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:23.200 and it was very difficult and time be sure to 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.000 catch live editions of the Ben Maller Show weekdays at 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:30.880 two am Eastern Pacific. How hard was it, mel when 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:33.839 you you find your networked obviously worked at the NFL 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:35.880 films and you met all these people, but then and 0:10:35.960 --> 0:10:38.160 to do stats, to go from the stat guy, and 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:40.640 then you went out to Hawaii, and then to get 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:46.079 that first big league play by play opportunity? How how 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:48.800 how did that work back in those days as opposed 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:52.880 to what's going on in you know today? Well, I 0:10:53.400 --> 0:10:57.040 was in Hawaii for five years and and loved it 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:01.240 and married a girl from there from Maui, and you know, 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:05.680 as I'm truly sure that I was probably gonna stay there, 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:08.240 but I wanted to do big league sports. And I 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:11.640 was doing minor league baseball for the Hawaii Islanders, which 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:14.800 are the Padres Cripple a affiliate, and so i'd go 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.280 to spring trending. I get to know their announcers Jerry 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.960 Coleman and Rob Chattel, and are those guys. Um, So 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:24.480 I started applying for a few jobs. I'm more than 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:28.080 a few accident, I think. I I applied to the 0:11:28.120 --> 0:11:32.880 Houston Astros when in they're and interviewed. The balt Memorials 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:35.840 flew me into Oakland for a series because they thought 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.559 Chuck Thompson was going to retire. Well it went on 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:44.680 for another thirty years like chever uh, And then the 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:47.120 Angels talked to me. I came down the number two 0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:52.040 guys there. Um. I'd applied for some NBA jobs and 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:56.439 I was getting close to things, but it was so frustrating, 0:11:56.920 --> 0:11:58.920 you know, looking back at it, I had no idea 0:11:58.920 --> 0:12:03.439 how hard it is to advance to that level of broadcasting. 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:06.599 But one Sunday we were sitting out on there my 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:09.720 lan I having a glass of wine my wife and 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:13.760 I are wife to be and in the phone rang 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:17.360 and it was w t Op in Washington, DC. The 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:19.200 call and asked me if I wanted to be the 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:22.920 Playboy play announcer for the Washington Bullets were just one 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:28.760 NBA championship, and I said sure, yeah, let's go. Well, 0:12:28.760 --> 0:12:32.240 about about two hours later, I get another phone call 0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.480 the merv Kings. It was general manager of the San 0:12:35.520 --> 0:12:39.840 Diego UH Clippers, and he says, we like you that 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.559 we are player by playguy on radio. I said, oh Jesus, 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:47.720 I don't understand. This is after years of trying. Suddenly 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:50.840 I get two calls within twenty four hours offering me 0:12:51.000 --> 0:12:54.120 NBA jobs. I said, I'd really rather come to San 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:59.000 Diego because it's warmer, and my wife says, from Hawaii, 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:01.120 I think it'd be an easy your adjustment for her. 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.800 But earth Caves became a good friend. Said I'll be 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.719 honest with you. He said, the Bulls suggested on the 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:12.400 championship it's a bigger market, there's more exposure, UH, And 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.000 to be honest, I'm not sure how long we're gonna 0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:17.559 be in San Diego. So he said you have to 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:20.400 take the Bullets job. So that's how I got my 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:24.040 first day of league job. Wow, that's that's a wild, 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.480 wild story. And and and then you know, I always 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.880 associate you because in my age, I associate you with 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:34.600 the Orioles, but you were with the Bullets, you in 0:13:34.640 --> 0:13:37.960 that area back and for when you run across people 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:42.000 that recall your career. Do people associate you more with 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:47.360 the Orioles or the Washington Bullets or somebody else? I 0:13:47.400 --> 0:13:50.480 think both? Really, yeah, because I was sitting at Baltimore 0:13:50.480 --> 0:13:55.000 Washington Market for almost twenty years. So uh, you know, 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.000 my first day with the Bulls a seventy seventy nine. 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:01.480 They went to the finals and lost to Seattle after 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:05.680 winning the previous year. But that franchise has never made 0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.520 it back to the NBA finals since then. What is 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.920 that forty two years or something? They evilid it back? 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:15.000 I happen to be part of it, so that was 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.840 wonderful and they haven't and they have a new name now. 0:14:17.960 --> 0:14:19.800 See they seemed their name and number of years ago. 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:23.480 So there no no more Bullets anymore than yeah, but 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:25.760 I was there when they had great teams with Wes 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:30.480 Unseld and Elvin Hayes and Bobby Dandridge and Dick Motto 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:32.800 was a coach, and it was a great time to 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.800 be there. And then of course I was for the 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.840 Orioles and got to see most of Cal Ripken's career 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:42.120 and they had some great teams there. I did that 0:14:42.240 --> 0:14:48.800 for fourteen years um and then came to the cable network. 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.680 I worked for Home Thing Sports was being sold and 0:14:51.800 --> 0:14:53.760 everything was up in the air, so I didn't know 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:57.400 what I was gonna do. But Loyal Lakino, who had 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:02.280 run the Orioles, was president of San Diego Padres, and 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:04.440 they offered me a job doing the TV games. And 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:07.800 I've always learned to live here, so I said, let's go. 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:11.320 So we headed to San Diego. I think maybe a 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:15.320 Padres be the Padres forever. It lasted five years. Then 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:19.040 Larry got pushed out by the owner, John Moore's, and 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:22.120 everyone who worked for him out the door too. So 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:26.000 far in our life works sometimes. But yeah, and you 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:28.920 have you know you so you've you've done play by 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:31.400 play across I know you did network stuff. You did 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:34.520 some football play by play, if you don't any hockey, 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:38.640 whereas if you hockey is the only thing I've never done. 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:43.560 I've done boxing for Turner, uh, T n T and 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:48.479 TBS uh. You know, did the good World Games boxing. 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:53.800 I've done everything except hockey. Yeah, I mean all the 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:56.880 sports that you've done, What do you find the easiest 0:15:56.920 --> 0:15:59.240 and what is the most difficult as a play by 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:04.400 play guy. Well, I I think the easiest thing comes 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:08.320 easiest for me for some reason, and it's the most fun. 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:13.000 It's doing NBA basketball and a radio by myself, which 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.400 I did for many years, no color man, just me, 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:19.240 and it could get so lost and doing it's just 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:22.760 a wonderful feeling. And I think I had a feel 0:16:22.840 --> 0:16:26.880 for it because I had played college basketball and kind 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:30.160 of sense the rhythms of the game and developed in 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:35.600 an orthodox style of describing things that seemed sitting well 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.440 with people. And I think that was probably the thing 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:43.360 I did best. Baseball is the most difficult because well, 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:45.480 it's every day for one thing, so you have to 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.240 you have to be around the batting gage and find 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:50.720 out what the latest is. It's easier now with all 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:55.840 the information, and but you know, in those days you 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:58.880 had to really work at it to get fresh information 0:16:58.880 --> 0:17:01.520 because you can't just keep the same thing every day 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:04.680 about the same players, the same teams. You have to 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.120 come up with the press material and baseball games can 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:12.160 get didn't get slow. I'm free to have our game 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:15.840 with you know. I still remember the game in Texas 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.359 when the Rangers beat the Oils twenty six to seven 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:23.880 whatever for that game, and I don't think I've ever 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.280 drunk so much there in my life. And after that 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:33.120 game they saw asuly your question. Yeah, I think baseball 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:36.720 was the most difficult. Yeah. And I used to watch 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:38.920 you on the satellite during the Oil Again, you always 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:40.719 seem to have a good time even when the Oils 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.320 had terrible teams. Occasionally you seem like you were enjoying yourself. 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:48.720 You you were not you weren't taking it too seriously. 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:50.280 You had the fun. I feel like you had a 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:52.719 pretty good balance of having fun and then you know, 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.280 calling the game. How did you get to that point, 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:57.560 mel Because a lot of it is like two types. 0:17:57.600 --> 0:17:59.360 Those guys have fun there the guys that are kind 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:02.119 of hard old types to take it way too serious. 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:03.600 I felt you had a good time. You were you 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:07.080 were having fun doing the games even when they were terrible. Well, 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:10.240 a couple of things happened, but like for many years, 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:16.400 I think I I emulated different broadcasters or tried to 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:20.080 steal things from different people, and did things to please 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:22.960 the people I work for. And at one point I 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.960 realized this is not gonna work. This business is so 0:18:26.080 --> 0:18:30.040 fickle that you know, we can't please your boss or 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:32.400 you know who your boss is gonna be next year, 0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:35.040 or the hell with it. If I can please myself 0:18:35.040 --> 0:18:37.439 and have some fun, that's all I care about. So 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:39.720 that's the attitude I took. I'm just gonna go out. 0:18:39.840 --> 0:18:42.119 I want to have fun. I'm gonna try to have 0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:45.119 much excitement as I had experience if I was at 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:48.960 a ballpark. And then when I got to Baltimore, they 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:53.600 had a crazy ex player named John Lowenstein retired and 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:57.320 he became my partner. And John is about the most 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.520 awful walk character I've ever met in my life. And 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:02.679 that we just hit it off and it was like 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:08.200 it was love stopfter after that. Yeah, that's outstanding. And uh, 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:10.080 and some of your some of your old games are 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:11.840 on YouTube, but I don't know if you ever check 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:14.880 those out. But every you know, I occasionally, especially last 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:18.080 year during the pandemic, I'd flip on some of the 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:20.840 old games and they you know, the random old like 0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:25.399 mid eighties orios and A's game will be on and 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:27.800 you'll you'll be doing the playoff. That it's pretty cool 0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:31.520 to check out some stuff. But you mentioned getting information, 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:33.879 and I think we have a bunch of young guys 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:36.120 that listen, that want to be They want to follow 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.240 in your footsteps, guys like yourself that have had big 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.399 careers and play by playing with not but but put 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:45.640 in perspective, and now I can go on Twitter and 0:19:45.920 --> 0:19:49.840 social media and have content coming out of my ears 0:19:49.960 --> 0:19:52.600 and my you know, my nose and my eyes miss everywhere. 0:19:52.920 --> 0:19:55.000 But it wasn't like that. You had to depend on 0:19:55.000 --> 0:19:58.200 the newspapers and you had to depend on getting information. 0:19:58.280 --> 0:20:00.600 So so kind of walk me me what it was 0:20:00.680 --> 0:20:02.520 like when you're preparing and you had to get, as 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:06.280 you said, new information. How difficult was it to obtain 0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:10.679 new information on the teams. Well, that's a good question. 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:13.800 It was. It was difficult. I used to carry around 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:18.600 like a huge, well just scrapbook was filled with newspaper 0:20:18.640 --> 0:20:23.879 clippings and stories taken out of magazines and about different 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:27.879 players and teams, and that was constantly updating that looking 0:20:27.920 --> 0:20:31.600 for stuff and books and wherever I could find it. 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:33.159 It was all in print then, but it was not 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:35.679 on the internet. That what's the internet or as I know, 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.520 And uh so that's why I had most of the stuff. 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:42.360 And some of my broadcast partners you just laugh. I mean, 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:46.000 like the late Mike Clinic and Baltimore said, I can't 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.920 believe to carry all the stuff around, like the big 0:20:50.000 --> 0:20:52.800 book full of clippings and stuff that I would refer 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:55.439 to from time to time and you know, pullout and 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:59.280 nugget to talk about. Then I I just spent a 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:02.240 lot of time around the Bad Engage in the clubhouse, 0:21:02.920 --> 0:21:06.040 just you know, getting to know the players and the 0:21:06.080 --> 0:21:09.919 manager and so forth, and just just working at it. 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:12.919 But I always loved the research in the things for 0:21:12.960 --> 0:21:15.520 some reason, which I think is what let me into 0:21:15.520 --> 0:21:18.680 writing some books. Be sure to catch live editions of 0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:23.440 the Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern Pacific. Yeah, 0:21:23.440 --> 0:21:25.440 that's right, if I wanted to talk about that, because 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:29.440 for those that don't know mel long career as a 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:32.120 play by play guy, but you've you've written several books. 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:34.439 The one that they caught my attention. I'm still in 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:36.640 the middle of it, so I have not been able 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:39.000 to fish it. But it's a few years old. But 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:43.120 love the work, Hate the Business is the headline on this, 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:46.159 and it's one of the several books that you've written 0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:50.119 over the years that really resonated with me because I 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:53.360 have a similar perspective. Mel I am a little younger, 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:56.679 but I love working in sports radio. Some of the 0:21:56.840 --> 0:22:00.560 politics of it. Uh, yeah, I'm not a big fan, 0:22:00.720 --> 0:22:03.200 so kind of you know, sell me on the book here. 0:22:03.280 --> 0:22:05.760 Obviously I'm a fan. I'm a believer in the book play. 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:09.400 But for those that considering it, why should somebody buy 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:13.440 that book? Well, I should point out that the book 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:16.639 originally came out on ten twelve years ago, but I 0:22:16.760 --> 0:22:20.560 just recently released an audio book where I narrated the book, 0:22:20.600 --> 0:22:23.119 and I think it's better than the pret work because 0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:26.119 you know, my voice is there in the emotion of 0:22:26.240 --> 0:22:29.040 some of the things that I felt. So that's available 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:33.880 now from audible, Amazon and iTunes for those who want 0:22:33.880 --> 0:22:42.000 to get it sparted. But yeah, I I just what 0:22:42.119 --> 0:22:46.359 what happened was how this book thing came about? It 0:22:46.520 --> 0:22:48.600 was Well, first book I wrote was a book called 0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:51.800 The Official Fans Guy That Affused It, which is about 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:54.840 the old TV to television show in the nineties sixties, 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:58.560 which is my all time favorite show, and it was 0:22:58.680 --> 0:23:03.000 one whether when I had some spare time, so I 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:04.840