1 00:00:04,795 --> 00:00:21,275 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. Well, 2 00:00:21,355 --> 00:00:23,875 Speaker 1: if you were the Republicans who had a choice of 3 00:00:23,915 --> 00:00:26,595 Speaker 1: making the guy who covered up the rape of college 4 00:00:26,635 --> 00:00:29,555 Speaker 1: wrestlers you're new Speaker of the House, or of making 5 00:00:29,595 --> 00:00:32,475 Speaker 1: the guy who gave a speech to David Duke's white 6 00:00:32,555 --> 00:00:36,595 Speaker 1: supremacist organization your new Speaker of the House, but not both, 7 00:00:37,235 --> 00:00:39,955 Speaker 1: how could you make up your mind? I mean, they're 8 00:00:39,995 --> 00:00:45,395 Speaker 1: both perfect in their own ways, right. The only relevance 9 00:00:45,515 --> 00:00:51,195 Speaker 1: of the choice Republicans completely failed to make yesterday Representative 10 00:00:51,235 --> 00:00:56,795 Speaker 1: Beelzebub or Representative Lucifer is that Trump endorsed Jim Jordan, 11 00:00:57,115 --> 00:01:02,035 Speaker 1: and even in conference, House Republicans rejected Trump's endorse one 12 00:01:02,115 --> 00:01:06,355 Speaker 1: hundred and thirteen to ninety nine, with two caveats. The 13 00:01:06,435 --> 00:01:09,515 Speaker 1: first caveat being it was a secret ballot, so those 14 00:01:09,635 --> 00:01:13,315 Speaker 1: who betrayed the will of their Lord and Savior and 15 00:01:13,475 --> 00:01:18,035 Speaker 1: voted for Scalise will be unknown to him until their 16 00:01:18,035 --> 00:01:20,795 Speaker 1: colleagues wrap them out, And one wonders, if it had 17 00:01:20,835 --> 00:01:23,235 Speaker 1: been a voice vote in public and on the record, 18 00:01:23,275 --> 00:01:27,435 Speaker 1: if anybody would have voted for Scalise. The second caveat 19 00:01:27,555 --> 00:01:31,955 Speaker 1: is unless the Republicans have changed the numbers one hundred 20 00:01:31,955 --> 00:01:36,515 Speaker 1: and thirteen plus ninety nine is two hundred and twelve 21 00:01:37,315 --> 00:01:40,155 Speaker 1: and at least two hundred and seventeen have to vote 22 00:01:40,195 --> 00:01:43,435 Speaker 1: for the nominee for speaker, and ken Buck said he 23 00:01:43,475 --> 00:01:45,595 Speaker 1: didn't vote for either of them and won't vote for 24 00:01:45,675 --> 00:01:47,915 Speaker 1: either of them on the floor. And Boburt and Max 25 00:01:47,955 --> 00:01:50,155 Speaker 1: Miller and Barney Rubble and Bob Good and a couple 26 00:01:50,155 --> 00:01:52,275 Speaker 1: of others say they'll vote for Jim Jordan, or at 27 00:01:52,355 --> 00:01:54,795 Speaker 1: least not for Scalise, and the chairman of the House 28 00:01:54,875 --> 00:01:58,275 Speaker 1: Intelligence Committee, and yes, that name is chosen, ironically says 29 00:01:58,275 --> 00:02:01,195 Speaker 1: he's not sure. And George Santos put out a press 30 00:02:01,235 --> 00:02:04,315 Speaker 1: release literally saying he will vote for whoever will not 31 00:02:04,355 --> 00:02:09,555 Speaker 1: excpt spell him from Congress, and Congresswoman's Sparks of Indiana says, quote, 32 00:02:09,715 --> 00:02:12,275 Speaker 1: I cannot tell you what I'm going to do on 33 00:02:12,355 --> 00:02:15,795 Speaker 1: the floor right now. And nobody has ever better summed 34 00:02:15,875 --> 00:02:19,475 Speaker 1: up the Republican agenda more concisely. Oh, and Nancy May 35 00:02:19,635 --> 00:02:23,915 Speaker 1: says she's voting Jordan anyway, and that quote, I've actually 36 00:02:23,955 --> 00:02:27,075 Speaker 1: talked to Democrats who trust him, and clearly that a 37 00:02:27,515 --> 00:02:30,755 Speaker 1: that she wore on her shirt Tuesday, that was for Ambion, 38 00:02:32,075 --> 00:02:35,275 Speaker 1: And now what does Jordan do here? He was all 39 00:02:35,315 --> 00:02:38,435 Speaker 1: ready to shut down the government until the Democrats agreed 40 00:02:38,475 --> 00:02:42,555 Speaker 1: to not let in any more immigrants ever again. And 41 00:02:42,635 --> 00:02:45,795 Speaker 1: instead he's got Troy Nell's out there saying now is 42 00:02:45,835 --> 00:02:50,515 Speaker 1: the time to bring in Trump a speaker. Things are 43 00:02:50,675 --> 00:02:55,635 Speaker 1: desperate enough for Jordan that Time magazine says his allies 44 00:02:55,675 --> 00:02:59,715 Speaker 1: were last night trying to portray Steve Scalise as just 45 00:02:59,795 --> 00:03:04,595 Speaker 1: another Washington insider, a swamp creature whose congressional campaign had 46 00:03:04,675 --> 00:03:09,035 Speaker 1: as wait for it, spent more than half a million 47 00:03:09,115 --> 00:03:13,995 Speaker 1: dollars at a DC restaurant called the Capitol Grill since 48 00:03:14,035 --> 00:03:19,715 Speaker 1: twenty eleven. And I hate to have to defend Steve Scalise, 49 00:03:19,835 --> 00:03:23,315 Speaker 1: but since twenty eleven, that's one hundred and thirteen dollars 50 00:03:23,355 --> 00:03:26,155 Speaker 1: a night, and one hundred and thirteen dollars a night 51 00:03:27,235 --> 00:03:31,355 Speaker 1: at Capitol Grill is literally the price of two file 52 00:03:31,355 --> 00:03:35,835 Speaker 1: at Mignons and a side of creamed spinach for the 53 00:03:35,915 --> 00:03:41,075 Speaker 1: table and no tip. And anyway, you're burying the headline 54 00:03:41,155 --> 00:03:46,595 Speaker 1: right here, Jim Jordan allies evidence of a Republican actually 55 00:03:46,795 --> 00:03:52,635 Speaker 1: paying for something himself. By the way, if Jim Jordan 56 00:03:52,715 --> 00:03:55,155 Speaker 1: were not having enough of a bad week. Fannie Willis 57 00:03:55,195 --> 00:03:58,715 Speaker 1: wrote him yesterday basically accusing him of obstruction of justice, 58 00:03:59,235 --> 00:04:02,115 Speaker 1: something I suggested the last time she wrote to Jordan, 59 00:04:02,235 --> 00:04:06,835 Speaker 1: which was on September seventh. Only this time she cited 60 00:04:07,035 --> 00:04:11,435 Speaker 1: the actual interference statute by number in the Georgia State 61 00:04:11,515 --> 00:04:14,315 Speaker 1: Penal Code, and she did it in her fourth sentence, 62 00:04:14,475 --> 00:04:16,995 Speaker 1: and hot damn, I think she might actually try to 63 00:04:17,035 --> 00:04:20,675 Speaker 1: indict him now. She does give him another option, however, 64 00:04:20,835 --> 00:04:23,755 Speaker 1: quote that you are ignorant of the United States and 65 00:04:23,795 --> 00:04:27,835 Speaker 1: Georgia constitutions and codes, and again tells him that his 66 00:04:27,875 --> 00:04:31,395 Speaker 1: demands for information about federal funding for her office and 67 00:04:31,515 --> 00:04:34,395 Speaker 1: details of any contact with the Attorney General's Office of 68 00:04:34,435 --> 00:04:38,675 Speaker 1: Special Counsel, and specifics of her indictment of Trump he 69 00:04:38,715 --> 00:04:42,275 Speaker 1: already has or has no right to have. She ends 70 00:04:42,275 --> 00:04:44,755 Speaker 1: by reminding him that six weeks ago, the last time 71 00:04:44,835 --> 00:04:48,235 Speaker 1: she used the US Postal Service to slap his ppe, 72 00:04:48,955 --> 00:04:52,715 Speaker 1: she provided him quote with four noble suggested uses of 73 00:04:52,755 --> 00:04:55,555 Speaker 1: your authority as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. One 74 00:04:55,995 --> 00:05:00,635 Speaker 1: enhancing funding for victim witness advocates, two expanding funding for 75 00:05:00,715 --> 00:05:05,235 Speaker 1: testing all rape kits. Three supporting the Credible Messengers Program 76 00:05:05,355 --> 00:05:07,715 Speaker 1: which helps to turn around children in trouble within the 77 00:05:07,715 --> 00:05:12,395 Speaker 1: criminal justice system. And four insuring adequate funding to support 78 00:05:12,435 --> 00:05:17,475 Speaker 1: state crime labs which test for drugs like ventanyl And 79 00:05:17,555 --> 00:05:19,715 Speaker 1: I don't know who Number four is supposed to be 80 00:05:19,715 --> 00:05:26,435 Speaker 1: meant for Jordan Trump, maybe Mace or maybe Derek Van 81 00:05:26,635 --> 00:05:29,915 Speaker 1: Orden of Wisconsin, seen at the January sixth coup attempt, 82 00:05:30,075 --> 00:05:34,475 Speaker 1: and seen telling Robert Reich spelled r Eh that he 83 00:05:34,475 --> 00:05:38,275 Speaker 1: should change his first name to third and last scene 84 00:05:38,755 --> 00:05:42,315 Speaker 1: swearing at and threatening a bunch of teenage Senate pages. 85 00:05:43,395 --> 00:05:45,915 Speaker 1: Van Orden has now reportedly sworn at a bunch of 86 00:05:45,915 --> 00:05:48,475 Speaker 1: briefers from the White House who were updating a group 87 00:05:48,515 --> 00:05:52,875 Speaker 1: of congressmen about Israel. When Democratic Representative Phillips of Minnesota, 88 00:05:52,915 --> 00:05:56,075 Speaker 1: who is Jewish, replied, shame on you. Van Orden dropped 89 00:05:56,115 --> 00:05:59,235 Speaker 1: an f bomb on him too. So maybe the fentanyl 90 00:05:59,235 --> 00:06:02,155 Speaker 1: thing isn't sufficient for this guy. Sounds more like he 91 00:06:02,275 --> 00:06:07,795 Speaker 1: needs chloroform. And of course, all of this drug talk 92 00:06:08,315 --> 00:06:12,235 Speaker 1: takes us back to Trump, who has interrupted his week 93 00:06:12,315 --> 00:06:15,635 Speaker 1: long tirade against the real enemy in the world right 94 00:06:15,675 --> 00:06:20,235 Speaker 1: now Forbes magazine, which dropped him from the Forbes four 95 00:06:20,315 --> 00:06:23,355 Speaker 1: hundred and some sort of conspiracy between a magazine and 96 00:06:23,595 --> 00:06:28,315 Speaker 1: New York's Attorney General to inform us that Israel was 97 00:06:28,395 --> 00:06:33,355 Speaker 1: attacked because the twenty twenty election was rigged, which is 98 00:06:33,475 --> 00:06:35,715 Speaker 1: nuts even for Trump. 99 00:06:35,915 --> 00:06:39,435 Speaker 2: And if the election wasn't rigged, there would be nobody 100 00:06:39,515 --> 00:06:43,635 Speaker 2: even thinking about going into Israel. Instead of keeping terrorists 101 00:06:43,635 --> 00:06:48,915 Speaker 2: and terrorist sympathizers out of America, the Biden administration is 102 00:06:48,955 --> 00:06:52,195 Speaker 2: inviting them in. You know why, because he's got a boss. 103 00:06:52,195 --> 00:06:59,835 Speaker 2: Who's his boss, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Husain, Barack Hussein Obama. 104 00:07:00,155 --> 00:07:05,955 Speaker 2: Remember the great Rush Limbaugh, Barack Houssein Obama. Here goes 105 00:07:05,955 --> 00:07:09,195 Speaker 2: Barat Hussein Obama. 106 00:07:09,635 --> 00:07:10,115 Speaker 1: Helloly. 107 00:07:11,555 --> 00:07:15,955 Speaker 2: Unbelievably, the corrupt Biden Department of Justice recently invited an 108 00:07:15,955 --> 00:07:19,355 Speaker 2: Iranian back judge from Iraq to visit our nation's capital. 109 00:07:19,395 --> 00:07:20,075 Speaker 1: Isn't that nice? 110 00:07:20,995 --> 00:07:22,955 Speaker 2: He couldn't have been too impressed with our capital. 111 00:07:22,995 --> 00:07:24,075 Speaker 1: It looks like shit. 112 00:07:24,755 --> 00:07:28,715 Speaker 2: I'll never forget that bb Net and Yahoo let us down. 113 00:07:28,795 --> 00:07:31,075 Speaker 2: That was a very terrible thing, I will say that. 114 00:07:31,235 --> 00:07:33,715 Speaker 2: So we were disappointed by that, very disappointed. 115 00:07:33,755 --> 00:07:34,275 Speaker 1: But we did the. 116 00:07:34,355 --> 00:07:38,395 Speaker 2: Job ourselves at It was absolute precision, magnificent, beautiful job. 117 00:07:39,235 --> 00:07:42,475 Speaker 2: And then uh Bbe tried to. 118 00:07:42,395 --> 00:07:44,155 Speaker 1: Take credit for it. That wasn't good. 119 00:07:44,435 --> 00:07:47,595 Speaker 2: That didn't make me feel too good. But that's all right. 120 00:07:47,675 --> 00:07:49,595 Speaker 2: So they got to strengthen themselves up. 121 00:07:49,715 --> 00:07:52,995 Speaker 1: Trump has also submitted his delay of the weak motion 122 00:07:53,475 --> 00:07:56,595 Speaker 1: he demands from Judge Chutkin in the insurrection case in Washington. 123 00:07:56,795 --> 00:08:00,035 Speaker 1: Subpoena is to the Archivist of the United States, the 124 00:08:00,075 --> 00:08:04,315 Speaker 1: House of Representatives, Homeland Security, the successors to the January 125 00:08:04,315 --> 00:08:08,035 Speaker 1: sixth Many, a Special Counsel to the President, and Congressman 126 00:08:08,115 --> 00:08:11,795 Speaker 1: Benny Thompson, and Barry Laudermilk. This is more than just 127 00:08:11,835 --> 00:08:15,915 Speaker 1: Trump's usual stall. This is clearly his lawyer's latest attempt 128 00:08:15,915 --> 00:08:20,315 Speaker 1: to humor him and validate this story he heard somewhere 129 00:08:21,115 --> 00:08:24,555 Speaker 1: or maybe he read it on a fortune cookie that 130 00:08:24,635 --> 00:08:27,955 Speaker 1: there are quote missing records from the January sixth Committee. 131 00:08:27,995 --> 00:08:32,555 Speaker 1: Even though there aren't missing records, there is a wonderful 132 00:08:32,595 --> 00:08:35,635 Speaker 1: irony in there that Trump and his ambulance chasers, of course, 133 00:08:35,675 --> 00:08:38,755 Speaker 1: do not acknowledge that some of the supposed records they 134 00:08:38,835 --> 00:08:42,275 Speaker 1: say would serve as evidence of where Trump and other 135 00:08:42,355 --> 00:08:46,235 Speaker 1: White House staffers were and what they were saying on 136 00:08:46,395 --> 00:08:50,435 Speaker 1: January sixth, facts which even though Trump and his attorneys 137 00:08:50,435 --> 00:08:53,355 Speaker 1: and his apologists seem to have forgotten this is kind 138 00:08:53,355 --> 00:08:58,115 Speaker 1: of the point of the trial. A couple of other 139 00:08:58,235 --> 00:09:02,675 Speaker 1: side notes from the slowly turning wheels of justice. Jack 140 00:09:02,755 --> 00:09:06,835 Speaker 1: Smith has also filed a seemingly inscrutable motion, one that 141 00:09:06,955 --> 00:09:09,995 Speaker 1: indicates that about twenty five witnesses in the Washington case, 142 00:09:10,155 --> 00:09:14,755 Speaker 1: including one unidentified member of Trump's family, have withheld information 143 00:09:14,835 --> 00:09:19,235 Speaker 1: from the Special Counsel's office based on attorney client privilege 144 00:09:19,595 --> 00:09:25,955 Speaker 1: and so what well Smith wants Chutkin to order Trump 145 00:09:25,995 --> 00:09:29,395 Speaker 1: to disclose by December eighteenth, whether or not he intends 146 00:09:29,435 --> 00:09:34,035 Speaker 1: to raise the advice of council defense about which his 147 00:09:34,075 --> 00:09:38,235 Speaker 1: public apologists spoke constantly for about a month. There. You know, 148 00:09:38,795 --> 00:09:40,955 Speaker 1: how can you indict him for simply doing what his 149 00:09:41,075 --> 00:09:44,715 Speaker 1: lawyers told him? And how can it be illegal to 150 00:09:44,835 --> 00:09:49,315 Speaker 1: simply get bad advice from your attorneys. In his filing, 151 00:09:49,395 --> 00:09:52,315 Speaker 1: Smith notes that if Trump's defense really is the devil 152 00:09:52,395 --> 00:09:55,675 Speaker 1: lawyers made me do it, then nobody in the case 153 00:09:55,715 --> 00:09:58,795 Speaker 1: can say I can't talk about that because of attorney 154 00:09:58,835 --> 00:10:03,795 Speaker 1: client privilege. Bottom line here is Trump has lived his 155 00:10:03,955 --> 00:10:07,915 Speaker 1: life by outlasting and outstalling his opponents in a million 156 00:10:07,955 --> 00:10:13,115 Speaker 1: different courtrooms. It continues to be ever more abundantly clear, however, 157 00:10:13,355 --> 00:10:17,155 Speaker 1: that in Jack Smith he has met the bay ruth 158 00:10:17,435 --> 00:10:22,675 Speaker 1: of courtroom process. There is another ruling now from a 159 00:10:22,715 --> 00:10:25,395 Speaker 1: court in the Southern District of New York that supposedly 160 00:10:25,435 --> 00:10:30,115 Speaker 1: extends Jessica Denson's escape from the non disclosure agreement she 161 00:10:30,275 --> 00:10:32,395 Speaker 1: was forced to sign when she worked for the Trump 162 00:10:32,435 --> 00:10:36,835 Speaker 1: campaign in twenty sixteen to all campaign employees. And you 163 00:10:36,915 --> 00:10:39,355 Speaker 1: don't have to be a political expert or a legal 164 00:10:39,395 --> 00:10:42,875 Speaker 1: one to understand what would happen if the NDAs don't 165 00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:45,995 Speaker 1: apply anymore. But I do find it hard to believe 166 00:10:46,035 --> 00:10:49,555 Speaker 1: that Trump will let this go with at least no 167 00:10:49,875 --> 00:10:54,435 Speaker 1: fewer than seventy three more appeals. And to that end, 168 00:10:54,675 --> 00:10:58,395 Speaker 1: Law and Crime News reports that the bid to disqualified 169 00:10:58,475 --> 00:11:01,595 Speaker 1: Trump from the ballot via the Fourteenth Amendment, the one 170 00:11:01,595 --> 00:11:05,275 Speaker 1: that continues to unfold in Colorado now include perhaps the 171 00:11:05,315 --> 00:11:11,915 Speaker 1: most finely split hair in constitutional history. Trump's attorneys are 172 00:11:11,955 --> 00:11:15,675 Speaker 1: trying to get that case dismissed because while they concede 173 00:11:15,715 --> 00:11:19,475 Speaker 1: there is a disqualification clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, and 174 00:11:20,155 --> 00:11:22,995 Speaker 1: it is not limited to use after the Civil War, 175 00:11:23,715 --> 00:11:26,475 Speaker 1: it still doesn't apply to Trump because it doesn't apply 176 00:11:27,475 --> 00:11:33,795 Speaker 1: to presidents. They insist that the clause specifies only government 177 00:11:33,875 --> 00:11:39,795 Speaker 1: officers who are required to quote support unquote the Constitution, 178 00:11:40,715 --> 00:11:44,675 Speaker 1: while the oath of the president reads Preserve, protect, and 179 00:11:44,755 --> 00:11:50,715 Speaker 1: defend the Constitution. And again, the constitutional hair split may 180 00:11:50,835 --> 00:11:53,435 Speaker 1: or may not have any validity. But the problem here 181 00:11:53,555 --> 00:11:57,315 Speaker 1: is Trump sure does have us on the facts, because 182 00:11:57,355 --> 00:12:01,235 Speaker 1: if there is one thing that is inescapably true about 183 00:12:01,275 --> 00:12:05,355 Speaker 1: Donald Trump, it is that he has never, not once 184 00:12:06,995 --> 00:12:17,115 Speaker 1: supported the Constitution Internationally. While the war continues to escalate, 185 00:12:17,155 --> 00:12:20,155 Speaker 1: the hunt for some direct evidence that Iran was specifically 186 00:12:20,155 --> 00:12:24,315 Speaker 1: involved in the attack on Israel continues to narrow. It 187 00:12:24,435 --> 00:12:27,755 Speaker 1: is now five days later and nobody's found a gun let, 188 00:12:27,835 --> 00:12:31,315 Speaker 1: alone a smoking one. This is not to whitewash Iran. 189 00:12:31,555 --> 00:12:35,035 Speaker 1: It has supported and supplied Hamas in the past. Its 190 00:12:35,075 --> 00:12:38,755 Speaker 1: hands are not clean. But as the State Department spokesman 191 00:12:38,835 --> 00:12:42,675 Speaker 1: John Kirby told CNN, quote, we have seen no evidence 192 00:12:42,715 --> 00:12:46,555 Speaker 1: in the intelligence that they were witting on it, pre aware, 193 00:12:47,035 --> 00:12:50,315 Speaker 1: or were involved in any of the planning, resourcing, or 194 00:12:50,355 --> 00:12:57,235 Speaker 1: even directing of the operation unquote. Just as assuredly, while 195 00:12:57,275 --> 00:12:59,955 Speaker 1: the exact time frame is still moving around, it seems 196 00:12:59,955 --> 00:13:04,555 Speaker 1: that the reports that Egyptian intelligence warned some authority in Israel, 197 00:13:04,835 --> 00:13:10,355 Speaker 1: its intel counterparts, or the Netanyahu government, or Netanyahu himself, 198 00:13:10,635 --> 00:13:13,955 Speaker 1: or all of them. This is now written in stone. 199 00:13:14,515 --> 00:13:17,915 Speaker 1: Even the Republican Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, 200 00:13:17,915 --> 00:13:21,875 Speaker 1: Michael McCall, admits it. Quote, we know that Egypt had 201 00:13:21,915 --> 00:13:25,955 Speaker 1: warned the Israelis three days prior that an event like 202 00:13:26,035 --> 00:13:29,195 Speaker 1: this could happen. We know that this has been planned 203 00:13:29,235 --> 00:13:33,035 Speaker 1: as long as a year ago. Asked if he was 204 00:13:33,155 --> 00:13:36,755 Speaker 1: relaying intelligence that he'd seen or heard, or just something 205 00:13:36,795 --> 00:13:44,115 Speaker 1: he'd heard on say This podcast, McCall answered, quote, I 206 00:13:44,195 --> 00:13:46,875 Speaker 1: don't want to get too much in the classified, but 207 00:13:46,955 --> 00:13:50,915 Speaker 1: a warning was given, and the bottom line here is 208 00:13:51,715 --> 00:13:55,475 Speaker 1: Iran may still later prove to be implicated directly, but 209 00:13:55,515 --> 00:13:59,395 Speaker 1: it looks less and less likely. The unindicted co conspirator 210 00:13:59,435 --> 00:14:02,835 Speaker 1: here is Russia, where Hamas leadership traveled twice in the 211 00:14:02,875 --> 00:14:06,275 Speaker 1: last year to meet with the Foreign Minute Lavrov. As 212 00:14:06,275 --> 00:14:11,355 Speaker 1: I emphasized yesterday, if any American politician tries to rationalize 213 00:14:11,715 --> 00:14:15,355 Speaker 1: pulling our support out from under Ukraine so the money 214 00:14:15,355 --> 00:14:18,955 Speaker 1: can instead be sent to Israel, he or she is 215 00:14:19,115 --> 00:14:23,795 Speaker 1: in fact acting as a Russian asset, because to hurt 216 00:14:24,035 --> 00:14:28,675 Speaker 1: Ukraine is to help Russia, and to help Russia is 217 00:14:28,715 --> 00:14:34,715 Speaker 1: to help Hamas, and to help Hamas is to hurt Israel. 218 00:14:38,955 --> 00:14:42,155 Speaker 1: And not to bounce around too much. But I closed 219 00:14:42,155 --> 00:14:44,395 Speaker 1: with something I first heard weeks ago and was so 220 00:14:44,555 --> 00:14:47,635 Speaker 1: convinced it was a clerical error that I actually tweeted 221 00:14:47,675 --> 00:14:51,755 Speaker 1: it must have been misheard information and it ain't. Semaphore 222 00:14:51,915 --> 00:14:56,675 Speaker 1: News reports the commentator Jank Yuger is running for president 223 00:14:58,795 --> 00:15:07,475 Speaker 1: of seriously, he challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination. Quote, 224 00:15:07,475 --> 00:15:10,755 Speaker 1: I'm going to do whatever I can to help him 225 00:15:10,915 --> 00:15:14,955 Speaker 1: decide that this is not the right path. If he 226 00:15:15,115 --> 00:15:19,035 Speaker 1: retires now, he's a hero. He beat Trump, he did 227 00:15:19,075 --> 00:15:21,475 Speaker 1: a good job of being the steward of the economy. 228 00:15:21,915 --> 00:15:24,275 Speaker 1: If he doesn't, he loses to Trump, and he's the 229 00:15:24,395 --> 00:15:31,195 Speaker 1: villain of the story. Unquote. If JENK Huger upholds his 230 00:15:31,235 --> 00:15:34,075 Speaker 1: own track record, this means Biden will win next year 231 00:15:34,115 --> 00:15:38,035 Speaker 1: in a landslide over some other Republican nominee. I have 232 00:15:38,195 --> 00:15:42,315 Speaker 1: never in my life seen any liberal commentator or analyst 233 00:15:42,755 --> 00:15:47,715 Speaker 1: more wrong, more often by more of a margin than 234 00:15:47,835 --> 00:15:53,435 Speaker 1: JENK Huger at MSNBC years ago. I had the additional 235 00:15:53,635 --> 00:15:57,235 Speaker 1: sinking feeling that he had a hard time separating what 236 00:15:57,515 --> 00:16:02,155 Speaker 1: was true for what he wanted to be true. I 237 00:16:02,235 --> 00:16:05,355 Speaker 1: forbade my staff from booking him as a guest after 238 00:16:05,435 --> 00:16:08,275 Speaker 1: I left MSNBC. They hired him to do I think 239 00:16:08,315 --> 00:16:11,795 Speaker 1: the six PM show, then fired him, and the people 240 00:16:11,835 --> 00:16:14,195 Speaker 1: I still knew there said they had had the same worries. 241 00:16:14,235 --> 00:16:18,435 Speaker 1: Plus he was the opposite of a ratings draw. Huger 242 00:16:18,515 --> 00:16:21,795 Speaker 1: then contacted my employers at Current TV and would not 243 00:16:21,915 --> 00:16:24,355 Speaker 1: leave them alone until I put him on countdown there 244 00:16:24,755 --> 00:16:29,595 Speaker 1: to discuss his MSNBC exit. My bosses wanted to know 245 00:16:29,595 --> 00:16:32,035 Speaker 1: if they should sign him as a host or a contributor, 246 00:16:32,035 --> 00:16:36,475 Speaker 1: and I said no, not yet. Use the ratings for 247 00:16:36,555 --> 00:16:40,275 Speaker 1: his guest shot on my show as your guide. And 248 00:16:40,395 --> 00:16:42,875 Speaker 1: our ratings not only did not go up that night, 249 00:16:43,715 --> 00:16:50,155 Speaker 1: they dropped, and naturally, Joel Hyatt, al Gore's partner, co 250 00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:53,035 Speaker 1: owner of the network and the operational chief who was 251 00:16:53,075 --> 00:16:55,435 Speaker 1: one of the real life models for the Jason Robard's 252 00:16:55,475 --> 00:16:58,195 Speaker 1: character in the film Philadelphia, the guy who fired his 253 00:16:58,355 --> 00:17:02,715 Speaker 1: law office chief there because he contracted AIDS, promptly hired 254 00:17:02,795 --> 00:17:07,875 Speaker 1: Jank Huger. Hiring was the first of the thirty forty 255 00:17:07,955 --> 00:17:11,235 Speaker 1: final straws that led me to leave current and sue 256 00:17:11,275 --> 00:17:19,235 Speaker 1: their asses. More importantly and relevantly, Joe Biden has no 257 00:17:19,435 --> 00:17:25,155 Speaker 1: earthly clue who Jenk Huger is. So this idea that 258 00:17:25,235 --> 00:17:28,795 Speaker 1: Huger is going to help him decide not to run 259 00:17:29,155 --> 00:17:34,675 Speaker 1: is nonsense, bordering on delusions of grandeur. As is the 260 00:17:34,715 --> 00:17:40,435 Speaker 1: most important issue. Jank Huger was born in Turkey. He 261 00:17:40,555 --> 00:17:45,315 Speaker 1: emigrated here at the age of eight. Constitution is rather 262 00:17:45,395 --> 00:17:48,395 Speaker 1: exact on this point. He's not eligible to be president. 263 00:17:48,995 --> 00:17:51,515 Speaker 1: Yet he tells Semaphore News that more than two centuries 264 00:17:51,555 --> 00:17:54,595 Speaker 1: of constitutional precedents are wrong, that you don't have to 265 00:17:54,595 --> 00:17:57,715 Speaker 1: be born here, or at least born outside the country, 266 00:17:57,755 --> 00:18:00,195 Speaker 1: but the child of US citizens who happened to be 267 00:18:00,315 --> 00:18:03,435 Speaker 1: outside the country to become president. He predicts he would 268 00:18:03,475 --> 00:18:07,555 Speaker 1: receive a quote slow dunk victory on this in the 269 00:18:07,555 --> 00:18:13,155 Speaker 1: Supreme Court. Sure, Alexander Hamilton did not challenge it, even 270 00:18:13,235 --> 00:18:15,755 Speaker 1: though he was born in the West Indies barely twenty 271 00:18:15,995 --> 00:18:19,915 Speaker 1: years before the country was born. But you you'll get 272 00:18:19,915 --> 00:18:24,475 Speaker 1: a slam dunk victory from the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court. 273 00:18:25,995 --> 00:18:29,875 Speaker 1: Let me sum this up, Jank Huger is an idiot. 274 00:18:30,235 --> 00:18:35,475 Speaker 1: Please stay the f home. The grownups are trying to 275 00:18:35,995 --> 00:18:47,435 Speaker 1: resolve this. Also of interest here nothing just Charlie Kirk's 276 00:18:47,515 --> 00:18:52,755 Speaker 1: turning point USA equating Zionism and communism during the middle 277 00:18:52,835 --> 00:18:58,555 Speaker 1: of the Israel Hamas shooting war. That's next. This is countdown. 278 00:19:00,635 --> 00:19:26,435 Speaker 1: This is countdown with Keith Oberman, my crazy friend still 279 00:19:26,435 --> 00:19:30,675 Speaker 1: ahead on countdown like that guy should talk. I just noticed, 280 00:19:30,995 --> 00:19:34,795 Speaker 1: I mean, I just noticed. This October first was the 281 00:19:34,835 --> 00:19:41,195 Speaker 1: thirtieth anniversary of the day we launched ESPN two. And 282 00:19:41,235 --> 00:19:44,755 Speaker 1: they didn't do anything to commemorate it. And I didn't 283 00:19:44,755 --> 00:19:49,155 Speaker 1: do anything to commemorate it. I forgot, God knows. When 284 00:19:49,155 --> 00:19:51,835 Speaker 1: we started it in nineteen ninety three, we treated it 285 00:19:51,875 --> 00:19:56,755 Speaker 1: as if we had invented alchemy. What happens when executives 286 00:19:56,795 --> 00:20:00,875 Speaker 1: decide that their new product is going to be hip 287 00:20:01,515 --> 00:20:04,555 Speaker 1: and that's in order. Coming up in Things I Promised 288 00:20:04,555 --> 00:20:07,835 Speaker 1: No to Tell, or for today we'll call it Things 289 00:20:07,835 --> 00:20:11,075 Speaker 1: I Promise Not to Tell two first time for the 290 00:20:11,115 --> 00:20:14,115 Speaker 1: daily roundup of the misgrants, morons and Dunning Kruger effects 291 00:20:14,115 --> 00:20:19,635 Speaker 1: specimens who constitute today's worst persons in the world of 292 00:20:19,675 --> 00:20:23,275 Speaker 1: the Bronze, and there is a sports theme. Senator Tommy 293 00:20:23,315 --> 00:20:26,995 Speaker 1: Tuberville of Alabama. If he's not the dumbest man in America, 294 00:20:27,035 --> 00:20:29,555 Speaker 1: he's close to it. And he was reminded of that 295 00:20:29,635 --> 00:20:34,755 Speaker 1: fact yesterday. If only he understood. July twelfth, it was 296 00:20:34,875 --> 00:20:37,835 Speaker 1: when Tommy the Tuba, who supports Russia in its invasion 297 00:20:37,875 --> 00:20:42,035 Speaker 1: of Ukraine and whose block of American military promotion has 298 00:20:42,115 --> 00:20:45,595 Speaker 1: hampered this country's response to the taking of the American 299 00:20:45,635 --> 00:20:49,955 Speaker 1: hostages in Gaza, said of the president, quote, you watch 300 00:20:50,075 --> 00:20:53,555 Speaker 1: Joe Biden over in Europe, I'm afraid he's gonna fall 301 00:20:53,635 --> 00:20:58,195 Speaker 1: down every time I turn on Tabolvision. Apart from the 302 00:20:58,275 --> 00:21:01,835 Speaker 1: inanity of the remark, so you're saying you think he'll 303 00:21:01,835 --> 00:21:05,795 Speaker 1: fall down because you turned on the television. Coach Tommy 304 00:21:05,875 --> 00:21:11,235 Speaker 1: forgets that. The Internet never forgets, never, never, never. Yesterday. 305 00:21:11,675 --> 00:21:16,915 Speaker 1: From twenty fourteen, the Internet regurgitated video of Tubberville, then 306 00:21:17,035 --> 00:21:20,355 Speaker 1: a failed college football coach, as opposed to a failed senator, 307 00:21:20,675 --> 00:21:23,675 Speaker 1: coming down a flight of stairs from an airplane after 308 00:21:23,715 --> 00:21:28,155 Speaker 1: a football bowl game. He hits one wrong stare and 309 00:21:28,315 --> 00:21:32,515 Speaker 1: literally falls down and slides down more than one dozen 310 00:21:32,675 --> 00:21:37,675 Speaker 1: steps punchline. Tuberville's slip and slide took place as his 311 00:21:37,795 --> 00:21:40,915 Speaker 1: University of Cincinnati team lost that Bowl game, and it 312 00:21:41,115 --> 00:21:45,355 Speaker 1: was the Military Bowl. You know, you would have thought, 313 00:21:45,355 --> 00:21:48,435 Speaker 1: by the way those giant Dumbo ears of his would 314 00:21:48,475 --> 00:21:52,915 Speaker 1: have provided Tuberville some balance or maybe even some ballast. 315 00:21:53,955 --> 00:21:56,995 Speaker 1: The runner up National Hockey Leage Commissioner Gary Bettman told 316 00:21:56,995 --> 00:21:59,915 Speaker 1: you the other day this was not going away. Betman 317 00:22:00,035 --> 00:22:04,235 Speaker 1: cave to homophobes and Russians and first refused to defend 318 00:22:04,315 --> 00:22:07,995 Speaker 1: Pride Knights at NHL games when they attacked them, and 319 00:22:08,115 --> 00:22:11,275 Speaker 1: has now in essence, banned Pride nights and with them, 320 00:22:11,355 --> 00:22:13,955 Speaker 1: virtually every other cause night that the league is so 321 00:22:14,075 --> 00:22:18,435 Speaker 1: prominently celebrated recently, no player related events, no warm up 322 00:22:18,515 --> 00:22:22,035 Speaker 1: uniforms with Pride colors, not even any Pride colored sports 323 00:22:22,115 --> 00:22:26,035 Speaker 1: tape for players who want to to put on their 324 00:22:26,115 --> 00:22:29,315 Speaker 1: hockey sticks. Well, Gary's going to have to have a 325 00:22:29,395 --> 00:22:32,115 Speaker 1: problem with that one. Scott Lawton of the Philadelphia Flyers 326 00:22:32,115 --> 00:22:36,195 Speaker 1: now reacts to the Pride band by saying, try me quote, 327 00:22:36,475 --> 00:22:39,155 Speaker 1: you'll probably see me with the Pride tape on that 328 00:22:39,315 --> 00:22:43,675 Speaker 1: night anyway, unquote. And Brian Burke, who has run six 329 00:22:43,915 --> 00:22:46,955 Speaker 1: different NHL franchises and is now the head of the 330 00:22:46,995 --> 00:22:51,275 Speaker 1: Professional Women's Hockey League Players Association, basically told members of 331 00:22:51,315 --> 00:22:54,915 Speaker 1: the LGBTQ community and every other group that has been 332 00:22:54,955 --> 00:22:59,795 Speaker 1: betrayed by Gary Bettman to ignore Gary Bettman quote. This 333 00:22:59,995 --> 00:23:04,115 Speaker 1: is a surprising and serious setback. Burkey writes. If you 334 00:23:04,155 --> 00:23:05,995 Speaker 1: are a member of one of the communities who has 335 00:23:06,035 --> 00:23:09,475 Speaker 1: been celebrated as part of the Hockey is for Everyone initiative, 336 00:23:09,835 --> 00:23:12,115 Speaker 1: please know that you are still a valued member of 337 00:23:12,115 --> 00:23:15,435 Speaker 1: the hockey community. We will not lose the incredible progress 338 00:23:15,475 --> 00:23:18,155 Speaker 1: we've made in inclusion over the last decade, and we 339 00:23:18,195 --> 00:23:21,675 Speaker 1: are counting on the league for continued support and leadership 340 00:23:21,755 --> 00:23:26,035 Speaker 1: in this area. Unquote. I suspect that what Brian Burke 341 00:23:26,155 --> 00:23:28,715 Speaker 1: is implying here is that this is a serious enough 342 00:23:28,755 --> 00:23:31,475 Speaker 1: blunder that it could escalate to the point of costing 343 00:23:31,475 --> 00:23:36,435 Speaker 1: Commissioner Bettman his job. God knows enough people in hockey 344 00:23:36,475 --> 00:23:39,035 Speaker 1: have wanted to get rid of him for years anyway, 345 00:23:39,795 --> 00:23:42,795 Speaker 1: and he's just added to that. Because that catch phrase 346 00:23:42,795 --> 00:23:46,635 Speaker 1: that Burke mentioned, hockey is for everyone, well, Gary Bettman 347 00:23:46,755 --> 00:23:52,235 Speaker 1: has personally in essence changed it to hockey is for homophobes. 348 00:23:53,155 --> 00:23:56,435 Speaker 1: But the winners. Speaking of which, right wing troll and 349 00:23:56,555 --> 00:24:01,635 Speaker 1: balloonhead Charlie Kirk and his fascist organization Turning Point USA 350 00:24:01,995 --> 00:24:07,195 Speaker 1: tp USA, or as it is alternatively known, toilet Paper USA, 351 00:24:07,835 --> 00:24:12,635 Speaker 1: one of its so called ambassadors, Morgan Ariel or maybe 352 00:24:12,635 --> 00:24:16,755 Speaker 1: it's Ariel Morgan or Mariel Organ. It's hard to say 353 00:24:16,915 --> 00:24:20,035 Speaker 1: whoever she is. She has decided to position Charlie Kirk 354 00:24:20,275 --> 00:24:23,315 Speaker 1: and Turning Point kind of oddly. As the Middle East 355 00:24:23,355 --> 00:24:27,835 Speaker 1: goes up in flames, miss Ariel tweeting quote Zionism and 356 00:24:27,955 --> 00:24:31,955 Speaker 1: communism go hand in hand unquote. So if you'd like 357 00:24:31,995 --> 00:24:35,355 Speaker 1: to make a list of the TPUSA staffers and donors 358 00:24:35,635 --> 00:24:39,435 Speaker 1: and advisors who Miss Ariel just identified as belonging to 359 00:24:39,515 --> 00:24:44,355 Speaker 1: an anti Semitic organization while Israel is at war, there's 360 00:24:44,555 --> 00:24:50,995 Speaker 1: Benny Johnson, Jack Pasovic, and of course Ginny Thomas, Morgan, 361 00:24:51,275 --> 00:24:57,195 Speaker 1: Ariel Oriel Morgan Organ, whatever her name is, Turning Point USA, 362 00:24:57,795 --> 00:25:05,235 Speaker 1: and Charlie Kirk to day's worst anti Semitic persons the world. 363 00:25:19,435 --> 00:25:22,355 Speaker 1: ESPN two. They talked me into becoming the face of 364 00:25:22,435 --> 00:25:25,995 Speaker 1: this first of ESPN's endless clones of its television self. 365 00:25:26,515 --> 00:25:29,115 Speaker 1: I wore a brown leather bomber jacket, and I said 366 00:25:29,155 --> 00:25:31,475 Speaker 1: the first words in the first actual program in those 367 00:25:31,515 --> 00:25:33,315 Speaker 1: words were good evening and welcome to the end of 368 00:25:33,355 --> 00:25:36,795 Speaker 1: our careers. And that's pretty much all anybody remembers of 369 00:25:36,835 --> 00:25:42,875 Speaker 1: this unmitigated disaster. ESPN two exists today, of course, and successfully, 370 00:25:43,155 --> 00:25:45,395 Speaker 1: but it only became successful when they stopped trying to 371 00:25:45,435 --> 00:25:48,635 Speaker 1: make it something different from original ESPN, and management, with 372 00:25:48,915 --> 00:25:53,435 Speaker 1: genuine heartbreak, accepted the idea that all the nation wanted 373 00:25:53,595 --> 00:25:59,835 Speaker 1: was more ESPN, not different kinds of ESPN that begat 374 00:26:00,235 --> 00:26:04,395 Speaker 1: ESPN News, ESPN U, ESPN plus ESPN the o Cho 375 00:26:04,755 --> 00:26:09,675 Speaker 1: Tartar control ESPN. But that's not what they wanted ESPN 376 00:26:09,715 --> 00:26:12,675 Speaker 1: two to be. They wanted it to be hip and cool, 377 00:26:13,235 --> 00:26:16,315 Speaker 1: you know, for kids, and they were going to make 378 00:26:16,315 --> 00:26:18,875 Speaker 1: it hip and cool and force it to be hip 379 00:26:18,915 --> 00:26:23,235 Speaker 1: and cool if it killed them and you and for 380 00:26:23,275 --> 00:26:26,555 Speaker 1: that matter me. It is why they took the co 381 00:26:26,675 --> 00:26:30,435 Speaker 1: anchor of their most successful sports center ever and broke 382 00:26:30,515 --> 00:26:32,555 Speaker 1: up the partnership and moved him to a new network 383 00:26:32,595 --> 00:26:34,675 Speaker 1: that almost literally had more people who thought they were 384 00:26:34,715 --> 00:26:38,355 Speaker 1: in charge of it than watched it. And why three 385 00:26:38,395 --> 00:26:42,835 Speaker 1: months later, when Sports Illustrated magazine chose ESPN two as 386 00:26:42,915 --> 00:26:45,555 Speaker 1: the seventh worst thing to happen in sports in the 387 00:26:45,635 --> 00:26:49,355 Speaker 1: year nineteen ninety three, only the seventh worst. We were grateful, 388 00:26:50,315 --> 00:26:52,715 Speaker 1: and I then scurried back to Sports Center and we 389 00:26:52,835 --> 00:26:55,955 Speaker 1: all pretended like ESPN two it never happened, and we 390 00:26:56,035 --> 00:26:59,995 Speaker 1: almost never mentioned it again. But the saga of why 391 00:27:00,075 --> 00:27:04,115 Speaker 1: it went so desperately and immediately wrong is worth telling 392 00:27:04,195 --> 00:27:06,595 Speaker 1: in brief, and if you will listen to it, I 393 00:27:06,635 --> 00:27:10,875 Speaker 1: will tell you something I have never admitted publicly before. 394 00:27:11,435 --> 00:27:14,755 Speaker 1: Why when they asked me to leave Sports Center after 395 00:27:14,795 --> 00:27:17,995 Speaker 1: a very first successful year on Sports Center to go 396 00:27:18,075 --> 00:27:22,875 Speaker 1: do this kakamamie new network thing. Why on earth? Given 397 00:27:22,915 --> 00:27:29,875 Speaker 1: the choice, I actually said, yes, nobody knows this, you 398 00:27:30,075 --> 00:27:34,795 Speaker 1: will in a few minutes. But first, By the time 399 00:27:34,875 --> 00:27:37,115 Speaker 1: I went to work there in nineteen ninety two, ESPN 400 00:27:37,155 --> 00:27:39,355 Speaker 1: had finally moved out of its perennial status of near 401 00:27:39,395 --> 00:27:43,115 Speaker 1: bankruptcy and near irrelevancy to profit and prominence. From the 402 00:27:43,195 --> 00:27:45,755 Speaker 1: launch in nineteen seventy nine through the mid nineteen eighties, 403 00:27:45,755 --> 00:27:48,635 Speaker 1: the place had always either had a new owner, or 404 00:27:48,675 --> 00:27:51,915 Speaker 1: a new schedule, or a new plan to avert bankruptcy. 405 00:27:52,555 --> 00:27:55,515 Speaker 1: When I joined the fledgling sports department at CNN in 406 00:27:55,595 --> 00:27:58,155 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty one, I used to watch my high school 407 00:27:58,195 --> 00:28:01,835 Speaker 1: classmate Chris Berman do his show called Sports Center from 408 00:28:01,835 --> 00:28:05,715 Speaker 1: what was obviously a closet with one light, no air conditioning, 409 00:28:05,755 --> 00:28:08,955 Speaker 1: and no teleprompter. Sometimes it would be twenty minutes long. 410 00:28:09,315 --> 00:28:11,955 Speaker 1: Sometimes it would be two minutes long. Each time I'd 411 00:28:11,995 --> 00:28:15,555 Speaker 1: look at poor Chris schitzing and looking a little claustrophobic, 412 00:28:15,595 --> 00:28:19,755 Speaker 1: and I'd say, well, hooray for CNN Sports. We're not 413 00:28:19,875 --> 00:28:24,635 Speaker 1: the worst. But by nineteen ninety two, ESPN had begun 414 00:28:24,675 --> 00:28:27,555 Speaker 1: to be willing to spend a little money to bring 415 00:28:27,595 --> 00:28:31,195 Speaker 1: in a prominent local sportscaster from Los Angeles Me and 416 00:28:31,275 --> 00:28:34,435 Speaker 1: give him the keys to the eleven o'clock Sports Center. 417 00:28:34,475 --> 00:28:37,675 Speaker 1: And this company, which did not have any merchandise, did 418 00:28:37,675 --> 00:28:41,195 Speaker 1: not sell anything with its logo on it, finally decided 419 00:28:41,235 --> 00:28:45,235 Speaker 1: to expand and launch an all sports radio network, And 420 00:28:45,355 --> 00:28:47,555 Speaker 1: when those plans did not go very well, they spent 421 00:28:47,635 --> 00:28:49,515 Speaker 1: a little extra money and they talked me into moving 422 00:28:49,515 --> 00:28:52,675 Speaker 1: to Connecticut three months earlier than planned to launch the 423 00:28:52,755 --> 00:28:56,435 Speaker 1: radio network, and it was an instantaneous hit by early 424 00:28:56,515 --> 00:28:59,475 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three. Then there were rumblings and then rumors, 425 00:28:59,475 --> 00:29:02,155 Speaker 1: and finally an announcement that they would build upon the 426 00:29:02,275 --> 00:29:06,555 Speaker 1: radio success by starting a second television network. ESPN and 427 00:29:06,955 --> 00:29:11,675 Speaker 1: ESPN two. But and from the beginning, this was the point. 428 00:29:12,235 --> 00:29:15,075 Speaker 1: It was not going to be just another ESPN or 429 00:29:15,115 --> 00:29:18,675 Speaker 1: the ESPN spillover channel, or the channel for when there's 430 00:29:18,715 --> 00:29:21,395 Speaker 1: a great basketball game and a great football game at 431 00:29:21,395 --> 00:29:23,715 Speaker 1: the same time and we want to cover both. It 432 00:29:23,795 --> 00:29:29,515 Speaker 1: was going to be different. There'd be live broadcasts of games, 433 00:29:29,595 --> 00:29:32,075 Speaker 1: just like ESPN. There'd be a studio sports show just 434 00:29:32,195 --> 00:29:35,435 Speaker 1: like Sports Center, but it'd be hip, you know, for 435 00:29:35,555 --> 00:29:40,235 Speaker 1: kids in the Sports Center newsroom. The assumption was the 436 00:29:40,235 --> 00:29:43,555 Speaker 1: face of ESPN two was going to be Mike Turrico. 437 00:29:43,755 --> 00:29:46,915 Speaker 1: Mike had had a very tough nineteen ninety two and 438 00:29:46,955 --> 00:29:49,115 Speaker 1: it seemed like something that could re establish him in 439 00:29:49,155 --> 00:29:51,795 Speaker 1: the company, or if he had a tough nineteen ninety three, 440 00:29:51,875 --> 00:29:54,315 Speaker 1: something he could be jettison from if the whole thing 441 00:29:54,395 --> 00:29:58,115 Speaker 1: went up in flames. I heard Robin Roberts name mentioned 442 00:29:58,115 --> 00:29:59,955 Speaker 1: once or twice, and I don't know if they ever 443 00:29:59,995 --> 00:30:02,475 Speaker 1: approached Robin, and I think Tarico told me once they 444 00:30:02,475 --> 00:30:05,235 Speaker 1: had mentioned it to him, but never seriously. So when 445 00:30:05,275 --> 00:30:07,835 Speaker 1: they called me into my boss's office in the spring 446 00:30:07,875 --> 00:30:10,155 Speaker 1: of nineteen ninety three, I just assumed they were yelling 447 00:30:10,195 --> 00:30:12,315 Speaker 1: at me for something I said, since that's what they 448 00:30:12,395 --> 00:30:14,915 Speaker 1: usually called me in for, or called me and Dan 449 00:30:14,995 --> 00:30:17,395 Speaker 1: Patrick in for, or called Dan in just to yell 450 00:30:17,435 --> 00:30:22,035 Speaker 1: at him for something I had said. Instead, they offered 451 00:30:22,075 --> 00:30:26,675 Speaker 1: me ESPN two. We want you to be to ESPN two, 452 00:30:26,875 --> 00:30:30,035 Speaker 1: said John Walsh, who basically ran everything ESPN did that 453 00:30:30,155 --> 00:30:32,275 Speaker 1: was not a ballgame. We want you to beat for 454 00:30:32,555 --> 00:30:37,515 Speaker 1: ESPN two what Chris Berman is to ESPN. They explained 455 00:30:37,555 --> 00:30:40,315 Speaker 1: that there would be younger sports on their ex game 456 00:30:40,515 --> 00:30:43,355 Speaker 1: stuff and mountain biking. They kept talking about mountain biking 457 00:30:43,475 --> 00:30:46,515 Speaker 1: and a lot of stuff with trees, but that the 458 00:30:46,515 --> 00:30:50,075 Speaker 1: flagship program would match my sense of humor exactly, that 459 00:30:50,115 --> 00:30:52,875 Speaker 1: it would just be snarky and flip and with it 460 00:30:52,955 --> 00:30:57,195 Speaker 1: and hip and cool, you know, for kids. They said 461 00:30:57,195 --> 00:30:59,835 Speaker 1: they would let me continue on Sports Center until August 462 00:31:00,075 --> 00:31:02,835 Speaker 1: and then have me work for two months helping them 463 00:31:02,875 --> 00:31:06,595 Speaker 1: design and rehearse the new show. Oh, they actually wanted 464 00:31:06,635 --> 00:31:09,475 Speaker 1: my opinion, and they offered to give me like a 465 00:31:09,595 --> 00:31:13,675 Speaker 1: twenty five percent raise. Understand though ESPN of nineteen ninety 466 00:31:13,675 --> 00:31:16,555 Speaker 1: three would fight you over an eleven dollars cab ride 467 00:31:16,635 --> 00:31:19,475 Speaker 1: on an expense report. They would call you into a meeting, 468 00:31:19,755 --> 00:31:22,235 Speaker 1: they would spend thirty minutes on this. They would then 469 00:31:22,315 --> 00:31:27,435 Speaker 1: offer you eight dollars a twenty five percent raise was 470 00:31:27,475 --> 00:31:34,875 Speaker 1: the nineteen ninety three ESPN equivalent of Eternal Life. Still, 471 00:31:34,875 --> 00:31:37,355 Speaker 1: I had my doubts for one thing. As it was, 472 00:31:37,395 --> 00:31:40,435 Speaker 1: we seemed to be pretty hip and cool on Sports Center. 473 00:31:40,915 --> 00:31:43,315 Speaker 1: As it was, Dan Patrick and I had an on 474 00:31:43,395 --> 00:31:46,635 Speaker 1: air relationship that you could not practice, nor design, nor cast. 475 00:31:47,395 --> 00:31:50,435 Speaker 1: It was just there or it wasn't. We were the 476 00:31:50,475 --> 00:31:52,795 Speaker 1: two guys in the World War One bunker who knew 477 00:31:52,795 --> 00:31:55,835 Speaker 1: that the Jerry's would eventually get us right in the psalm, 478 00:31:56,155 --> 00:31:58,875 Speaker 1: so all we could do was first take out as 479 00:31:58,915 --> 00:32:01,315 Speaker 1: many of them as we could and sing and laugh 480 00:32:01,395 --> 00:32:04,515 Speaker 1: while we did it. But I had two reasons for 481 00:32:04,795 --> 00:32:07,515 Speaker 1: saying yes anyway, and I'll save the one I've never 482 00:32:07,595 --> 00:32:11,595 Speaker 1: told anybody at all for the end of this recollection. 483 00:32:12,275 --> 00:32:18,635 Speaker 1: The other reason was, believe it or not, I'm I'm 484 00:32:18,635 --> 00:32:22,115 Speaker 1: a team player. I am not the guy who will 485 00:32:22,115 --> 00:32:24,755 Speaker 1: come in and lie on behalf of the team. And 486 00:32:24,835 --> 00:32:26,675 Speaker 1: I am not the guy who will turn away and 487 00:32:26,675 --> 00:32:29,315 Speaker 1: say nothing when the coach is slapping the crap out 488 00:32:29,355 --> 00:32:32,675 Speaker 1: of one of my teammates. But if you say we 489 00:32:32,715 --> 00:32:35,075 Speaker 1: are management, we have thought this through. We want you 490 00:32:35,115 --> 00:32:37,355 Speaker 1: to leave Sports Center to go do ESPN two and 491 00:32:37,395 --> 00:32:40,875 Speaker 1: be hip and cool, you know for kids. I will 492 00:32:40,915 --> 00:32:47,795 Speaker 1: say yes, plus money only they had not thought it through. 493 00:32:47,915 --> 00:32:51,115 Speaker 1: As it proved, the first problem was the new network 494 00:32:51,155 --> 00:32:53,275 Speaker 1: that was supposed to be different from ESPN, and the 495 00:32:53,315 --> 00:32:55,555 Speaker 1: new show that was supposed to be different from ESPN. 496 00:32:55,595 --> 00:32:59,115 Speaker 1: Sports Center was going to be run by John Walsh, 497 00:32:59,475 --> 00:33:03,795 Speaker 1: the guy who ran SportsCenter and basically created what you 498 00:33:03,835 --> 00:33:05,995 Speaker 1: saw then and what you see now. And to actually 499 00:33:06,035 --> 00:33:09,235 Speaker 1: produce the show, he chose Mike Bogad, who was the 500 00:33:09,275 --> 00:33:12,075 Speaker 1: coordinating producer of the eleven o'clock Sports Center that I 501 00:33:12,155 --> 00:33:14,955 Speaker 1: was doing with Dan Patrick, and Norby Williamson, who was 502 00:33:14,995 --> 00:33:17,555 Speaker 1: the line producer of the eleven o'clock Sports Center with 503 00:33:17,555 --> 00:33:20,035 Speaker 1: me and Dan Patrick. And although they would not give 504 00:33:20,075 --> 00:33:22,875 Speaker 1: me a title other than anchor, the other guy running 505 00:33:22,915 --> 00:33:25,395 Speaker 1: it was me the co host of the eleven o'clock 506 00:33:25,395 --> 00:33:30,515 Speaker 1: Sports Center. To add to this crowd of rebellious, innovative 507 00:33:30,595 --> 00:33:34,755 Speaker 1: anti establishment thinkers who yesterday had been the establishment, John 508 00:33:34,795 --> 00:33:38,275 Speaker 1: Walsh hired the sports editor of the Boston Globe, Vince Doria. 509 00:33:38,915 --> 00:33:42,235 Speaker 1: To my mind, Vince would cover himself in glory at 510 00:33:42,395 --> 00:33:46,555 Speaker 1: ESPN two by once proposing a really bad idea the 511 00:33:46,675 --> 00:33:49,795 Speaker 1: laugh track for the Nick mackay comedy segments. And when 512 00:33:49,835 --> 00:33:53,595 Speaker 1: I said, that's a really bad idea, it's still a newscast. 513 00:33:53,635 --> 00:33:55,755 Speaker 1: What if we have a laugh track someday when some 514 00:33:55,915 --> 00:34:00,835 Speaker 1: team's plane crashes, He said, you're right. I'm thinking maybe 515 00:34:00,835 --> 00:34:03,075 Speaker 1: I don't know as much about this TV stuff as 516 00:34:03,115 --> 00:34:04,875 Speaker 1: I thought I did. Will you tell me the next 517 00:34:04,915 --> 00:34:07,835 Speaker 1: time I have an idea that's that bad. But at 518 00:34:07,875 --> 00:34:11,475 Speaker 1: this point, Vince was thinking maybe we could differentiate ESPN 519 00:34:11,515 --> 00:34:15,355 Speaker 1: two from ESPN by showing baseball and basketball box scores overnight. 520 00:34:15,715 --> 00:34:18,035 Speaker 1: There was an opinion, and Vince held it that we 521 00:34:18,075 --> 00:34:22,875 Speaker 1: should be the Christian science monitor of sportscasts on ESPN two, 522 00:34:23,395 --> 00:34:27,275 Speaker 1: which was definitely not, you know, for kids. The show 523 00:34:27,315 --> 00:34:30,115 Speaker 1: producers they brought in were also mainstream. My friend and 524 00:34:30,155 --> 00:34:33,155 Speaker 1: producer Ron Grellik came in from Los Angeles. He actually 525 00:34:33,195 --> 00:34:36,275 Speaker 1: thought they meant the stuff about younger sports. He bought 526 00:34:36,275 --> 00:34:39,595 Speaker 1: a magazine rack and subscribed us to all kinds of 527 00:34:39,635 --> 00:34:43,515 Speaker 1: biking magazines and hiking magazines, and nobody ever read them. 528 00:34:44,115 --> 00:34:47,235 Speaker 1: They hired producers from Madison Square Garden Network. They hired 529 00:34:47,275 --> 00:34:50,275 Speaker 1: associate producers from Sports Center and made them producers to 530 00:34:50,395 --> 00:34:53,355 Speaker 1: join me on the anchor desk. They hired a newspaper 531 00:34:53,355 --> 00:34:56,875 Speaker 1: columnist from Detroit named Mitch Album, and they hired all 532 00:34:56,915 --> 00:35:00,115 Speaker 1: the local sportscasters they did not have room for on SportsCenter, 533 00:35:00,115 --> 00:35:03,155 Speaker 1: and among them was a guy named Stu Stu Scott, 534 00:35:03,755 --> 00:35:06,115 Speaker 1: and Stu was great, and everybody else just came in 535 00:35:06,115 --> 00:35:08,835 Speaker 1: and did regular sports casts, just as if they'd been 536 00:35:08,875 --> 00:35:13,955 Speaker 1: on regular flavor ESPN. Finally to be my real co host, 537 00:35:13,995 --> 00:35:16,915 Speaker 1: they were going to hire, well, we never found out 538 00:35:16,915 --> 00:35:18,675 Speaker 1: who they were going to hire, because one day the 539 00:35:18,715 --> 00:35:21,755 Speaker 1: word came through that the chairman of ABC Cap Cities, 540 00:35:21,915 --> 00:35:25,115 Speaker 1: which owned ESPN and everything else, had seen this weekend 541 00:35:25,115 --> 00:35:28,075 Speaker 1: sportscaster in West Palm Beach doing a tennis tournament of 542 00:35:28,115 --> 00:35:30,755 Speaker 1: some sort or rain delay during a tennis tournament or 543 00:35:30,795 --> 00:35:33,635 Speaker 1: something and thought she was great, and overnight there was 544 00:35:33,675 --> 00:35:35,795 Speaker 1: a bidding war for her, and we had just hired 545 00:35:35,795 --> 00:35:38,435 Speaker 1: her to be my co host. And her name was 546 00:35:38,515 --> 00:35:43,155 Speaker 1: Susie Calber. Everybody on this renegade network, including me, was 547 00:35:43,235 --> 00:35:47,915 Speaker 1: thoroughly non renegade. It became rather apparent rather quickly that 548 00:35:48,035 --> 00:35:52,235 Speaker 1: management's understanding of what made something cool and hip, you 549 00:35:52,275 --> 00:35:58,715 Speaker 1: know for kids? Was you ready? What clothing we wore? 550 00:35:59,955 --> 00:36:03,075 Speaker 1: This is the story of the infamous leather jacket I 551 00:36:03,115 --> 00:36:06,315 Speaker 1: wore the first night, which you will hear when countdown continues. 552 00:36:06,355 --> 00:36:14,235 Speaker 1: After this, back to the number one story on the 553 00:36:14,235 --> 00:36:16,835 Speaker 1: countdown and things I promised not to tell on Saturday's 554 00:36:16,875 --> 00:36:21,395 Speaker 1: twenty ninth anniversary of the launch of ESPN two, or 555 00:36:21,435 --> 00:36:24,755 Speaker 1: as I described it to Kenny Maine for his podcast yesterday, 556 00:36:26,075 --> 00:36:30,075 Speaker 1: the Titanic Only It's on fire first, as I said, 557 00:36:30,075 --> 00:36:34,875 Speaker 1: the organizing principle was forced hipness, and the organizing principle 558 00:36:34,955 --> 00:36:39,515 Speaker 1: of forced hipness was the clothing we wore. And that 559 00:36:39,595 --> 00:36:42,595 Speaker 1: brings us to the primary image that still appears whenever 560 00:36:42,595 --> 00:36:46,515 Speaker 1: the launch of ESPN two is broached or googled. My 561 00:36:46,915 --> 00:36:53,835 Speaker 1: infamous brown leather bomber jacket. Fall comes early to Bristol, Connecticut. 562 00:36:54,035 --> 00:36:55,675 Speaker 1: And if it were not cold enough there at the 563 00:36:55,755 --> 00:36:57,995 Speaker 1: end of September nineteen ninety three, there was also something 564 00:36:58,075 --> 00:37:01,915 Speaker 1: wrong with our new ESPN two studio. No matter what 565 00:37:01,995 --> 00:37:04,435 Speaker 1: they did to the air conditioning system in there, it 566 00:37:04,595 --> 00:37:08,635 Speaker 1: was it's like forty eight degrees all the time. So 567 00:37:08,715 --> 00:37:12,475 Speaker 1: I was standing outside one day, trying to get warm, 568 00:37:12,915 --> 00:37:16,115 Speaker 1: contemplating the succession of train wrecks that had been our 569 00:37:16,155 --> 00:37:18,955 Speaker 1: first five or six pilot shows and dry runs. And 570 00:37:18,995 --> 00:37:21,275 Speaker 1: I was wearing my brown leather bomber jacket because I 571 00:37:21,315 --> 00:37:25,435 Speaker 1: was cold. When another of the many executive producers, John Lack, 572 00:37:25,915 --> 00:37:28,555 Speaker 1: came over to say hi, and he was in mid 573 00:37:28,595 --> 00:37:33,755 Speaker 1: sentence when he looked at the jacket and went stone cold, silent. Wait, 574 00:37:34,395 --> 00:37:37,315 Speaker 1: he finally said, the word eureka forming over his head. 575 00:37:37,755 --> 00:37:41,955 Speaker 1: Would you could you if I asked you, would you 576 00:37:42,235 --> 00:37:47,755 Speaker 1: wear that jacket on the show? I pretended to hesitate. 577 00:37:48,395 --> 00:37:51,275 Speaker 1: I realized only the jacket could save me from freezing 578 00:37:51,315 --> 00:37:53,395 Speaker 1: to death in our winter on the TV version of 579 00:37:53,395 --> 00:37:57,235 Speaker 1: The Donner Party, And so I said, I suppose, And 580 00:37:57,275 --> 00:37:59,955 Speaker 1: that's why I was wearing that jacket. It was cold 581 00:37:59,995 --> 00:38:03,595 Speaker 1: in the studio. Why they gave Steve Buckley from the 582 00:38:03,635 --> 00:38:05,795 Speaker 1: Boston Herald a base ball cap to wear on the 583 00:38:05,835 --> 00:38:09,475 Speaker 1: air for his segments and wear backwards. Why they put 584 00:38:09,475 --> 00:38:12,555 Speaker 1: other guys in football helmets and insisted that nobody wear 585 00:38:12,595 --> 00:38:16,075 Speaker 1: a tie ever, not even former Boston College football coach 586 00:38:16,155 --> 00:38:20,475 Speaker 1: Jack Picknell. That should be obvious, you know, for kids, 587 00:38:21,795 --> 00:38:26,715 Speaker 1: it became rapidly apparent that all ESPN two was ESPN 588 00:38:26,835 --> 00:38:29,955 Speaker 1: dressed up differently. I had a leather coach, the on 589 00:38:30,075 --> 00:38:33,675 Speaker 1: screen graphics were in lowercase letters only. The camera was 590 00:38:33,715 --> 00:38:35,795 Speaker 1: not on a tripod. It was carried around by a 591 00:38:35,835 --> 00:38:39,715 Speaker 1: cameraman who soon had a bad back. The other problem 592 00:38:39,835 --> 00:38:43,395 Speaker 1: was exemplified by that fellow John Lack. I liked him. 593 00:38:43,755 --> 00:38:46,435 Speaker 1: He had run MTV News, and he actually had some 594 00:38:46,595 --> 00:38:51,995 Speaker 1: ideas about differentiating presentation and content for younger audiences. But 595 00:38:52,035 --> 00:38:54,435 Speaker 1: by the time he suggested the jacket, he also had 596 00:38:54,435 --> 00:38:57,235 Speaker 1: a second message for me. Listen, he said, I can't 597 00:38:57,275 --> 00:38:59,755 Speaker 1: get through to these people. They tell me I'm in charge, 598 00:39:00,115 --> 00:39:02,555 Speaker 1: and then they tell me our first new hip revolutionary 599 00:39:02,595 --> 00:39:05,355 Speaker 1: story is going to be a profile of Doug Flutie, 600 00:39:05,395 --> 00:39:07,755 Speaker 1: the quarterback. And I say, how's that different from Sports Center? 601 00:39:07,795 --> 00:39:09,555 Speaker 1: And they look at me like I'm crazy, and they say, 602 00:39:09,795 --> 00:39:13,115 Speaker 1: he's playing in Canada. We'll be doing a story about Canada. 603 00:39:13,195 --> 00:39:16,435 Speaker 1: Who would believe we're going to do a story about Canada. 604 00:39:16,515 --> 00:39:19,195 Speaker 1: But I know you get it, Keith. So when we're 605 00:39:19,235 --> 00:39:22,315 Speaker 1: actually on the air, you have to keep it different. 606 00:39:22,435 --> 00:39:25,515 Speaker 1: You have to be in charge. When we're on you 607 00:39:25,915 --> 00:39:34,595 Speaker 1: are the executive producer. This was extremely bad news because 608 00:39:34,635 --> 00:39:36,875 Speaker 1: by my count, this would have made me the fifteenth 609 00:39:36,995 --> 00:39:40,235 Speaker 1: or sixteenth different person who believed they were in charge. 610 00:39:41,155 --> 00:39:43,435 Speaker 1: There was John Lack, There was Walsh. There was a 611 00:39:43,475 --> 00:39:46,595 Speaker 1: new vice president named Howard Katz. There was Vince Doria. 612 00:39:46,635 --> 00:39:49,075 Speaker 1: There were the two Sports center guys, Norby and Bogie. 613 00:39:49,115 --> 00:39:51,755 Speaker 1: There were the line producers. There were a couple of consultants. 614 00:39:51,755 --> 00:39:54,475 Speaker 1: There was the president of ESPN, Steve Bornstein. There was 615 00:39:54,515 --> 00:39:57,275 Speaker 1: the chairman of ABC who had discovered Susie Calber. There 616 00:39:57,315 --> 00:39:58,635 Speaker 1: was the guy who put in the state of the 617 00:39:58,715 --> 00:40:00,995 Speaker 1: art air conditioning system in the studio. There was the 618 00:40:01,035 --> 00:40:04,955 Speaker 1: other guy, Walter Cronkite's lighting director. As he kept telling 619 00:40:05,035 --> 00:40:07,235 Speaker 1: us who put in the state of the art lighting system, 620 00:40:07,395 --> 00:40:13,955 Speaker 1: all of us individually in charge, so nobody was in charge. 621 00:40:14,875 --> 00:40:19,555 Speaker 1: The night before the premiere, so September thirtieth, nineteen ninety three, 622 00:40:19,635 --> 00:40:21,795 Speaker 1: John Walsh, the Sports Center man, saw me in the 623 00:40:21,795 --> 00:40:24,995 Speaker 1: hallway and said, listen, I just got some amazing information 624 00:40:25,035 --> 00:40:27,955 Speaker 1: from audience research. Do you know which show in all 625 00:40:27,995 --> 00:40:31,635 Speaker 1: of television has the highest percentage of viewers who are 626 00:40:31,675 --> 00:40:35,755 Speaker 1: aged eighteen to twenty four. This was an important question 627 00:40:35,875 --> 00:40:40,035 Speaker 1: a relevant question because these were the kids, you know 628 00:40:40,155 --> 00:40:44,395 Speaker 1: for kids. ESPN two had been created to get that 629 00:40:44,595 --> 00:40:47,035 Speaker 1: eighteen to twenty four year old audience, So I guess 630 00:40:47,195 --> 00:40:50,675 Speaker 1: the answer was, I don't know, some show on MTV. No, 631 00:40:51,195 --> 00:40:57,035 Speaker 1: Walsh said, gleefully, it's Sports Center, and I froze, and 632 00:40:57,075 --> 00:41:01,715 Speaker 1: I said, wait, John, if we already have the eighteen 633 00:41:01,755 --> 00:41:04,475 Speaker 1: to twenty four year old audience, why are we starting 634 00:41:04,475 --> 00:41:07,835 Speaker 1: a network to get the eighteen to twenty four year 635 00:41:07,875 --> 00:41:11,035 Speaker 1: old audience. Do you really think they're gonna give up 636 00:41:11,075 --> 00:41:14,835 Speaker 1: the show they like and move to a new show 637 00:41:14,915 --> 00:41:21,155 Speaker 1: on a new channel just cause? And Walsh laughed and 638 00:41:21,235 --> 00:41:23,595 Speaker 1: shrugged and shuffled down the hallway, and I called a 639 00:41:23,635 --> 00:41:25,675 Speaker 1: cab to take me to the Hartford Airport so I 640 00:41:25,675 --> 00:41:28,675 Speaker 1: could leave the country. Only at the last minute I 641 00:41:28,755 --> 00:41:33,875 Speaker 1: chickened out. The premiere October first began with me, I 642 00:41:33,915 --> 00:41:37,435 Speaker 1: swear this is true, going to shave in my house 643 00:41:37,875 --> 00:41:42,315 Speaker 1: and instead dropping and breaking a mirror. The network signed 644 00:41:42,355 --> 00:41:44,275 Speaker 1: on at seven pm with the national anthem and some 645 00:41:44,315 --> 00:41:47,515 Speaker 1: sort of statement from Chris Berman blessing it, and then 646 00:41:47,555 --> 00:41:50,115 Speaker 1: a very long sketch parody of the then hit film 647 00:41:50,155 --> 00:41:53,635 Speaker 1: The Fugitive, in which I was the fugitive from Sports Center. 648 00:41:53,635 --> 00:41:55,675 Speaker 1: Get it, the fugitive from Sports Center. You get it. 649 00:41:56,115 --> 00:41:58,035 Speaker 1: Then the lights came on. The poor guy with the 650 00:41:58,075 --> 00:42:01,555 Speaker 1: camera staggered in and I said, good evening, and welcome 651 00:42:01,595 --> 00:42:05,115 Speaker 1: to the end of our careers. The television sorts writer 652 00:42:05,235 --> 00:42:09,155 Speaker 1: the Associated Press, John Nelson was there in the studio. 653 00:42:09,715 --> 00:42:13,115 Speaker 1: He immediately flashed that quote to a not waiting world, 654 00:42:13,635 --> 00:42:17,395 Speaker 1: and ESPN two and Sports Night were born, you know, 655 00:42:18,155 --> 00:42:23,235 Speaker 1: for kids. The first night seemed okay, largely because ESPN 656 00:42:23,275 --> 00:42:26,555 Speaker 1: threw a party in the parking lot under a gigantic tent, 657 00:42:27,275 --> 00:42:32,995 Speaker 1: free food and booze. Hundreds of staffers and guests and 658 00:42:33,195 --> 00:42:39,835 Speaker 1: celebrities and free booze. That place later became known as 659 00:42:39,915 --> 00:42:43,875 Speaker 1: the Tent of Consent. Don't ask me. I was on 660 00:42:43,915 --> 00:42:45,635 Speaker 1: the air for three hours. I had nothing to do 661 00:42:45,675 --> 00:42:48,755 Speaker 1: with this. Later that night, near the tent, the network 662 00:42:48,795 --> 00:42:51,675 Speaker 1: president stumbled crossing a little bridge over a stream and 663 00:42:51,755 --> 00:42:55,155 Speaker 1: wound up in the water. And he still had a 664 00:42:55,155 --> 00:42:59,115 Speaker 1: better night than we did. The shows bounced from topic 665 00:42:59,155 --> 00:43:01,955 Speaker 1: to topic and mood to mood, once with Bill Pedo 666 00:43:02,035 --> 00:43:04,995 Speaker 1: anchoring with me. Sports Night ran a mini documentary on 667 00:43:05,035 --> 00:43:08,595 Speaker 1: a high school basketball star who chose which college to 668 00:43:08,635 --> 00:43:13,035 Speaker 1: go to to play ball at entirely by letter and telephone. 669 00:43:13,075 --> 00:43:16,435 Speaker 1: Only when he arrived did he discover he was the 670 00:43:16,475 --> 00:43:21,275 Speaker 1: only white guy in an entirely black conference. We showed 671 00:43:21,275 --> 00:43:25,035 Speaker 1: the first ten minutes of this extraordinary story, then we 672 00:43:25,155 --> 00:43:27,835 Speaker 1: promised to show you the rest of it, and then 673 00:43:28,235 --> 00:43:32,755 Speaker 1: we welcomed a live studio guest, Eddie Layton, the organist 674 00:43:32,795 --> 00:43:36,355 Speaker 1: from Yankee Stadium. He played a few tunes, and then 675 00:43:36,395 --> 00:43:38,595 Speaker 1: we went back to part two of this very grim 676 00:43:38,635 --> 00:43:43,475 Speaker 1: documentary about this very dim basketball player, and that hour 677 00:43:43,635 --> 00:43:48,195 Speaker 1: was kind of good compared to the rest of them. Eventually, 678 00:43:48,235 --> 00:43:51,275 Speaker 1: we moved Sports Night from Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights 679 00:43:51,315 --> 00:43:54,435 Speaker 1: to Monday through Friday at five pm, so Sports Night 680 00:43:54,555 --> 00:43:58,235 Speaker 1: was on in the afternoons. Though it was December, the 681 00:43:58,275 --> 00:44:02,275 Speaker 1: limitless air conditioning continued. Susie Cawber began to wear a 682 00:44:02,275 --> 00:44:05,235 Speaker 1: blanket on her lap just out of camera view. I 683 00:44:05,355 --> 00:44:08,355 Speaker 1: begged to be returned to Sports Center, and they agreed, 684 00:44:08,395 --> 00:44:11,755 Speaker 1: provided I gave back the rays and extended my contract 685 00:44:11,795 --> 00:44:14,035 Speaker 1: for a year and gave back a little bit more. 686 00:44:14,955 --> 00:44:17,595 Speaker 1: Sports Illustrated at that point, still the leading and most 687 00:44:17,635 --> 00:44:20,955 Speaker 1: influential sports media outlet in the World warned us it 688 00:44:21,035 --> 00:44:23,315 Speaker 1: was going to list in its year end issue the 689 00:44:23,355 --> 00:44:25,395 Speaker 1: worst things to happen in sports in nineteen ninety three, 690 00:44:25,515 --> 00:44:27,315 Speaker 1: and we ESPN two were going to be on it. 691 00:44:27,915 --> 00:44:30,075 Speaker 1: And when the magazine came out, there on the list, 692 00:44:30,315 --> 00:44:33,115 Speaker 1: behind the stabbing of the tennis star Monica Selis by 693 00:44:33,155 --> 00:44:35,755 Speaker 1: a fan of her rival, stephie Groff, and behind Michael 694 00:44:35,835 --> 00:44:39,035 Speaker 1: Jordan's retirement, and behind a college football player suing his 695 00:44:39,155 --> 00:44:41,755 Speaker 1: coach because somebody else became the starting quarterback. There we 696 00:44:41,755 --> 00:44:45,835 Speaker 1: were Sports Illustrated's choice as the seventh worst thing in 697 00:44:45,875 --> 00:44:48,355 Speaker 1: sports for nineteen ninety three. And the reaction of the 698 00:44:48,395 --> 00:44:50,555 Speaker 1: anchors and the staff and even the management and all 699 00:44:50,555 --> 00:44:53,195 Speaker 1: eighteen people were in charge of ESPN two Sports Night 700 00:44:53,275 --> 00:44:57,835 Speaker 1: was unanimous, Hooray, We're not the worst. We're not the worst. 701 00:44:58,155 --> 00:45:04,475 Speaker 1: We're not the worst. In my last week anchoring the show, 702 00:45:05,275 --> 00:45:10,475 Speaker 1: we discovered that Walter Kronkite's lighting guy had never spoken 703 00:45:10,515 --> 00:45:12,635 Speaker 1: to the guy who put in the air conditioning system. 704 00:45:12,955 --> 00:45:16,635 Speaker 1: Walter Kronkite's lighting guy had focused the principal backlight in 705 00:45:16,715 --> 00:45:19,915 Speaker 1: his state of the art lighting system directly onto the 706 00:45:19,955 --> 00:45:22,915 Speaker 1: principal monitor for the other guy's state of the art 707 00:45:22,955 --> 00:45:25,315 Speaker 1: air conditioning system, so the state of the art air 708 00:45:25,315 --> 00:45:27,835 Speaker 1: conditioning system had spent six months thinking the temperature in 709 00:45:27,875 --> 00:45:32,075 Speaker 1: the studio was two hundred and seventeen degrees. They let 710 00:45:32,115 --> 00:45:34,395 Speaker 1: me go back to Sports Center, providing I gave back 711 00:45:34,435 --> 00:45:38,275 Speaker 1: all the extra money, and I happily did it and 712 00:45:38,435 --> 00:45:41,915 Speaker 1: a little more. Sports Night staggered on for a few 713 00:45:41,955 --> 00:45:46,395 Speaker 1: more weeks before being canceled, and all the talent Stuart Scott, 714 00:45:46,475 --> 00:45:48,995 Speaker 1: Susie Calber, bil Pedo, and the guy they hired to 715 00:45:49,035 --> 00:45:51,955 Speaker 1: replace me when I escaped back to Sports Center, Kenny, Maine. 716 00:45:52,115 --> 00:45:57,435 Speaker 1: They all went on to do SportsCenter. As to ESPN two. 717 00:45:57,435 --> 00:46:01,715 Speaker 1: We all pretended that never happened. It's just a bad dream. 718 00:46:01,795 --> 00:46:05,035 Speaker 1: And then there was that other reason I had agreed 719 00:46:05,075 --> 00:46:09,875 Speaker 1: to try it. I have not told anybody this. I 720 00:46:09,875 --> 00:46:13,195 Speaker 1: don't even think I told the other person involved this. 721 00:46:14,355 --> 00:46:17,275 Speaker 1: But the night before ESPN management called me in and 722 00:46:17,315 --> 00:46:19,555 Speaker 1: said we'd like you to leave Sports Center and become 723 00:46:19,555 --> 00:46:22,635 Speaker 1: the face of ESPN two, a woman I worked with 724 00:46:22,675 --> 00:46:24,835 Speaker 1: at ESPN said, yes, she would like to go out 725 00:46:24,875 --> 00:46:28,035 Speaker 1: with me, but that doing that while we worked together 726 00:46:28,715 --> 00:46:33,475 Speaker 1: would be a disaster. So after management's offer, I asked 727 00:46:33,475 --> 00:46:35,595 Speaker 1: her if my new schedule, which took me away from 728 00:46:35,635 --> 00:46:39,475 Speaker 1: her department, was sufficient professional distance so that she'd feel 729 00:46:39,515 --> 00:46:43,875 Speaker 1: comfortable dating. And she said yes, So I said yes, 730 00:46:44,795 --> 00:46:51,235 Speaker 1: and we started dating and that didn't work out either. 731 00:47:04,715 --> 00:47:06,595 Speaker 1: Then all the damage I can do here, Thank you 732 00:47:06,635 --> 00:47:08,795 Speaker 1: for listening. Countdown has come to you from the Vin 733 00:47:08,835 --> 00:47:12,475 Speaker 1: Scully studio at the Older Woman Broadcasting Empire HI atop 734 00:47:12,515 --> 00:47:16,435 Speaker 1: the Sports Capsule Building in New York. The music you've 735 00:47:16,435 --> 00:47:19,275 Speaker 1: heard was for the most part, arranged, produced, and performed 736 00:47:19,555 --> 00:47:22,955 Speaker 1: by Countdowns musical directors Brian Ray and John Phillip Schanel. 737 00:47:23,435 --> 00:47:27,195 Speaker 1: Brian Ray handled guitars, bass and drums. John Phillip Schanel 738 00:47:27,235 --> 00:47:30,675 Speaker 1: did the orchestration and keyboards, and it was produced by 739 00:47:30,795 --> 00:47:36,275 Speaker 1: Tko Brothers. Other music, including other works of Beethoven, arranged 740 00:47:36,275 --> 00:47:39,275 Speaker 1: and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. The sports 741 00:47:39,355 --> 00:47:42,035 Speaker 1: music is courtesy of ESPN, Inc. It was written by 742 00:47:42,075 --> 00:47:44,755 Speaker 1: Mitch Warren Davis. We call it the Olderman theme from 743 00:47:44,995 --> 00:47:49,795 Speaker 1: ESPN two. Our satirical and pithy musical comments are by 744 00:47:49,875 --> 00:47:53,395 Speaker 1: Nancy Fauss, the best baseball stadium organist ever. Our announcer 745 00:47:53,475 --> 00:47:56,555 Speaker 1: today was my friend Tony Kornheiser and everything else was 746 00:47:56,635 --> 00:48:00,035 Speaker 1: pretty much my fault. So that's countdown for this, the 747 00:48:00,075 --> 00:48:03,955 Speaker 1: one thousand and tenth day since Donald Trump's first attempted 748 00:48:03,955 --> 00:48:06,835 Speaker 1: coup against the democratically elected government of the United States. 749 00:48:07,275 --> 00:48:11,115 Speaker 1: Convict him now while we still can. The next scheduled 750 00:48:11,155 --> 00:48:14,475 Speaker 1: countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins has the news warrants till then. 751 00:48:14,475 --> 00:48:18,515 Speaker 1: I'm Keith Oldraman, good morning, good afternoon, goodnight, and good luck. 752 00:48:29,275 --> 00:48:33,235 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. For 753 00:48:33,435 --> 00:48:38,315 Speaker 1: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 754 00:48:38,595 --> 00:48:40,555 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.